Aer Rianta is enforcing a by-law to make airlines tighten up on their procedures for handling passengers. Alison Healy reports. At busy times fights have occasionally broken out among passengers when people try to nose their trolleys ahead of others in the queue.
If you have ever stood in a long queue waiting for an airline check-in desk to open, or waited for an hour for your luggage in the baggage hall, then Aer Rianta's decision to clamp down on delays at Dublin Airport will be welcome news.
This week the airport asked its solicitors to begin pursuing prosecutions in "a number of sample cases" where airlines breach a new by-law on the operation of check-in desks.
The by-law requires that desks be open at least two hours before departure time.
At least two desks must be open for flights carrying between 51 and 200 people, while those carrying more than 201should be served by at least three check-in points.
Aer Rianta believes that this and other measures will have a major effect on reducing congestion and unnecessary delays at the airport, particularly at weekends.
Mr John Burke, Aer Rianta's chief executive, says that the airport will become a much more pleasant place as the new measures begin to take effect.
The by-law was enacted in February, but it was not until earlier this month that Aer Rianta took serious steps to enforce it.
In one week in mid-August more than 135 formal notices were issued to airlines and ground-handling companies who were in breach of the law.
Duties such as checking passengers in and baggage-handling are completed by ground-handlers, but some airlines such as Ryanair and Aer Lingus do their own ground-handling.
Five companies do ground-handling at Dublin Airport, but it is understood that Ryanair received about 60 per cent of these notices while Aer Lingus received some 36 per cent.
Aer Rianta did not prosecute in those instances, but from this week onwards summonses will be issued and cases will end up in court.
The penalties for breach of a by-law start at €1,905 but could ultimately result in a two-year prison term and/or a fine of €127,000.
The threat of hefty fines and prison sentences has been described as "nonsense" by Ryanair, while Aer Lingus is having talks with Aer Rianta on the issue.
Aer Rianta has also turned its attention to delays in the baggage hall. It has been monitoring the time it takes to get the first and last bag from every flight to the baggage belt. The company is now considering publishing this information.
This is necessary because of unacceptable delays in getting bags from aircraft to the baggage hall, according to Mr Burke.
"It would not be unusual for one person to unload an entire flight," he said. "People could be waiting for up to two hours for their bags, and that adds to the congestion."
In the past, arriving passengers have been stranded on aircraft because decisions had not been made on ground-handling, Mr Burke said. He aded that Aer Rianta was often blamed for these problems, yet it had little control over them because it did not issue ground-handling licences.
In many countries, airport authorities issue licences for ground-handling and have included service standards in the licences.
In this State, the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) issues licences. However, it said that such operational issues did not fall within its remit.
"As we would see it, the question of when check-in desks open, or the ratio of baggage-handling staff to suitcases, is really an operational matter for Aer Rianta," said Mr Cathal Guiomard, CAR's head of economic issues.
Mr Burke said that the by-law would give the airport more control in removing unnecessary delays and inconveniences. Most check-in desks did not open until 6 a.m., when early-morning travellers were already standing in lengthy queues.
At busy times, queues from check-in desks often backed into each other, and fights had occasionally broken out among passengers when people tried to nose their trolleys ahead of others.
A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said that the airline was currently having discussions with Aer Rianta on the new by-law. She would not elaborate on this, but it is understood that Aer Lingus believes a number of aspects of the by-law should not apply to it because of its different check-in methods.
Aer Lingus uses a system of separate check-in desks for "premier" and "hand baggage only" passengers and sometimes checks in several flights at one desk. It feels that the by-law does not make allowances for this.
Ryanair has been a constant critic of Aer Rianta's performance in recent times and has been scathing of the new by-law.
Mr Michael Cawley, the company's commercial director, said that the threat of prison was ridiculous and the airline was not intimidated by it.
Ryanair's check-in desks were usually open two hours before departure, he said. "If they are not, it's because there are no passengers, so what's the point?"
The company had no problem going to court and would use the opportunity to show how ridiculous the issue was, Mr Cawley said.
He claimed that the security desk manned by Aer Rianta was one of the main causes of delay at the airport. "That's a real problem, and the taxi queues and the distance you have to go to get to the car parks."
This was rejected by Mr Burke, who said that independent research had shown that seven minutes was usually the longest time someone would stand in the queue, but two or three minutes was more common.
"You might have a very long queue, but it moves quickly," Mr Burke said.
"Fifteen million people will use the airport this year. Some 70,000 or 80,000 people are coming or going through here every day. That's the equivalent of one of those big U2 concerts every day, but people never think of it like that."