Knock airport has no proper transport links with anywhere else

Z

z108

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Flying to the USA with Flyglobespan wasnt as bad as I had feared (considering some had been stranded in New York) and I got a pretty good deal on the ticket. This was even when factoring in a return to Dublin train ticket to Ballyhaunis Station (the closest train station to Knock) in Mayo.
The kick in the teeth for anyone who doesnt know Mayo very well or who is from Dublin who is planning to use Knock is there is no cheap and straightforward way to get to the actual airport once you arrive at either a train or bus station in Mayo.

It boggles my mind that an international airport isnt linked by bus to its closest train station. Once you get off the train at either Ballyhaunis or Claremorris stations there is a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere and taxi drivers will offer their fares starting at 45 euro. I haggled the taximan down to 25 euro as I was literally prepared to miss my flight rather than pay that sum and he finally gave in when he found someone to share the taxi with me. The ease at which he could change his fare makes me wonder how much of this is declared for tax and are these taxi drivers legit?

I want to ask anyone from the Knock area what is in their opinion the best way to get to the airport from the train or Bus Eireann transport links (for someone who has left his car at home) ?
Even the airport staff came up with convoluted connections where I d have to link up with 3 or 4 buses to get back to Dublin by going first perhaps into Charlestown and transferring there.
Can someone offer the benefit of their own experience ? Theres no point thinking you can save 100 euro on a flight only for it to be taken back by a return train ticket and then by 2 expensive taxi journeys. The taxi fares I was quoted cost more than it would cost me to get to Dublin airport in a taxi and for which there is in any case a cheap bus option available day and night. Seriously!
 
'tis Ireland , shure if tens of millions of taxpayers money was spent building an airport on top of a foggy hill in Mayo yer man must have been right. All joking aside, why Sligo or Galway was not developed instead is beyond me, and one of many scandals from the eighties.
 
I'm not knocking the west at all but I would have thought that after spending so much money on an airport that a local bus to the train station or Bus Eireann location would be an obvious necessity.
I applied my intellect to this problem and tried waiting for the first of the connecting buses (explained to me at reception as due) but was defeated by the fact that the scheduled buses didnt arrive. So 2 to 3 hours later I tired of the airport and went for a taxi. It seems like just another money making racket for local farmers with hackney plates who see a bit of rain and descend like vultures on people stranded at the airport who are already worn down by a 6 hour flight and all its trappings.
 
According to Bus Eireann - buses depart the airport for Charlestown at
0815 0855 1115 1215 1430 1535 1735 Mon - Sat
and on Sundays 1215 1320 1430 1540 1735
It's a 15 minute journey - BUT it says the times can be "changed at short notice" !!​

So - if your flight arrives at the airport after say 17.15 - there will be no bus - so this applies to 13 flights a week out of about 45 arriving at the airport!​


The timetable for Charlestown buses can be found here : http://www.knockairport.com/bus_timetable.htm​

Direct Buses to Dublin depart Charlestown at 11.36 ,13.35 ,15.38, 18.21​

A hackney to Charlestown shouldn't cost more than 15 euro I would have thought.​

Not ideal - but up until a few months ago they didn't have the shuttle bus! I'd have thought the airport themselves should put on a bus to Charlestown - free.
If you do go by train - the closest station to the airport is Ballyhaunis - it's about 12 miles. ​


 
Last edited by a moderator:
irishlinks said:
the closest station to the airport is Ballyhaunis - it's about 12 miles. ​
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info :)

I had to pay 30 euro to get from Knock airport to Ballyhaunis station. I bargained the guy down from 45 euro. How does that sound? It was raining heavily and I hadnt slept for nearly 2 days what with all the shopping I did and friends I had to look up in Manhattan so when the bus from the airport to Charlestown hadnt arrived after waiting nearly 3 hours for it I felt pressured into the taxi allright.
Is there any reputable hackney service which can be called in advance that area ? Even the airport staff didnt have any numbers for me when I enquired.
 
The airport supposedly has a list of authorised hackney cabs that have a licence to operate from the airport (i.e wait outside) - they have a list on the website http://www.knockairport.com/content.asp?id=44 it's a pity the staff didn't have a look at that!
The price of 30 euro is probably OK - hackneys aren't bound by the new taxi regulator rules which are about 1.25 per km plus initial charge. So Ballyhaunis is about 25km - which would be about 30 euro plus extras for luggage etc. You probably did well to get it down to 30.
They can charge what they like really - I might give it a go myself!!
 
Thanks again :)

Sadly when I called the airport before flying (as I knew the sensible thing would be to plan as much in advance as possible) they were unable to give me any phone numbers for a hackney or cab. Perhaps the lad who answered the phone was new or something.
However the airport staff were really friendly and helpful and went so far as to print out bus schedules for me when I arrived there in person. Unfortunately the bus I was relying on never arrived.
 
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