9 Hacks To Eliminate Stress When Flying Out Of Dublin Airport

Going through an airport can be intensely stressful.

You worry about not getting there and missing your flight. You end up wasting your money buying food onboard the flight. You have to haul a heavy suitcase behind you. That’s even before we get to the actual flying in a metal tube hurtling through the air.

But there are definitely a few tricks that can make going through Dublin Airport less of a chore, like…

1. Use long-term parking instead of short-term

If you make the mistake of parking in the main airport carpark, you could be charged €40 a day while you’re gone.

Well, you say, I’ll get a taxi then. But depending on how far away you are, that could set you back quite a bit too.

Instead, think ahead and book the long-term car park. The closer red park charges €9.50, while the further blue car park charges €7.50 a day. Both of these car parks have regular buses, which leave from outside and take you right to the terminals.

Alternatively, the Air Coach is great, runs 24 hours a day and if you get a return, you can use it at any point during the next year.

2. Download the airline’s app

Some airline apps are really handy. You can check in for your flight, pay for extras, and a few will send you an alert when the plane is boarding.

3. Bring snacks

Save money by buying snacks for the flight ahead of time.

As long as you’re within the rules about what you are and are not allowed to travel with (the EU rules are fairly lax but you have to be more careful travelling to Australia), you can bring it right through security.

4. Get there with plenty of time to spare

If you’re flying to the US, you have to allow for extra time to get through pre-clearance. It can take a lot of time to get to your gate, especially if you’re flying with Ryanair.

Dublin is not a bad airport, and there’s plenty of things to do if you get there early. You can eat at one of the restaurants in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, have a nice hot chocolate from Butlers, go duty free shopping, or just chill out in one of the seating areas with a book or your phone given there’s free Wi-Fi.

But don’t head all the way down to your gate as there’s usually not much to do around there.

Getting to the airport early eliminates the worst part of travelling, the stress. Knowing you’re checked in and through security within plenty of time is a huge weight off your shoulders.

5. Come prepared

Don’t be that person in the security line, the one who is pulling liquids out at the last moment.

Instead:

Have your liquids already packed in a see-through bag (a sandwich bag will do)
Have your electronic items, like laptops and tablets, places in the front pouch of your suitcase or on top of everything else so you can easily put them out
Don’t wear belts or jewellery if you can avoid it, and don’t carry lose change
Have shoes you can slip on and off easily
Put all your stuff, like your phone and your passport, in your coat pockets, and then you can just put your coat through

6. Get fast-track

If you’re travelling during busy times i.e. Fridays, Sundays, Mondays and during school holidays, then it may make sense to buy fast-track instead of standing for upwards of 20 minutes in the security line.

Buying fast-track will let you skip the queue. You also get a free copy of The Irish Times.

It costs €6-8 depending on what terminal you’re going through.

7. Use the Executive Lounge

If you’re going on a long-haul flight, it may be worth paying to get into the Executive Lounge. There’s plenty of seats and sockets, plus there’s free food, drink, newspapers and magazines.

Although the food is mostly limited to soup, cheese, bread, cakes, sweets, fruit and biscuits, that’s enough to keep you going. Plus, you can grab a few bits for the flight.

The free drink also covers tea, coffee, water, juice, fizzy drinks, wine, beer and spirits.

Three hours use costs €20.

8. Use Shop and Collect

Shop and Collect is exactly what it says on the tin. If you’re flying within the EU, you can buy a bunch of duty free items, leave them in Dublin for safe-keeping, then collect them when you come back from your holidays.

That way you don’t have to worry about dragging them all over the airport or exceeding your weight allowance on the way back.

9. Book your seat in advance

Some airlines give you the option to choose you seat instead of being randomly assigned one.

If you’re flying long-haul, I’d definitely recommend this. The plane layout shows you where the baby cots are (therefore, where to avoid if you're looking for a quiet time). You can choose an aisle seat so you’re not climbing over people to get out.

And you can choose to be near to the bathroom, which sounds like a bad thing but is actually prime real estate when you finish dinner and everyone is making a rush for it at the same time.

Not sure which seat is best? Enter your flight number into Seat Guru and it will tell you which seats have the most legroom, are the closest to babies etc.

It’s worth the little bit of extra money.

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