Decided to fly to killarney last Friday as we were climbing Carrantuohill the Saturday morning. Took the 16.05 pm flight from Dublin to Killarney, did not get off the ground until 16.28, into killarney at 17.05 pm, took 20 mins to get off the plane. It was lashing rain, the cafe was closed. The bus eireann link bus from the airport was suppose to come at 18.10. By 18.30 there was still no sign of it. German tourists informed us it was to now arrive at 18.40 according to the live location. That time came and went. By 18.50, cold and wet we gave up on the bus. The airport is in the middle of nowhere. You have to walk 15 minutes to Farranfore to flag down another bus which arrives every 4 hours!
We hailed a taxi at the airport, driven by a lovely woman called Sheila. How much for 5 people to killarney we enquired, 3 of us were going to the Gleneagle and the two German tourists. 50 euro, Sheila replied, a 10 euro each. Wonderful woman. We drove away, still not a bus in sight, the airport had closed up at 18.00!
We returned Sunday to the airport having booked Sheila who picked us up from the Gleneagle, 40 euro. Got to the airport hungry, flight was at 18.30 an hour delay. It now was 15.20. Walked into the cafe which sells alcohol, got a beer, looked at the nice menu and asked could we order some food. 'Sorry lads, the kitchens just closed', it was 15.25 Sunday afternoon, two flights going out at 16.10 and 16.30, and the kitchens closed! 5 minutes later after a pretty awful ciabatti, an announcement came requesting all passengers to please go through departures. I said to my colleagues this was to clear everyone out. 5 minutes later, the cafe staff stood at the half shut steel door shepherding customers out. It wasn't even 15.45. A serious review needs to be done as to how this business is run.
Into the duty free and asked for 200 super king. 'Sorry sir, we are all out of stock, you'll probably get them on the plane'. On the plane they didn't sell cigarettes!
Ryanair plane arrived an hour late at 18.10. Got off the ground about 18.45, got into Dublin at 20.15! Yes, you are reading that correctly, an hour and a half from killarney to dublin, as the plane had to circle about 10 times in the sky. A voice came over the intercom, 'Welcome to Dublin and so sorry if you have missed your connecting flights'! The joke continues, we have all come from killarney which means we were all in Ireland to begin with, buy hey, guess what, we all had to go through passport control!
So, overall my advice is stay away from flying to kerry. Apart from the appalling service that is so called Killarney Airport. Flight cost about 110 euro, for 10kg case plus 20 euro for the aircoach from dublin city, plus 20 euro for the transfer. That's 150 euro. The train from Heuston to Killarney, takes 3 and half hours and is about 35 euro return, and you won't be sitting in the middle of nowhere freezing and wet thinking is this the 1980s, as you wait for a bus that never arrived..............
Kerry airport is too small and cramped for the expanding traffic timetables. Toilets clean and adequate eating facilities. Staff are kind and friendly. Security is very efficient and quick to pass through. Only objection is to the awful photos on the wall of an Ireland belonging to the stone age. FFS smoking chickens? Do you really want to create the impression the Irish are that cruel backwards and savage????!!!