Aer lingus changed last leg of flight home. Can we leave hold luggage at the airport and go to a day

[hjanea46]

Instead of a return flight at 13.30 from Dublin to Leeds it's now been changed to 19.15. I'm thinking that a dayroom (me and 2 kids) might be a pleasanter place to spend the long hours and I might be able to get some sleep. Ideally I wouldn't want to take the hold luggage as its so much more messing about but I don't know if we can legally leave the airport with the hold luggage left there.
Anyone know please?

[gforce_iom]

If your luggage is through checked to your final destination I don’t think you will get it back in Dublin anyway... so the issue shouldn’t arise?

[Gryff]

We often have a day room at Gatwick on the way home if we are on a late Glasgow or Edinburgh flight home never see our checked bags as they are checked all the way through

[Kraken]

You won't see your luggage in Dublin - it'll be in the baggage system hold for early bags, then be recalled into the system about 90mins before your flight to Leeds to make it's way to the aircraft.

You would have to have a compelling reason to get your hold luggage back in Dublin, as this is "short-checking" bags (i.e. not to their final ticketed destination). A trick well used / abused by people who do hidden city ticketing to get cheaper fares, then just don't turn up for the last flight.

[duchy]

Absolutely you can legally leave the airport , it’s very common.

[YorkshireT]

Yes there’s lots of hotels in the vicinity.

Alternatively you could go into Dublin for a look around and meal- great city but you’ll be tired. There’s a cheap bus at the airport, pay and get on. Multiple centre drops. I’d get a taxi back and tell him to take the tunnel back. Depending on day, I’d be heading back about 4.30 if you did that. May be too much with young kids though after the flight unless they sleep.

Going back in, It’s usually no more than 30 mins max through security (and I do it a lot average is about 15 mins, and catch that Aer Lingus later flight a lot) but the hike to the gate for Aer Lingus to Leeds is quite a long one, about 15 mins.

It can be busy getting out of Dublin in rush hour, but the tunnel speeds up the journey considerably if you did go into Dublin.

Whenever we have long layovers we always see it as an opportunity. We have been into places like Philadelphia, Chicago etc on long layovers, but admittedly these are not at the end of an overnight flight.

[hjanea46]

Thankyou all. Excellent advice.