Passengers transiting Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1 can finally take the weight off their feet: on 10 January the airport authority (daa) quietly installed a series of padded benches along the 400-metre corridor that links security to Ryanair’s remote 100-series gates. The so-called “long walk” has been a perennial gripe in customer-satisfaction surveys, especially among older travellers, parents with small children and corporate road-warriors carrying heavy cabin luggage. (thesun.ie)
The upgrade forms part of daa’s €80 million passenger-experience investment programme and precedes the March reopening of the refurbished Terminal 1 lounge. In addition to seating, the rest stations feature USB-C charging points and real-time flight-information screens, an amenity mix designed to lift Skytrax ratings ahead of the summer 2026 transatlantic peak. Bench placement was informed by heat-mapping studies that tracked walker fatigue and queuing patterns during 2025’s record 32.9 million-passenger throughput.
![Dublin Airport Installs Rest Stations on the Infamous Terminal 1 ‘Long Walk’]()
For business-travel managers the message is clear: journey-time estimates for tight turnarounds through Terminal 1 can now be trimmed slightly, although daa still advises allocating 15–20 minutes to reach the far gates during peak hours. The airport’s growing pipeline of US preclearance flights, coupled with the relocation of several European carriers into the Ryanair pier, had amplified complaints about the corridor’s lack of moving walkways and seating.
Accessibility groups have welcomed the benches but continue to lobby for low-speed travelators and additional restroom capacity at Pier 1. daa says it is reviewing both proposals as it finalises the next tranche of its capital plan. Meanwhile, retailers are eyeing pop-up vending machines near the new seating clusters—a reminder that even small comfort upgrades can translate into ancillary-revenue opportunities.
The initiative underscores Ireland’s broader push to position Dublin as a hassle-free European hub. With Shannon and Cork airports also expanding route networks, improving land-side and air-side ergonomics is viewed as critical to sustaining inbound FDI and supporting the State’s export-oriented economy.
The upgrade forms part of daa’s €80 million passenger-experience investment programme and precedes the March reopening of the refurbished Terminal 1 lounge. In addition to seating, the rest stations feature USB-C charging points and real-time flight-information screens, an amenity mix designed to lift Skytrax ratings ahead of the summer 2026 transatlantic peak. Bench placement was informed by heat-mapping studies that tracked walker fatigue and queuing patterns during 2025’s record 32.9 million-passenger throughput.
For business-travel managers the message is clear: journey-time estimates for tight turnarounds through Terminal 1 can now be trimmed slightly, although daa still advises allocating 15–20 minutes to reach the far gates during peak hours. The airport’s growing pipeline of US preclearance flights, coupled with the relocation of several European carriers into the Ryanair pier, had amplified complaints about the corridor’s lack of moving walkways and seating.
Accessibility groups have welcomed the benches but continue to lobby for low-speed travelators and additional restroom capacity at Pier 1. daa says it is reviewing both proposals as it finalises the next tranche of its capital plan. Meanwhile, retailers are eyeing pop-up vending machines near the new seating clusters—a reminder that even small comfort upgrades can translate into ancillary-revenue opportunities.
The initiative underscores Ireland’s broader push to position Dublin as a hassle-free European hub. With Shannon and Cork airports also expanding route networks, improving land-side and air-side ergonomics is viewed as critical to sustaining inbound FDI and supporting the State’s export-oriented economy.
