Latest news with #LisbonAirport
Extra.ie
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
The tactical tweak which can get Ireland back on track next season
From the moment you touch down at Lisbon Airport, there is a sense of urgency about this city. You won't have to wait long for a taxi either. There will be minimal delay getting to your onward destination. 'Drive it like you stole it' seems to be the mantra of the cab drivers in Portugal's vibrant capital. And that frantic pace continues when you walk the narrow, cobbled streets throughout Lisbon. The place is buzzing. It's a hive of activity. It's a fitting setting for Ireland's second and final game of this summer's development tour. Ireland's Calvin Nash Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady Last weekend's 34-5 win against Georgia was an impressive result, given the depleted nature of the Irish team on duty and the age profile of Paul O'Connell's young squad. It was a bit of a grind in the biblical downpours of Tbilisi, mind you. Saturday's clash with Portugal at Estádio Nacional do Jamor promises to be a more lively affair. The hosts, who are ranked 18th in the world, won't be able to offer the same resistance as the hardy Georgians. Instead, Os Lobos will look to play to their strengths. Portugal won plenty of admirers at the 2023 World Cup with their ambition and enterprise. Lisbon, Portugal. This youthful Irish team, featuring three debutants, looks born to run as well. When Andy Farrell's Ireland were at the peak in 2022 and 2023, they were market leaders with their savvy and punchy attacking blueprint. The mixture of Jamison Gibson-Park's breakneck tempo and Johnny Sexton's calm authority were the key components in a game-plan which hummed. Ireland were a potent team which could punch holes and outmanoeuvre teams. The one thing they did lack as a unit was out and out pace, however. And it's been a key issue during the national team's recent slump. This experimental Irish team has no such worries. In Tommy O'Brien, Ireland have a genuine speedster on the right wing while Jimmy O'Brien, Hugh Gavin and Shayne Bolton – the pair of uncapped Connacht outside backs – can shift as well. It doesn't stop there. Ryan Baird has top-end acceleration for a blindside flanker, while Munster openside Alex Kendellen, another uncapped rookie, and Connacht captain Cian Prendergast are pretty nimble backrowers, too. Cian Prendergast of Ireland during the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Is there a more agile second row in the game than Tom Ahern at the moment? The Munster forward has earned his first Test start after making his Ireland debut from the bench against Georgia. Ahern has serious gas and the Waterford man should have plenty of road ahead of him here. There's more gas on the bench with Cormac Izuchukwu, Ben Murphy and Calvin Nash all very much in the fast-twitch muscle category. It's a been a turbulent season for Jack Crowley. There's rarely been a dull moment, for province or country. After a breakout season where the Corkman filled the post-Sexton void with admirable composure, he endured a dip in form. Graham Rowntree's shock exit from Thomond Park didn't help matters. Sam Prendergast seemingly surged ahead during a dramatic autumn international series. Suspicions were subsequently confirmed in the Six Nations when the Leinster No10 started four straight games before Crowley got the nod for the final-round clash with Italy in Rome. Jack Crowley Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile In between all of this drama, Crowley delivered a statement performance on a memorable day at Stade Marcel Michelin when Munster rolled back the years with one of those trademark backs-to-the-wall performances on foreign soil as Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle were downed in a memorable Champions Cup last-16 encounter. It was Crowley's clutch, long-range drop goal which ultimately secured a memorable win. There was a collective gasp from the fanbase when word spread that Leicester Tigers were tabling a big-money bid to lure Crowley to Welford Road. In the end, the Munster out-half chose to stay. Now, he can end this dramatic campaign on a positive note by guiding this young Irish team to a big win in Lisbon. A nice opportunity to remind the Irish management of his quality. The fledgling all-Leinster frontrow of Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarskson will get another spin this week. It makes a lot of sense. All three emerged from the sternest of examinations in Tbilisi with reputations very much enhanced. This is another big chance for this trio of young front-rowers to cement their status as viable Test options in the coming years. This extra layer of depth at hooker and prop will be vital at the next World Cup. This tour was a nice way of easing O'Connell into the front of house gig. The former Munster and Ireland captain has looked comfortable in this caretaker role with Farrell and Simon Easterby away on Lions duty. Ironically, there is a school of thought that the Lions backroom team are lacking a coach with the forensic eye of O'Connell on the current tour. Lest we forget, it was O'Connell who came on board in 2021 – when Farrell's Ireland were really struggling – and immediately brought some bite, purpose and accuracy to the breakdown. The Lions have been suffering with the same ruck issues throughout this stuttering campaign thus far. Paul O'Connell during an Ireland rugby media conference Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile O'Connell's coaching stock has risen even further on this low-key tour. He has blooded a host of new caps and, as expected, if he guides this new generation to a convincing win against Portugal, this summer expedition will be deemed a big success. O'Connell has enjoyed it clearly. It begs the question, would he fancy doing the gig on a long-term basis in the future when/if Farrell decides to step down after the next World Cup? 'I think maybe one of the reasons I enjoyed it is that it isn't anything I have my eyes on in the short or medium term,' Ireland's head coach said yesterday. 'I might wake up one day and decide I want to do it but it hasn't happened yet.' O'Connell is surely warming to the task now. He's always been a reluctant coach, but he looks made for the top gig down the line. He has plenty of momentum behind him now.
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Warning issued to all Brits heading to Lisbon over airport scam
A Portuguese resident has lifted the lid on a 'rip-off' that tourists often fall for when landing one of the country's most visited destination - and says it sees them 'paying treble' of the true cost. Instagrammer @nationswithoutborders, who lives with her American husband in Portugal but hails from the Netherlands, regularly shares money-saving travel tips for people visiting the country. Her latest sage advice involves getting from popular city break Lisbon's airport into the centre, without falling for hefty taxi charges often applied by local drivers - with one person saying they'd experienced it first hand, paying €120 (£102) for a one-way trip that's just 4.3 miles. Holidaymakers who arrive at the Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon might spy the 'taxi' signs and head straight for them - but should, says @nationswithoutborders, not jump in one unless they don't mind paying through the nose. She explains: 'Taxis aren't necessarily bad and not all taxi drivers are scammers, but it is generally known by the people living in Lisbon that there is a big, big chance that you'll get ripped off by the taxis at the airport.' Captioning her video 'Alert to anyone arriving at Lisbon Airport' she details how the 'well organised' queue looks enticing because it moves quickly - but says standing in line could see you ripped off in two ways. The first is when 'you or the taxi driver instigates a negotiation session', where you discuss the price - often inflated - in advance and then don't have the meter on during the journey. The second is just blindly getting in the cab without negotiating a price first, which she calls a 'rookie mistake', which leads to the taxi driver 'making up a number at the end of your trip'. The price a journey into Lisbon is likely to cost tourists could be as much as 'three times the price of an Uber', says the travel tipster, and significantly higher than the Metro. A standard trip with a taxi driver costs up to €25 (£21) in a metered car compared to an Uber journey, which costs around €9 (£7.67) for the short journey, which is less than 5 miles. Meanwhile, the city's Aeroporto – Saldanha Metro line takes just 20 minutes and costs less than £2 for a single journey. One local said the video offered great advice, writing: 'I am Portuguese and I 100% approve this video ! Uber or Bolt is the way to go, and not only at the airport!' Another said they'd heard horror stories of people being charged up to €80 (£68) for the ten-minute ride and one person said they paid even more. They wrote: 'Arrived in Lisbon last week, was charged €120 (£102) by taxi outside airport, got Uber back to airport and it was €39 (£33). Totally ripped off...' However, others disputed the tip, with one saying: 'Took a taxi from the airport just last week and had absolutely no issue, price was fair, around 20 euro. Helped with our luggage and even gave us recommendations.' In 2024, tourists were warned about restaurants in Lisbon also reportedly ripping off tourists with higher prices than they charge to locals, who are given cheaper rates for food on a wink-and-nod basis. Some tourists have had positive experiences, but others have complained about high taxi fares in the city A report in a Portuguese newspaper claimed multilingual menus given to visitors visiting the capital have higher prices than those charged to residents. The lower prices are 'transmitted verbally, in whispers or indicated on menus placed in inconspicuous or even hidden areas', the report claims. Industry experts said the selectively different pricing for people based on their nationality is 'completely illegal' while Portugal's national hospitality trade body said at the time that it was not aware of the practice taking place. Last week, tourists and locals in a popular Spanish holiday hotspot have been issued a warning about a parking scam. Alicante's council has warned that the new scam has been catching out locals around the city. The crafty scammers have been leaving fake parking fines on people's windscreens in Alicante, reports Euro Weekly News. The fake fines have a QR code printed on them which the drivers are expected to scan. Once they do so, the QR code will take people to the scammers' website which asks them to enter their personal and banking details. The scammers may then be able to take large amounts of money from their victims using the fake website. The council explains that a real parking fine won't come with a QR code. An official fine will also have 'Boletin de denuncia' at the top. It will also have the Ayuntamiento (council) logo at the top and drivers will be asked to use a barcode, not a QR code, to register their fine. If drivers find a ticket with a QR code on their car, they should take a photo of it and let the local police know. While the scam has been reported in Avenida Benito Perez Galdos, officials suspect that the conmen are also targeting other neighbourhoods in Alicante. Officials recommend that tourists check any suspicious-looking tickets with the council or police.
West Australian
29-04-2025
- West Australian
Portugal and Spain power outage: Perth man Stephen Anderson caught up in travel chaos
A Perth man holidaying in Lisbon has described the confusion and disruption after a massive power outage plunged Portugal and Spain into darkness on Monday. Stephen Anderson was making his way to the check-in desk at Lisbon Airport for his return flight to WA when the lights suddenly went out. 'All computer systems are still down, so no security or x-ray machines working, baggage is down, and they can't give us any information as to what will happen,' Mr Anderson told PerthNow as the blackout unfolded. Airport staff informed passengers that no flights would be taking off. However, without official cancellations from the airlines, travellers like Mr Anderson were left stranded in limbo. 'Airport staff have said there will be no flight, but the airlines aren't telling us what to do. The airport staff gave us a number to call but as the flight hasn't officially been cancelled I'm in no man's land at the moment,' Mr Anderson said. Phone lines also went down, making it nearly impossible to contact hotels or rebook travel. Adding to the chaos, police began clearing the airport and advising passengers not to expect re-entry if they left. 'No food left in the airport, even the ice cream shop has been emptied! Can't contact any hotels as the phone lines are down. Police surrounding the airport so if you leave you won't get back in,' Mr Anderson said. Partial power was restored several hours later via backup generators, but key systems remained offline until Tuesday. Mr Anderson managed to reschedule his flight for 9.15pm on Tuesday but with hotels in Lisbon fully booked, he has been forced to wait it out inside the airport. 'Majority of people are sleeping all over the floors of the airport,' he added. The blackout, which began around 10.30 GMT time on Monday, crippled hospitals, transport systems, businesses, homes, and major infrastructure across the Iberian Peninsula. A state of emergency was declared as authorities scrambled to restore services. Initial speculation pointed to a cyberattack, but Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro later attributed the event to a rare atmospheric phenomenon that caused a sudden, massive drop in power supply across the region. By Tuesday, power had been restored to about 90 per cent of mainland Spain and 6.2 million of Portugal's 6.5 million households.
Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Perth Now
Perth man caught up in travel chaos after Portugal blackout
A Perth man holidaying in Lisbon has described the confusion and disruption after a massive power outage plunged much of Portugal and Spain into darkness on Monday. Stephen Anderson was making his way to the check-in desk at Lisbon Airport for his return flight to WA when the lights suddenly went out. 'All computer systems are still down, so no security or x-ray machines working, baggage is down, and they can't give us any information as to what will happen,' Mr Anderson told PerthNow as the blackout unfolded. Airport staff informed passengers that no flights would be taking off. However, without official cancellations from the airlines, travellers like Mr Anderson were left stranded in limbo. 'Airport staff have said there will be no flight, but the airlines aren't telling us what to do. The airport staff gave us a number to call but as the flight hasn't officially been cancelled I'm in no man's land at the moment,' Mr Anderson said. Phone lines also went down, making it nearly impossible to contact hotels or rebook travel. Lisbon Airport. Credit: Stephen Anderson Adding to the chaos, police began clearing the airport and advising passengers not to expect re-entry if they left. 'No food left in the airport, even the ice cream shop has been emptied! Can't contact any hotels as the phone lines are down. Police surrounding the airport so if you leave you won't get back in,' Mr Anderson said. Partial power was restored several hours later via backup generators, but key systems remained offline until Tuesday. Mr Anderson managed to reschedule his flight for 9.15pm on Tuesday but with hotels in Lisbon fully booked, he has been forced to wait it out inside the airport. 'Majority of people are sleeping all over the floors of the airport,' he added. The blackout, which began around 10.30 GMT time on Monday, crippled hospitals, transport systems, businesses, homes, and major infrastructure across the Iberian Peninsula. A state of emergency was declared as authorities scrambled to restore services. Initial speculation pointed to a cyberattack, but Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro later attributed the event to a rare atmospheric phenomenon that caused a sudden, massive drop in power supply across the region. By Tuesday, power had been restored to about 90 per cent of mainland Spain and 6.2 million of Portugal's 6.5 million households.
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Ireland's ARI Raises The Retail Bar In Portugal's Key Airports
The Port Cellar (right) and Sabores de Portugal (left) are new elements of ARI's revamped airport ... More stores in Portugal. Aer Rianta International (ARI), the international arm of Ireland's airport operator, Aer Rianta, unveiled new Portugal Duty Free stores this week after almost three years of redevelopment, which the retailer believes sets a new standard in global airport shopping. In February 2022, following a tender process, ARI was selected to be the retail partner of Portuguese airport operator ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, part of France's Vinci Airports, which operates more than 70 airports in 14 countries. ARI took control of retail outlets across Portugal's eight main airports, equating to almost 108,000 square feet of retail space. The Portugal Duty Free concept opened its doors to passengers in June 2022, with refurbishment works—costing millions of dollars—beginning shortly afterward. Only now is the full finished product available to passengers, The objective was to encapsulate the essence of Portugal—from its landscape and food to its artistry and heritage—inside the stores and create a memorable experience for shoppers. Among the main airports of Portugal, each shopping location, be it Lisbon Duty Free, Porto Duty Free, Faro Duty Free, Madeira Duty Free, or Azores Duty Free, has its own identity. According to a statement from ARI, Portugal Duty Free 'delivers a masterclass in modern sense of place.' Some of the elements that deliver this are a Lisbon #28 tram in the Lisbon Airport store and a vintage Volkswagen California camper van in Faro Airport's retail area. Such features give passengers Instagrammable photo opportunities that they seem to crave. Doubling down on the local focus, Portugal Duty Free now sells more than 1,000 locally produced items, many exclusive to the airport. For example, the Sabores de Portugal in-store concept celebrates fine Portuguese cuisine, including the globally popular pastel de nata (custard tarts) which are delivered daily to the airport. The Port Cellar (see picture above) boasts what ARI claims is 'the country's best port wine offering.' More than 230 local ports are available in a cellar-style space. At Lisbon Airport—renamed Humberto Delgado in 2016 after the politician who founded TAP Air Portugal and ran against the Estado Novo dictatorship in 1958—there is also an 'Eco Area' housing over 100 sustainably sourced products that should pique the interest of environmentally minded shopper. Even across the international brands that will be more familiar to passengers, ARI has brought in some new names that capture the current zeitgeist such as Charlotte Tilbury, Le Labo, Sol de Janeiro, and Creed (which is exclusively available in the airport and not yet in the local market). These offerings add to ARI's existing Pre-Loved boutique at Lisbon Airport which sells vintage luxury fashion; as well as other stores like Victoria's Secret and a new Lego store. Ray Hernan, ARI's CEO, commented: 'We are incredibly proud to showcase the new Portugal Duty Free stores, which we believe have raised the bar for our industry. We have demonstrated how ARI is committed to delivering on its promises; taking concepts and making them a reality—the designs, renders and plans presented in our original tender bid to ANA/Vinci Airports have now been brought to life.' He added: 'I must also commend our teams, both global and local. Looking back to June 2022, stores were flipped in just nine hours, and just 63 working days after the awarding of our contract. Over 600 new colleagues joined our business overnight. Collaborative partnerships are the foundation of our business and we have big ambitions to continue to grow our operations in Portugal together with ANA/Vinci Airports.' ANA has been upgrading its airport infrastructure in Portugal supported by Vinci to create better travel environments that can support the economic development of the regions where the airports operate. ANA's CEO, Thierry Ligonnière, described the new stores as 'exceptional new spaces' that would enhance the passenger experience. Lisbon Duty Free is the flagship store for ARI in Portugal. This is particularly important in Lisbon which, as a hub for TAP Air Portugal, competes for connecting market share with Madrid in the Iberian peninsula, and more broadly across Europe. Latin American markets, notably Brazil, are fiercely contested. Last year, Humberto Delgado processed 35 million passengers, a new record. TAP Air Portugal is celebrating its 80th anniversary this month and is among the country's three largest exporters. In 2024, the airline flew to 84 cities; 10 in North America, 14 in South America, 12 in Africa, 6 in Portugal, and 42 in the rest of Europe. In total, the carrier transported more than 16 million passengers last year. Of this, two million were to Brazil a new record for this market and a target nationality for ARI in Lisbon.
