Cheap Dublin Airport car hire deals

There have been a lot of initiatives over the years in Ireland to help improve road safety. TV legend Gay Byrne fronted a highly publicized road safety campaign. Hard work undertaken by many now seems to be paying off with Ireland managing to rise to sixth place in a recent road safety report.

The report was published by the European Transport Safety Council. Two years ago Ireland came in ninth position in the survey. In 2008 there were fifty nine less fatalities than the previous year. There have been forty one percent less fatalities on Irish roads since 2001.

Targets set for 2010 are not expected to be met however a spokesman for the Road Safety Authority said that the most important thing was to set realistic targets.

Dublin was named as the safest capital city in Europe in which to drive. Ireland joined its Scandinavian neigbours Norway and Sweden in obtaining 5 stars for occupant protection with new cars. The survey showed that only ten percent of all cars in Ireland are over seven years old.

Gay Byrne of the RSA pleaded with drivers to slow down. He went on to say that is it still the leading cause of road deaths in the country.

We are delighted here at Dublin Airport Car Hire to announce the addition of a new supplier to our cost comparison booking engine.  Atlas Choice are the latest company to come on board meaning more choice and better value than ever before when hiring a car in Dublin.

Cost comparison sites continue to grow in popularity with the three main reasons being ease of use, time saving and above all excellent cash savings. Internet Savvy customers are shopping around and making sure that they get the best value deal possible.

We will continue to add more suppliers on board where possible as all the top car hire companies will be fighting harder than ever before to make that sale. Try a search for yourself this summer and see the huge array of rental car types we have available.

In a move that’s seems to go against what every other airport in the world is doing right now the Commission for Aviation Regulation have decided to raise their airport charge by one euro.

At a time when most people are feeling the pinch of the current recession the move has come as a surprise to many. The increase will begin at the start of the year rising from the current rate €7.39 per individual to €8.35.

The Aviation Regulation said that the increase was necessary due to the drop in the number of people using the airport.  They also hinted that more increases may be on the way.

The news was greeted with derision by the Consumer Association stating that there will be less passengers the more the price goes up. Michael Kilcoyne said he could see no justification whatsoever for the increase.

In order to cover the expenses of Terminal two it is believed that a new charge will be introduced in 2011. Cathal Guiomard said he was unsure of the cost until the winning tender was known.

Predictably Ryanair were quick to slam the increase. They stated that the regulator is “hopelessly out of touch” with the moves being made by other airports around the world. Stephen McNamara branded the regulator as “useless”

The chief executive of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary yesterday announced that Ryanair would be cutting back on aircraft numbers at Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport for their winter timetable.

This adds to the five planes which have already been removed from Dublin this year. With two hundred and fifty job losses already recorded by the airline this year this latest news will cost another one hundred jobs according to Ryanair.

There will now be sixteen planes at Dublin Airport and three at Shannon. O’Leary went on to say that it was yet undecided where cutbacks will take place but he predicted more aircraft losses for Dublin and Shannon.

He layed the blame for the loss squarely at the door of the Irish Government slamming their ten euro airport tax which was approved last March. He predicted a further drop in tourist numbers in the coming months. He has written a letter to government leaders pledging to abandon the cuts if they remove the tax.

O’Leary believes that the money the government earns from the tax could easily be matched by higher tourism numbers which he believes would be the outcome of removing the tax.

Ryanair estimate that they will carry two and a half million less passengers in 2009 at Dublin Airport than they did the previous year.

Ever thought about hiring an electric car? While it’s not something we can currently offer here at Dublin Airport car hire, it is being offered in London by a company called Streetcar,

The first scheme of it kind in the United Kingdom was launched by Boris Johnson on Monday June 15th.  Customers can now hire a modified Toyota Prius with prices starting from less than six pounds an hour.

The car is being offered on a trial basis at present with the hope of encouraging people to use transport which is friendlier to the environment.  The car cost thirty six thousand pounds to make and is also referred to as an Amberjac. 

There are currently fifty eight thousand members signed up to Streetcar. One of the founders of Streetcar Brett Akker expects membership to rise to half a million by the year 2012.

Let us know what you think? Would you hire an electric car at Dublin Airport if available? or will you be sticking with the traditional models?