to come. The new terminal provides a strong
platform for future growth and has already attracted
new services to Dublin Airport. It is a facility that
will enhance the experience of all airport users and
visitors to Ireland for the next generation.
T2 is at its heart, a vital and vibrant public building.
Designed with the passenger in mind, it makes
wonderful use of natural light. It offers passengers
fantastic views of Dublin Bay from Howth in the
north to Dalkey Island in the south. From the
departure lounge and boarding gates, there are
fantastic views beyond Dublin city to the Dublin
and North Wicklow mountains.
The opening of Terminal 2 has delivered benefits
to all users and passengers of Dublin Airport.
Crucially it has brought more space, comfort,
speed of processing and choice for all passengers,
regardless of which terminal they use.
Terminal 2 is now home to Aer Lingus, American
Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Etihad
Airways, and US Airways, and will cater for
about 40% of Dublin Airport’s traffic this year.
Transferring almost half of the airport’s traffic
to Terminal 2 has also radically improved the
experience for passengers using Terminal 1
at Dublin.
The new terminal handles all flights from Dublin
to the United States and contains a new facility
enabling US-bound passengers to clear all customs,
immigration and agriculture controls at Dublin
prior to departure.
This facility, which arises from a formal agreement
between the Irish and US governments, is operated
by the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP)
agency. Passengers availing of the CBP service
in Dublin can clear all US entry requirements in
Dublin and simply collect their luggage when they
land in the US before continuing directly onto the
next leg of their journey.
Ireland is the only European country that offers
CBP and this enables Dublin Airport to offer
passengers a seamless connection to the United
States if they decide to transit through Dublin.
Using CBP means that upon arrival in the US, the
only queue a passenger will face having collected
their bags is the queue for the taxi or bus into
the city.
CBP also enables airlines operating between Dublin
and the US to fly to less congested and cheaper
domestic terminals at major US key airports and to
fly to large non-international airports throughout
the United States. This facility will lower airlines’
costs and also help offer passengers a wider range of
new US destinations from Dublin.
Terminal 2 maximises the use of light and space
and the latest technology to ensure the passenger
journey is as comfortable, safe and as efficient as
possible. Effective design and way-finding ensures
that passenger journeys to and from the aircraft will
be as easy and intuitive as possible.
Arriving passengers for example will rise one
level by escalator or lift from the airbridge to the
arrivals floor of Pier E. They will encounter no
other change of level on their in-bound journey,
providing a seamless and pleasant journey through
the baggage reclaim area and beyond to the new T2
multi-storey car park.
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