After a restful night at the Clayton Hotel and a calm start to the morning, it was time to gear up for flight five of this tier point run. Dublin Airport’s check-in area was almost eerily quiet, but then I caught sight of the general security queues. They were an absolute monster—lines winding around like a poorly designed theme park.
Thank goodness for Fast Track! It was a quick and painless process, and I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as I watched the massive crowds inch forward in the regular lanes. Then came the obligatory march through the duty-free maze, dodging both perfumes and aggressive chocolate displays, before finally arriving at the Aer Lingus lounge.
The lounge itself? Well, let’s be kind and say it’s functional. The food and drink options were pretty basic. Nothing to write home about, but at least I found a quiet spot to settle down with a drink. Actually, there was something to write home about, the pre-packaged shortbread was delicious and a few packets may have accidentally fallen into my rucksack!
Since the T2 Lounge is right next to Aer Lingus and my Priority Pass gives me access, I figured I’d pop in for a look. Well, let’s just say that neither of these lounges is about to become my new hangout spot. If you’re here for the snacks, head to Aer Lingus for the biscuits. If you’re in it for a quick tipple, then the T2 Lounge has a better booze selection. In other words, it’s a ‘pick your poison’ situation, but don’t expect to be wowed.
Deciding that neither the Aer Lingus nor the T2 Lounge was worth lingering in, I made my way to the gate, number 307. But as I strolled through the terminal, what should catch my eye but the T1 Lounge! Now this was more like it—definitely a step up from the other two contenders.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I popped in for a quick peek. With my sights already set on heading to the gate, I didn’t linger too long. Just a brief wander around to take in the atmosphere, and then it was back on track to 307. A shame I didn’t have more time to settle in, but at least I know for next time!
Gates 301-307 are tucked away in their own little enclave, complete with a cozy Irish-themed bar. Given the surprisingly large number of gate lurkers hovering, I decided that the bar was a much better place to wait for boarding. A drink and a bit of peace beat standing elbow-to-elbow with the crowd any day!
By 11:40, boarding was well underway, but refuelling was still happening, so it was looking like a 10-20 minute delay. Thankfully, my schedule had built-in buffer time of over two hours, so there was no panic just yet.
It didn’t take much to have the panic rising! We left the stand around 20 minutes late, as expected. We then hung out near the terminal for a bit, followed by a slow taxi down the entire length of the airport. And then? Just parked on the taxiway. It’s was over half an hour without a single peep from the flight deck. And then, like a magic spell, the pilot breaks the silence: “We’ve been waiting for a piece of paperwork to confirm where you all are sat.” Seriously?! And finally we were away fully 70 minutes late. That 2 hour buffer was now looking mighty thin!
Well, at least the crew sprang into action once we were cleared. Service was flawless—fast, efficient, and professional. I had ordered the Kosher meal, which turned out to be salt beef. Not a fan, honestly. It was tough, stringy, and not exactly the gourmet experience I had hoped for. The surprises didn’t stop there—a bottle of NF champagne was off! First time that’s happened to me. Luckily, I was the first to sample it, so I alerted the crew before it went around to the others.
Despite these hiccups, the rest of the flight was wonderful. Plenty of top-ups, great banter with the crew—it was easily my favourite flight of the year.
At 12:45, the pilot announced that we’d be treated to another 15 minutes in the holding pattern. It’s like the universe is determined to keep me from the Concorde Room today!
We finally landed at 13:17 and I realised I had to get my hustle on.
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