amamax2

Hello,

I am about to book my airline tickets. We will be leaving Dingle and flying back to London.

Using at the route planners, it looks like about the same driving time from to either Shannon or Cork airports.

Any advantage to using one over the other? Or ease of driving?

Thanks!

Cowboy1968

More or less the same, indeed.
Driving to Shannon should be a little bit easier, due to the good condition and width of the N21 once you get to Castleisland near Tralee.
If you only need to fly to London (and not connect to elsewhere), have you checked flights from Kerry? Much closer than both Cork or Shannon.

JOHNOD

I would opt for Cork, a little closer, easier in and out and if you have time or can plan a later flight the longer drive down the coast on the N-71 will take you through Killarney National Park and through the mountains between Killarney and Bantry. If time is important than Shannon might be a better bet since the Limerick tunnel by pass is open. Have fun

amamax2

We have a flight the next day from Heathrow back to California, so were trying to make it simple and fly from Ireland to there, then spend the night somewhere close to the airport. I don't see any flights from Kerry airport to Heathrow, though that would be nice.

Thanks for the advice!

flanneruk

1. There's rarely much point in staying close to Heathrow if your journey starts in Ireland. Almost always, flights between Ireland and Heathrow cost more, and are available from fewer Irish airports, than flights to Gatwick, Stansted or Luton. Almost always, it's as cheap and quick to stay in central London: the time taken between almost any Heathrow terminal to a hotel is almost as long as the journey to and from a central London hotel from any London airport, and Heathrow area hotels cost more than those in the centre. Especially if you're flying out from Terminal 1 or 3 (both literally miles from any hotel), you're paying more and saving no time by staying in a charmless place in a featureless industrial estate in London's suburbia than by staying in the centre.

Additionally, the relatively few flights and almost total lack of competition (from Shannon and Cork, an Aer Lingus monopoly) between Ireland and Heathrow, compared with between Ireland and Luton, Stansted or Gatwick, means you're virtually always paying close on double to fly to Heathrow.

But only you can know whether that applies in your case

2. Shannon is a minor airport, except for transatlantic flights.

After Dublin, Belfast's two airports and Cork are Ireland's major airports for most destinations. You'll get a wider choice of flights (which means competition) from Cork to London-area airports than from Shannon. But Ireland is so awash with airports flying elsewhere in the British Isles, especially to Luton and Stansted, that even Cork is rarely the most convenient place to fly from.

From Dingle, Kerry to Luton or Stansted and an overnight in central London is usually the quickest and cheapest option. but it does require tolerance of Ryanair (the world's biggest but least loved, and Europe's cheapest and most punctual international airline).

3. Though planning might sound simpler by just flying Aer Lingus to Heathrow from Cork or Shannon, the Luton, Gatwick and Stansted websites show you alternatives that probably work out cheaper and quicker - and give you a night in London, rather than an industrial box in an ugly, remote, tourist gulag.

4. If you insist on using Aer Lingus to Heathrow, you'll probably find that on a given day there's a significant difference between the fares from Cork or Shannon, and depending on random chance, either could be cheaper.You might find that's more important than the minor difference between their relative convenience for you.

amamax2

flanneruk,

I wanted to get back to you and thank you for your thoughts, since many times people take the time to offer advice and then never know the outcome.

After doing some poking around based on what you said, and lots of thinking, we have decided to bite the bullet and just pay the change fee on our tickets to fly open-jaw (our problem had been that we booked r/t to London and needed to get back).

The cost difference between that and flying back to London on either air line was not much in the scheme of things, and this way we get an extra 1-1/2 days in Ireland.

I realize this isn't what you suggested, lol, but wanted to thank you for helping me really look long and hard at all the ridiculous hoops I was jumping through.

PS Just so you know, we were leaning towards the Kerry/Ryan Air/extra time in London...but think this way will be so much better, especially as this is at the end of a 3 week trip - so many less things to think about and extra time in Ireland.