The stoppage caused disruption, but there was also a sense of normality, writes Frank McNally
It was just another manic Monday at Dublin Airport and, in the departures hall at least, it was hard enough to tell that there was a temporary work stoppage going on.
Although the SIPTU meeting grounded all flights for an hour and caused the diversion of one incoming plane to Belfast, check-in of passengers proceeded as usual.
Apart from a very long queue at the departures gate, there was an air of normality in the main terminal and even something approaching calm considering it was mid-July.
Most of the delays occurred "air-side" - in the boarding lounges and on planes.
A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said the company worked on the assumption that there would be clearance for take-off at 3 p.m. and boarded most passengers at "minus 20" (2.40p.m.) or, in the case of the Chicago flight, "minus 40" (2.20p.m.).
On board air conditioning was not affected by the temporary stoppage by airport fire staff.
So passengers "were not sitting in hot planes on the tarmac", the spokeswoman said, confirming that some departures were delayed for "up to an hour". She added: "There was disruption alright, but it wasn't that bad."
About 600 union members attended the 2 p.m. meeting, described by a SIPTU official as short, orderly but "very angry".
It broke up on or before schedule at 3 p.m, and workers returned to work soon afterwards.
Aer Rianta said 26 incoming or outgoing planes, with about 3,000 passengers, were directly affected.
One of these, an Aer Lingus flight from Barcelona, was diverted to Belfast.
At 3.15 p.m., planes were again taking off and landing, although there were knock-on delays throughout the evening.
Ironically, the worst problems were caused by the cancellation of some Ryanair flights for reasons unconnected to the meeting.
At a post-meeting briefing in the nearby Great Southern Hotel, SIPTU officials apologised for the inconvenience to travellers, but said it "could have been much worse" had the anger of workers not been "controlled".
An economic adviser to the union, Mr Paul Sweeney, mounted a defence of Aer Rianta's performance, with apologies: "I'm sorry to be praising the company, but they're gagged, so we have to speak for them."
He acknowledged the "chaos" that characterised the airport in the late 1990s, but blamed the restrictions imposed on management's ability to expand as it wanted to do.
Compared with the "crappy" performance of road and rail projects under the Minister for Transport's control, Aer Rianta's performance had been "quite good".
At 5.15 p.m. the longest queue in the departures hall was the 150 people lined up at the Ryanair information and ticket desk following the cancellation of a flight to London Stansted for "operational reasons".
"We're hoping to get on a plane in two hours, or failing that there's one at 11 p.m," said one resigned passenger.
However, an English passenger in the queue was less forgiving. "They never tell you anything."