I have been coming to Ireland since I was 4 years old. Normally, I would land in Shannon which is close to “home” in County Limerick. My plan this time was to land in Shannon as well, but due to the Covid 19 pandemic, nothing is going anything close to “plan”. All you can do is roll with it.
Shannon Airport is currently “closed”. Even though the country is generally beginning to open up, the airport is not – at least not yet. So, the only alternative was to fly to Dublin.
When Were They Going to Tell Me?
I had no idea that Shannon was closed until about three weeks ago when I was reading an article about the opening phases for Ireland. When I learned this, I immediately got on the phone to Aer Lingus. Back in March, when all this began, I was supposed to fly to Ireland to close on the house. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but rather than refund my money or give me a voucher, Aer Lingus forced me to choose another date. So I chose June 23 – rather randomly.
My plan was to fly Baltimore to Boston on Jet Blue (Aer Lingus partner) and then Boston to Shannon. I rang Aer Lingus and waited 30 minutes before reaching a customer service representative. I explained that I had learned that Shannon was closed and wondered about the status of my flight and should I change my reservation. She inquired, “Have you received an email from Aer Lingus saying that your flight is canceled?” “No,” I replied, and before I could say anything more she cut me off and said, “Well then it is still going. If there is any change you will be contacted 72 hours before your flight.”
This wasn’t a very satisfactory response, so I tried to ask again… but was cut off again (three times, actually) with the exact same response like a broken record. “If you have not received an email saying your flight is canceled….” But how can they be flying into an airport that is closed???
I thanked her and hung up.
Then I rang Jet Blue.
The representative to whom I spoke ( after another 30 minute wait) was sympathetic, but informed me that they had no information about Aer Lingus.
Really.
Back and Forth
Back to Aer Lingus. Another half an hour on hold. Finally a young man told me that yes, I was correct. Shannon Airport was closed. However, there was a flight just 45 minutes earlier than the one I was originally scheduled on flying to Dublin. He would put me on that. What a relief. But then he mentioned that I should contact Jet Blue to be sure my connection was early enough to arrive on time. I said I would.
At the time, it didn’t occur to me that he should have booked me all the way through…
And I did find it strange that he didn’t send me a confirmation email…
So now I’m back to Jet Blue. Yet again, I waited 30 minutes on hold. It’s now been over 2 hours. When I finally reach the representative, I explain what has transpired and ask her to check that my flight from Baltimore to Boston will arrive early enough for me to make my connection. She asks me to hold for a moment…
Upon returning, she is very sorry, but Jet Blue will not be flying from Baltimore to Boston until September, 2020. There are NO flights scheduled at this time.
Silence. I had no words. All of this round and round, couldn’t they have just told me this to begin with?
When were they going to inform me about this mess? 72 hours before my flight? When I tried to check in? I called my sister and ranted and raved about airlines and Covid and customer service and wait times for as long as she would listen. Then I asked her if she thought she might drive me to Kennedy Airport in NYC so I could fly direct without a connection.
Just Cancel it All
The next day, I began again and finally got a very helpful representative from Aer Lingus who told me that I needed to cancel my original travel plans – and could expect a refund within 6-8 weeks!! – and begin all over again. Online. Book a new flight. Pay, yet again. Huge sigh. This was truly unbelievable.
And oh, by the way, that young man did NOT book me on the Dublin flight – I was still booked from Baltimore to Boston to Shannon. My original flight plan. UGH!!!!!
So, I did as she suggested, and booked myself straight through from JFK to Dublin. No connection. And somehow it all managed to come off without a hitch. We drove to JFK – in 4 hours and 15 minutes which must have been some kind of record. But I wasn’t speeding – just light traffic.
Masks For Everyone
We boarded quickly, and took off early.
Masks were required throughout the flight except while eating and drinking. Everyone complied, at least that I saw. I thought it would be uncomfortable wearing it for so long, but the time passed quickly.
Our flight arrived at 4:03 am. And since it is high summer, just past the summer solstice, it was already light. We were the only flight in – and our flight was nearly empty – I had the entire center section to myself. So there was no queue for immigration and we had a short wait until our bags came up.
Quarantine & Contact Tracing
I had to fill out “Covid 19” paperwork stating my whereabouts during the required 14 day “quarantine”. As I handed them in to the Immigration Officer, I mentioned that I was worried about getting groceries. He said, “You’ll be fine going out for groceries or medical reasons. Just try and restrict your movements during the 14 days.” And this time there was no question, “How long will you be staying in Ireland?” Just a “Welcome home.”
That was a huge relief. It had been my biggest worry. I had already ordered groceries online from the big supermarket in Dungarvan, but they weren’t delivering until Monday. I was arriving on Thursday!
By the time I got my luggage and through the car hire, it was nearly 5:30 am. I checked the distance on my GPS from Dublin airport to Dungarvan – 2 hours 10 minutes. Fortunately, between the early hour and the pandemic, traffic was virtually nonexistent, and I made my way handily out of Dublin Airport. Those first few minutes behind the wheel of a right hand drive, stick shift car can be unnerving in heavy traffic.
Driving on the Motorways (indicated by the letter “M” before the number) in Ireland is like driving on a highway anywhere. All you see is the big road, the exit signs and the interchanges. Not like in the old days when it would take an entire day to get down the country – as you passed through every small village and town. Now, you simply bypass them all.
I exited on the N25, a “National” road that follows the southern coast west through Dungarvan, Youghal, and Cork.
Just before Dungarvan, I spotted a gas station with a convenience market – the perfect place to pick up a few necessities – milk, bread, jam, toilet paper – till my groceries arrived on Monday. And then I continued on my merry way – excited finally, to arrive “home.”