Ruadhán Mac Cormaicanswers some of the likely questions for those due to use Dublin Airport over the coming days.
I am due to travel through Dublin airport today. What should I do?
The Irish Aviation Authority advises intending passengers to contact their airline for up-to-date information, while the airlines encourage people to check their websites for the latest news.
Aer Lingus advised passengers with confirmed reservations to present themselves at the airport in time for their scheduled departure, though some delays were being experienced yesterday.
Up-to-date information is available at www.aerlingus.com or through the Customer Contact Centre at 0818-365044 (from the Republic) or 00353-1-8868690 (from outside the Republic).
Ryanair said passengers should continue to show up at the airport in time for their scheduled flight departures, but they should expect delays. Updates are available at www.ryanair.com or 0818-303030.
Aer Arann said that all departing flights were delayed yesterday by 30 minutes, while all arriving flights were experiencing delays of 50 minutes. Updates are available at www.aerarann.com or 0818-210 210.
Have the problems with the radar system been resolved?
According to the Aviation Authority, the cause of the problem with the radar system had been identified, but in the interest of safety the airport was operating at 70 per cent of total capacity yesterday. It said the impact on departing traffic was not significant yesterday, although delays were experienced by incoming flights. "Any further increase in capacity will only be made following complete assurances from the IAA's engineers, the Authority's Safety Management Unit and Thales ATM" (the latter being an electronics manufacturer), it said in a statement. The authority provides updates via its own website, www.iaa.ie
My flight was cancelled or severely delayed at Dublin airport this week. What are my rights?
Passenger rights in the event of cancelled or delayed flights are protected under European regulations that came into effect in February 2005. Passengers must be offered care and help free of charge while awaiting a delayed flight, with meals, accommodation in cases where an overnight stay is necessary, transport between the airport and accommodation and two telephone calls, e-mails, faxes or telexes facilitated.
Rosaleen Quinlan of the European Consumer Centre in Dublin advises anyone who wasn't informed of these rights to keep any receipts for meals, refreshments or hotel accommodation they required as a result of their delay.
The receipts should then be sent to the airline.
For further information, or if you are unhappy with the response from the airline, you can contact the Aviation Regulator (www.aviationreg.ie).
The regulator will then raise the matter directly with the airline, and if it is satisfied that an infringement has occurred, it will consider a prosecution.
Am I entitled to financial compensation?
Compensation may be payable in cases of flight cancellation, unless the airline can prove it was caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided. "I think in fairness in this case it's very clearly not the airlines' fault so the question of compensation won't arise," says Rosaleen Quinlan.
Niall O'Connor, head of licensing and consumer affairs at the Commission for Aviation Regulation, agreed that because the radar system failure was not the airlines' fault, they would not have to compensate passengers.
I was due to meet a connecting flight at another airport, but I missed this because of delays in Dublin. Am I entitled to compensation or a refund on the second flight?
The second airline is not obliged to offer you anything. "You may get something as a measure of goodwill from the second airline, but you're not entitled to anything," says Ms Quinlan. "It's purely at their discretion."