Good riddance to Aer Rianta

J

Jhi

Guest
Effective midnight hopefully we will come to see properly run airports in this country.Goodbye to bad management and rotten internal structures.Maybe the new authorities will have vision and a sense of fair play in the interests of everyone and not just the propping up of overpaid and underworked incompetent managers who more than likely got their jobs based on "pull" or political manouevring.Wiil it happen though?God forbid we may even see airport authority jobs advertised in the national press and not just given to the inner clique and family relations.
 
I share your feelings that Aer Rianta is/was very badly run. They have shown an utter lack of vision over the years.
I would question the wisdom of breaking it up though, why was there not a root and branch restructuring but maintaining a single airport authority. In this little country we should have one health authority, one airport authority etc., the duplication of services alone must cost tens of millions in admin costs every year.
If it don't work fit it, don't throw it away and create mini versions of the same thing all over again.
 
Hi Purple,

Aer Rianta is/was very badly run
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Im unconvinced about this. Can you point to some evidence which shows that Aer Rianta is/was very badly run?

ajapale
 
Aer Rianta

I'll give you polenty, but for starters take a look at the state of the baggage hall in DAP. Third World doesn't even describe it.
 
Re: Aer Rianta

I'll give you polenty
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Thanks for your offer of the [broken link removed], but what's that got to do with Aer Rianta?

I think much of the bashing of Dublin Airport is overplayed - I've been through major airports in the US in much worse condition.
 
Aer Rianta

Polenty?...slip of the thumb!

The state of US airports is neither here nor there because in the case of Aer Rianta they started a job (refurbishing the baggage hall) and then having ripped out the existing ceiling they just stopped the work. This isn't a case of natural decay or wear and tear, but of pure stupidity and ineptitude.

This is the kind of thing you see happening in dodgy parts of Africa. Its a national disgrace!
The first thing visitors to this lovely country see is the hanging ceilings of Dublin Airport!
Charming!

They fecked up the design of the baggage hall in other less visible ways. For instance, the road which was installed to link the underground baggage handling hall with the main ramp was installed at too steep an angle, and with a bad bend in the middle of it, which makes it impossible for baggage trucks with more than two trailers to get up it (in the dry) or one trailer max if its wet. This slows down baggage delivery enormously.

Next time you've stood 30 minutes in the 3rd world baggage hall (admiring the plumbing and wiring above you) you know whats delaying your baggage.
 
.

I've been through major airports in the US in much worse condition.

That's a bit of a socialist attitute if you don't mind me saying. Just because somewhere else is worse, doesn't make Dublin better.

- These trousers I just bought from RedCommieConcern has a stain on one of the legs!

- Well you should be pleased. At least there are no holes in them. Our other trousers are even more heavily stained.
 
Re: .

The original question was not about the state of Dublin Airport - it was about Aer Rianta. Benchmarking the state of Dublin Airport against other major international airports seems a very reasonable, sensible way to assess the effectiveness of Aer Rianta. Are we really saying we expect them to do provide far better airport facilities than the rest of the Western world? Are we prepared to pay for such facilities?
 
Re: .

Benchmarking the state of Dublin Airport against other major international airports seems a very reasonable, sensible way to assess the effectiveness of Aer Rianta
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as long as you benchmark the money spent as well...
 
Benchmarking

This type of benchmarking leads to mediocrity. It's one of the reasons why the bloated civil service is the way it is.

When I hear arguments like this, it reinforces in my mind how bad socialism is. We're bad - but not as bad as those folks.

When private companies (who aren't in socialist-style cartels, like the banks) do such anaylsis, it's generally to be better than the competitor.
 
Re: Benchmarking

Get off your horse and stop twisting my words, John

I never said that AR were bad at all at all - but I suppose a good idealogical rant based on incorrect assumptions is more fun than actually adding something constructive to the debate.
 
Re: Benchmarking

Hi rd
Can you name the airports in the US of worse condition? My experience of a good 30 or 40 of them is that they are better.

One thing that really gets my goat is the queues to check in. In the US each airline has one line. The check in person will handle any flight, thus avoiding the situation where you've got 10 mins to get on a flight with 20 people ahead of you, while the girl at the check in booth next door is polishing her nails. arrrghhhhh!!
 
Aer Rianta

Comparing airports does not get to the root of the problem.The money is there but is being badly spent.Shannon airport seemingly has 200 managers out of a staff of 600 and the airport is running at half capacity???What is going on....relying on handouts and US military flights to stay afloat.Get rid of the dead wood and cronies who have been on the gravy train for years and we may see some change.The vision at Dublin was obviously not there so as to properly plan ahead for the explosion in passenger numbers.These guys are just lining their back pockets.Get decent,hard working and visionary management in place now.Maybe then we can see well run airports with employees rewarded accordingly.
 
Re: Aer Rianta

Hi HH - The last time I came through LAX, the buildings had a distinct 1970's feel. It was fairly dirty, with a washroom that made me lose my urge to go, and decide to hold on until I hit the hotel. Sea-tac had the same 1970's feel, along with a bizarre system whereby you collect your luggage, pass through customs, they take back your luggage, you get the shuttle train to the terminal and then you wait for your luggage again, in a fairly downmarket waiting area. The dining area in JFK was like Mother Hubbards from 20 years ago, not even in the same ballpark as the food court upstairs in Dublin airport. The only US airport that impressed me was Logan, though the terminal there was very cramped & crowded - difficult to make your way through.
 
Dublin Airport

Don't forget rainyday, Dublin is the capital city of this country, so if you want to talk benchmarking lets compare airports in the capitals of other european cities.

Schipol and Charles De Gaulle are both larger airports but both work well. Schipol is a world class model.
Brussels is a dump, and I think we have a lot in common with the Belgians.
Rome (Fiumicino) is also a dump, but thats the Italians for you.
Heathrow is a decent airport in parts but its too spread out for Irish travellers in particular. On the plus side the runway/ATC infrastructure in LHR is beyond compare anywhere in the world.
Germanys airports are generaqlly good all round.
Madrid is OK and improving.

I don't think Dublin is all that far behind, but that makes it all the more annoying that the minimal effort needed to get up to scratch isn't being made.

I haven't even started on the issue of runway/ATC infrastructure in Dublin, I could write pages. No ground control radar, no ILS on RWY34, undermanned ATC and RT frequency congestion are just some of the shortcomings in this generally below average airport.
 
Long term car park and the ignorant bus driver.

I just returned from holidays after parking my car in the long term car park at Dublin airport. When we got on the red bus to take us to the car park the driver waited until the bus was completely full of people together with their luggage blocking every exit.
When we arrived at the long term car park the driver decided that he was not going to announce the stops as he drove from Zone B to Zone D to Zone R and so on. Those people who had used this service for the first time hadn't a clue what was going on. The bus would simply stop and the doors would open. Sometimes the bus would skip certain Zones or stop at the rear of certain Zones.
Those people who were in the earlier Zones couldn't alight anyhow as their luggage had other peoples luggage piled on top of theirs together with the aisles completly blocked. When we finally got to Zone Z where I was alighting there was consternation as people from the earlier Zones were still on the bus. The driver obviously hated his job and had contempt for his passengers.
To add insult to injury my fee was €43. I couldn't pay by credit card as there was nobody in the little exit office to pay. Just a note sellotaped to the window saying "closed". This is not the first time that this has happened.
I would rather walk than use this po*y service again.
 
Re: Long term car park and the ignorant bus driver.

Hi Tharg - Is it really fair to compare Dublin with major European capitals like Paris & Madrid - given our modest population size. I know that being an island nation, we have a requirement for more flights than mainland Europe, but population is still a major factor. Perhaps Brussels, Copenhagen etc would be more valid comparisons.

Hi Grizzly - Don't they have machines at every exit for credit car payments?

But [broken link removed] - giving away a Mercedes at the taxpayers expense!
 
Aer Rianta

As I said rainyday, Paris CDG and Schipol are larger airports that both work well. Running such large facilities smoothly and efficiently is a greater challenge than Dublin presents, yet they get it right and Aer Rianta get it wrong. Miserably.
If you can't accept a european capital as a comparitor why compare us to US airports? The population of the US is 270M !

BTW I passed through the baggage hall this morning and -surprise surprise - the ceiling has finally been fitted!
It only took 4 years.
Maybe they read the comments here.
 
Car parking

Hi Grizzly,

On a matter of principle, I don't use any semi-state businessees, where possible. Great to see Easy Jet now flying out of Ireland giving even more competition to the union fat cat civil servants in Aer Fungus.

As an alternative to Air Runtya's car park, why not use the Quick Park facitilities just outside the airport ? €5 per day: friendly staff and regular courtesy bus to and from the airport.
 
Julie

On a matter of principle, I don't use any semi-state businessees, where possible.
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Hahaha....!!! You must lead the life of an ascetic!

Do you ever travel by bus or train?
Do you drive a car on the public roads?
Do you ever switch on any lights in your house?
Do you ever make a cup of tea, or take a shower?

What utter codswallop.
 
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