Dublin Airport quietly unveiled a passenger-experience upgrade on 10 January, installing a series of cushioned seating areas along the 400-metre corridor that links security screening to Ryanair’s remote gates in Terminal 1. The so-called “long walk”—often cited in passenger-satisfaction surveys as the airport’s chief pain-point—has drawn criticism from older travellers and parents wrangling small children. The new benches, accompanied by digital flight-info screens and charging points, offer a welcome respite.([thesun.ie](https://www.thesun.ie/travel/16365370/dublin-airport-long-walk-change-comfort/?utm_source=openai))
The initiative, publicised via social media rather than a press conference, precedes the March reopening of the refurbished Terminal 1 lounge and forms part of daa’s €80 million investment programme aimed at lifting Skytrax ratings ahead of summer 2026’s transatlantic peak. The programme has already delivered C3 scanners that removed the 100 ml liquid rule, making Dublin one of the first EU hubs to adopt the technology.
While these airside improvements promise to ease the journey, travellers can also cut down on landside hassles by sorting their paperwork before leaving home. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets both leisure and corporate passengers check entry requirements, complete visa applications online and arrange courier collection of passports nationwide. The platform’s status alerts and policy-compliance tools are particularly handy for project teams who route through Dublin on tight schedules to destinations that still demand physical visas.
![Dublin Airport Adds Rest Stations on Infamously Long Terminal 1 Walkway]()
For corporate travel managers, the upgrade, though modest, can shave minutes off transit times by reducing “human congestion” where weary passengers previously stopped mid-corridor. Fewer bottlenecks translate into smoother on-time performance for early-morning banked departures, which are heavily used by multinational commuters to London, Brussels and Frankfurt.
Background data underscore the need: Dublin Airport processed a record 35.7 million passengers in 2025, serving as a gateway for more than 270,000 corporate assignees and short-term project workers, according to Central Statistics Office immigration entries. With employment-permit salary thresholds set to rise on 1 March, demand for seamless outbound business travel is expected to intensify as companies fly specialists in and out to finalise permit renewals.
Looking ahead, daa confirmed plans to add Bluetooth-enabled way-finding beacons to assist visually impaired passengers and to pilot a quiet-corridor scheme during shoulder hours—moves that align with global trends toward inclusive airport design.
The initiative, publicised via social media rather than a press conference, precedes the March reopening of the refurbished Terminal 1 lounge and forms part of daa’s €80 million investment programme aimed at lifting Skytrax ratings ahead of summer 2026’s transatlantic peak. The programme has already delivered C3 scanners that removed the 100 ml liquid rule, making Dublin one of the first EU hubs to adopt the technology.
While these airside improvements promise to ease the journey, travellers can also cut down on landside hassles by sorting their paperwork before leaving home. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets both leisure and corporate passengers check entry requirements, complete visa applications online and arrange courier collection of passports nationwide. The platform’s status alerts and policy-compliance tools are particularly handy for project teams who route through Dublin on tight schedules to destinations that still demand physical visas.
For corporate travel managers, the upgrade, though modest, can shave minutes off transit times by reducing “human congestion” where weary passengers previously stopped mid-corridor. Fewer bottlenecks translate into smoother on-time performance for early-morning banked departures, which are heavily used by multinational commuters to London, Brussels and Frankfurt.
Background data underscore the need: Dublin Airport processed a record 35.7 million passengers in 2025, serving as a gateway for more than 270,000 corporate assignees and short-term project workers, according to Central Statistics Office immigration entries. With employment-permit salary thresholds set to rise on 1 March, demand for seamless outbound business travel is expected to intensify as companies fly specialists in and out to finalise permit renewals.
Looking ahead, daa confirmed plans to add Bluetooth-enabled way-finding beacons to assist visually impaired passengers and to pilot a quiet-corridor scheme during shoulder hours—moves that align with global trends toward inclusive airport design.
