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I have two questions (as not quite sure how this works and have never done layovers):

I'm flying from Schengen Area to the UK via Ireland.

I have 2 options:

  1. Flying to Dublin with Ryanair and then with Stobart Air (Aer Lingus) to England.

  2. Flying to Dublin with Ryanair and then with Ryanair to England.

None of these options provide transfers, it's just me buying 2 separate tickets either from the same airline or two different ones (as per the first option above).

  • So therefore the tricky bit is - when I land in Dublin do I have to "enter" Ireland through Arrivals and then go to Departures and do the whole process again (security, luggage & passport check) or is it possible to land in Dublin Airport and then just walk to the gate where my plane to England is? Would it make a difference if I'm doing the whole journey only with one airline (Ryanair) or two airlines (Ryanair + Aer Lingus)?

  • And realistically how much time would I need to exit the first plane and step into the second one positively thinking there won't be any flight delays on that day?

Thanks a lot for any suggestions! <3

P.S. Only have cabin luggage, no checked in luggage.

2P.S. EU citizen.

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The answer is the same either way, for two reasons:

  1. The UK and Ireland share a Common Travel Area, similar to but entirely separate from Schengen. If you arrive in either country, bound for the other, you clear immigration in the first country of arrival. In your case, you will clear immigration in Dublin, regardless of which airline you use or whether you have separate tickets.
  2. Dublin Airport, unlike virtually every other airport in Europe, does not have sterile international transit. Everyone who arrives at Dublin, even in transit to a country outside the Common Travel Area, must pass through passport control (with a minor exception you aren't likely to see).

As for connection times, you're flying Ryanair, and you may have to change terminals. If your flight is late, or you are late and miss it for some reason, you are responsible for the costs. If this might be a problem for you, I'd allow plenty of connection time (e.g. 2 hours or more), or book a single ticket, and/or fly through a different airport. You can almost certainly get away with a shorter connection, but it does get risky. For an EU national, an hour or less is certainly possible if all goes well. If all doesn't go well, you could lose a lot of money.

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  • I'm curious: what is the "minor exception"?
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Apr 21, 2016 at 17:23
  • @HenningMakholm Click the link.
    – Michael Hampton
    Apr 21, 2016 at 17:26
  • Wow thanks, I'm glad I've asked the question (as I actually thought there could be a transfers corridor where I could just avoid the customs and deal with them in the UK when I have time), didn't know that's usually the case but not in Dublin! I've actually decided to go with BOTH of my options, I know, I'm crazy. :) Just really want to fly with Aer Lingus because it's a propeller plane and never flew on those, plus it's only an hour after my arrival to Dublin (win-win). But as a precaution (and because it's dirt cheap) I also bought a Ryanair ticket that gives me 2-3 more hours just in case.
    – kiradotee
    Apr 21, 2016 at 19:00
  • Let's add that Ryanair doesn't do through-checking of luggage to the destination (and of course Aer Lingus + Ryanair would be the same), which means immigration, baggage claim, check-in, security in any case.
    – jcaron
    Apr 21, 2016 at 22:42
  • Also ATRs are very noisy.
    – jcaron
    Apr 21, 2016 at 22:42

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