What does closing Dublin Airport’s VIP terminal actually achieve?

Pól Ó Conghaile

Dublin Airport Authority Chief Executive Dalton Philips at Leinster House, Dublin for a Joint Transport and Communications Committee meeting on recent acute delays experienced by passengers at Dublin Airport Dublin.

June 09 2022 02:30 AM

Poor Bono, you might think. Now he has to queue for flights like the rest of us.

Dublin Airport’s Platinum Services – a small VIP terminal that offers guests private suites, a security channel and chauffeur-driven rides to their plane – has stopped taking new bookings.

The Indo Daily: Keep calm and bring a carry-on — How to beat the chaotic queues at Dublin Airport

It may look like a prioritisation of ordinary punters. But what does it actually achieve?

The DAA says the move is to “optimise resources” and the service will continue for existing bookings. But how can this free up more than a handful of staff? It could also create knock-on headaches.

A-listers from the world of showbusiness use the terminal. So do top sporting teams. Ukraine’s deputy PM passed through last weekend.

Green Day and Guns n’ Roses play Marlay Park this month. Will they have to queue like the rest of us?

Yes, there are fast-track channels and business lounges in Dublin’s regular terminals, but these are already under staffing pressure, and I can’t see how a contingency plan for celeb security eases stress on airport resources. How does this help punters trying to catch planes?

Last year, Prince William and Kate Middleton travelled through Heathrow’s VIP services, which cost £3,300 (€3,870) for up to three people.

Dublin’s Platinum Services is priced at €295, just over a quarter of that. Many major airports have similar facilities, providing privacy and a premium experience that also generates revenue.

Nor is it used only by celebs. Customers include business travellers who invest and employ in Ireland, and wealthy tourists critical to the recovery of our battered hospitality industry. With no new bookings being taken, they now have another reason to wonder about travelling to Ireland.

Croke Park has premium suites. So do hotels and nightclubs. We may not like the idea of tiered travel, but there’s a market for luxury. That’s why this decision stumps me.

Sources said the move follows pressure from the Government. I hope it isn’t out of a misguided sense of ‘optics’. The website says: “Page not found”. That doesn’t look good.