Dara Ó Briain slams Dublin Airport as a 'mess' with 'insane queues'

The comedian said that airport bosses “should be on your knees thanking your staff” for dealing with the issue so well.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the Bray native went on a rant about the lengthy queues at Terminal 2, explaining that lines of people spilled outside the airport and into the car park.

“Even more insane queues trying to fly out of Dublin. Important to say though, @DublinAirport, you should be on your knees, thanking your staff for the patience and charm with which they are handling this mess you’ve put them in,” he said.

“In T2, it stretched out of the building into the car rental area, so probably over an hour, 70 mins, just to get though security. Obviously do online check-in and save yourself doing that queue too.”

Before this, Dara expressed his frustration about the airport’s electronic passport machines, which are used in tandem with customs officers to check passports when passengers disembark their flight, not being in use when he arrived in Ireland.

He shared a photo of eight e-Gates that were closed off and complained that just one customs officer was on duty, manually checking travellers’ passports.

Dara said: “Hey @DublinAirport, any chance you could finally get these working? It might take the pressure off the ONE customs officer manning the EU/UK desk today.”

Getting more annoyed, the 50-year-old continued: “Honestly the place just seems astonished to find planes arriving.

“Even the pilot said (apologising for the 30 minute absence of a jetway) ‘we seem to have caught them on the hop today.’”

A representative from Dublin Airport responded to Dara’s eruption, clarifying that the situation at Passport Control falls under the responsibility of the Department of Justice, not the airport itself.

They said: “Hi Dara. Passport control is the responsibility of INIS, the Irish Naturalisation Immigration Services, which falls under the Department of Justice.”

Dara snapped back: “Well you should mention to them when planes are arriving. And you should mention it to the lads working the jetway too so people aren’t sitting for 30 minutes at the gate on a landed plane.”

Dara wasn’t the only person vexed by the queues at Dublin Airport, as other frustrated flyers slammed the “dreadful” scenes online.

One man said: “I flew out a few weeks ago and airside was like a badly run festival. Queues for food, queues for drink and even queues for the toilets. Too many people with too few facilities to cater for them.”

Another remarked: “It’s been hairy the last few times I’ve had to fly. Queue last Sunday morning for flight to Glasgow was longer than the actual flight. Flying again early Tuesday. Leaving now to join the queue.”

And a passenger who claimed she was on the same flight as Dara shared: “Was in same flight as you yesterday @daraobriain…. absolute mayhem at Dublin Airport… No fun at all and staff are to the pin of their collars trying to manage the situation… very frustrating when you’re on time for your flight but you’re not guaranteed you’ll be on it.”

Speaking about the reported delays at the airport, Graeme McQueen, DAA Media Relations Manager, said: “It's another busy Sunday at Dublin Airport, but queues are moving well at security screening with pass-through times this afternoon currently under 30 minutes in both terminals.

“We thank passengers for continuing to work with us as we move further into the busy summer season and remind anyone travelling in the days and weeks ahead to arrive at the airport in plenty of time ahead of their flight.

“Our recommendation remains to arrive at the airport up to two and a half hours before a short-haul flight and up to three and a half hours prior to a long-haul flight. Where possible, passengers should also look to check-in online in advance of travelling to the airport,” he told Dublin Live.