Madam, – Our aircraft took off from Newark NJ at 7.10pm on Friday and touched down at 6.47am on Saturday in Dublin. Plane bang on schedule; full of Yanks probably visiting Ireland for the first time.
We got through the convoluted security system nicely, to arrive in the baggage hall at 7am on the dot.We spent the next 32 minutes waiting for the conveyor to start, as you do. In the meantime our American friends were seeing Ireland for the first time. I noticed them muttering among themselves as they looked up at the distorted ceiling grids, down at cracked floors and poorly replaced tiles, up again at shabby and poorly fitted overhead stainless steel ducting.
I was returning from a business trip to the US. I go there on regular missions to promote the best of Irish engineering and to win export projects for my company and country. To my embarrassment the passengers had plenty time to take it all in; waiting in that poorly lit basement for that bloody conveyor belt to start up.
Fáilte Ireland needs to give Aer Rianta a lesson in first (and lasting) impressions . . . and roll on T2! – Yours, etc,