The MySpot seat and MySpot pod both contain charging facilities, each has a compartment where hand luggage can be securely stored, and the service includes complimentary tea, coffee or water delivered directly to the passenger.
"We conduct regular surveys throughout the year with our customers and we know that more than 56% of our passengers travel alone," says Dublin airport's managing director, Vincent Harrison.
"Solo passengers typically grab a drink and a sandwich and proceed directly to their boarding gate. This group of passengers find it challenging carrying hand luggage and other items such as tea or coffee when travelling alone. The MySpot private seat and pod have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the solo passenger," he adds.
The new seat and pod are on trial at Gate 103 until mid-December. During the trial period, passengers will be greeted by a MySpot staff member who will explain the product to them. The seat can be reserved from EUR5 or the pod from EUR10 depending on availability.
"We have already received very positive feedback from solo passengers trialling the service with some passengers saying they would check-in earlier to use it and others commenting that the pod was very comfy and private," explains Mr Harrison.
The MySpot pod is a bespoke design by Dubliner David O'Coimin, who is chief executive and founder of the Nook by Do Company. If the trial is successful it will be rolled out at other boarding gates and available via an online booking system appearing next to other airport travel services such as executive lounges, fast track and platinum services.
MySpot is one of a number of new projects that are being developed at Dublin under an initiative known as 'The Future Factory', which creates and tests new projects around the airport campus.
Passengers through any airport fit into a multitude of different personas - often the same person travels with their family on vacation one month and on their own on business the next so even the needs of individuals are not the same each time they use the airport.
Mr Harrison confirms that frequent visitors to Dublin airport will see many trials in the coming months. "Options around avoiding single use containers, a new (e)shopping wall, this seating option.... They all help us provide new services that meet the diverse needs of our passengers," he explains.
Dublin airport continues its growth and has welcomed almost 28.4 million passengers in the first 10 months of the year, a +5% increase over the same period in 2018. Almost 1.4 million extra passengers have travelled through the airport year-on-year between Jan-2019 and Oct-2019.
CHART - Dublin airport has seen annual passenger levels rise from 18.4 million in 2010 to over 31 million last year,a figure that will be exceeded in 2019
Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and daa