c. Irish Independent
Thomas Smyth and his wife were on their way to a holiday in Tenerife when the incident occurred at Gate 106 at Terminal 1 in January 2011.
Mr Smyth did not make his flight and instead was taken by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital where an X-ray revealed his nose had been broken. Mr. Smyth and his wife resumed their holiday two days later but said it had been ruined.
The court heard the electronic door at Gate 106 was opened by an Aer Lingus flight attendant and “timed” to close after exactly 30 minutes but, sometimes, boarding took up to 40 minutes.
Judge Jacqueline Linnane, making an order for the agreed damages against the airline, said there had been no defect found in the door. However, she went on to say “If Aer Lingus had felt at any stage that the 30-minute electronic time gap for boarding purposes was insufficient they should have asked the airport authority to extend it”.