Over 20 million passengers pass through Dublin Airport each year.
Yet when you’re rushing through security to get to your departure gate, it's easy to overlook some of the features that can not only make your airport visit a little easier, but actually more enjoyable too.
1. You can pick up your shopping on return
Don’t want to carry your airport shopping on holidays? The Loop has a Shop & Collect service in both terminals that allows passengers to pick up their purchases on return. They’ll even send a text reminding you when you land.
2. It has a cool Pinterest account
Dublin Airport’s Pinterest account has a collection of vintage aviation posters and historical memorabilia like a 1980s snap of a Pepsi-branded Concorde.
3. It has pool tables
Terminal 2 has a pair of pool tables hidden away under the vaulted area at the back of the Oak Cafe Bar. If you’ve got time before security, or are waiting on an incoming plane, pop €2 in the slot and enjoy a game.
4. The R108 offers ringside runway seats
A spot of plane-watching from the Old Airport Road or R108 from your car is a great way to spend an afternoon out in Dublin with the kids. The road runs parallel to Runway 10/28, allowing aviation fans the chance to see and hear landings up close.
5. €20 buys you three hours in a luxury lounge
For €20, paying customers can enjoy three hours’ access to the airside executive lounge facilities in T1 and T2, regardless of airline or ticket class. Complimentary drinks, snacks, newspapers and notifications of any impending delays or departures are included.
6. It has fabulous artwork
If you’ve passed through T2, you’ll know Kevin Abosch’s Faces of Ireland exhibition. But these 250 portraits are far from the only art around the airport. At the entrance roundabout, Richard Enda King’s 55-foot granite and concrete work Spirit of the Air evokes an airplane tailfin, and T2’s landside spaces are tied together by the yellow arcs and ellipses of Isobel Nolan’s Turning Point.
7. You can fast-track security for €5.95
Dublin’s Airport Genie service allows passengers to buy bundled services upgrading their airport experience. €5.95 gets you a place in the fast-track boarding pass channel, along with a free coffee and SMS flight status updates.
8. The old terminal is steeped in history
Passengers walking the skybridge between Terminal 1 and Pier D get a lovely, sweeping view of Dublin Airport’s Old Terminal Building. Designed by Desmond FitzGerald (brother of the former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald), the 1930s building echoes the form of an ocean liner and, although it does continue to house some boarding gates, the best way to see is by taking a guided tour during Open House Dublin.
9. It has a church
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church, located behind the T1 car park, recently celebrated its 50th birthday. The airport also has a Salvation Army Chaplain, and a multi-faith prayer room in T2.
10. It has a smoking area
If you’re flying from T1, and are desperate for a final puff, there is an airside smoking area in the Garden Terrace Bar. It’s on the way to Gates 101-121/201-220.
Image via Pinterest.
