Read more: Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport - another huge joke?

The new Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport was going to change the travel experience to America for the better we were told.

The old, hopelessly overcrowded, Terminal One would give way to the modern, sleek and much faster process in Terminal Two,not to mention being able to pass through US Customs as well as immigration.

All in all a new and better experience was promised.

On balance that is a correct assumption.

Yes, it is a beautiful looking terminal with properly grouped shopping areas and what look like decent restaurants and reasonable prices.

But the distances between your various stop-off points is crazy.

When you check in you have to immediately go two floors higher to get to the entrance to the departure area --quite a walk if you are carrying heavy cabin baggage.


Remember to factor the extra walking time in for your flight as it takes quite a lot of extra time compared to the old check-in area that was only yards from the departure area.

Inside the new departure here are lots of fancy stores in the duty-free area and the newsagent is the British wholesaler W. H. Smith which does not seem to carry nearly as many Irish books as the old Hughes bookstores.

The entrance to the new area and the security section are an improvement, but there is an even bigger improvement at US immigration where they have (finally!) separated out the US citizens and Irish citizens, which obviously makes it much quicker if holding a US passport.

The lining up area is also much bigger than the old cramped quarters where you lined up for immigration.

Once through immigration you were able to board the plane under the old regime, but not this time.

You still have to pass customs, take your laptop out of its bag, have all your hand luggage screened, but mercifully you are not body screened personally again.

This is quite time consuming, so leave even more time for boarding your flight would be my best advice .


Finally, after another long walk you are at your gate destination. This too is a big improvement over the old cramped space where, if three flights were leaving together, the numbers of people were far too many for the crowded space.

So all in all a better overall experience, but be wary of the long time needed to get through , both to the departure area and the extra screening for customs.

The delight comes at the other end in New York when you emerge into the general terminal and do no have to face any more screenings.

All in all a better flying experience and the new terminal overall is a big improvement -- but leave more time to get there.

Read more: Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport - another huge joke?