Originally Posted by Wexflyer
But as someone else already pointed out, there is another way to meet the requirement to serve both SNN and DUB. That is to alternate flights every other day between the two locations. That is what Delta did at one point - not sure if they still do.
Could they meet the requirement by flying US-DUB-SNN then SNN-DUB-US, or does one direction have to be nonstop between SNN and the US? Given that the vast majority of the passengers seemed to be DUB-bound on Nov 9-10, and given that originally US-SNN was a much smaller plane than US-DUB, I would think this would make the majority of passengers happy. And it wouldn't mean any fewer passengers at SNN duty free than under the original separate flights...
Btw, is there US immigration at DUB (for flights direct to the US) or only at SNN? Why at SNN?
On the 13th, they handed us a stern warning note that if we didn't speak to the gate security agent by
12:00 (flight was at 12:50), our seats would be surrendered and our bags unloaded! Well, I didn't read that until after spending a few minutes in the Aer Lingus lounge (not much there besides fluids, the only snacks were prepackaged cheese crackers!), and didn't get to the gate area until a few minutes after noon. But then there was a long line, and they were only taking people in boarding group order (as the way it was set up, there wasn't much room for queueing after the secondary bag screen), so obviously the people in the last boarding group couldn't possibly talk to the gate security agent anytime near 12:00! And I could swear I saw someone getting on the plane around 12:40, just a minute or so before the doors closed! So what's up with the wording on this warning they handed out???
My point in mentioning all this is that the only lounge is before US immigration, and that combination makes SNN a less-desirable airport for US-bound passenger who could have access to the lounge.
And it seems to me that it creates an "immigration security" problem! At ORD immigration, they were trying to sort out the AA 92 people from others (speeding them through unmanned immigration lanes), but it was so haphazard that anyone coming in from another flight could have "merged" with that group and gotten into the country without going through immigration! If they hadn't done the immigration at SNN, that loophole wouldn't exist!