| 1 | content |
|---|
| 2 | The airport is certainly tiny! Arriving there was good off the plane quick straight onto a connecting bus to Brussels. Staff at the information stand were helpful & spoke English. The outbound journey wasn't as pleasant security was over zealous (having to remove belt watch etc) and very unfriendly. Didn't bother using the 'canteen' in the cupboard (departure lounge 1) and there was a big crush fighting fellow passengers to get on the aircraft. The toilets in the lounge were filthy stinking & graffitid. Having said that for a flight that cost about the same as a pizza it's worth putting up with and I'd use it again. |
| 3 | Small airports are generally intimate friendly and welcoming. Not so with Charleroi. It is dirty seriously overcrowded at peak times and facilities are terrible. Ryanair does a good job of running a base on these facilities mind. Links to Brussels are good but that's really thanks to Ryanair themselves. Food is terrible and waiting areas are not so conducive to extended stays (extended being anything more than 15 minutes) |
| 4 | Waited an hour in a corridor for baggage but ours was the only arrival in 3 hours. Waited 45 mins for the bus driver to let people on then he went off for a 30 min fag break which meant we missed the connecting train to Brussels we could have walked quicker to town centre. Return journey was even worse with one room which combined a corner shop style duty free school canteen snack bar non segregated smoking area which led to a single stinking toilet. It was a relief when the exits opened and we all made a charge for our non pre-allocated seats. Cheap but not cheerful next time I will pay the extra and fly direct from Manchester to Brussels Zaventem. |
| 5 | The previous comment is so off the mark it must have been written by one of the "anti-Ryanair" squad. Getting to / from the airport: an executive coach leaves Brussels south station (Gare du Midi) 2h. 30m. before each flight departure. As the average journey (± 60 km) takes one hour the bus arrives 90 minutes before the flight departs - in other words 60 minutes before check-in closes. The bus parks ± 50 metres from the departures door. For the return journey: buses leave the airport 20 mins or so after the flight arrivals back to Brussels Gare du Midi. At weekends I have done this journey in 40 minutes. Cost: €10.00 single payable to the driver. This includes an arbitrary €3.60 tax imposed by the Chairleroi Airport which is the subject of a legal action by Ryanair who charter the buses. Train / bus connections are not so good. I have written twice to TEC (Charleroi) asking why at weekends their "connectional" bus #68 from the airport arrives at Charleroi Railway station three minutes AFTER the hourly trains depart to Brussels. No intellgible answer was forthcoming - but they are Francophones and don't ever take criticism - just offer a "Gallic shrug". A "joined-up public transport service" - NOT! Parking is plentiful and cheap with free shuttle buses to/from the terminal every 10 minutes. The cafe resembles a motorway service station in UK but food and drink are comparatively cheap for the standard offered. Best to stock up here before your 60-90 minute flight so that you don't die of starvation or pay €9.00 on-board for a sandwich. This can be more than the cost of the flight! From the terminal passengers walk to the plane across the tarmac ± 100 metres. Boarding is fronty and rear so very quick. In the new Schengen terminal in Brussels Zaventem airport it can take up to 20 minutes to walk to the most remote departure gate! There are plans to expand Charleroi Airport with a second terminal in 2006 assuming that the European Commission's latest investigation hasn't scuppered the Ryanair operation by then. I have no connection with Charleroi Airport nor with Ryanair (the only flight operator). |
| 6 | The airport resulbles a shack. A very bad cafe and unfriendly staff across the whole airport. I will never use this airport again. It is a nightmare even trying to get to this excuse of an airport. My advice to anybody thinking of using this airport use Brussels National insteade. |
| 7 | This is an incredibly confusing airport. Check in was fine but the passage to the gates winds through poorly marked duty free stores. Security was also good but by the third time you have to ask yourself "where to now?" the frustration has built. If I had been in a hurry I would have become furious. |
| 8 | Zaventem my home airport. Lots of nostalgic childhood memories because of the Sabena frequent flyer status of my father. Nowadays very nice check in lounge lots of good food drinking options Zaventem was and is Belgium's number one airport. The luggage pick up is still too slow. Smoking lounges too overcrowded and too small. But despite this few minor negative points Zaventem is a good organised clean airport its still the number one hub in Europe. |
| 9 | Brussels to Zurich - The first impression was a disorderly airport and long queues. Not a very appealing interior ill-planned layout of the airport makes you go up and down several times. Not many things to look for while waiting for the flight. This airport is clearly not at par with other European standard airports. |
| 10 | I flew from BRU on a transatlantic flight to New York. I arrived well in time but the Airport security had a 2 hour waiting line at the passport check. This meant that I almost missed my flight which was extremely frustrating. I cannot comprehend why this Airport is so incompetent in one of its main duties. I recommend flying out of AMS or DUS. |
| 11 | I've read some of the critical reviews on this site and while Brussels airport is not the best airport I know I believe things have got better lately. The frequency of trains to and from the airport has increased some trains are still the old shuttle trains from Brussels but others are the very reasonable longer distance trains running through Belgium. The roadworks close to the airport are over. But more roadworks could be planned. The departure hall can be crowded but some low cost flights are now handled in a separate extension of the departure hall making room in the rest of the airport. The Schengen gates used to be accessible via a long underground tunnel with lots of escalators. These have gone now: there is a new 'connector' building that is much more pleasant to go to the A gates. The new shops toilets restaurants in the A gates area look nice some restaurants still close relatively early. The non-Schengen gates are less bright but the new connector building now also improves the transfer from A to C gates and vice-versa. On my last visit to the airport my luggage was on the luggage retrieval belt before I got there so zero wait. The arrival hall is still the low-ceiling area it used to be quite unwelcoming. |
| 12 | 1) Please stop continuously changing gates! On our most recent trip it was changed an unbelievable 5 times! 2) Invest in an adequate loudspeaker system. 3) The acoustic is from the dark ages. 4) Various areas are not covered by working loudspeakers. 5) Train the announcers to articulate to slow down. 6) Employ people with excellent foreign language skills or native speakers. 7) Install more info counters. 8) Learn from "top" airports. |
| 13 | As long as I live I will never get a connecting flight from this airport again nightmare of a journey from Gates A to B if your on a tight connecting flight expect to be running around. Expect very poor signage and awful attitude from airport staff and officials. |
| 14 | I am a regular visitor of Zaventem Airport unfortunately because it is one of the worst airports in Europe. Traffic to the airport is a nightmare. Narrow and always blocked by never ending roadworks. Trains to the airport are dirty and at least 40 year old wrecks and you pay an horrendous price. Ticket area for trains is small dirty and always full with people queuing for the one single open sales point. (Machines do not accept foreign cards or credit cards.) Luggage delivery takes an average of 1.5 hours (yes 1.5 hours) almost a world record. Waiting time for the passport control can be up to 2 hours. The non-Schengen shopping area is almost non-existent. -Cleanliness and overall the state of maintenance is very poor. My advise go to Paris CDG. From there 1h 12m TGV to Brussels. That's much quicker as fighting yourself trough the Zaventem chaos. |
| 15 | I had the bad luck to spend 3 hours at EBBR in the transfer area. My connection flight to England with Brussels Airlines was delayed 2hrs which was actually good because the ways from the arrival gate to the departure gate B30 was a nightmare of a walk. After passing through yet another security land and yet another passport check (Schengen my butt) I had to walk another few kilometres to the gate in order to wait there for my flight. Being used to rather posh German airports the overall appearance of this airport was: a bland megalomaniac hellhole of gigantic boredom with everything outdated. Endless corridors to the gates and ending with dirty and tasteless seats in the waiting areas not to mention the toilets. It's like entering a 3rd-world country. If you are a smoker you'll appreciate the extremely sparse smoking areas. Very few bistros (I actually saw only one) that close very soon in the evening and a saddening mass of saddening vending machines top off the overall horrible experience with that airport. If I can avoid passing though EBBR I'll pay any amount of Euros to do so. |
| 16 | Worst airport visited. Long line up for immigration and no indication at all first line up 30 minutes then an airport staff member told us that we were at the wrong line we had headed to another line for international passengers even longer we spent 1 hour and 15 minutes to get through the immigration which was my flight departure time. Air Canada staff were kindly waiting for us at the last minute. |
| 17 | I will never book a trip with Brussels airport as the transfer point. While the airport facilities were good transferring from hall A to Hall B is a disaster. We were leaving Europe and it is necessary to line up for passport review. There was a line 150 feet long about 200 people and they only have 2 stations to serve you. Serve is the wrong word it took 40 minutes to get through this point. The two staff were rude. They have very poor signage and it turned out that one line was for Euro Zone residents and the other for non Euro people. People were crowded into lines trying to get to the front only to be told they were in the wrong one. People were complaining because they were going to miss their flights. It was chaos. Then to top it off this young Passport Control supervisor yells at everyone that if they don't calm down he "will close the border"! The root problem is that this transfer area is only designed to have two kiosks. They can't even put more staff on. The worst bottleneck design I have seen in my many years travelling. |
| 18 | Having arrived from Montreal (YUL) after originally departing from Toronto (YYZ) and being about 03.00 by my body clock I found my way to passport control ok reasonable queue very nice officers and then off to Duty Free before connecting to Bristol (BRS). Arriving in the non-Schengen zone my connection was also in the same zone so I headed off to the desk for the connection on my ticket. A quick trip through fast track security and off to the gate. Seems that I missed that flight and the desk agent ran off to do something or other to get me moving. She returned and handed me a new ticket for KLM to AMS. Back though passport control again no queue at all same nice officers and off to the other terminal. The ticket barcode access scanner for fast track security tells me to go to the original terminal and refuses to open so I just jump the rail and tell a security person on duty about the plane change who lets me through with no question. Second time through security scanning another passport stamp (3 in 1 hour) and off to the gate. Agent says to me with a dirty look that she was looking for me hours ago. Explained the changes and delays she turned pleasant checked me in and hit my seat with moments to spare. All in all it was a bit of a crazy time but it worked out and I had no real issues with any staff clerks officers at all. Will be back at BRU again next June when I'll have a one day stop-over to properly suss out the airport. But until then I give it a Recommended rating. |
| 19 | Awful possibly the worst transfer I've ever done. B gates are very old and shabby and involve a huge walk from the A terminal. Had to go through baggage claim and security again despite only travelling between Portugal and the UK on a connecting code share flight. Also had to argue for quite some time to allow my duty free to travel through security. Final insult was that my connecting flight was heavily delayed with very little information and the bars all closed at 7.30 despite there being a World Cup on and flights still leaving up to 11. Terrible experience will avoid like the plague. |
| 20 | I am always amazed about the poor quality of Brussels Zaventem airport. Whereas departures may go smoothly arrivals are a nightmare. Luggage takes average up to 40 minutes after landing in the best case whereas airports much bigger such as HKG Singapore and Barcelona who manage to deliver them by the time you get to the carrousel. Luggage delivery is unorganized and usually a big mess. While everyone is waiting for his luggage you may have to collect more revenue from parking. |
| 21 | Worst airport I have ever been in after 60 years of travelling all over the world. There was incorrect labelling of connections and we were sent in the wrong direction by an airport staff member who was directing passengers. This caused us to miss a very tight connection. Security was so offensive. |
| 22 | Using Brussels airport for transit was a nightmare this morning. All transit passengers have to go through long queues for passport control and security which led the flight delay overunning outgoing flight time. This was delayed luckily - but passenger announcements were not made to let those involved know. Just that the last call had been made. The distance between the incoming gates and outgoing gates is truly enormous - but why when we were put on a bus to drive a further few kms to get to the aircraft? Why not have bus after a short walk if it has to go that far? Why were the Security staff telling us to go back to the check in desk to get another flight (and have to go through Passport Control and Security again) without first checking if the flight was being held (which they did at the second attempt)? Finally on arrival at destination - no baggage - it is still a Brussels. I will not try these routes again. |
| 23 | 29 July 2013. Worst Airport in Europe. Had to fly out of here on busy day. Allowed 3 hours. Small signs. Rude personnel apart from check-in man who was good. Tax refund department quote "this is not my regular job" as he dropped forms (losing 2 permanently) and shuffled papers. Huge queues. Unable to process English tax forms at Travelex in Brussels Airport. Poor duty free. Limited calls for airline lucky to reach airline on last call despite allowing 3 hours for check in. |
| 24 | Missed connecting flight due to huge backlog in passport customs control. In addition to this did not receive luggage to and from destination due to baggage handlers work to rule strike. Too much ground to cover when making a connecting flight. |
| 25 | Having to go from section A to B entails having to go through security and passport control and the distance is very long. This would not be an issue if there was plenty of time between flights. The 3 factors combined distance + passport control + security resulted in my being bumped of the flight as the airline thought 30 mins was not enough time to get from sector A to B. Then there is the baggage handlers strike which has added fuel to fire on the return. We have not heard from Swissport who handlers baggage on the status of the strike. The website does not recognize the airline tag when you try and get the status of your baggage. Almost a week later and no one has bothered to contact the passengers either by email or by phone. We had to wait 2 hours to get file our lost luggage claim in Paris. I lost money for the pre-paid taxi as a result which Swissport said they would not pay. So all in all I would not recommend flying through Brussels airport. |
| 26 | This is my local airport which I use regularly. Easy access and plentiful parking. Spacious clean and easy to navigate terminals. Queues through security now shorter than previously. Good selection of shops and restaurants/cafes in the Schengen terminal. Major negative for me is the interminable time it takes to retrieve gold clubs on arrival and often having to "go looking" for them. Probably the worst airport I have experienced on this point. |
| 27 | Transited through BRU en-route to ORD. The airport is nice and clean though dated. Did not look flashy like O'Hare. Staff are helpful. Quiet understated airport. The cafe was nice and selection of food excellent. Not crowded like many other Airports in Europe but duty free selection is nice. This is a good airport for transiting. Not a madhouse like LHR. Was bussed to the waiting Sabena plane. |
| 28 | Having travelled around the world I am always amazed about the poor quality of Brussels Zaventem airport which happens to be my home airport. Whereas departures may go smoothly arrivals are a nightmare. Many times the plane cannot get to the gate because ground staff are not present so we have to wait. Luggage takes average up to 40 minutes after landing in the best case whereas airports much bigger such as HKG Singapore and Barcelona who manage to deliver them by the time you get to the carrousel. Luggage delivery is unorganized and usually a big mess with several planes on 1 carrousel and the next carrousel empty. Cleanliness is so poor the restrooms smell and are dirty the waiting seats are dirty. |
| 29 | The airport does what it needs to do but no more. Access - by bus in/out: long waiting outside overloaded no space for baggage connecting with public transport requires carrying luggage down on crowded narrow stairs - very uncomfortable! By train: in house sometimes very dirty trains no space for baggage - more comfortable better access to the public transport system. Taxis are comfortable but hard to find at first time. Inside walking distances - Prepare yourself for long walks changing levels 3 times up and down on escalators and a huge queue in front of the security screening area in the evenings. Plan 60 mins to arrive at the boarding gate as net fast walk time exceeds 20 mins and wait time at the screening can take 30 mins. Toilets - There are many toilets they are easy to find. There are no toilets in the lounges. Flight information - There is usually no gate information on the screens until -30 of departure but it will be printed on the boarding pass at check-in. WIFI is available but expensive. Restaurants are good but expensive. Lounges are overloaded with people in the evening. The food is far below average. Boarding goes smoothly and usually directly from the terminal over a gangway. Baggage claim - Expect your luggage to be late. Overall nothing is horrible but it's a quite uncomfortable airport for European standards. |
| 30 | I used the airport in October 2012. Since it was a morning flight I arrived at the airport by the first train! Had plenty of time to explore the airport. Check in with SN Brussels airlines bound to Milan was smooth. Security control also fast enough. The immigration agent friendly. Found the airport fairly passenger friendly easy to find way out with good signage everywhere. |
| 31 | Been through this airport literally hundreds of times in my working life. There are two terminals |
| 32 | I arrived from Warsaw in the evening on 12th September. The airport was having peak hours with many arrivals and departures at the same time. However it was easy to navigate around the airport due to clear and good signages. It was a long walk from the aircraft however luggage was on the belt when we arrived at the luggage claim area. The train service to and from the airport was good where I was in the city less than 90 minutes from the time we landed. |
| 33 | Used this airport on the 4th of August for my trip to Bangkok via Istanbul. The 18.15 departure to Istanbul. Check-in was very busy but the line moved quickly and the check-in agent was friendly. Passport control and security at terminal B (non Schengen) was very fast with friendly officers. The flight was boarded in zones and this was enforced. Passengers in an other boarding zone were not allowed to go to the plane until the passengers from the announced boarding zone were boarded. The return on the 25th of August at 21.35 was smooth. No lines at immigration and when we reached the luggage reclaim the bags were already coming to the carrousel. Clean airport with nice and friendly airport staff. At terminal B there were a lots of shops after passport control and before security. And after security there was also a bar and Duty Free shop. |
| 34 | Landed tonight one of the last flights. Waited for 30 minutes for a gate agent to get the jetway so we could leave the plane. You may as well fly to Antwerp and walk to Brussels given how far Terminal A is from the exit. You'd think they would have put in a train or shuttle. Nope. Why do something that would add to the customer experience? Never check your bags at BRU or you will be over an hour before you get out. In short the ground staff are next to useless the design of the terminals is daft and often requires a hiking expedition to get to your flight and the customer service is often profoundly rude bordering on incompetent. |
| 35 | Security queues can be long here at busy times with only some of the lines open. Apart from that its an efficient airport except that the distances involves can be large. Be especially careful if you are transferring from the A gates to B gates as the distance between is long (I would allow 45 mins just to get from one gate to the other). |
| 36 | In the summer I wrote a review criticising two aspect of Brussels airport |
| 37 | Horrible airport long queues no signs telling you where to go. The toilet facilities are quite bad. I was in the passport-queue for 45 minutes. I had quite a lot of hand luggage and I couldn't find a single hand luggage cart! To top it all you have to pay for the liquid gel bags? Very inefficient and hostile airport. |
| 38 | This is one of the most inefficient airports. This airport is not really adapted for internal European flights. For a 1 hr flight you need to walk at least 15 minutes before having a chance to reach the exit and if by misfortune you had checked in bags then you won't be out of the airport in less than 30 mins minimum. |
| 39 | DEL-BRU-GVA. Arrived on a Jet airways flight. Landed at T-B onward connection to Geneva from T-1 Brussels Airlines. I am a Swiss Citizens so didn't have to go through the non-EU passport control long queue. Got to the Security check and as expected long queue there. Finally boarded my flight to Geneva with few minutes to spare. I can assure you that if I was a non-EU citizen my flight would have left. |
| 40 | Although it's becoming an important European hub Zaventem airport still keep a "human" size and moving between and within terminals is quite easy. Organized efficiently there are a lot of shopping and eating options lounges are well located and lines in migration customs and security-checks run efficiently. Staff overall are friendly. |
| 41 | BRU is easy to get around and walking distances were short. Luggage took a bit longer to be unloaded on arrival but otherwise no complaints. We arrived at about 7.30 am for our return flight to Canada and virtually skipped through security. One negative at least as far as I could see - on arrival at the airport we were looking forward to a relaxed breakfast before our flight however there were no sit down restaurants within sight of our departure gate. |
| 42 | This airport gives me a nice home-feel not too big and overcrowded and yet all the services one needs (shops lounges). Security lines can be long at rush hour but not exaggerated. |
| 43 | Pleasant airport lots of shops and restaurants bit overpriced. Lounges are too small always overcrowded. Airport is clean but not spotless (room for improvement) and you need to walk a lot to get to your gate. The A terminal is 1km in length and it takes about 15min to get there from the main entrance building. The luggage control is over crowded too. |
| 44 | BRU is quite inefficient. The design of the airport maximises transfer times due to large distances and a design combining multiple walkways and escalators. It took us more than 10mins to walk to the passport control from our flight gate. Several passport control desks seemed to be unmanned resulting in a wait of approx 90 mins to clear it. The only advantage of an almost 2hr transit between the flight landing and baggage collection was that the baggage was on the carousal when we arrived there. Upon arriving at the train station at the airport we had to wait approx 15 mins to be served as only 2 counters were open. During departure via Brussels airlines we had to wait 45mins to drop off our bags (checked-in at the airport kiosk) which is probably not the airports fault. However the long walks and 20mins for security check definitely are. Strong advice - please arrive at this airport at least 2hrs prior to departure esp if flying Brussels airlines. |
| 45 | I have used Brussels 4-6 times a year for about 20 years. Generally it is a well-organised easy to use airport with good facilities. However two things are very irritating and both could be improved at little cost. Firstly if one arrives from a non-Schengen state and the aircraft is parked in a remote spot (as is often the case) you are taken by bus to the terminal. This is fine except the bus drops passengers at a door that is a good 200m from the immigration control point so a rush of people up the stairs and along a very long corridor develops. Why not simply drop everyone closer to the passport check point - there appear to be doors already in place? Secondly there is a train into the centre of the city: frequent regular and efficient. As usual there were two sales points open and queues stretched out of the booking hall. |
| 46 | Has no electricity connectors foreseen for visitors of other countries. Waiting on your luggage becomes longer and longer every month. In the beginning luggage took around 15mins to claim now you have to wait around 45-60 mins. |
| 47 | Well organized airport with GOOD security checks. Queues are well organized processing is speedy with helpful attendants. Good selection of shops and food-outlets once you are through security. Restaurants fairly priced and courteous staff. Good selection of authentic Belgian products at competitive prices. |
| 48 | Flew several times to/from BRU. Generally positive experience. Last time efficient check-in quick passport and smooth security (though it wasn't anything near rush hour). The walk to the gate saves you time in a gym |
| 49 | I use Brussels Airport every time so on average 20 times a year. It's very easy to reach by public transport and by car (there were some rush hour queues when the infrastructure was being rebuilt but that's finished now) very difficult to find a parking space close to the terminal on busy days. Kiss and ride zone works very efficiently when Police are patrolling without Police it's chaos because people leave their car parked. In 90% of the times never had to wait more than 30 minutes for checking in (I don't bother checking in online or using the machines) Staff is usually very friendly and they know multiple languages. Security can be really bad on some days so expect long queues. Again in about 80% of the time got through in less than half an hour. Terminal A is modern very spacious and very nice to be in but about 15 minutes of walking from the check-in area. Terminal B is older but does not look aged less shops and less seating. Baggage drop off was very efficient my luggage would be waiting on the belt but that's changed after some worker strikes. Expect 20-30 minutes of wait (when you arrive at the belt which is also about 20 minutes after arrival at the gate). |
| 50 | Transited BRU earlier this month. Total chaos. Landed from MXP in terminal B long walk to terminal A for connecting flight to PHL. Passport control not bad but as heading up stairs to get to security was faced with a sea of people coming down the stairs. Seems main security checkpoint was overloaded and they were directing people to use alternate at far end of A terminal. Had to walk to end of terminal where there was a mass of people queuing for 2 checkpoints. 45 minutes through then up to departures and back to the other end of the terminal to the gate. Very little to look at air side no food nor shopping this was mainly pre security as was duty free kiosk so could not get that stamped forfeiting the refund. Not the best experience. |
| 51 | I have never had a good experience at Brussels Airport. Travelling to Africa via Brussels makes you feel like a third class citizen (whatever your skin colour). You are almost forced into using a transfer bus from a virtually unheated part of the airport. If you can find another way to Africa that does not involve passing through Brussels take it. |
| 52 | Flew from the UK to Oslo via Brussels Airport return. Signage and directions were extremely confusing and the security staff were rude and arrogant. I don't know how old the Airport is but the facilities were dated and unclean. |
| 53 | Clean easy to access at low price from city centre by train. Confusing in the check-in zone but once you pass security fantastic shopping plenty of space to sit good indications and long distances so enough time is needed to join the flights to Africa. |
| 54 | BOM-BRU-CDG. Transit through BRU on Jet Airways. Landed at 0750 at concourse B with onward flight to CDG at 0940 from concourse A. After a long walk through concourse B reached passport control. 4 counters operating for non EU citizens with more than 200 people in line. Took an agonizing 1 hour and 10 min to clear. Again a long walk to reach concourse A. Security check took another 10 min. Had to rush to my gate to avoid missing the flight and reached just 2 minutes before scheduled departure time. No clear or enough directions to reach the gates. I guess the airlines are used to it and they waited for an additional 15-20 minutes for passengers who were stuck in the BRU maze. Please avoid transiting through BRU if you can or allow at least 3 hours to transit. |
| 55 | Access to and from the airport is easy by car or rail. If you arrive too early for check in there is no seating so either be prepared to stand or come a bit later. Security checks can be tiring - depending of course on how many people are waiting in line. Was not required to take off shoes since they have a new machine that you simply stand on. I was however required to take off my belt and every once in about three times I used this airport was body searched as well. Once you go through all the hassle it gets more calm there is usually enough seating and the waiting is OK. All in all a clean and efficient airport. The only really bother: you may have a very long walk from arrival gate to passport control since the terminal is a long corridor. If you're lucky you will land closer to the terminal. |
| 56 | I used to like travelling through Brussels Airport : not anymore ! The few last month the airport experience has turned from pleasant to very anoying due to the lack of staff . Lack of staff at check in with Brussels airlines : the airline is trying to force everybody to check on line and the result is long queues at the airport. Lack of staff at boarding pass control : another line before getting to the terminal. Lack of staff at security where now you have to take off shoes every time with rude and bored staff and queues getting longer each month. Altogether a very bad experience and no time left to spend some time and money in the shops. |
| 57 | Cool modern design and lots of space to sit. I arrived in BRU too early and thus had a long wait for my flight and found you have to pay for the wireless internet. No entertainment thus. The free charging stations for your laptop/cell phone were useful though. Toilets clean (despite someone had been smoking in there). What I really found annoying was the journey to the luggage claim up and down escalators and long corridors. I also didn't realize the exit was in the middle of the luggage claim area and not in the end and thus wandered around looking a bit lost. There was also no mailbox after the security check - I forgot to mail my postcards before going in. The maps claimed there should've been one but I really couldn't find it. Rail connection to Brussels ok railway station sterile and boring. |
| 58 | Good airport I have used it a few times nice and clean. Never really had the chance to check duty free though. But be prepared to walk and I mean really walk 3 floors down and then under the park bays (?) and 3 floors up. The designer should have been a health freak.. the last thing I want when rushing to meetings is a 20 minute jog to exit an airport! |
| 59 | Terminal A is a dreadful place where one can easily got lost. When arriving there's an endless walk to the exit with escalators up and down and miles of moving walkways with few and confusing signs in this shopping of an airport. Finding the train station is quite a challenge too. The automatic tickets vending machines only accept Belgium cards. On the positive side it's a clean place full of natural light but designed by someone who never use airports! |
| 60 | Nice airport but they do love their escalators don't they? There is one after another to go anywhere. It is almost comical. I had heard about this but seeing it in person made me laugh. Grab a piece of chocolate to keep your energy up! |
| 61 | Terminal A for Schengen flights is quite comfortable with much natural daylight and plenty of seating areas. But it is quite a long walk to the baggage claim area using numerous escalators. Catering is good and reasonably priced. Trains to downtown Brussels run every 20min and are cheap. Please note that the ticket vending machines accept Euro coins only and no credit cards. Signals in the check-in halls could be improved as it is rather difficult to locate the right counter. |
| 62 | Very long queues for security tonight in zone B in Brussels. At least a 400m queue to reach the scanners it started just after the passport check desks and it was slow moving. This did not seem to have any obvious cause. With the mega long walks you can have here a good reason to be prudent. |
| 63 | Brussels Airport is convenient and most of the time easy to travel through. Bright and airy the Shengen terminal is much better than the older one and also offers more opportunities for shopping. Recently longs queues for security have appeared and the airport management should find a solution to this problem. |
| 64 | BRU Zaventem Airport has made significant improvements over the last couple of years. I was in and out of this airport almost monthly for 4 years and despite most often using the rather old B concourse they have not only built additional gates but also invested in some upgrades. Arrival is still a bit odd with long walks from gate to immigration counters in concourse B and with sometimes long queues. However airport staff is friendly and security is strict but done in a friendly manner. Overall a 3 to 4 stars in Europe. With improved intercontinental connections and one of the best intra-Europe network this airport has good potential to become even better and more attractive to travellers. |
| 65 | I use Brussels airport a lot and it is a good airport which has got better over the past couple of years. The cafes are good and not too expensive when compared with places like Heathrow. The train service should be improved though as it only accepts Belgian debit cards and normally only 1 machine works. As everyone is coming from abroad this doesn't make much sense. |
| 66 | A well run and well maintained airport with friendly and efficient staff. Frequent and reasonably priced train link into central Brussels. Didn't use the shops or catering so can't comment there. If your flight comes in at the far end of pier A then you're in for quite a hike to the train station/taxi pick up and the signing seems to fizzle out towards the end but otherwise a very good experience. |
| 67 | The negative aspects are high prices in restaurants and car parking. Although there is a single terminal there are two departure areas - "A" for Schengen zone countries (i.e. no passport controls) and "B" for non-Schengen (including the UK and Ireland). Passengers travelling through area "B" have a far shorter walk to/from the 'planes. Flights occasionally arrive at area "A" from non-Schengen countries - this is usually when bus transfers are necessary (so that passengers have to pass through passport control). A good recent development are the direct trains from the airport to Leuven as well as Brussels. A little known bus link is the hourly De Lijn service 359 to/from Roodebeek Metro station - useful for the east side of Brussels. |
| 68 | Zaventem is good clean and friendly. The food is pricey. The train connection is excellent but the taxis are a crude rip off. We are stuck with the never-ending tunnel to terminal A but the terminal is nice when you get there. Do something about people parking on the forecourt. And bussing when you land is hateful time consuming and stressful. |
| 69 | Improvement in cleanliness and staff. Smooth process for drop-off, security, frontier and boarding, fast baggage on belt at return. Smokers friendly airport. The food/ drinks in restaurants are expensive for Romanian standards, at least. |
| 70 | Nearly missed my plane, in spite of arriving at airport in good time. One of two Security Gates has to be chosen according to designated Departure Gate, but latter is not shown on screen in Departures Hall. Security itself was chaotic. I was ordered into a queue which took more than twenty-five minutes just to reach the scanning equipment (one man was observing two scanners at once). After my laptop was scanned, I was told to start it up and then turn it off, meaning even more time was lost. Passport control was slow: in total it took more than thirty-five minutes between entering security and entering the departure lounge, by which time my flight was closing. |
| 71 | We transferred from a TAROM flight to KLM and our experience was smooth. The facilities airside are two folded the last part of the pier with our boarding gate (12) was looking nice and modern the first part looked bit shabby and worn down seen the economic reality in Romania it was high standard. I can't make any statement about the landside but the transfer security was lacking proper English skills and it was hard to communicate and get what they wanted which gives you the impression that these people are rude. In fact they aren't if you look into their body language as well. |
| 72 | The worst airport I have been to. Early morning flight and airport was very busy. Several kiosks were not working and only one person there to help. She was very rude and not trying to help. Everyone kept telling us to go to someone else for help with boarding pass but could never talk to anyone. No one seemed to care that a large group of us were having a problem getting boarding passes. Lines for security were chaos. No one directing people and everyone just pushing in together. Terrible experience. |
| 73 | Quick friendly security screening. Short lines at passport control. However smoking areas not well controlled and was forced to breathe second hand smoke for 40 minutes sitting at my gate waiting to board my flight. I travel a lot and this is the only airport in the 15 or so years where I have ever experienced this. |
| 74 | A good airport. Very quickly through security which was staffed by polite people. Passport control queues small and staff dealt with all nationalities in a polite manner. Signs throughout the airport were found to be well positioned and also displayed in English. Over-all this a good airport. |
| 75 | Excellent airport very large friendly staff beats airports in France or Italy. |
| 76 | In general it is a normal airport. There are some shops places to sit etc. bathrooms are relatively clean. However I faced huge issues when I had to use the parking facilities. There is no gratis period for a car to come in and just pick you up for a very short period. This is very inappropriate because afterwards the only way to pay is in the local currency. EUR is not accepted anywhere and the exchange rates are very unfavorable. Moreover they did not accept to exchange small money (in my case 10 EUR). This caused a huge inconvenience for me and I have to say that the staff was not friendly either. I am definitely not keen on coming to this airport again! |
| 77 | It was not particularly busy when I arrived and departed but I felt Bucharest was one of the best airport experiences I have had in years. Apart from a short wait to check-in there were no queues anywhere and staff were courteous and friendly throughout. There is plentiful seating and a range of different food outlets (admittedly many selling similar food) and shops. A cheap alternative to a taxi is to use the bus into the city about every 20 minutes and a return ticket costs about 2 euros. |
| 78 | We started coming through here in December 2000. It's gone a long ways to finish what they started in the last 13 years but obviously by the other reviews still have a long ways to go in the pre-security departure lounge. However Lavazza is a nice touch because unlike the Starbucks model in which you have to help yourself and clean up your own mess the Lavazza is fastidiously serviced by wait staff who are very polite and attentive. |
| 79 | All the people I encountered in this Airport were friendly. It's not what I would say in the league of Singapore's Changi but nevertheless functional in design. Anyone though who has to spend more than 2 hours in the airport would be surely bored. Dining facilities are poor with the same saturated fat selection's. Taxi Fare to the airport from Bucharest Centre should be no more than 30 Leu. Avoid the taxi louts in arrivals or anyone who approaches offering this and that as you would anywhere. They will cost you a small fortune. |
| 80 | OTP in fact is two airports in one. The check-in hall the security controls and the passport control areas are old overcrowded messy and do not meet European standards. Once surviving this the departure hall is new and nice with many shops and bars. Especially in the morning it is suggested to arrive pretty early in order to get through the x-ray and passport controls: the queue is totally unorganized time consuming and stressful. |
| 81 | Transferred in Bucharest coming from Paris to Oradea. OTP is a small airport quite modern. The issue is that I landed "International" in the new terminal had to walk (in a hurry because my transfer was tight) to the old domestic terminal to get my boarding card to find that the door was in fact at the new international terminal and walk back all the way! As there was only 1 line of luggage/passengers inspection open and not very fast that was really limit and I was lucky to board the bus on time. On the way back had some time to spend and could have a nice espresso and pastry in one of the bars. The international terminal is modern and clean but do not expect the facilities and free-tax of Singapore this is just a "regional" airport. |
| 82 | Well having recently traveled through Henri Coanda airport I found that there is not much before you go through security but when you are there is quite a few shops although for some unknown reason in duty free they will not accept the local currency which is the first airport I have come across that does not. In the international terminal is the Oasis self service restaurant I went to purchase a couple of drinks and I only had a couple of 100 Lei notes left the girl on the checkout went round other staff checking it was okay and not a forgery it was simply an unused note I was then asked to pay by card. I took the note back and changed it at a money exchange with no problem whatsoever and returned to pay for my drinks. When in the queue a passport control officer paid for his drink with no problem and when I mentioned it he was so rude but as I was going to go through to depart what can I say would I use this restaurant again definitely not. Would I return to Bucharest again probably not. |
| 83 | The usual mix of rude staff expensive food and poor signage. Not enough shops for a capital city airport. |
| 84 | One of the best small airports in Europe. You get in and out quickly and the addition of the new terminal still keeps it efficient. Staff are not overly friendly. Lines are short and there may not be a lot to do but that's fine since you never spend long here. Traffic to the centre is much improved but watch out for the taxi touts outside baggage claim. |
| 85 | I travel regularly to Bucharest and have been impressed by improvements made to this airport. It is clean directions are well signposted. If you use public transport it is cheap to travel into the City Centre by train or bus. The airport taxis are ok but watch out for taxi touts. To date I have had no problems with luggage on any of my trips through this airport and have had only friendly and efficient treatment by check-in and other staff. Coffee is expensive in the coffee bars though there are some coffee machines . Most facilities can be found here and security is clearly on view. |
| 86 | I was positively surprised by the changes that occurred in Henri Coanda Airport in Bucharest. Now it has a new terminal over 40 gates I believe and the duty free is actually open and it works. It still does not accept payment in Romanian Lei (only $US and Euros and potentially credit cards). It does look like a nice airport terminal now once you do the check-in. Before check-in it's still outdated. |
| 87 | I connected through OTP from Istanbul to Venice on TAROM. After disembarking all our plane's passengers were made to wait in a hallway unable to enter the main terminal for about half an hour. The guard in charge clearly did not know what to do with anyone. At length someone else showed up and simply opened a door letting everyone enter the terminal not requiring any documents. The gate for our connecting flight to Venice was changed several times -- each time with no notice. The only way passengers knew there had been a change was if they happened to look at the departure board and saw that the gate was different. I found OTP to be decades behind the rest of the world. |
| 88 | Arrival at Bucharest Baneasa awful experience. Building is too small to accommodate all arriving passengers. Departures are even worse shady unorganized looking terminal. Security check takes forever and is an inefficient process. Waiting area at the gates too small too accommodate passengers of one flight let alone if 2 flights leave at about the same time. |
| 89 | Arrived from Paris to Bucharest OTP. The Tarom plane was allowed direct access. Quite a long walk until you get to the passport control that went quick with Police Officers that have improved a lot since the past days. We were waiting at belt 1 for the luggage as shown on the screen when somebody noticed that our flight was no longer on this screen ! It had been moved to an other belt without notice. 2 days later flew from OTP to Cluj (internal flight) - check- in was quick and efficient waiting-room much too small with not enough seats boarding by bus. All in all not HKG or Singapore but better than some other European airports. |
| 90 | I was impressed by the speed of immigration on arrival and received a nice welcome from the officer checking my passport. Customs ignored me and I was out in less than 8 minutes in total. The bus journey into the city centre was -as everyone says- a nightmare. The only way to avoid it is to arrive late in the evening and take a taxi. The departure was different. There does not seem to be room for a queue and if you don't speak Romanian it can be hard to check if you are in the correct queue. Nevertheless it was all fairly friendly and I have seen worse at Heathrow! |
| 91 | Although it's only about 10 miles away from Bucharest traffic to and from the airport is a nightmare: depending on the time of day it takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to get there (also beware of incredible rip-offs with the taxis |
| 92 | Immigration quickly cleared and baggage quickly appeared. Travel into the city is a nightmare - the road network is wholly inadequate for a developing city. Check in for returning flight was quick with no queue but then very long wait at security probably due to heightened measures ahead of the NATO summit. Departure lounge comfortable if slightly basic but all outlets food and non-food very expensive. Range of food on offer very restricted - OK for a snack but not more (even if you could afford it). All outlets will accept EUR but do not seem to have change. |
| 93 | There are separate buildings for arrivals and departures. Arrived on easyjet (although they may be switching to Banesca which is altogether the poorer relation of the two airports serving Bucharest). Bussed to the terminal from the aircraft and immigration was swift as was baggage retrieval. Once outside I recommend you press on through the throng of taxi touts and either take the bus into town or a grab Fly Taxi cab and they will be at the head of the rank where their supervisor will get you organized. The meter only ticks when you are moving which is just as well as traffic can be heavy. There are cheaper and just as honest taxis but they either have to be phoned for or you need to seek them out at arrivals. Departing was a breeze security was pleasant but extremely thorough. Once through the formalities the shops are outrageously expensive compared to down town and whilst prices are displayed in euro local lei are readily accepted in the handful of cafes. Overall Otopeni is a small not very busy and clean facility surrounded by acres of apron and runway. |
| 94 | A surprisingly good airport in terms of efficiency. While check-in is becoming a bit more chaotic and takes longer due to increased traffic it still has one of the quickest check-in times for an airport in Europe. Arrivals are usually a breeze. I think the longest I've had to wait at passport control is 5 minutes and the longest for baggage 15 minutes. The building and services are in need of an upgrade but that's OK with me since it's easy to spend a minimum amount of time at the airport. |
| 95 | Overall a clean airport transfer from domestic to international flights very quick and bus connection very convenient. Airport personnel not smiling customs officers rude and do not speak English still not used to accept EEA/EU ID Cards and mix them up with other non-EU nationalities compared to Sofia Airport customs for example. A big smile is needed even if you are a customs airport officer to leave the country with a good impression. |
| 96 | Modern but quite small airport. Security and baggage efficient and quite quick. Travel between airport and city is horrendously slow - the road just can't handle the weekday traffic volume. |
| 97 | A rather small but clean new airport with modern facilities a good business lounge. Quite a number of shops which I didn't use |
| 98 | Bucharest airport serves it's purpose but it's nothing too exciting. Food outlets are very limited and overpriced there are also some overpriced shops in the departures area. It is a fairly small airport so moving through the airport is quick and easy. Transfers between Bucharest City and the This airport take about 20 - 45 mins. There are 2 methods of public transport between the city and airport. A bus which takes 40mins to 1 hour or a taxi which will cost about £3.00 - £6.00 or £8.00 if you get ripped off. Fly taxi is the only taxi company allowed to take passengers from the airport and their taxis charge twice the rate of the other taxi companies. I felt that it was worth me taking the time to provide this piece of information as there has been nothing written since last September so I hope that it is published and useful to others. |
| 99 | This is now a good clean modern and efficient airport - a pleasant surprise. When recently departing the airport seemed almost deserted so there is clearly room for a considerable increase in traffic. In short this could and should be a regional hub airport. In common with much of Eastern Europe smoking restrictions are less than in the West. I cannot comment on public transport access as I was collected by car. Traffic to/from the city centre can be busy (and some pretty erratic driving can be observed) so allow plenty of time. |
| 100 | I've use the airport several times over the last 8 years and have found a great improvement in it service. it's still not up to English standard but considering it past I feel it's doing very well with most of the facilities are friendly accessible and comparable and better in price to ours in England. Prices may fluctuate but there no worse than the very very high prices we can pay in our country if we allow the airports to rip us off. |
| 101 | The international airport at Otopeni has the international standard and is quite comfortable for a Romanian point of view. The building is clean and the ways are short as the airport is quite small. The weak points are the rude agents at the buffets in the departure hall and especially the rip-off taxi-drivers who wait for arriving passengers. It is recommended to hold the luggage firmly in the hands to avoid it getting loaded in the taxi faster than you can watch. Always negotiate the fare before entering/loading the taxi. Never pay more than 400.000 Romanian LEI (11 EURO) for Bucharest-City-Centre ! Normally they demand 600.000 LEI or even more. Avoid paying in Euro there are cash-dispensers and changing counters in the arrival hall. There is a good bus-link to the city (nr. 783) for only 10% of the taxi-price (37.000 LEI) that leaves every 30 minutes. Departure is downstairs in the arrival hall (no signs!) the stairs are close to the exits. Tickets must be purchased before boarding the bus in a nearly invisible shop-box outside of the building. |
| 102 | Arriving at the airport at 4 a.m., we entered to check in, check our baggage. We saw one massive mob in front of the KLM counter area going all the way back to the entrance doors. The small, designated line for baggage drop off and boarding pass printing kiosks were not visible. No signage available. We asked a person in line where to start. They pointed to where the boarding pass kiosks were located. There were no crowd control stanchions to designate a line in front of each kiosk. Having no choice, we joined the mob slowly forcing their way towards the kiosks. 25 minutes later, we reached a kiosk. Check in process was slowed by long response times by the kiosk. After scanning our passports, later on we were asked if we had our passport. Really? Kiosk didn't know it had already scanned it. (What we were not told by our travel company, Viking, was could we have avoided this hassle by printing our boarding pass at the hotel.) 4:40 a.m., boarding passes in hand, we joined the other mob moving forward slowly to access a very short line with crowd control stanchions. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:10 a.m., would we make it? I got the impression the airport didn’t have a clue about crowd control, how to use more crowd control stanchions to manage long lines. At 5:20 a.m. we had our bags checked, headed to the security lines. Was shocked to see the security section had crowd control stanchions to manage long lines. Guessing the airport manager has never seen this, never actually gone on the land side the airport. Passing through security, we go right into a fancy, spacious, shopping area. Wow. Going through we reach the area to access departure gates. Was amazed at all the open space for retail sales, shops everywhere, no problem finding space for display racks, etc. No professional management, no crowd control, nothing. Airport managers must only live and work on the airside, never seeing the hassle passengers must go through. Best way to see the Budapest airport is from your plane's window as you fly out to the modern world. |
| 103 | Flying in was fantastic quickly through passport control but had to wait 50 minutes for our baggage. Terminal 2B is modern efficient and has great facilities. Oh how I miss T1 with its old world charm. Flying out was strenuous and a long process. Although we had checked in online we still had to queue for over an hour to get our bags checked leaving very little time to go through the ergonomically bad security again after a long wait. Still as typically Hungarian all staff are extremely polite and helpful. It was the amount of times we had to present our travel documents that become irritating. Hopefully the next time I fly into Ferihegy I will be staying in Hungary permanently. |
| 104 | Ferighegy Airport is a quite efficient clearly signed airport. On our arrival from Amsterdam we were directed to an escalator about 25 meters away from our arrival gate and within 20 minutes we were out of the airport and on our way to our Hotel. Seamless experience there. Leaving Budapest towards Bucharest with TAROM was a smooth experience as well the SkyPriority counters were completely free and we were checked in in a matter of minutes. As they were very strict with the FastTrack we chose for the standard lane as my wife has no Priority status and we did not want to separate there but the queue on this busy 8am was short and efficient and within a small 8-10 minutes we were security cleared. Another few steps in the terminal to the non-schengen departures which were deserted at the time of our departure. The boarding process via the bus (it was a small commuter plane) was less orderly there was a priority section in the bus but which was not enforced so the run to the plane was opened as soon as the bus opened it's doors. Further up for the smoker the cigarette prices are highly competitive and you can take two cartons when travelling within the EU per person. |
| 105 | Everything seemed to run pretty smoothly here and baggage arrived quickly. The handlers were quite efficient at getting missing bag to me after it arrived on the next flight. Departing there was about a 20 min queue at the Lufthansa check in but security was quite quick. |
| 106 | Travel here quite often. WIFI used to be unusable at all but things are progressing. The queueing is usually fast but you bet your shoes or only metal glasses will beep - most sensitive metal detector on earth. Personnel generally not pleasant given by culture. Forgot phone once on board nobody bothered much to help me and nobody ever called back despite they promised etc. From service point still lot to learn. |
| 107 | Great. Extremely clean facilities great food and great observation tower. The only minor blip was the queuing which took a while but its what I suspected would happen. Great airport would fly from there again. |
| 108 | The airport terminal 2B is now comfortable and check in desks satisfactory. The worst thing is the long walk through a covered way but open to the elements so you can get soaked if wind and raining. You then have to stand for such a long time (once over an hour) in the "cattle sheds" which are baking hot in summer and your plane hasn't even arrived at airport. Once in this shed there are no toilet facilities or any seating. Hopefully this situation will be improved in near future. |
| 109 | When departing from here arrive 3+ hours before boarding - only one baggage wrapping point was available - we spent 30 minutes in the queue and could only pay by cash. No signage for the ATMs. Security lines were understaffed. There were only 4 safety lines working and it was very inconvenient to put on shoes after security check without a seat. Immigration was slow due to IT system problems. The rest of airport facilities we used like baggage drop-off overall air-conditioning cleanliness customs for tax refund the tax refund itself duty free shops were as expected. So in general the airport was rather a nervous disappointment - can do better. |
| 110 | The airport is very small and cramped. Terminal 2 is divided in two parts making it really small and uncomfortable. Queues are huge both at check-in and security. If not for the Skycourt after security and the maze-like duty-free it would really be claustrophobic with the lack of daylight being a real nuisance. The link to the city is very poor. The bus / metro combination is both uncomfortable and expensive making it impossible for you to reach the city center without a transfer. The entire terminal has only one exchange booth but most appalling wasn't their scarcity but the rate they're charging which was nothing short of a scam - welcome to Europe. Coming from Ukraine (IEV) the contrast was even more evident. Toilets weren't clean broken faucets soap lacking in many. Next - the Wi-Fi. BUD supposedly offers 2 hours of free Wi-Fi that is available once you get passed a lengthy security/rules agreement check-page that directs you then onto another useless page that given the speed takes ages to load. Even once passed those mandatory checkpoints the internet was still very slow and almost completely useless. Basically nothing good and I won't be looking forward to going back to the airport in the future. If not for the occasional offers to some places unserved from Belgrade (such as Kiev) it's really not worth the hassle. |
| 111 | Worst airport in the world. No smoking area in an international airport? Come on! What a joke! Even better when your flight is delayed 4 hours and there is no possible way to exit and re enter the terminal. Ridiculous. |
| 112 | The incoming flight (turn-around) was delayed by 1 hour due to technical problems and a replacement plane was used so our departure EasyJet flight (U28424) was also late to depart. This was an irritation but was not our main problem the problem was we were told on the electronic read outs that boarding had commenced only to walk a very long way to what was a metal out-building with no facilities no proper seating arrangement and as far as I could see no toilets and no air conditioning on a fairly hot day. We were forced to stand for some 30 minutes or more. The incoming flight had not touched down at this point. We stood there covered in sweat from the heat. As senior citizens we were not pleased with this arrangement. It was akin to herding cattle. This is the 21st century and Ferihegy were recently upgraded. Budapest Airport this should have been a better experience than this very poor! After complaining we received a well constructed (probably by a lawyer) standard letter more or less stating that this was the future low cost flying for keeping costs down for budget airlines. My interpretation is if you do not like it fly business class or at least book priority boarding. Not a good airport to fly budget anymore. |
| 113 | A rather disappointing airport. A beautiful city like Budapest sure deserves better. Terrible queues at border control and check-in. Lack of good shops and restaurants. Too little ATMs and currency exchange points. The building itself is rather small with nothing else to do but to sit and wait for the flight. Granted there's a free 120-min. Wi-Fi. The road to the airport is not a highway but a very narrow local route with lots of traffic lights and traffic jams on the way. With so many tourists coming in to Hungary they sure need to make significant improvements otherwise if the number of passengers increases dramatically the airport would be paralysed. |
| 114 | Flew in and out by Ryanair. Bussed to the terminal on arrival had to walk a long way to an out station shed for departure. Terminal is clean and modern worked very efficiently and has free WIFI. public transport too and from the airport is very efficient and cheap. I was very impressed. |
| 115 | I flew to and from this airport with Wizz air. After landing at Budapest we taxied to our remote parking spot. We where bussed towards the terminal. After going to the toilet (which was clean) I was really surprised to see my bag already on the luggage belt. When it was time to return we went to terminal 2B. We dropped the bag at the bag drop off counter. We walked to the security point. Everything went quickly and smoothly (approx. 10 min). The airport had a very nice food court and all looks very modern and clean. My overall impression of Budapest Airport was very good! |
| 116 | Good infrastructure bad management and poorly trained staff. Check-in doesn't open until exactly 2 hours before the flight (regardless of how empty the place is and/or how many passengers are waiting). Hand- luggage check is disorganized. All is over-sized and there is a lot of running around for nothing. Staff are too disinterested to change the lanes to fit the demand. Then there is the laughable shoes and belt off routine that has long been shown to be nonsense and abandoned by most airports. So overall keep the building get rid off the supervisors and start training the remaining employees. |
| 117 | Never seen anything like this. Passengers hauled into a tent to wait for boarding like cattle. No heating no sanitation. Shame on these people. I have a couple ideas for further improvements/cost saving: passengers should load their baggage onto the plane or passengers should push the plane on the runway. |
| 118 | This is an interesting airport to say the least. We flew out of terminal 2B and it seems as though they ran out of money to completely renovate the entire terminal. Once past security where the bin helpers throw your bins onto the conveyor belt with no regards to what hand luggage you might be carrying you come upon a beautifully renovated terminal with nice seating areas and a good selection of restaurants. There is free wifi in the food court area and the bathrooms are pretty clean. But then you go to the gate area and its like you are going back to the 1970s. Even worse my gate did not have a "real" gate. We had to walk outside and then we were corralled into a big tent with only four pathetic heating lights in the entire thing. It's a real shame that the airport couldn't do a complete renovation of the terminal because it looked like it had so much potential to be nice. |
| 119 | Terminal 2 takes all flights but has no rail link to Budapest meaning a long bus ride or pricey taxi is the only way to get there. Arriving was fine apart from a ridiculously long queue at immigration despite us arriving from an EU nation. Return - Check in was alright a long queue but it seemed to go down quickly. Queuing at security was a shambles took longer to pass the tiny security hall than it did to check in. Duty Free was alright and the skycourt upstairs for food and drink is brilliant. I have a huge problem with the way they board aircraft's here - boarding 3 Jet2 flights (Leeds Manchester Edinburgh) through the same gate at the same time? Was an absolute shambles. An hour before the flight was due to depart we were told we were boarding through the gate walked down the jetway onto the airport tarmac walked across and into what can only be described as a tent - with 3 queues for each flight. No toilet facilities and no seating just standing room only. Waited in a freezing cold damp tent for half an hour then the doors were opened and all 3 queues boarded 3 identical aircraft - what a shambles. People were boarding the wrong plane and because of it we left 30 minutes late but thankfully made up for it in flight. For the major international airport of a capital city of a European Country this was a shambles. I've flown to Greek Island airstrips and had a better experience. |
| 120 | Terminal 1 closed in early 2012. T2 now takes all flights. It was refurbished last year and is spacious well organised and light. There are lots of good food options on the second floor. Shops are ok but overpriced. The main problem is accessibility as T2 is not served by a railway connection (unlike T1). There is a taxi service but it is a little pricey. |
| 121 | Airport has good bus links to city but you need to change at the end of the bus line onto the metro to finish your final leg to the city. No train link direct from airport. Bureau de Change always very busy so advisable to get your holiday money before you leave. Airport signage was slightly confusing (does an up arrow mean straight ahead or on the floor above?) but not to the point it would seriously disrupt you. Airport terminal 2B was well lit modern and had excellent facilities. Staff understood English well. In security lines very fast moving metal rolling bars move the trays along be warned. |
| 122 | Remember my stay here as smooth and a pleasure. Superb view of the airport from several spots which I appreciated. Ground crew put on viking helmets when the Norwegian Air Shuttle came in. Quite a small airport perhaps a bit too small which gives little options for food and other things you might want to purchase. Everything else |
| 123 | Arrived late in the evening speed through border control didn't have to wait for our luggage. But departed on BA from Terminal 2B what a disaster |
| 124 | Terminal 1 is the designated low cost terminal catering for Wizzair easyjet Jet2 Germanwings and Norwegian. It is small but has been nicely refurbished and contains everything you could need as both an arriving or departing passenger. Plenty of refreshment outlets and even an outside viewing area overlooking the apron which is free to visit if you need to kill a bit of time while you wait for your flight. Overall a very nice experience. |
| 125 | Arrived at Terminal 2. Bags arrived very quickly. Taxi service to the centre is well organised fixed price (depending on zone) and not expensive (and discount card for fixed price back to the airport). Check-in on departure is well-organised and efficient. Boarding cards issued online or by machine at airport (with someone to help with machines) - the desks only receive baggage. We checked in online to choose seats but did not complete because we did not have access to a printer. Got the boarding passes from the machine at the airport but with the seats we had chosen online. Very smart departure area. Paid to go in the Malev business lounge (EUR 16 each) which was well worth it. |
| 126 | The No Entry or No Stop restriction at the arrival curbside of Ferihegy 1 and 2 airports is below any international standard of civilised travel. As a result arriving traffic has moved up to the 2A/2B Departure curbside making departure twice as congested as it should be. The overpriced parking lots are empty so are the overpriced taxis (parking without passengers) in the arrival area. |
| 127 | Booked with Malev AMS-BUD-IST with a transfer time of 45 minutes far too short. A very long line-up to exit the EU with few customs officials impossible! Several people missed their connecting flight. Very frustrating and inefficient system. Officials unable to help those who were missing their connecting flights. Beware while traveling through BUD on a short transfer! |
| 128 | Arrived at this airport from Amsterdam. I was in the city within 90 minutes from the time of arrival. Staff at information counter not friendly and not happy with the job she is doing. The public transportation from or to the city was average but worked fine. I bought the 72 hours travel card (works on metro trams and buses) from the airport's post-office. The cheapest way to get to the city is by bus 200E from the arrival bay to the nearest metro station Station Kobanya-Kispest (M3) on the blue line. On the departure day at Terminal 2 Malev check-in agent and BUD's KLM staff were both polite and helpful. From check-in counter until clearing the security check point took less than 15 minutes although the airport had a busy period in the afternoon. Did not make any buying at the duty-free outlet due to tight waiting time for my departure. The airport seems clean. The only complaint is the airport has insufficient seating at departure area. |
| 129 | Terminal 2 for transferring. Nice and clean airport. Because of change between Schengen and non-Schengen area a brisk walk from one wing of the terminal to another but not really a problem after just sitting in the airplane. Going out from Schengen there is no safety check coming inside there is. Restrooms a bit hard to find. |
| 130 | Very new and bright at departure area but the arrival area is really dark and dated. Bus door to door service is really good with reasonable price. Security staff are not friendly not pleasant experience. They are trying to improve the services but still long way to go. |
| 131 | I was pleasantly surprised : no queues at check in no queues at security. As regards arrivals nothing changed yet but everything worked properly. Overall a very pleasant experience. |
| 132 | Arrival into terminal 2B is great - departure is another thing. Check in is a bit of a mess with the counters being opened two hours before hand and no real queue system in place. Security is very thorough - I was practically stripped searched - but no real problems - something you have to put up with these days. Biggest problem is signage - or lack of. Trying to get your tax back is fun and you need a lot of patience. Otherwise not a bad airport some good food places but on the steep side. |
| 133 | If you are flying with a no frills airline chances are you'll be using Terminal 1. This is a very cramped terminal and you really don't want to be spending much time here. Having said that the Duty Free shop is fine and for the smokers you'll be able to stock up on very low priced cigarettes. The terminal is very stuffy and far too warm but you will find two refreshment areas. |
| 134 | Taxis to/from airport very expensive public transport difficult. Travelling with pushchair in Budapest is a nightmare guess this is true for wheelchair users to. Baby changing facilities are rubbish : one table one mat and one chair. No picures or colours on the wall no toys. Cleanliness is ok. Restaurants are expensive. T1 (Low cow cost airlines) Spent 45 minutes queing at check in. Getting through the gate was not difficult as we got priority with the baby. T2 (other airlines) A town called Vecsas is close so anyone can do a late shopping (pharmacy shops). Arriving is much smoother and faster no hassle and queue at passport check. |
| 135 | You need to arrive at least 2 hours in advance 3 if you like to be on the safe side. This airport is much too small (extension works on-going). There are only 5 booths open for all Malev Economy flights and the queue is terrible. They urge you to use the self-checking screens but you have to queue anyway to leave your luggage. Attendants do their best. When you are at least out of this queue you are in for a second one for the safety check which is aslo vastly undersized. Not much in term of shops or drinking/eating. The number of seats available at the gates is ridiculous. then you have the luck to board by Bus. I hope their future extension will be well designed because for the time being it is not an airport you want to use. |
| 136 | There were incredible queues at check-in and even longer ones at security check. We spent an hour and a half in the queue to pass the security checks without any kind of order. Moreover the staff at security check rude and hardly communicate in English. We really feel treated more like animals than as people. |
| 137 | This airport is a nightmare both at check in and security. It took us 2 hours and this only because we sneaked under the barriers to avoid missing our flight which as it happened was delayed by over an hour anyway. Avoid if at all possible. |
| 138 | This airport has been downgraded by EU authorities because of security issues. Had to wait long for Star Alliance check-in (I had my sport bike). Schengen terminal 2 only 1 x-ray machine attended with enormous queuing. BUD-FRA-BRU in FRA they made again a full security check even checked my shoes and said Budapest now is a 3rd world airport sorry for inconvenience. So stressful and quite abusing. |
| 139 | Arrival at Ferihegy is a bit deceiving. The direct train to the city is a joke the station lies in the vicinity of low-cost Terminal 1 while most of passengers arrive at Terminal 2 which is connected with T1 and the railway station by public road usually congested with urban traffic. At the remote railway stop there are no amenities for disabled passengers and no information at all. The real nightmare is the departure and transit. Taken into account incredible queues at check-in and then even longer queues at security check you should come to the airport well ahead the time the airlines suggest. Staff at security check is harsh and rude and hardly communicate in English. Due to the lack of space and insufficient number of gates in the Schengen terminal the crowds of passengers make it difficult to move not to say about places to seat. The only positive thing you see are the posters and leaflets saying how wonderful spacious and friendly the airport will be in future when the construction of new terminal is completed. |
| 140 | Arrived at the airport terminal 2A and got a shock to see the unbelievable huge crowd at Star Alliance check-in. The end of the row was at the entrance of the airport. Seems LH and AUA don't really care of this situation weeks ago I was waiting 25 minutes for drop-off in the same time. I will think twice to use Swiss if check-in will be pooling into a big maze. Security improved a lot not waiting for long and they were friendly. Airside hard to find any free place to sit down on that Saturday afternoon restroom was clean. Many announcements were not clearly understandable thus I nearly miss my flight. |
| 141 | T2B. Prompt passport control (non-EU national) but baggage was slow. Travelling out : a 15min BA check-in queue but aggravated by 20 minutes to get through a crowded security area. The extension of T2 now underway is well overdue. In terms of landside access a ticket for the 200E bus can be purchased from the newsagents but to get a 3day or 7day pass you need to get to the underground station at Kobanya-Kispet. This is a nuisance as it should be possible to get these tickets at the airport. However can recommend the hotel shuttle service for timeliness and value-for-money. |
| 142 | I have just had enough of the way check-in staff feel they can treat passengers at Ferihegy. I am not sure why repeatedly I get talked at as if I am an unwelcome alien. The only time I saw any personnel smile was when security found a jar of Slovak mustard and lobbed it into the bin happily. While I don`t object to this being termed a liquid if it must be I was rather surprised to say the least to hear the security guard a woman make a negative remark about me in Hungarian assuming I could not understand I think. I'll be flying into another airport when going back to Hungary. |
| 143 | Passed through BUD Terminal 2B 12 times in the last half year. Check-in usually takes a bit of time and can be extremely crowded so it is good to be there 90 minutes before your flight - except if you have already checked in online. Check-in staff not especially nice or helpful. There is only 4 check-in machine for Malev flights however this is their main hub and those machines are usually out of order or frozen for several minutes. Passing security takes time and they can also be rude. The airside is crowded with good facilities but only a few place to sit - let's hope that this will change with the current enlargement of the terminals. After boarding at peak times we often had to wait 5-10 minutes for the personnel of the airport to push back the plane from the standing position: there is not much capacity reserve for this at BUD. When arriving getting your luggage can take 5 minutes as well as 25 you should just cross your fingers and wait. I miss a central screen in the baggage reclaim area which would show which flight is delivered on which belt. |
| 144 | Terminal 2B. Arrival waited 20 minutes for baggage but apart from that quickly through immigration. Departure check in area very crowded but checked in took about 10 minutes through security in 5 minute. Departure lounge good with good food outlets. |
| 145 | Aerolineas Argentinas' departure terminal is primitive and chaotic. Instead of everyone standing in one check-in line and being served by the next available agent, you stand in line by flight. The lines snake through the building and there is no one to tell you what you are supposed to do. The check-in area was dirty and overcrowded. Our gate was at a beautiful, new part of the airport with a few services. But, getting there from check-in is stressful and very unpleasant. The road to the airport was strewn with burned cars from rioting over power failures during the heat wave. I don't recommend this airport, but if you are flying international, it is your only option. |
| 146 | A nice airport: Convenient for city good flight arrival and departure displays. Relaxed atmosphere. Rapid and straightforward security. Security people pleasant and helpful. Decent range of places to buy food. Clean toilets Plenty of seats in gate area. Bus ride to and from plane (if needed) short. Bags arrive quickly. Taxis outside airport well organized. |
| 147 | Much improved infrastructure relative to my previous visit February 2011. Immigration (passport control) took 15 minutes despite huge lines (at least one other large international flight clearly landed just before ours from ATL). 32 passport control lines all staffed (why doesn't the US do this?). Another 5 minutes to send luggage through X-ray at customs. That's the time to nip over to Banco National to get Argentine currency at good exchange rate. Easy and convenient to get taxicab to center of city at kiosk in center of arrivals hall. Leaving spent 15 seconds in outgoing passport control. Both entry and exit passport control officers actually smiled! |
| 148 | I flew from EZE last Wednesday to Mexico with Turkish Airlines connecting in Sao Paulo. New Terminal is just bright and happy with nice bars and cool duty free shops. Star Alliance VIP is nice and offers a lot it looks like a furniture show room but it does the job. I made connection in GRU then Panama and finally Mexico and EZE is by far the nicest airport nor the biggest or the easiest. Overall really nice experience. |
| 149 | Arrived from LHR at 0830 after 13hr flight non stop with BA. Immigration queue was OK took about 20 mins which meant our luggage was waiting on the carousel. Then it all went haywire. Air France Iberia Lufthansa and Alitalia flights all arrived within an hour of ours so imagine about 1000 people plus suitcases trying to get through customs. 6 lines all formed in a very haphazard way which then moulded into 4 lines for 4 x-ray machines. This took us an hour to get through and into arrival hall. Another 90 mins standing there while our holiday reps organised coach transport. International Terminal A and the surrounding roads can't cope at peak times for all these arrivals. Our departure was much smoother I'm pleased to say. Luggage drop off fine security queue took about 10 mins passport control about the same. Stayed in the LAN lounge which is close to our departure gate (10). The departure lounge is modern I hope they do something about the Arrivals hall which leaves a lot to be desired. |
| 150 | It's been almost 2 years since the last time I used this airport and a lot has changed since. My flight - JFK via GIG arrived at gate 2 located in a very dated sector of terminal A. I know this part of the airport is scheduled to undergo improvements it really needs it but it looks like they've already started and some changes can be seen already like the new passport control area with many more passport desks located in the ground floor and brand new carrousels that replaced the very noisy old ones. Even so baggage claims still looks dated. I arrived at noon so passport control took less than 10 minutes. When I got to baggage claim my bags were already on the carrousel. Since every piece of luggage must be screened at customs there was a long line and it took me around 30 minutes to clear customs. The arrivals hall hasn't changed a bit - old and dark not the most welcoming. I got to the airport 4 hours prior to my flight because I was flying with a puppy. The check-in hall of terminal A is modern and very bright. Check-in was pretty quick and they let me check my bags and check the kennel with the puppy later. TAM Airlines personnel were kind and helpful as well as airport's employees. There was no line for security but there was a very long one for passport control - 30 minutes or more. I checked the screens and found out that my flight was already boarding at gate 10. Sadly I had to rush through Ezeiza's lovely free-shop in order to get to the gate on time. Gate 10 is located in a new building that replaces the old terminal B with very nice boarding areas great views of one of the runways and new concessions like Starbucks and Quilmes (Argentina's most famous beer). I didn't have time to wander through this new area that houses gates 8 to 23 but it looks spacious and pretty nice. |
| 151 | Took just under an hour in the PM rush hour from downtown to EZE but the taxi arrived about 15 mins late due to tie up in microcentro. United told us to give 3 hours but they opened their desks 30 minutes late resulting in line ups. Excellent Global Alliance Gold check in economy looked efficient as well. It took just 30 minutes to get through security and immigration. More efficient than US. Airside very limited United lounge OK. |
| 152 | Airport personnel very bad long lines for emigration and customer. The terminal facilities are not good there are too many free shops in areas where should be only for passengers after you arrive and pass emigration you have to go through a free shop in order to get the baggage claim sector. |
| 153 | The main problem of EZE airport are queues. Several times I had to wait more than half an hour to pass immigration control (both on departure and arrival). Waiting times for check-in security control and customs control on arrival are only slightly better. Other issues are totally overpriced duty-free shops. Prices are crazy. |
| 154 | Used EZE on a resent trip to BAires and was pleasantly surprised. Travelling on Air France and although the plane parks at Terminal C you actually arrive into Terminal B. The line for immigration can be long but just make sure you are in the right one. When I was there the line for Argentines was much longer than the non- Argentine one. Staff at immigration and customs were professional. Once through to land-side things can be a little hectic. On Departure Air France use Terminal C which is brand new. Immigration was fast and friendly. Terminal C has two places to eat a large Duty Free area and a few smaller stores. It does not however have a currency exchange facility so I would recommend changing most of your Pesos before leaving for the airport. |
| 155 | This is a very nice clean and functional airport. It is not anything elaborate but it gets the job done and is miles ahead of other South American airports. The lines for check-in with TAM were quick and the security checkpoints and passport control were fast and efficient. The gates in Terminal A are spacious with plenty of seating and the terminal has good signage in both Spanish and English. A very pleasant experience overall. |
| 156 | I had no problems arriving in or leaving Ezeiza |
| 157 | I arrived almost five hours prior my flight thinking I would have time to shop and eat dinner. It took me up to 2.5 hours to check in to AA. The airport was crowded. There was a strike on the way to the airport and many people came late. After that almost 1.5 hours to pass security line. There are some nice stores in the duty free. The airport is small considering the volume of passengers and old but well maintained. |
| 158 | Arrived almost 3 hrs before my flight. I was flying First Class so it only took 20 mins to check my bags I probably would have missed my flight if I'd been in general check-in. The line for security stretched halfway through the terminal. It was a little more than 30 mins to the ID check. Once through that there was another long queue to get through security - of the 5 lanes only 3 were open and took 45 mins to clear. Customers took another 30 mins to clear. That left just enough time for a quick stop in the American lounge before our flight was announced. |
| 159 | I found it a very good experience and better than many airports in the UK. There are two terminals. A is new clean and used by international airlines. B is old and (I believe) only used by some Aerolineas Argentinas flights. Arriving in terminal A I was outside having collected my bags in 30 minutes. Checking in opened 4 hours before the flight and I was through quickly. Departing it was all very organised and what appeared long queues at passport control and security went very quickly 5 minutes maximum. Some tips (partly covered already). On arrival best rates for exchange are at Banco Nacional. There is a desk in the luggage hall if this is closed then exit the arrivals channel completely and take two turns to the right. Much better rates than elsewhere. Taxis ignore all the spivs hanging around and go to Taxi Ezezia desk in the middle of the floor when you exit arrivals. 150 pesos to city centre including tolls. On departures there is very little once airside however there are several cafes landside including a McDonalds with an outside terrace. This is a good place to sit and watch events outside the terminal incessant hooting whistling etc which of course everyone ignores. I watched an amusing episode where two people cut each other up got out and hugged/chatted then cut each other up again trying to exit the drop off zone. Airside I found perfume to be cheap but everything else relatively expensive by local standards. |
| 160 | This airport is a nightmare. Immigration control can take up to 1h 30min like it happened to me. It just needs 2 planes arriving at the same time. Customs procedure the same. Leaving the country is no different but worse. Make sure you arrive in time for check-in and passport control especially in the evening when many intercontinental flights depart. I recommend at least 2h before departure. Duty-free area is good for South American airports and good prices. |
| 161 | Unlike other reviews I found EZE a fairly unpleasant experience. The boarding gate areas were almost always crammed and stressful places. The terminal seems to have very few good shops and poor information on arriving flights. In fact no information was available for arriving flights on any monitors I could find. I was looking to see how delayed my colleague's flight was on an arrivals monitor but cound not find one anywhere including the American Airlines- One World Admirals Club lounge (although the staff there were very helpful). Another reason for referring to arrivals monitors is to assess how honest the departures monitors are - eg: if the arriving aircraft from a certain airline is running many hours late it would be unlikely if its associated departing flight was on time. I found the general staff overly officious the business lounges incredibly small and crowded (don't use the Iberia One World Lounge - it reminded me of a very small regional airport lounge in Australia) and the restaurant and food outlets extremely limited. In winter poor foggy weather can cause major flight delays so be prepared! |
| 162 | I arrived and departed from EZE. To fully enjoy this airport you really have to like waiting in line. Upon arrival you have to wait in line at immigration which is normal at most international airports. However when you depart you have to wait in line at the check-in as the check-in kiosks aren't common at EZE yet. In addition you have to wait in line for passport control and of course security. The security check is fairly thorough but they only have a few stations which causes huge line ups. I really appreciated the smoking room in the departure level as well as the pretty large duty free shop. When you depart from EZE in the evening you need to leave for the airport on time. The trip from downtown Buenos Aires can easily take 1.5 to 2 hours during rush hour. The public transport to/from the airport is adequate. |
| 163 | I wish more airports offered the excellent Customer Service that Aeropuertos Argentinas does at Ezeiza with fully manned desks and helpful staff. During my trip this month I ran into delayed flights cancelations and even a strike by Aerolineas Argentinas staff. Speaking little Spanish I couldn't have managed without this superb organization. I have used them on arrival to have porters available as my wife and I can no longer handle heavy luggage. |
| 164 | EZE has been upgraded over the years and arrival experience is much better than before. Luckily arrived this time at 1130 with TAM and into an almost empty immigration hall. It can be chock a block when several flights from Europe / USA arrive at once but my worst wait was no more then 30 minutes. Baggage claim straightforward. A word to the uninitiated - do not consider changing money in the arrivals hall or area immediately outside other than at the Banco de la Nacion. BNA offered usd $1 for ARS $390 the going rate. I saw the other places offering $330. Taxi Ezeiza (safereliable and prepaid at the kiosk ) is ARS $118 into town but only ARS $88 for the return. Do not consider a verbal offer from anyone in the arrivals area. Departing processes are straightforward again depending upon time of day and the Duty Free shopping is quite good. Toilet facilities airside could do with modernisation but are clean. |
| 165 | Arrived 3 hours prior to international flight and no queues at check-in but then it was a 2 am flight. Little security at xray but we found out why later. As we arrived at 10pm the few shops were shutting. Old sparse seating which was shiny with dirt. nothing to do except eat in a small expensive restaurant which was totally out of place. Went to board flight and got our bags emptied by stupid desk clerks who thought they knew what they were doing (explains lack of previous security desk clerks cheaper than security who might actually know what they are doing). Made us drink all water before getting on plane despite policy of allowing beverages on a plane that have been purchased after security (didnt make people drink alcohol!). Took my anti-bacterial handgel off me as said it was flammable pointed out global pandemic (and flying Aerolineas Argentinas it is essential!) she stated there was no pandemic any more! Couldn't be bothered arguing the point of alcoholic drinks and flammability. Other terminal is slightly better but only arrived there and out again. Baggage area is small but getting a taxi to hotel easy but dont go with luxury cars in immediate arrivals go to taxi desk in arrivals hall cheaper and very efficient set price too so no nasty surprises. |
| 166 | Late evening check in for my FRA bound flight took 3 minutes. This is a remarkable fact since this is prime time at EZE airport with many long haul flights departing for SE Asia the Americas and Europe. No need any more to go to another window to pay the mandatory airport tax which saves some minutes/hassle. This is included in your fare if ticket has been purchased after March 2009. No queues/delays at security. Even when at least 100 people where waiting in line for passport control it took no more than 10 minutes in an ever moving queue since all 20 booths were manned and moving fast. Take that Miami airport! Inside the terminal relaxed feeling due to its spaciousness public areas etc. |
| 167 | I have flown in and out of EZE a handful of times in the last couple of years as I have family in Argentina and cannot remember any problems. Ok there were horrible queues once as I was departing and not a lot of places for sitting down the cafes are getting expensive but other than that I'd say it's good. I have flown Iberia and TAM so not sure if that's part of the equation. I would agree that Tierra Leon is good for transport to and from the airport but if there's two or more adults you get a taxi for the same price. (Tierra Leon don't charge for two year olds and indeed free transfer from where they stop in the city to Retiro from where you can catch a long distance bus- and these are good! Can get one leaving a few hrs or sooner after you get there for a decent price!) In fact long distance coach travel all over South America is good in my experience but that belongs under a different topic obviously. |
| 168 | I was dreading returning to the States via the Buenos Aires Airport after reading the reviews. While the airport is inefficient and the processes disorganized the actual experience was not as horrible as I thought it would be. I think I got there just before the big crush of people for the evening flights back to the States which undoubtedly helped. My advice: It's a waste of time to check in on-line for a Delta flight. The Delta staff insist on printing boarding passes and just won't accept the on-line version. Contrary to what you may hear there are no automated check-in machines at the airport. I was told there were 2 for Delta - there are actually none. Security is convoluted and not reassuring. You go through luggage "security" prior to getting in line to get your boarding pass at the main passenger desk. I saw no value in the process but they dig out the paper print out they have for your reservation and hand it to you to take with your luggage to the desk. Fortunately the check-in line was short but had lengthened by the time I finished. You get your boarding passes at the main desk and they check in your checked baggage. No problem with this part of the process and my luggage arrived just fine at JFK. You next pay your $18 tax to exit Argentina. The tax booth is now in the middle of the international airlines main passenger service area so very convenient. Less than 5 minutes but again the line had grown and I think I just lucked out. There was a tax window upstairs as well but it didn't look staffed. You next fill out your immigration form and take it your receipt for your tax payment and your carry-on baggage to go through Security. One station operating and over a 100 people in line. But don't worry it's not very thorough so the line moves quickly - less than 30 minutes. Fast but not a feeling of confidence. You find your departure gate after walking through an expansive duty- free area - don't bother buying water at this point as they won't let you take it through the next security check. You clear a mini-security as the final step prior to boarding. Very quick - line again moves quite fast. If you need to leave gate area to use bathroom you have to re-clear this security check. But it's fast. Refund of VAT - I didn't go through this process as I didn't buy much so I can't comment. Overall I found the people friendly and helpful - the entire process took about 1 hour 15 minutes but I believe that if you arrive at 7 or 8pm the process could take the 3 hours you read about. |
| 169 | Flew in and out December - January to and from Europe. I was prepared for a hard time in an airport which has not attracted good (or even adequate) reviews but it was not too bad. Upon arrival (mid morning) my only comment would be that Immigration was heavily overloaded although they did their best to process us as fast as possible. Luggage delivery time was quite reasonable. We arrived early for departure having read all of the comments about delays - it took us about 45 mins to check in pay our tax and get through security and immigration. I think this time could be very much longer at peak times since the queue snaked a long way at a reasonably quiet time of the day. |
| 170 | I have flown into and out of Ezeiza several times in the last 2 years. I just arrived in BA yesterday and the immigration baggage claim and customs area seem to have been re-done and are a lot more efficient. I enjoy the fact that you can duty-free shop entering Argentina! Departure is less organized but I check in using the business class queue (American Airlines) which usually takes only 10-15 minutes at the worst (the economy queue is always very long). Taxi Ezeiza is always a safe bet for transport into the city a kiosk right in the center of the floor when you exit customs. They are fast and efficient at a published rate that is always cheaper than the remises (and they offer a cheaper rate from the city to EZE - call to make an appointment when you leave). |
| 171 | I've traveled through EZE a couple of times in the last month. Arrival is no problem and I had no problems getting a reasonably cheap taxi to the centre from the kiosk outside the terminal. Where EZE is lacking is at check in. I've checked in on different occasions for flights to the US with Delta and to Europe with Lufthansa. In both cases I arrived with a good 3 hours to spare and had to queue for at least 1.5 hours to check in for Economy. In both cases the queue snaked outside the roped off area and down the terminal! They really need more staff and more open check in desks for Economy. With less than 1 hour to boarding there was till a massive queue for a 747 flight - which ended up leaving late. Don't forget you have still to queue to pay airport tax security screening and passport check So arrive early folks! |
| 172 | Most comments are concerning EZE the international airport outside of town. The domestic airport near the city center is smaller and simpler but relatively modern with plenty of dining options. Do beware of theft: my digital camera was stolen from next to me when my back was turned. There was no place to report this within the security area (woman at the info desk suggested I look for someone outside of security and when I later at another airport asked an Aerolineas Argentinas rep about asking whether a camera had been turned in she essentially said kiss it goodbye). Back at EZE one point is that the most obvious money exchange places as you exit give the lowest rates. The national bank branch giving the best rates is outside of security and a couple of turns to the right. Not at all obvious. Ditto on taxis: those easiest to find are very pricey. For cheaper ones you need to hunt a bit outside. |
| 173 | Buenos Aires airport can be somewhat frustrating but compared to transiting through Washington Dulles en route to Canada it is a breeze. Upon arrival it takes some time in the queue to clear Immigration. You will be given a copy of your Immigration declaration put this away somewhere safe as you may be asked for it on departure. However the real problem unless you can carry your baggage manually is the shortage of luggage carts. They are provided free of charge but there just aren't enough of them. I had to wait 30 minutes before airport staff finally arrived with some but friends who arrived later never did get one and had to man-handle their luggage to Customs. If you do have to wait for a cart you can use the opportunity to exchange US dollars at the bank that is adjacent to the Customs exit area - it's the one that airline staff use and they give a fair exchange rate. Clearance through Customs posed no problems once I got a cart but if you are taking a taxi downtown be extremely cautious. Do not under any circumstances accept the offer of taxi touts outside the airport offering to get you a cab - you can get badly burnt. Use only those yellow cabs parked at the official rank which you will see on exiting the airport. When leaving the best bet is to book a "remise" - a car that will pick you up and charge a pre agreed amount. In my case it cost 70 pesos from downtown to the airport. Airport departure procedures are more complex and frustrating than arrival. First you need to queue to obtain a boarding pass and the time this takes seems to vary from day to day. I went through in about 15 minutes but my friends took far longer than that. Next if you are going to claim a tax refund on purchases you will need to queue at the Customs booth - same ground floor level as the airline desks - to get your tax forms (the ones provided by the stores where you made your purchases) stamped. Next go upstairs to the tax refund office and queue once more to obtain your refund. This should not take more than 10 minutes. You will have the option of immediate payment in Argentine pesos or dollars which can be credited to a credit card. I took the cash as I will be returning to BA again. Next you have to queue once more to pay your airport departure tax - adjacent to the tax refund office. This can be paid in US dollars ($18.00) the equivalent in pesos or by credit card. When this is done you will go through initial screening next to the airport tax counter. Once inside you will next have to queue to pass Immigration. There is a form that has to be filled out - available at airline check-in desk - and you may possibly also be asked for the Immigration form you were give when arriving. Once this is done you are basically done until boarding time whan your hand luggage will be manually examined prior to boarding. To be sure of getting through all these procedures on time one should allow 2 1/2 hours to be on the safe side. And best eat before leaving for the airport as there is nothing much available at the airport in the way of food. |
| 174 | I connected from SCL to ORD via EZE. I concur with the comment that prices are obscenely expensive. I bottle of soda was 7.50 Arg. pesos. There is really only one place to eat after security in the international (non-AR) terminal. There's a fair amount of shopping but food and beverage options are very limited. |
| 175 | EZE airport is clean modern european style. Only downside is that the it is extremely expensive the prices are too much It seem that the airport operator has a monopoly and they control all the shops. I loved the airport the people and the city but that the prices are too much. |
| 176 | My wife and I took the Manuel Tienda Deleon coach from the airport to Buenas Aires last Wednesday. Some 20 minutes after we were dropped at our hotel I received a phone call to my room from the Manager of the coach company. It seems the driver had noticed that I had inadvertently given him $100 along with the $10 tip I had intended. He immediately returned to the hotel with the $100. Let's say I was a very happy camper and very impressed with the driver's honesty. A great first impression of Buenas Aires. |
| 177 | I visit Buenos Aires 2 or more times per year and while the city remains great Ezieza Airport is becoming more of a mess each time I visit. In all fairness arrivals are usually OK - in January I deplaned went thru Immigration claimed my bags and was on my way within 30 minutes. Try that in Chicago or JFK ! Now for the bad news: departures are a disaster - I would recommend arriving 3 hours early even if flying First/Business Class. I took nearly an hour to get checked in for a Business Class passenger then you pay the airport tax and head upstairs to security (a breeze) and Argentine Exit Stations (slow) . Boarding Areas are filthy and feature broken down chairs! A final cursory search of your hand luggage occurs at boarding - then you have an 8-11 flight back to the USA. What a mess. |
| 178 | I was trying to find a parking spot for more than 70 minutes in the only small enclosed parking and finally I left to park outside. Can't believe an airport with that traffic and weather don't have a covered parking area for people who would like to pay for it. Really bad service. |
| 179 | Excellent option travelling from Toronto Canada. Quick drive to apt check-in is a breeze as only single flight scheduled at desk smaller aircraft means smaller line-ups everywhere. Security was thorough but very quick - no rush no herding. Apt is spacious enough to handle the crowd. No walking endlessly. Collect baggage and walk out to the outside in a minute. The ride to the apt from Toronto is not at all bad allow 2.5 hrs travel time door to door from the middle of Toronto. Will always be my only choice for North American travel. Food options not much air-side. |
| 180 | K George is right on the money. As we were getting our things out of our car for our flight the Parking Shuttle guy patiently waited for us and helped more than most do. We flew out on Southwest and in on US Airways. Buffalo works well for SW as there is very little time wasted for taxiing so planes can get in and get out quickly. The airport is bright and easy to use. Be advised that the Jetway does not get lowered for regional jets so if its a rainy day and you are on a CRJ or ERJ to BUF have a newspaper handy to hold over your head! |
| 181 | BUF is a great smallish airport to fly into and out of. Security moves quickly the lines are short and it's very convenient for pick-up/drop-off and rentals. Upon arrival you can literally be in your car with baggage within 20 mins. Parking is expansive and cheap and there are always friendly drivers ready to pick you up at your car or drive you to it after arrival. The airport itself is bright and inviting- very well designed. It is also large enough to have a pretty good selection of flights- there are about 30 or so gates and probably a dozen or so airlines. You can't always get a direct flight but the options are not bad at all. My only gripe is there are only a few restaurant choices but since BUF is rarely a changeover it's not somewhere you'll usually spend a lot of time anyway. |
| 182 | Buf appears to be a nice little airport with friendly staff who are very efficient and treat customers with respect. The downside being airside shops and restaurants facilities are rather poor compared to other airports. The airport waiting areas are not too bad and gates quite near to each other. Quite a pleasant airport to fly into and out of. |
| 183 | I live in the Niagara Region on the Ontario Canada side and grew up in the Buffalo area. At one time it was common for Americans to trek to Toronto in order to obtain the best selection of flights at reasonable prices. Buffalo used to have three ancient small terminal buildings very limited parking and a small cartel of airlines operating out of it. Since the new airport in Buffalo has been built the range of airline choice and scheduling has grown and prices have fallen. Toronto on the other hand with its growth and congestion has become increasingly more expensive and although the drive from here is barely more than an hour that's hypothetical because traffic is always so bad in TO then if that's not enough parking is a nightmare you have to walk great distances to get to and inside of the terminals and now regardless of where you want to fly to it's much more expensive even after taking exchanges into consideration. We can leave our home be at Buffalo- Niagara in less than 45 minutes parking is plentiful and cheap but because it's such a hassle-free trip it's never any problem to get someone to do a drop off. You can just get in and out of there fast. I do agree the security barriers were placed in the most awkward part of the airport severely limiting the access to more shops and restaurant choices. The baggage carrousel area is also a bit tight when a few flights arrive at once but again these are small problems compared to the ease and reasonable prices. And for domestic flights within the US when you live in Canada you can entirely avoid customs when arriving and just drive from the airport and do your declarations at whatever bridge and it's so much easier. It's nice to be in this area and have the choice of airports - to include Hamilton which is making travel within Canada easier for us in this region. |
| 184 | Like some of the other reviewers here I'm a Canadian that uses BUF as an alternative to Toronto Pearson International. The reason is simple - - for flights within the United States it's vastly cheaper to fly from Buffalo -- On one occasion recently I was able to make a flight out of Buffalo for literally half what it would have cost from Toronto (all taxes included). Two significant reasons why Buffalo is cheaper -- Firstly Pearson charges possibly the highest landing fees in the world and second the United States TSA charges higher security fees for trans-border versus U.S. domestic flights. One review of Buffalo Airport complained about it being hard to fly anywhere direct from Buffalo but I suspect that most airports are like that these days. With one connection you can get to most places from Buffalo. My one issue with the airport is that it was designed in the pre-9/11 era and nearly all the airport facilities (stores restaurants etc.) are in the secure area so there isn't much to do for people waiting for arriving flights. |
| 185 | Southwest and Jet Blue offer a cheap alternative to us Canadians but airport fees at YYZ adding 80% to a fare is somewhat of an exaggeration. This airport is not a travel friendly place one of the coldest and most impersonal airports I have ever been in. The parking system is quite expensive and very disorganized the shuttle buses wander aimlessly and don't pick up on a first come first served basis. The day we left there were noisy sirens and alarms going off all the time and all the staff just ignored them and my eardrums just hummed and I couldn't hear anything that was going on. While the food sold was good there was very little selection (apart from Burger King before security every outlet had the same menu) and the prices were exorbitant. |
| 186 | BUF is an excellent airport as a second choice for Toronto people flying to Chicago Northeastern USA and Florida especially you are travelling with a whole family. Southwest fare from BUF to Florida is so low CAD150 include tax round trip for family of four flying from BUF to Florida can save you a lots of money! BUF itself is small user- friendly and just 1.5 hours from Toronto. I did that before - park my car check in security boarding all in 35 mins! |
| 187 | Have been using this airport as an alternative to Pearson Intl (YYZ- Toronto) because of Pearson’s outrageous airport fees. I have routinely bought an airline ticket thinking that it was a great price only to find out that the airport fees add another 80% to the ticket. Buffalo Intl is an ok airport its quite small but it gets the job done. One problem with this airport is the paltry number of flights that leave the airport. Unless you live in the Northeast it is almost impossible to fly without connecting somewhere. The only other gripe that I have is that the food selection at the airport is rather poor. |
| 188 | The most basic airport I have been to. Having been brought up in Burundi and been travelling there and back to the UK over several years I think this airport has gone downhill. Many years ago this was an exciting airport. People could see you off from the observation balcony but gone are the days! My dad wasn't even allowed into the airport to see me off. Airport staff will make your life hell just to say your last good byes to family. My Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi was slightly delayed coming into the airport due to a power cut! I have never experienced anything like it! My arrival into the airport was just as bad with airport staff wanting to open all bags and wanting bribes in order to keep things. Thank god my family had airport entry passes which meant we weren't left short changed. In all honesty I would still recommend as it's just a crazy yet brilliant experience! |
| 189 | This is a very basic and small airport. Facilities are limited. Most parts of the airport are covered but are not air conditioned relying on natural ventilation. Mosquitoes could be a problem at some times. Fortunately there are not too many staff hassling for your money. baggage reclaim was reasonably efficient. No real problems departing. Again there are very limited facilities. There are a couple of shops selling the usual tourist fare and expensive bottles of alcohol. The bar/café is not bad but is overpriced - $5 for a simple snack. The business lounge is nothing more than a room with a TV. |
| 190 | Note that this airport has not been officially called Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena airport for several years. It was renamed the Bob Hope Airport in 2003 (though most people just call it the Burbank Airport and the airport code is BUR). It is a small domestic airport with fewer airlines than in the past since American Airlines departed last year. Departing on our recent trip was a breeze: we stopped off our rental car at the Avis facility (Avis Hertz and one or two others are on the terminal site |
| 191 | Burbank provides a convenient and easy alternative to LAX although the departure hall in Terminal B is too small to accommodate more than 2 flights at a time. There were 4 flights (an MD-80 a 737 and 2 CRJ regional jets) boarding simultaneously and the small space and cramped conditions caused confusion and delayed boarding for everyone. |
| 192 | Bob Hope Airport as it is formally known is small and easy to navigate. Check-in counters have limited service with strong encouragement to use automated kiosks. No collection of hotels nearby as in the case of LAX but there are a few with shuttle service. As noted sparse food and shopping options. Not the best place to kill time if your flight is delayed. With some rental car companies you can quickly walk between the terminal and your car while with others you need to take a shuttle bus. You can also take one of the parking shuttles to the nearby Metrolink/Amtrak rail station. |
| 193 | Burbank is a very small regional airport serving the San Fernando Valley and northern Los Angeles suburbs with only 12 gates and no jetways but it's a very good alternative to the chaos that is LAX. There are flights on Southwest (dominant carrier) United US Airways JetBlue American and Alaska to all major western USA airports plus Dallas/Ft. Worth and New York JFK. The terminal is very small and can get overcrowded during peak times and food/beverage/concession options are very Spartan but it's easy to navigate has excellent free wi-fi and the security screening process is streamlined and well-run. You can also walk from the terminal to the long-term parking lot which you can't do at LAX. |
| 194 | BUR provides a pleasant alternative to LAX. The terminal complex is a bit small so during peak times it can get crowded but security and check-in lines move quickly. There are no jetways but being in California weather is seldom an issue and it's quite nice walking onto the tarmac to board your plane by stairs. If you're in a wheelchair they will use a mechanical lift to raise you to the aircraft door. The food and shopping offerings are bare bones and quite disappointing. If using the Metrolink rail is convenient to your travel BUR is an excellent alternative because there is a station across the street from the terminal but the airport is a bit difficult to get to by road because there is no freeway access within 2 miles. Traffic at rush hour can be difficult. |
| 195 | Small airport dating back to the early days of aviation when the thinking was that would be aerodromes in most towns. Today BUR is convenient airport for those wishing to avoid LAX. You pick up your bags from the baggage conveyor belt outside the terminal. |
| 196 | Enjoy flying in and out of BUR-very easy compact airport it is my preferred LA area airport. There about 10 times a year. If you rent from the correct car rental no need for buses you can walk right out to your car. The only bad aspect is time. Car rentals do not open for returns (if you want a receipt) until 6am and security does not open any earlier. Flew out yesterday and by the time I returned the car and got through security they were already boarding my flight-walked directly onto the plane. Not such a terrible thing I guess. |
| 197 | This airport is incongruous. On the one hand the food service stand such that it is is a cave. I am kind of worried that Sloth is hiding in the shadows. The music - effeminate EuroPop from the late 1980s - think Frankie Goes to Hollywood - just does not match the interior that may never have been renovated. Then you've got the external baggage claim. And Southwest. And JetBlue And a large mountain dominating the horizon. Once the DEA interrogated me on a tip during my business trip. And the exterior looks ripped out of 1973. It's all very bizarre. |
| 198 | Burbank airport is a welcome relief from LAX. It's small and yes does not have the amenities of a large modern airport but those are its strong points. It's a "human scale" airport the type that is fast disappearing. The convenience of the train station and the freeways makes it a great place to fly from. |
| 199 | Just flew through BUR a couple of times. What a quaint little airport straight out of the 1930's. I'm sure it was fine for DC-3's but it struggles immensely with 737's. Christopher Schmidt mentions that terminal A is narrow. Well I flew out of terminal B and I thought that it was exceptionally narrow. Burbank is well located and fares are good but if you go there patience and a happy disposition will be great virtues. Also don't expect to get somewhere to sit while you're waiting. |
| 200 | Eat before you go to the airport. The food outlets offer items that were packaged during the Reagan administration! Terminal A (Southwest/America West) is extremely narrow! Terminal B (American/Alaska/Delta/United) is quite efficient |
| 201 | My trip through the Burbank Airport was a mixed experience. The passenger terminal has a run-down appearance to it that is in need of updating. Carpeting and wall paneling do not seem to have been upgraded in a while. The terminal lacks jet bridges and the baggage claim conveyor is out of doors which I actually find quite pleasant when the weather is nice but awful during rainstorms. The food and shopping options were minimal though I did not get a chance to check their prices. On the positive side however: the airport is very conveniently located for much of Los Angeles and has convenient access to the freeways. Despite the dilapidated look of the terminal it is a lot less confusing and intimidating than LAX - finding my way through the place was easy. The view of the mountains and desert outside of my airplane window on approach to the airport was enjoyable. The Southwest Airlines personnel did their jobs with the usual commendable levels of courtesy and professionalism and at no time did I find the lines to be too long. |
| 202 | It is the only airport regionally that people have to use. It is awful: understaffed clerks are rude flights often late or missed because of understaffing and can't make lines. It is customary to have people or entire groups of people get moved up in line in order for them to make their flights. Just plan on having things go wrong if flying through Burlington. |
| 203 | Small NW Tasmanian airport with flights to Melbourne & Tasmanian destinations. Neat & tidy with easy check-in & baggage collection. Small cafe/shop & enough seating for size of aircraft using airport. Not a bad little airport |
| 204 | This is my home airport. Completely renewed a few years ago it's now a very good and modern airport. Near the city center (just 5 minutes by car). It's a small airport but it's probably the better choice to come to Sardinia. Depending on winds you can have a fantastic view over the famous sardinian beaches from your airplane window. In the summer sometimes you may find crowds at security checks. There are just a few overpriced shops but this is common in italian airports. Car rentals taxis and bus are easy available. |
| 205 | New nice and clean. This is the way I found this airport services are quite good even if restaurants bars and services in general could be improved. But this is a recent airport and the overall experience has been positive maybe in the future it will earn some more "stars". |
| 206 | Clean and efficient I was very impressed with Elmas airport. Staff are friendly and the airport is very well connected to the city centre by bus. The fare is only 0.67 €. Only one negative point once you're past the international departures hall there are no shops only one small cafe' near gate 23 otherwise this is one of the best regional airports I have visited so far. |
| 207 | Clean modern domestic terminal good choice of catering and adequate seating. |
| 208 | Arrived at domestic airport and straight out to taxis much improved on 2009 when last here. Flew out and quick security and check-in. However on the way back we were transferring from one domestic flight to another. You arrive and have to leave the terminal and walk around the outside to go back through security. Considering all the work that has taken place recently I was surprised the transfer situation is so inelegant. |
| 209 | We were flying CNS to HKG with Cathay Pacific and again very disappointed with Cairns Business Class Lounge. The food comprised of poor presentation along with an uninspiring menu. The only hot food displayed was soup and apart from various 'nibbles' the only other option was a dry baguette that had been sliced in inches and some salmon - completely unappetizing. As for drinks the chilled cabinet consisted of only four bottles of wine none of which were champagne as you would expect when you're paying Business Class prices. I had to find someone from the kitchen to ask if champagne was available and the young lady in charge told that no it wasn't available and that only a sparkling wine was an option. The bottle in the cabinet turned out to be flat and a fresh bottle was opened by said staff. Staff attitude was very poor. This wasn't our first time at Cairns Int. but the worst so far. And while we were in the Lounge a lady ground staff member in full high viz jacket came in and helped herself to some soup - unusual to say the least. |
| 210 | Have just arrived here for the first time in three years. The so called "renovation" has finally been finished but is a total let down. Walkways to the gates are at least covered now and airconed but still concrete walkways with metal shed like walls around it worse than in 3rd world countries. Departure area has the same shops and fast food outlets as before. Major rip off is charging for luggage trolleys even in London Heathrow and LA they are free! Felt ashamed when I explained to dozens of tourists from the US and Japan that they need to pay (cash coins - not even credit cards accepted!) for these. Great welcome into the country and absolutely not excusable! |
| 211 | I have travelled extensively around the world and would have to say that Cairns Domestic Airport is nothing short of disgraceful. Check in is OK but from there on it's an absolute shambles. Several flights have passengers in the one queue and you don't have any idea if you are in the correct one. The Airlines P/A is inaudible and there is very little seating in the common boarding area. Once you have worked out that you are in the correct very long queue it's a long wait to get through to the boarding check in and then it's almost a marathon walk to the aircraft. It must be at least 800+ metres and after walking up and down concrete ramps you then end up on an airbridge. There is no doubt that this appalling airport will put me off visiting Cairns again. |
| 212 | What a “dog’s breakfast” of a place is Cairns Domestic Airport. Arriving passengers parade through the departure terminal and eventually find their way into the baggage collection area. Dropping off passengers is also a trial. A very confusing series of direction signs can easily have motorists heading down dead ends or wrong roadways. It's the same for car rental returns. In the airport to get from the car rental desk to the check-in area requires a 100 metre walk in the scorching sun or pouring rain. |
| 213 | Arrived at International terminal no facilities open at all - advised to go to domestic terminal put bags in locker and go through security to get some food "International". Airport is nice big and empty but that is about it. |
| 214 | Under staffed and lacking facilities such as airline lounges. Excessive queueing untidy restaurants and cramped waiting areas. A complete contradiction to the rest our Cairns experience. |
| 215 | I've transited Cairns airport domestically a number of times in the last 12 months. The building work does not appear to be progressing satisfactorily - the baggage collection area remains a disgrace and for those unlucky enough to be arriving at gate 18 or gate 1 there is a long very-poorly signposted walk landside having to clear security again. Colleagues tell me that the security queues aren't always that bad but I'm yet to experience short lines there. |
| 216 | Cairns Domestic is a shambles whilst the reconstruction of the terminal drags on forever. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes on arrival as the trek from the domestic arrivals Gates 20-22 are via a poorly signposted circuitous route taking you to the other side of the terminal then you are directed outside in the elements dodging contractors and their equipment to a soulless baggage collection hall miles from anywhere. Totally inadequate seating for departures with passengers queuing up like sheep (despite everyone having an allocated seat) and blocking incoming passengers at the gate. PA announcements are inaudible and airport staff schlep around in a tropical topor. |
| 217 | Domestic terminal undergoing major renovations/additions. Long walk from gate through building site and then quite a way outside to taxi upon arrival. All ok if you are up to it but could be difficult for less mobile or with lots of baggage/children. Also ok if not pouring with rain. On departure taxi drops off and you have to cross a road without cover to get into terminal all ok if weather ok but you could get soaked if raining hard as is normal at this time of year. Was selected for hand baggage and clothing swab for explosives. Security staff nice and friendly. |
| 218 | Flew into Cairns as an international passenger from Darwin - very easy airport and the nicest welcome we have had on our trips to Oz. At 8 am there were adequate staff on passport and security control our baggage arrived quickly and checking was done nicely and efficiently with apologies for using us as a training example to a new member of staff. We got a taxi downtown the only hicup was that the sign telling you to phone from the taxi pickup point (if there are none there) was missing so we waited 15 mins before someone came over to tell us to phone. |
| 219 | Recently flew in and out of this airport on an international charter flight. I've been to Australia before and it is one of my favorite destinations in the world. However customs personnel upon arrival were unbelievably rude. You are not allowed to bring in food and I never carry food with me. However the sniffer dog indicated that I had food in my backpack. The customs official treated me like a criminal. After a thorough search of my backpack all he could find were cough drops. He turned on his heel and walked away with his dog and not another word. No apology of any kind. This is probably the rudest arrival I have ever experienced anywhere in the world and I travel quite a bit. |
| 220 | Used the Cairns domestic terminal recently. The arrivals area and baggage claim is a dump but the ticketing/check-in area and the departures area isn't bad. There's not much in the way of shopping or restaurants if you have time to kill and the seating areas are rather limited. The Qantas lounge is pretty decent and best of all it's a very short walk (just a couple of hundred feet) from the baggage claim to the taxi stand and about the same from the passenger drop-off area to the terminal entrance on arrival - though this makes the A$4 baggage cart rental fee a big rip-off. Taxis are also reasonably priced to the city despite the long distance. |
| 221 | Flew in and out of Cairns International recently and found the airport a breeze. Only a handful of carriers use the international terminal. Airside has all the usual stores duty free and a centre cafe. They even have a chocolate store. Great lounges and plenty of space with none of the crowds of other gateways airports to Australia. Would recommend to anyone arriving or leaving Australia. |
| 222 | Cairns airport is a little run down but still functional. Only problem is the lack of a decent coffee and meal at the domestic airport! Hungry Jacks is always a crowd pleaser but when you need a good coffee at 5:00am its just not possible! |
| 223 | I've only used the domestic portion (I fly via SYD) and while it is small and a bit run-down it's not a bad airport. In addition to the too-tiny baggage carousel the Virgin Blue check-in area needs to be rearranged a bit. The queue for computerized check-in became entangled in the queue for the baggage drop. The computerized check-in area needs to be moved further away. I also appreciated the centralized booking desk for the shuttles to town. On my last trip there I liked the convenience of on-site car rental and return but as with any Australian airport you pay an extra tax on the car that you wouldn't if you rented the car in town. |
| 224 | The facilities at Cairns airport aren't all that bad |
| 225 | I was fairly impressed by the range of retail stores available for international transit passengers at Cairns airport - mainly tropical touristy items but that reflects the city. Not a great range of eating places a hamburger bar sushi and Japanese snacks and a cafe with cakes and slices for sale. All shops and restaurants were open when we arrived at 6:30am. The airport incuding the bathrooms appeared pretty clean. Decent views of the runway from the transit area. All in all a fairly pleasant place to stop for a short time. |
| 226 | Arrived at CNS airport on a Qantas flight from Brisbane and departed on an Australian Airlines flight to Singapore 4 hours later. The domestic and international terminals are linked by a covered and paved walkway and was a short and comfortable walk despite the heat (middle of the day on 26 December). Our luggage was tagged to SIN when we departed BNE so we didn't have to worry about lugging bags between terminals. CNS is not a big airport and doesn't have loads of retail outlets or much choice for food but the staff are friendly the terminal is modern and fresh the beer at the bar is cold and we spent the four hours comfortably. We went on to deal with the masses in SIN LHR AMS BKK and SYD airports and concluded that the smaller and more relaxed airport at CNS was the better of our experiences. |
| 227 | While International Airport is very small and easy to walk from one end to the other the gate number signage as you go into the departures lounge is poor. Also there are not enough screens screens showing boarding and departure times and the relevant gate numbers. |
| 228 | A nice and comfortable little airport but were relatively frustrated by the staff. Myself and partner flew in to spend a 10 days in Port Douglas/Cairns area and could not remember the exact address of hotel - Air NZ hostess recommended we just write hotel name. Big mistake. Were questioned by police as well as customs officials bags scanned extra 3 times searched and looted through. Apparently they thought we were going to overstay in the country but the customs staff were extremely rude and definately ruined the start of the holiday. Both Air NZ and Qantas ground staff were very helpful though which improved the experience slightly! |
| 229 | Departed from Cairns to London Heathrow via Tokyo for a family holiday. We were very impressed by the facilities offered at the airport especially in the departures lounge. Our only criticism would be that the departures lounge for international flights is locked until about 90mins before departure which meant that we had to hang around for 3 hours with little to do after arriving at the international terminal after a domestic flight. Otherwise a very welcoming airport which is bright and well designed. |
| 230 | An airport that serves only 6 International Air carriers (I think) - it is breezily functional. Cool and modern the Australian airports tend to resemble each other - with little character to differentiate from each other. The Cairns Airport does look a little too big for its purpose. Check- in was fast and efficient though as there was minimal queue if any at all. Everything was done with little fuss and was much appreciated. Airport is only about 15-20 minutes away from the City Centre/Esplanade via Airport Shuttle Bus. |
| 231 | I recently used the Cairns International Airport as my gateway into/out of Australia. It is a small airport with big value. There are only two terminals at the Cairns airport both of which can be comfortably walked end-to-end in 2 minutes. But there are no large crowds long line-ups. Customs clearance was fast and efficient (4 inspections questionings). There is a covered walkway between terminals which could be oppressively hot on a summer day but was quite enjoyable at 1 AM after flying for 20 hours. The domestic terminal is very quite at that time of night. They provide cushioned benches which could be cleaner but were welcome for a 5 hr layover. |
| 232 | Cairo Airport Terminal 1 is one of the worst travel experiences I have encountered. Everything about the terminal is unpleasant; from arriving at the terminal to boarding your flight or indeed arriving at the terminal and leaving the terminal is beyond comprehension. What makes it more astounding is carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways operate into the terminal. Bring on the new terminal, but when will it be completed? |
| 233 | The airport is very badly sign posted and I found myself getting lost more than once something that has never happened to me in an airport before and I am a frequent traveler. You are often pestered by staff for a tip for even the most basic service. The selection of souvenirs was poor surprising given this is Egypt. The security arrangements seem illogical as you are screened by security twice just yards apart before check in. There is also a serious shortage of seating which is an issue if you are traveling with old or infirm people. Make sure you pre-arrange a pick up when arriving as fake cab drivers swarm around you on arrival if you appear to be looking lost. |
| 234 | Very poor Shuttle Service between terminals. We had to change buses between 2 Terminals. No instructions given the bus just stopped and driver got off. Passengers we looked at each other what should we do now? OK we changed buses on to the desired terminal then we are dropped off across the entrance in a parking lot not in front of the terminal entrance. So off we go pulling our suitcases. What ever happened to the people mover? No clear signs for Shuttle nor for the train between terminals. |
| 235 | Visited Cairo for a conference at a glance during arrival the airport seemed ok clean not at all crowded Immigration was a breeze with only 1 counter operating out of about 30 counters toilets were clean and I was out of the airport in about 30 min. The real problem started when I was departing. Be prepared to get tired of hearing the word "baaksheesh" which means a tip. Every person you see shall approach you for a tip even if it is their duty. The airport doesn't offer free drinking water facilities you have to buy it. Announcements were excellent and they went the extra mile to announce in the language of the destination for International Flights. |
| 236 | On 28/11/2014 I arrived to Cairo Airport on an MEA flight bounded from Beirut. The whole situation is in chaos. The smell in the airport is terrible. Immigration officers as well as customs officers are extremely rude and stubborn. |
| 237 | Pleasant modern airport not too big and not too small. Journey to and from Cairo is always fraught a shrug is the common response to asking how long you should allow but let's hope the Metro promised for next year materialises on time. But why can't the toilets have soap? And be less smelly? Why can't the "FreeAirportWifi" work? Why do the scamming porters who clamour to push your luggage 30 meters whether you protest or not and then ask for money apparently do so with the airport's blessing and wearing an official looking uniform? These are all national stereotypes but better airport management would roll them back a bit and encourage tourists back to Egypt. |
| 238 | Flew from KL arrived with Emirates at CAI Terminal 1. This terminal is awful. Upon arrival people rushed to the immigration where only 5 counters were open both for Egyptians and foreigners resulting in long queue. Immigration officer was just rude threw my passport after stamping it. Waited for about half an hour for my luggage. Toilet beside the carousel dirty and disgusting. Before exiting the airport custom officer requested to see my passport and scan my luggage. After scanning them they asked for "tips" and won't let me pass through after I pay them some money. That's not it after exiting the terminal annoying taxi drivers started to surround and trying to take away my trolley. Thank god I had someone waiting for me. When we reached to our car two men out of nowhere came and grabbed our luggage and put them into the boot and then asked for tips. This whole arriving experience was nightmare. Overall it was a bad arriving experience after you have flown for 10+ hour flight. |
| 239 | Terminal 1 is a bit chaotic but small and friendly enough to get through without too much trouble. With an early departure our hotel had prepared a breakfast selection bags for us all which along with our tots we had no difficulty with at any of the myriad security checks. Well done Cairo T1. |
| 240 | On most of my trips here in Egypt I have encountered extremely nice Egyptians. Today I arrived at the airport to leave and a guy came up to me as I am walking through the security check at the front asking me if I was flying with Lufthansa. He was wearing an employee tag over his neck so I thought he is an airport employee being helpful. I said yes and he grabbed my luggage set it down next to him and asked me for money. At this time another man came by also wearing tags and the younger one says "give him money". I gave the older man 20 Egyptian dollars. He proceeds to say "give him (younger guy) money too". At which point I said I don't have anymore money. He kept pressuring me saying US dollars will be okay too and I kept saying I don't have any. He pestered me all the way to the check in counter while holding on to my luggage almost hostage. After I told him many times that I don't have any more money he dropped my luggage on the floor and left. If Egypt wants to revive their tourism they really need to do something about this situation because now I am much less inclined to come back the next time I have vacation. What a terrible experience! Other than that the airport is new although not too fancy. Quite a selection of shops you can go to and food. |
| 241 | Flew in and out from Doha. Terminal 1 is pleasant even though there are no jet bridges. The check in used to be mainly in the main hall (which is still there) but they decided to open 10 more at the back side and its quite a tight fit and very uncomfortable when it fills up with passengers. You definitely need to jump over many to get to passport control. Cairo is knows with every single staff trying to get some tips. Standing by the gate that clearly says "Doha" they ask me whether I am flying to Doha and as I reply yes they extend their palm and wish me a pleasant flight "and wait for a tip". I'm half Egyptian so I am used to it but can get real annoying after a while. Passport control is fast. Avoid Duty free that has nothing special. cafeteria exorbitant and overpriced. Word of advice. The gates are very very small so in case your flight is full and a wide body aircraft try and be one of the last to get to gate as its filled to the brim and very uncomfortable. When boarding starts everyone is everywhere. |
| 242 | I was amazed to find the airport very clean and comfortable. At first I was very worried about what I would find as I had a 6 hrs layover in between flights. Most comments I had read online were very negative. However upon arrival I was pleased to find a fairly new and modern airport facility. All employees were very accommodating bathrooms were clean and food venues were great! The only negative aspect of my experience was the lack of proper internet. Although there is free WiFi it is so slow that it does not work. |
| 243 | The old terminal is nice but it needs more improvements in facilities and entertainment. It also has a nice apron view. The new terminal is excellent but more facilities are needed. All lounges are 3 stars they don't have showers and alcohol. |
| 244 | Simply the most chaotic airport well not as chaotic as Jeddah airport however as a reputable country like Egypt should have a better terminal than this joke small claustrophobic building since the 1960s the most annoying issue was the people harassing you for taxis and limousines and for luggage assistance why it is not organized like everywhere else. 3 passport control desks during a busy period of the day with so many flights going everywhere queue felt like forever duty free is ridiculously expensive more expensive than market prices and than any other place in the world. Basic facilities in terms of cafes and restaurants dirty bathrooms couldn't even use it. How this is an airport in a country with tourists from everywhere. Have to use it every few months as family lives there. |
| 245 | Arrived from JNB early morning. Very expensive and poorly laid out. Unsmiling staff and very long queues to transfer. Toilets were filthy with no toilet paper or soap and no attendants around to ask for help. |
| 246 | Flew BKK-CAI-BKK and for arrival as well as for departure all went perfect with some minute issues. On arrival all went without a hitch from arrival (bussed to terminal) passport control and bags were delivered fast. The T3 is used by Egyptair and Star Alliance. Modern and airy. Official taxis at 6 am refused the official taximeter price but there was no other option. Departure was all right but the crowds at the first X-ray and checking the tickets as only passengers are allowed to the Check In counters. So many people and bit of chaos. Watch your bags as they seem to send them through the scanner and you end up stuck by the metal detector for your turn. Once you cross that everything else is s breeze. Check in took seconds passport control fast. Air side several interesting shops but I have to say they are truly expensive. So shame on you Cairo airport charging for a small 500ml bottle of normal water 25EGP when it costs roughly 1.5EGP. Second X-ray and documents check when entering the gate itself. The gates are well placed but there is no place to sit if the gate is still closed. |
| 247 | I was in Terminal 3 for a morning flight to Istanbul. I was very impressed with the airport cleanliness and facilities. The duty free shops had plenty of good and moderately priced merchandise. Moreover there were several food outlets all with good quality and satisfying different tastes. This airport is also good for transiting passengers. |
| 248 | For an airport which is less than 5 years old and which was (presumably) purpose-built for its home carrier Egyptair CAI is a horrific experience. The terminal is built in a V-shape with F and G gates extending along the arms of the 'V'. H gates are for flights accessible by bus and the gates are downstairs at the base of the V. There is no real holding area where passengers can wait for their flights except two largeish restaurants. As a result the arms of the terminal (i.e. the F and G gates) are severely crammed with passengers awaiting flights. The layout of each arm means that access between the restaurants and the F/G gates re often blocked by passengers queuing for flights and every available seat was taken. I visit the airport twice in September. On the first occasion I was changing from Egyptair to Ethiopian (both international flights) and had to hand in my passport for it to be checked by immigration. Surely this contravenes the laws of international transit? I then had to go back downstairs to international arrivals to pick up my passport and get a re-issued boarding card one hour before departure of my ET flight. On the second trip I was changing between MS flights so I thought "great no problem". However my onward boarding card was handwritten and was forced to join the long international transit passenger queue by some unpleasant jobsworth. There were around 10 people behind the counter but only one was actually doing any work. It was only when a second official asked if anybody had an onward boarding card that I managed to queue-jump and get a re-issued printed boarding card quickly. Internet access is available outside one of the several lounges for Star Alliance Business/First class passengers. Finally there is a smoking room opposite gate F2 but this was simply disgusting: dirty too small and with just three chairs. If an airport is going to offer smoking facilities to its guests it should either do it properly or not at all. |
| 249 | Perhaps some travelers are satisfied by a new airport building. I am happy if I must not stay at any airport for longer than necessary. Cairo is a very bad example for ignoring customers. My flight from Nairobi with Egyptair was delayed almost 90 minutes! There was no explanation and wrong information from airline staff. It would have been no problem to get the connection flights. But Cairo seems to want to avoid delays in their statistics. So they sent the connection flights. |
| 250 | Flew to and from Cairo Intl T1 the old renovated terminal for all international airlines T3 is for Egyptair and star alliance which I try to avoid as much as possible since it is big and crowded T1 is small and sometimes can get congested as well but in my view still better. Arrived and bussed to terminal since there are no air bridges here arrival hall is a very small claustrophobic room not the cleanest however surprisingly didn't queue much for passport control. Waiting for luggage felt like forever taxi drivers trying to grab you and your luggage is still an annoying issue departure was a better experience. I prefer the coziness of T1 still in good shape and has a decent food and beverage outlets and small nice duty free though very annoying with the non stop flight announcements for departure and arrival I wonder why it was only in Arabic. Still better than the chaotic T3 and lets wait and see the outcome of the major renovation of T2. |
| 251 | A new terminal has been added to the old one - that means that when you arrive and remote parked there is a quite long drive to the terminal. As everything in Egypt arrival can be quite stressful you need to buy your entrance ticket (visa) by the exchange offices you might as well change money at the same time. Then you go through passport/visa control and then luggage area. you might be asked again for a passport check before leaving the airport. Coming out of terminal please hold on to everything you have as strangers will grab your luggage without asking and expect a tip. Even if you have an ordered transfer they let the strangers take it - everybody makes the most out of emptying the tourists pockets. In case you are arriving at international and need a connecting domestic flight it can be a bit tricky but follow the signs and ask your way to a small corridor - which by the way is a very popular praying area. When you arrive at the airport terminal touts will round you up and ask if you are flying Egyptair (it is the Egyptair terminal so of course you are) they pretend they are VIP handlers and take your luggage to first security screening demanding money before you enter. Check in is slow. Until you reach your plane you will be subjected to 4-6 security checks and many of them ask you to pay tips - even cleaning staff will follow you into the toilets handing you toilet paper and ask for money. There are shops and eateries which are overpriced. Use all Egyptian pounds before entering the terminal- they do not change it back. When boarding first you go through security screening then one person checks your boarding card and passport then you walk 1 meter and a new security person checks your boarding card and passport - and before you enter the airplane another security person checks your boarding card. |
| 252 | Flew in and out from Cairo airport with KLM (Business Class). Skyteam flies to terminal 1 (the face lifted old terminal with no sky bridges). Its a nice terminal since T2 is in complete renovation and I suspect they will return there and T3 is only Egyptair and Star Alliance. Arrival was on time but many passengers as there were 2 planes from Saudi Arabia. Bags already waiting and out in no time. Taxis hunting for arrivals so a good idea to avoid them and take an official taxi to avoid rip off. NO Sky Priority for any Business class passengers. Departure was a breeze at check in. No priority fro C class passengers at passport control. Couple of nice shops and cafes. The C class lounge is quiet and nice with non-functional internet which managed to irk most guests. The holding boarding gate is too small to hold a full B777 so it caused great discomfort to passengers and the numerable carts and wheelchairs. Very claustrophobic. Bussing to and the terminal is OK. T3 is far better to handle crowds and is up to par with other international airports. T1 is functional but needs a little help. |
| 253 | I flew into and out of terminal 3. Check-in was ok with a little wait and some confusion over which was the right desk to check into. My main issue was with the price of the food drinks and duty free. I know airport prices are usually high but this was ridiculous. A bottle of water which costs 1.50 EGP in the street cost 10 EGP - a very high markup indeed. Main message - eat before and bring drinks/snacks for the terminal/plane. On arrival we had to jump on a bus to get to the terminal itself from the plane but after that the passport area was easy to pass through (we already had a visa) baggage collection no worries and then customs didn't even bother to check our bags. As others have said the most annoying part of arrival is the tour guides/taxi drivers you run into after leaving the arrivals area. Yes the airport should at least keep them out of the terminal and have a proper system to deal with taxis. Try to pre-arrange transport if you can and if you can't ask the place you are staying for a fair estimate of a taxi fare and only get in a taxi that agrees to your fare. If you are after an experience and not sweat the small stuff you will be rewarded greatly. |
| 254 | I think I was surprised to experience such a modern airport in Africa I fly frequently to different cities in Africa and I mostly face terrible and hard times with every flight. Last week I flew Egyptair to a transit in Cairo with a connection to Lagos. The airport is clean nice well organized and easy to move in. |
| 255 | Cairo T3. Arrival from Sharm for connection to Heathrow. Incoming aircraft parked at a remote stand and we were bussed via what seemed a circuitous route to the terminal. Followed directions for flight transfer to reach emigration |
| 256 | Going through the much-touted terminal three there was nothing open for a morning departure - save for Duty Free and a handful of snack bars. Surprisingly I encountered no shakedown attempts from employees but then again the airport is understaffed. Arrival in terminal 1 was uneventful but still confusing. It's not as if you'll have many other options if you're flying to Egypt and are on a tight schedule. |
| 257 | Truly one of the most awful airport experiences I have encountered. From the minute you land you are hassled by 'officials' offering taxis trips to pyramids. Trying to get free shuttle bus from terminal 3 to terminal 1 you will be told there isn't one a taxi will offer to take you the 2km journey for $10 which should only be $2. Airport staff grab your bags and take to x-ray machines and then expect a gift. As somebody who lives in Egypt I try to avoid this airport and would rather fly out of Sharm to England. |
| 258 | I passed through Terminal 3 when flying from Istanbul to Luxor and was pleasantly surprised. On arrival the visa windows were well signposted and immigration quite efficient. I made my way to the Domestic floor without being hassled by anyone indeed there only seemed to be about a dozen people in the whole Terminal. Quiet clean plenty of places to sit or get coffee water and something to eat. On return from Luxor I just followed the signs for connecting flights and went quickly through security only to find my Egyptair flight to Istanbul was delayed by 55 minutes. But there were shops to look at and decent looking food outlets too. |
| 259 | Cairo airport must be the most awkward airport in the world. I have flown through all 3 terminals so I know it quite well. There is no point in referring to the appalling terminal 2 as it is no longer in operation. The quality of staff and security processes are the biggest issues in my opinion. Regarding the staff there seems to be a scam between airport officials and taxi drivers to hand you over to the drivers that will rip you off. If you can prearrange transport you will be able to avoid that. There are 2 members of staff at passport control. The first will look at your passport and put the visa sticker on it and the second one will stamp it. And they both sit side by side. You have to security scan your suitcases before you check-in which causes absolute chaos. The stories are endless about this airport. On the up it is a clean airport modern and spacious with good duty free and good dinning options. And I have to say I have seen some improvements over the last 2 years which shows that Egyptians are making an effort to improve it. |
| 260 | Upon arrival before passport control touts approach you trying to get money for helping you through immigration or for organizing taxis. Completely unnecessary help! Departure hall chaotic and people smoking everywhere. Filthy toilets. Hard to understand how a country with tourism being so important and with special tourist police doesn't do anything about the airport. |
| 261 | Arrived at 2am from Amsterdam. Immigration was quick and easy. Bags arrived quickly. Went to airport shuttle without any issues. However the departure from Terminal 1 was horrible. From the moment I was dropped off I was hounded with offers to "help". Additionally the airport employees are definitely part of the scheme to mis-guide you leading you to a position where you feel like you have to pay someone to get you to the correct place. The trip to Cairo was great but the lack of organization and the constant attempts to take money from you really soured the departure. |
| 262 | Arrived late at night on Air France and were towed to a remote gate. Bussed for ages to Terminal 3 for customs. The agent was cold and rude not pleasant after a long 2 days of flying. He only gave some of our group arrival stamps which was strange. The terminal itself was beautiful and very western except for broken toilets in the bathrooms. The next morning the 5am Egyptair to Aswan. The terminal requires security to reach check in then once again at the gate. I don't think they even looked at the first screening. The airport was clean and very modern. Boarding through the gate was strange as a man opened the door and simply said "time to board" not through a PA system or anything. Departing on Air france a week later through terminal 1 was crazy. People can pay security a few dollars to jump ahead cutting our group of kids into chunks. Check in was painfully slow but that is the airline's fault. Customs heading out was fast and the man gave me a strange look for not having an arrivals stamp. At the gate one metal detector was there to screen our airbus 330! Again 5 pounds and passengers were escorted to the front of the line. We were then bussed out to our plane back to the civilized world. |
| 263 | Cairo terminal 3 is spacious with great Star Alliances lounges and efficient check in/immigration facilities. It took less than 30 minutes from touch down to be on a cab to town. |
| 264 | Flying Dar-es-salaam to London last week I had to transit for 5 hours in Cairo. They gave all transit passengers to London a free city tour of Cairo for 3 hours! Lunch was also included which was a take away lunch box from a local restaurant. They even sorted out all the visa formalities for all of us. |
| 265 | My return flight from Cairo has left a bit of a sour taste. I think that "tea money" or bakshish was requested virtually on each step from check in till boarding which is something I haven't experienced yet in CAI airport before. It started when I flew from Munich to Cairo T3 where I had a 2 days stop over. Passport control was fast which is great after that and 2 meters from passport control a police officer re-checks your passport to see the entry stamp. You go to puck up your bags and there it starts. When you see your bag and go to get it then you find a couple of guys trying to help you forcefully and then expect tea money as they specifically said it. I go through the "green zone" which practically isn't that green as everyone is being controlled. Check passport again and open bags. close bags and "welcome to Cairo any chance for tea money sir?". The arrival hall is empty as all waiting people were kicked out for some reason or another. My departure for Bangkok was definitely an experience. I will count passport checks and tea money from my check in to boarding! TO enter the hall and the check in area then you have to be only a passenger - so I got my passport checked and the gentleman wished me a pleasant flight and some tea money. I go to Xrays to enter the check in area so I get my passport checked and the officer smiled and asked if I had any tea money. I go to check in that took longer than its supposed to. Each check in counter has a gentleman to help the bags on the scales. Since I had only a small bag I helped myself and my passport checked and tea money was asked by the helper. I proceed to Passport control and go through with ease. I proceed to the gate where the passport is checked and went again through x rays while boarding at the door the passports were checked again and I was once again asked for tea money. I was annoyed by that stage - going through he airbridge to the plane and what do we have there - a gentleman controlling my passport I mean security is a good thing but this is a bit weird. I would like to rest assured tourists will be spared much of the tea money (not a guarantee) since I am part Egyptian and look so. So the terminal can be as clean and modern as can be but his has topped any experience that I had. |
| 266 | What a difference a Terminal makes. Terminal 2 still is a joke and an embarrassment. Terminal 3 is the first time I felt like flying to Cairo and actually landing in an airport that is closer to standards. The new terminal is however used only by Egyptair and Star alliance. The terminal building is airy and clean sufficient amount of shops and cafes walking distances are not that far. The access taxiways to the terminal takes ages so the planes taxing was around 25min! The negative points are more because of local habits. For the first time I met a female passport control officer who was rude for that I am taking 2 stars off. Only passengers can enter the terminal building even the waiting areas. If you are not a passenger then you have to "buy" a ticket which is a bit annoying as they sent us 600m away to a stall to get the ticket. I realize that this is to control the crowds and the "taxi drivers" who hunt for arrivals but this is not the way to do it. Only passengers are allowed al the way to check in counters! Check in agents helpful and a young crowd. So I guess its a far better place than I have experienced in an Egyptian airport. |
| 267 | Chaos seems to be the order of the day at this airport for arrivals and departures. Give yourself lots of time for check-in. Road access is very circuitous could not find indicators/screens to advise of arrivals and departures in Terminal 1 arrivals hall transfers from one terminal to another was convoluted. Be aware of Islamic holidays and other special times when the crowds are checking in. |
| 268 | Went through terminal 2 on flight to/from Doha on Qatar Airways. On arrival I was hustled by various people who wanted to "help" me find a taxi etc. even before immigration. This terminal is a mess! The building is old and run down. On the way home food was poor and overpriced and staff are either not interested or looking for some kind of tip. Really it's not a pleasant place to spend two hours and does not give a good first impression on arrival. On the other hand I flew domestic on EgyptAir through new terminal 3 building during my visit to Egypt which was a much better experience although signage and announcements were lacking. Keep an eye on the boards as they can change without warning! |
| 269 | Arrived from JFK to CAI new terminal. Facilities were neat immigration fast customs a bit confusing . Long wait for luggage but finally arrived. Terminal building was nice modern signage sufficient staff a bit disorganized but finally everything fell in it's place. |
| 270 | I have flown a number of flights through the new T3. Better traffic control outside newer/modern look alcohol available in bar/restaurant many gates with walkways fairly efficient check in and passport control departing. The bad - business class lounge (they just opened a second Egyptair this last week) are poor - the attendant told me they would be opening up a nicer one in a matter of months frequently claim a gate is open when it isn't so you walk all the way and are stuck in a hall with a bunch of other people in front of the closed gate (and you have to go through security again) and on arrival the scene at passport control is pure chaos! I spent 30+ minutes in the business/first class line because they allowed individuals with group passports (5-10 passports in a stack) to cut ahead of the business and first class passengers in line! The other lines were extremely long and extremely slow. And also bad is you still get stuck using a bus despite them having open gates and the drive from plane to terminal is a good fifteen minutes. So overall I'm pretty disappointed and actually preferred terminal one with its McDonalds Starbucks and Cinnebon (none of which have a franchise in T3). |
| 271 | I am using Cairo airport on a regular basis (T1 and T2) and it is not really an enjoyable place to get through. CAI is just disorganised people jump queues crowd control at departure is inexistant signage is inconsistent and the chaos at passport control (Terminal 1) is something worth being filmed although immigration officers do an obvious effort to be polite on arrival. Options for transport to the city vary between shabby taxis and being ripped off by so called limousine agencies. No trains or decent buses are available. Terminal 3 has recently opened and let's hope that is gives a better image of the country. |
| 272 | Complete nightmare avoid this airport at all costs. Badly laid out and staff are rude and unhelpful. Overpriced food dirty bathrooms generally unpleasant. Smokers everywhere. Unfortunately had to spend a total of 11 hours there - never again. Pyramids are not worth this. |
| 273 | Absolutely horrible! Upon arrival before passport control aggressive touts approach you form all sides trying to get money for helping you trough immigration or for organising taxis. Completely unnecessary "help"! Departure hall chaotic and people smoking every where. Filthy toilets stinking from far away! Hard to understand how a country with tourism being so important and with special tourist police doesn't do anything about the airport! |
| 274 | Arrival in Terminal 1 was disappointing building seemed old and was rather crowded. No organised lines whatsoever and complete chaos. However departure from same terminal (Terminal 1) was a different story. Departure seems very new large LCD screens displaying flight information organized check-in desksmany immigration kiosks. There were many food outlets such as McDonald's Starbucks Cinnabon etc. The airport-facing side of the waiting area is all glass which enables you to watch all the planes. Hopefully issues concerning departure will be solved with the opening of Terminal 3 this month. |
| 275 | Arrived in original older terminal. Old dilapidated and poorly signed. I'm not sure where I was supposed to obtain a visa (I had one already in my passport from consulate at home). Baggage gathering was straightforward but a little chaotic. It took me a good half hour to get my luggage. Departure terminal was fine. Beware of crooked people who pretend to be airport staff but are just looking for tips. Otherwise modern airport after you go through security. McDonald's Star Bucks and a few other shops. Smoking is permitted in certain areas and one room. |
| 276 | The arrival in the new airport went very smoothly but the international departure hall is a total mess. There is a separate Star Alliance/Egyptair business section giving the privilege to have longer queues than in the economy main hall. Signs are confusing plenty of people around trying to "guide" you for faster processing against a tip in all a miserable place. |
| 277 | I arrived and departed to Madrid on IB and also domestic on EgyptAir. Signs and announcements are confusing was given wrong departure gate and staff are unresponsive and unhelpful. Terminal sheathed in decaying white ceramic makes it seem like an old WC. It took 2 hours to get past security and immigration long queues and total chaos and no food except one cafe with sweets and bread both not recommended. Very hungry. Domestic Arrivals much worse. No working signs at all in baggage reclaim only 2 working belts for all flights so luggage split across more than one belt extremely over crowded and no information. Wasted 90 mins locating luggage. Touts all around arrivals to "help" with luggage taxis whatever. No control or rules at all. Very aggressive hassle in taxi area. New terminal should now be open may be better structurally but I doubt will help resolve biggest problem of general disorder and confusion is worker issue not infrastructure. New metro line will avoid taxi touts though. Not recommended for transfer passengers but if flying onward in Egypt or to/from Cairo no real choice. |
| 278 | One of the worst transit-airports ever. Flew business class from Amman to Cairo (with Royal Jordanian) and on to Nairobi (with Kenya Airways). Upon arrival a bus took me to one terminal where I had to wait ten minutes before boarding another bus to another terminal where I had to hand in my passport and had to wait 25 minutes (no explanation given) before my passport was returned to me. I then boarded a third bus which took me back to the other terminal. There the whole thing started again. Handed in my passport and e-ticket to immigration and had to wait for over half an hour (people smoking all around me) before I got my passport back this time with boarding pass. All with all a very time consuming procedure. The business class lounge is very small and asking for a drink feels like asking a big favour. Staff very unfriendly. All with all this airport is not to be advised for anyone flying in/out with two different airlines. |
| 279 | Probably the worst international airport - absolute mess in all aspects. Huge queues for immigration on arrival and chaotic baggage collection with no clear boards mentioning the flight name. Airport full of touts to assist in passport control taxis hotels etc and no one seems to be bothered to control or regulate them. Departure was worse and resembled a cattle market to put it mildly. Huge queues everywhere from baggage screening to check in to passport control. No clear announcements and all boards are totally worn out. Total disregard for smoking rules thru out the terminal. No places to sit before check in. Toilets are very dirty and unmaintained. Duty free is a joke with items priced several times the price outside and first class lounge ridiculous. Hardly any food on offer and in noon all I could see was stale bread and pastries from morning. An absolute shame for a country which houses so many tourist marvels and attracts millions every year. Probably thats the reason no one is bothered at any cost people have to use this airport to come to Egypt. If there is any ranking less than zero I would give that! |
| 280 | Cairo Terminal 1. BA requested our presence three hours before the 8:35 AM departure and I duly showed up. The security people however did not start screening until 2.5 hours before so a long single form line for all classes was the result. In fact apart from the check-in counter nowhere in the entire process of boarding are there dedicated First Business or Elite Customer lines. The BA check in staff were unaware of the arrival terminal change in Heathrow (not T5 thank goodness but T4). I found out as I was trying to understand where my connecting Heathrow Delta flight to Atlanta was departing from (turned out to be T4 as well). The Cairo International terminal BA uses is old.A new terminal is in the process of being built which surely will bring a better quality pre-flight experience. As it is BA offers the use of a generic lounge which is small with very old and not entirely clean looking furniture and a TV tuned to Al Jazeera. There are two old nondescript standard and not entirely clean fridges carrying somewhat cold water and soft drinks. There was nobody manning the bar and there was no food apart from nuts despite this being an early AM departure. There was free wireless internet. I went out to find some breakfast and ended up in a coffee shop which served fresh croissants. The terminal offers some shopping but many were closed at this early hour. The lighting in the terminal is harsh and the use of tiles everywhere creates a sterile and impersonal cold atmosphere. Boarding was the worst chaos of all. All passengers were hoarded into a pre-boarding area. The two BA representatives scanned all boarding passes but did not offer any assistance to people in wheel chairs (there were about 5 on this flight) or people with small children. A lone police man started checking passports when the door for boarding opened and it was each man woman and disabled person for themselves… A shambles. All in all the fact that a new terminal is being built is absolutely necessary. But for the time being you might be better off traveling on one of the Sky Team airlines as they depart from the already opened new Terminal 2. |
| 281 | Calcutta Airport has come up to speed in the recent years and it's about time too! I only used to fly into CCU because it was the closest International Airport to Orissa and cut my journey time by a day. However it was always a tiring and bothersome task fighting my way through the immigration and baggage handling policies they seemed to practice - slow slower and at one stage stop! Flying in wasn't too bad - on a good day I could be off the plane and in a taxi within the hour (depending on the carrier). However departing from CCU was a chore - Immigration then check your baggage tags to bags then Passport Control then a small tussle with Security and Baggage Check then finally the (what seemed like a mile) hike to the plane! However those days are gone if you fly in with BA - they insisted on a proper Gate being constructed and it is now up and running! Much to my delight it's just a hop and a skip to the plane and then you're on your way. Yes you still have to grapple with Security and Passport Control but the last three times I have flown into/out of CCU I have been spared the ordeal of searching for my bags and tallying them up with my ticket tags. |
| 282 | I can't believe that it took me 45 minutes to get through one domestic security line-up! Good thing I gave myself 3 hours allowance to fly domestic. I have never seen such a slow security check. There were 5 lines but only two were operational and one of them was for Nexus. However there were at least 6 personnel being trained on the functioning machines and so many other personnel hovering around. When my husband asked why it's taking so long the staff said no it's not taking long and one personnel said that everyone came together all of a sudden. I don't think this airport is equipped to handle massive amounts of passengers. Then my husband's backpack was searched for the hand scale that he had in his bag. Meanwhile I had the same hand scale in my backpack and my bag was not searched. Such inconsistencies and inefficiencies. I travel around the world frequently and I have not seen such slow-paced and inconsistent security check point. |
| 283 | This Airport is an airport that supports your needs. Food was great and staff were helpful. The signage was helpful in guiding us to the correct area for check-in and I don't have to keep asking every single staff member I meet to ask "Where is ..." Departure: Once past check-in you can enjoy views of the aircraft or eat or if you are late go to security. Once there you go past like a breeze (Full Queen = 10-15 Min. wait time). After that there are shops offering travel comforts (e.g. Headphones Neck rests pillows toothbrushes etc.) and coffee shops are there. US pre-clearance is also good and takes ~5 min. per person (if you are a normal traveler). The US pre-clearance features shops. Arrivals: After you arrive head up the stairs wait ~20 min. on average and you are out of there. |
| 284 | While the US-Transborder areas are atrocious for food options and lounges the airport as a whole is not bad. Checking in is easy (usually) and is made easier if you are elite security has long queues through the transborder checkpoint but this is resolved by using the NEXUS lane (if you have one) (it is a great investment) and that brings me to Customs and Immigration. The CBSA hall is quite a trek from your arrival gate but it isn't as bad as LHR T2. Once at the checkpoint the officers are polite and if you have NEXUS you can be out of customs in 2 mins. Going through US CBP on the way to the US takes a bit longer though agents are generally polite and expedient. Back to NEXUS (there's a theme forming here). If you apply and get accepted you also get Global Entry benefits for US CBP so if you have it US CBP is also 2 mins. Sorry for skipping around here but the gate area for domestic flights (Concourses A and D) is big enough to find something to eat and somewhere to eat it and also has Lounges if you are so inclined. Transborder |
| 285 | Have been through Calgary airport several times in transit from UK. It has never been good but last October very poor. I could not believe the surly robotic attitude of the security staff. If this is the welcoming face of Canada to visitors I wouldn't plan on increased tourism. This time as I write having just missed my connecting flight by minutes because the ground crew spent over 20 minutes connecting the bridge to deplane from my UK flight. Again miserable faced security and after 17hours travelling I can't even relax with a smoke without exiting the airport and facing the happy crew again to get back in. Regrettably I am due to transit through this Mickey mouse airport again this year but I will make efforts to change to Vancouver. Avoid this place if possible. |
| 286 | The walk from your international flight to customs is excessive. I can normally handle some walking but this is awful. I need to stop numerous times just to rest. Every time I come through Calgary customs I swear I won't travel again but after a few months pass I gear myself up for the walk. May consider asking for a wheelchair next time. Will this improve with the new addition? |
| 287 | Going through customs takes about an hour then you get to security! Which takes an hour. Above all that you have to verify your passport at the gate. Now you get to the gate and decide you're hungry. You walk past your gate and see a nice looking sandwich shop and a couple of shops behind a glass wall however there is no door to get to them. If we can't go to some wing of the airport don't show us! Avoid this airport at any cost. |
| 288 | The slowest airport! To go through US custom declaration it takes about 2.5 hrs. Domestic security check takes about 40 min. The security staff are rude and disrespectful. If you have been to Las Vegas expect a full search and invasion of privacy. Airport parking is by far the most expensive in North America. |
| 289 | Calgary Airport: first you have to walk several minutes to get to customs. It is usually a different route with a variety of hallways. Then you wait for your bags for 40 minutes. The sign of course tells you that your bags will be 4 minutes. Eventually the explanation provided is that there is only 1 ground crew. Surely planes are scheduled and that bags will be on the plane can be anticipated. This is a business run it as one and not as a government entity where there is simply no responsibility. |
| 290 | I have been going to Calgary airport for many years because I lived in the nearby city Lethbridge and I have had excellent service with this airport. The toilets are cleaned every 1 hour and they are well cleaned and the airport itself has easy access for the disabled. |
| 291 | The airport was very clean but the food that was available was not so good. It was very nice to have the Spaceport so the kids can play. Overall this was a very good airport. |
| 292 | Overall Calgary is a pretty good airport but food service on the international side is horrendous. "The Pub" (why it's named that I have no idea) is some of the worst food you will have in an airport. The other choices are Burger King and Tim Hortons. They have very limited seating. There is no access to the Air Canada lounge from the International side either. |
| 293 | I had my flight cancelled first thing (9am) Sunday December 30th with no options but to fly out later that night (10.30 pm). Security staff were most accommodating in allowing me to go back through the security check despite the fact I was flying out much later that day. I had checked out of my hotel and really had no other option than to stay in the airport during this time. |
| 294 | I fly to and from here 4 or 5 times a year. Queues at the check in counters are usually short and staff are friendly for the most part. The airport is clean and if you have any questions you can get help. Security and border staff are usually pretty friendly. There is a very big selection of places to eat whether you want a donut and coffee or you want a full meal - you'll find a lot of places to get some food. Duty free prices are very very cheap. Lots of seating available throughout the airport. Free high speed wifi is available and always works. 30 minutes of parking is free at the airport and there are lots of long-term parking choices too. Baggage comes out really fast most of the time. Highly recommend this airport - it's excellent. |
| 295 | Even though it may lack in some things as size and entertainment it makes up for it in others as soon YYC will soon be able to handle A380's and 747-8 plus a new terminal and runway. There has only once in my lifetime been a big issue with this airport and that was easily resolved! |
| 296 | The first airport I ever did a connecting flight in so obviously I was a little nervous getting there however the majority of the staff was helpful in directing a poor lost person in the right direction. The layout was sometimes confusing and I had a difficult time trying to find customs but it's a beautiful well kept airport with lots of shopping and restaurants to keep you occupied. And might I add the most comfortable seating out of any airport that I've been to. The only issue I had was after I found my gate and waited out my 3 hour layover I discovered that they'd put the wrong gate number on my ticket so when I approached the man at the desk of the gate my boarding pass and the electronic boards said I needed to be at and asked him where I should be he replied "I don't know" and dismissed me. So I almost missed my flight trying to find the appropriate gate. However overall I would say that this is a beautiful fast and mostly friendly airport which I would definitely return to in the future. |
| 297 | I fly out of this airport at least once a year with WestJet airlines and I am always impressed right from the check-in counter all the way to the gate. It could use more short-term parking though. |
| 298 | Nice airport until you get into the security zone. Was transferring at this airport. It has a bit of an odd setup. It feels like a big long strip mall. It was quite a hike from where the plane let me off to customs. Decor and overall quality was good. After customs the main part of the airport is nice. Good restaurants in the food court and an excellent view while eating. Security was pretty brisk. One warning though. After you get through security the gate area is almost devoid of bathrooms! There is one bathroom upstairs and one downstairs this was for hundreds of waiting passengers. Overall not bad but please Calgary install a couple more toilets. |
| 299 | We arrived from Kelowna at 8.30am on a Saturday to catch a connecting flight to Orlando at 9.45am. To claim our bags prior to US customs we had to get past others that were lined up drag luggage back around people in line then watch while others barged ahead of everyone. The layout of that area could be improved greatly. There was a very long line to enter customs and when we finally arrived at our gate the flight was already boarding. While the airport appeared to be nice and clean I will avoid it in the future if we have a US connection under 2 hours. |
| 300 | Going through US customs was ridiculous. If this is the city airlines choose to fly so many direct flights into the States from the prairies the airport needs to streamline this process to get passengers through in a more efficient/timely manner. Delayed flights/connections are the biggest frustration for a passenger. I have flown into many larger airports that get this done. |
| 301 | Arrival baggage service is the slowest we have encountered versus 14 other international airports. We have regularly experienced 25 to 30 minute waits for luggage at Calgary International. No excuses for an airport so relatively new. |
| 302 | Internal flight. Airport is clean and welcoming. Check-in good. The departure areas are clean with adequate seating. Free wifi. |
| 303 | The terminal is quite small for a city of it's size. There is not a lot of shops except for the occasional Tim Horton's. However I've never had any problems with check-in customs line ups and security. The good part is that customs are very fast and efficient in the airport because it's not as busy. I think the terminal is in need of major renovation. |
| 304 | In arrivals there are plenty of people in cowboy hats who can offer assistance if you get stuck with anything which is useful. You can buy a day pass for $8 from Mac’s convenience store. Unfortunately the bus is the only means of transport to downtown and express buses run every half hour to downtown. The departures area was more modern than arrivals and there were a good number of places to eat and shop after passing through security (no problems there). The airport itself is fine but for the lack of a direct rail link from the airport. |
| 305 | Recently flew into YYC on an international flight and then out again a few days later on a domestic flight - on the whole I found the experience to be rather good. I love the fact that they have the friendly greeters in white Stetsons it certainly makes you feel you have arrived somewhere different also love the fact that they help people with mobility problems or young children by giving them a lift on the golf buggies from the airbridge to customs. This was brought into sharp contrast on arrival back at Manchester with the ludicrous up and down stairs long and winding walk you have to do on arrival. The customs guys were certainly abrupt but no more than I had experienced in other parts of Canada - in fact they only asked us 2 quick questions before letting us through - other groups of passengers seemed to get far more of a grilling. Baggage reclaim was really fast signage to rental cars was easy to follow and I'd say we were completely out of the airport within 1hr of landing which is not bad at all. Flying out was positive too - had heard rumours that the security staff could be quite rude but if anything they were a bit too friendly. Decent selection of shops and food outlets and a great seating area with nice views of the airfield and the Calgary skyline in the distance. Very good experience on the whole. |
| 306 | Re B Cronin's comments on Calgary Airport Customs staff |
| 307 | Decent airport with very good shopping options (primarily before security). Newest concourse D is quite nice. Some parts really showing their age - US departures area is utterly awful as are B gates. Also a total lack of any real services or shopping in the C (USA) gate area. U.S. Customs clearance wait times can be horrendous. Wayfinding signage is ridiculous awful horrible amateur in some places! Best example: exiting the customs hall. When the first batch of amateur signage confused passengers they put up more. That clearly didn't help so they put up more. Then somebody installed red LED signs with flashing words and arrows (which are just as poorly designed as all of the other attempts). Now someone else has tried to rectify by putting up handmade and laser-printer-ed signs. The signage is so bad that it's laughable but it's also a sad way to welcome people to Calgary. |
| 308 | Calgary Airport is an efficient airport and should allow rapid transit for visitors and business people alike. I have one problem which happens every time I arrive at Calgary and it continues to astonish me and upset me every time it happens. I arrive on BA flights direct from London once or twice a year. We are greeted by the friendly folk with the cowboy hats and then to the customs officers where the hell begins. Of my last seven visits I have been treated with a level of hostility abruptness and intrusiveness that leaves me flabbergasted. On Saturday the customs official tossed my documentation back at me it actually fell off the counter. On a previous two occasions I was sent to the 'back room' for a grilling. Beware not crossing a line with 'do not cross until called' sign (usually swinging to the side unseen). Even it there is no queue under no circumstances approach the officer unless they call you forward. On Saturday she seemed peeved to have lost the opportunity to berate me. Oh yes visitors to Calgary beware. For here you may find the most sour deliberately antagonistic unprofessional and deeply unhuman officials. If only the lovely citizens of this great country knew how some visitors were being treated in their name. |
| 309 | Our journey to Calgary and passage through Canadian Customs was happily achieved with no delays with no waiting lines and up to ten Canadian Customs officers on duty. Our return trip from Calgary to Philadelphia via Chicago was very trying for many reasons. We arrived at YYC at 2 pm two hours before our flight to learn that our flight was delayed to 5-20 pm. Although a sign stated that we were barred from entering customs until two hours before our flight time no one advised us that it would take more than ninety minutes to pass through US Customs and YYC Airport Security. We entered US Customs at 4:00 pm at which point the waiting line was backed up outside the door from the terminal with only two US Customs officials on duty and a third serving flight crews and a supervisor doing nothing. There was a fourth official person circulating through the waiting crowd assuring all that no one would miss their flights. We asked him about our Chicago flight and he assured us that our flight would not leave without us. A full one hour later we finally got to the front of the line cleared US Customs and proceeded around the corner to arrive at YYC Airport Security and we realized that there were three lines open and only one of the lines was actually moving. It took 40 minutes to clear Airport Security who were opening every single bag and patting down nearly every passenger |
| 310 | Used Calgary airport for our departure point from Canada. We were dropped off by coach at ground level took some working out to departure level. After that check in for BA was a breeze security smooth but disappointed with the departure lounge several eating outlets not much choice for shopping the lady in duty free shop put me off by asking if I was on a international flight or else should get moving I thought she was closing the shop left without spending any money. This is probably due to all domestic and international flights leaving from same departure area. |
| 311 | Calgary is one of the better airports around. Baggage delivery was prompt after arriving on domestic flight. On departure getting through security was a quick and painless experience. Passengers departing from the "D" concourse can avail themselves of the various airside restaurants and shops. Comfortable armchairs set up around the concourse are a pleasant alternative to typical uncomfortable departure lounge seating. Large quantities of natural light in the "D" concourse also nice to have. |
| 312 | Flew Frankfurt-Calgary-Edmonton. Arrived in Calgary at 4pm. Customs took seconds and our bags arrived within minutes of deplaning. Connection staff were slow though. 2 staff using paper lists to find all connecting passengers. Air Canada concierge working there helped us get booked onto a new flight at 5 pm.. We had to speedwalk not run accross the airport and re- clear security. Directions were clear but the airport looked dated. Security at A gates was very slow as we had an hour total in calgary. Area for Commuter planes gate A8 was small but fine. After a quick walk out to the turboprop we were on the plane by 10 to 5 so from getting off one plane clearing customs rechecking our bags clearing security and getting on the next flight it was 50 minutes. Amazing. |
| 313 | When Air Canada informed us that our flight times had been changed leaving us under 90 minutes between the arrival of our flight from Houston and the departure of our flight to Vancouver I was nervous since we'd have to go through Immigration and Customs and get to our new flight but the airline assured me it was plenty of time. We passed through Immigration and Customs very quickly (I have a U.S. passport and my wife has a Brazilian passport and U.S. permanent residency card) and then walked briskly over the long distance to our departure gate. We made our flight with time to spare (not a lot of time mind you but enough to allow a quick trip to a rest room before boarding was announced). I can't comment on most of the airport's facilities but at least in our case transiting was fast and easy. |
| 314 | I cannot agree with these comments. I am a British citizen living in the States and every time bar one that I have entered Canada at Calgary airport (via Chicago) at immigration I have been told to go to the separate office at the back behind immigration. There I have had to wait for ages before being questioned in detail about my purpose in visiting Canada. I have seen this happen to other visitors too. I am fortunate to have travelled all over the world in my life and I have not experienced this at any other airport ever. Next time I have to go to western Canada I will go another way perhaps via Toronto even if it takes longer. |
| 315 | Nice building but it's a bit of a walk if you're connecting between Concourse A and D. Shopping plentiful outside the secure area and prices reasonable. Airport volunteers in cowboy hats add character to the place. |
| 316 | Adequate building overall but about the "Stetsoned Welcomer Wagon" people: Rather than a nice touch it's like being cornered by some kind of cheerleading mascot. Some people's idea of fun perhaps. I also note the lack of a needed rail link here as even though it's a small city the traffic is an honest concern (throughout not just to the airport.) Air service is adequate for North America. |
| 317 | After our negative experience at JFK Calgary airport was a wonderful breath of fresh air. It didn't take long to go through customs where the staff were friendly and approachable. The staff with our coach to Banff (2 hours away) were lovely and during our 40 min wait we had coffee and actually relaxed. Getting our luggage was quick too. |
| 318 | It is always a pleasure to fly into Calgary or Vancouver airports. The red waistcoated and stetsoned "welcomers" are a really nice touch and very helpful for information. Had a 7 hour lay over in Calgary. The airport is clean and shops are interesting. We spent a couple of hours having lunch in a proper - non food court - restaurant which helped time pass. We also like being able to store our luggage until it could be checked in at a reasonably modest charge. 7 hours lay over in an airport is never fun but if you have to do it it's a much better experience in Calgary than elsewhere. |
| 319 | Flew in from JFK - small but clean and efficient. On the way out check in staff really nice no charge for overweight bag. Lots of glass so you have a view. At least some shops before customs. Customs Official very rude on way out but it was US customs so you expect that from them! Lady who checked my bags was nice though. Not much to do after customs except have a beer or a tea. Overall a pleasant experience. |
| 320 | We were impressed by the cleanliness of the airport and the warmth of the welcome from a number of Calgary "Ambassadors" dressed in red uniforms with white cowboy-style hats. There was a very brief wait at Immigration Control and the official there welcomed us to Canada and wished us a great holiday! Baggage came through quickly (Premium Cabin luggage priority labelling obviously noted and dealt with!). Onward transport to the local Hotel was meant to be a courtesy coach but we were given a limo instead! One of the best Airports I have been to! |
| 321 | Calgary Airport has an excellent assortment of shops and services. I was there for 4 hours one morning because of a flight delay. The general public has access to a food fair airplane model store Virgin records Purdy's Chocolates to name a few. It definitely has more to offer than Vancouver or Alberta's provincial capital Edmonton's lousy airport. No wonder Calgary gets the bulk of Alberta's air traffic. I enjoyed the large windows to view arriving and departing aircraft. The FIDS screens are colourful and easy to understand. |
| 322 | Having just transited at Calgary going from YEG to LHR I was taken somewhat aback by the barren wind-scorched terrain in Calgary. In stark contrast to the lovely forests snowy fields and overwhelming pleasantness of Edmonton Calgary looked dead brown and broken up only by the uninspired warehouses typical of industrial airports. This isn't to say it was a bad terminal quite the opposite it's assuredly as uncrowded and efficient as everyone has said but on the airside it truly is boring the staff seemed plastic and the view was simply painful. While from the moment I touched down in Vancouver I had been spellbound by Canada Calgary was a truly unexpected sendoff from an otherwise gorgeous nation. |
| 323 | Although Calgary’s airport is not nearly at the level of Canada's gateway international airports of Toronto and Vancouver. They have a very nice small airport on the Canadian prairies. The best thing about YYC is it has light traffic so if you have to make a connection at YYC getting to your gate is quick and easy - no mobs of people like the big city airports and you don't have to take a train/bus to get to your gate or terminal. |
| 324 | The airport has become a destination for travellers visitors and locals. Renovations are not quite (if ever) complete but this is one of the best designed facilities in North America. Great selection of shopping on both sides of security in all terminals (ABCD) with hours slightly reduced as late night/early morning traffic dictates. YYC is run as a business and is attracting non flying public with cheap evening parking attractions and restaurants. |
| 325 | YYC is a great airport having just at the end of renovation the airport is clean modern and classy. Concourse A B and C are slightly older but still are better than what you would find in Toronto or Vancouver. Lots of shops lots of food courts and there are tons of comfortable seats. |
| 326 | Found YYC to be a pleasant place to transit from an Air Canada Jazz flight from YQU to the intercontinental Air Canada service to Frankfurt. There are some big comfy leather seats in the departure lounge to relax and to have a look out on the apron. Mostly short ways only if you have to connect between A and B you have to start walking some 5 to 10 minutes before bording. Only downside is the lack of restaurants ( only two Tim Hortons and a bar) after security where you normally are while just on transit. I liked this airport and will use it again in summer to connect. Air Canada Maple leaf lounge is a pleasant place to stay while you wait with all the services you need and expect. |
| 327 | Beautiful airport post renovation much of the Canadian departure areas have been upgraded and atriums/walkways are spacious and bright. Many new shops and exhibits. security and other ground staff are friendly as always. However what still needs to be updated are their US departure lounges. Cramped dark boring. But overall a league above most N.American airports. |
| 328 | It has far more services than many other larger airports and yet due to its medium-size does not suffer from overcrowding. Nice features include a stunning central lounge atrium with water fountains and a huge glass facade with amazing views of the city and airplanes spa post-office free baggage carts hotel within the terminal complex with calming atrium portable DVD player/movie rental multiple restaurants great selection of stores aviation/space exhibit for the kids and plenty of free outlets to plug your laptop in. I much prefer to use a well-serviced medium-sized airport like Calgary than the big hubs. |
| 329 | Calgary doesn't have the size benefits of Vancouver or Toronto but then it doesn't suffer the opposite of being too busy. The immigration staff at Canada customs are a breath of fresh air compared to US airports (and NZ) we've never had to wait more than 10 minutes in line (and they have also learned to smile!). Now the refurbishment is nearly complete the access and services are greatly improved we still enjoy travelling through there. |
| 330 | YYC is a above average airport. The terminal itself is under renovation. The Westjet terminal is great with some dinosaurs exhibits on the roof. The only problem is during the peak hours for Westjet departure the waiting area can be very crowd and not enough seats for everyone to sit comfortably. Also the departure hall check-in desks in area A B & C are all poorly design and passengers are not easy to access to their check-in desk whatever which airline. The design also affect the efficiency of passenger's movement. But generally speaking YYC is a good place to go through with enough shopping and dining when consider YYC is not a popular transfer airport. People just stay in the airport for a short while an extensive shopping and dining facilities are not really necessary. |
| 331 | Good airport but will agree with the others everything is landside and the airside is quite boring. Air Canada closed the only lounge in the US departures section in April so no lounge this time. The airport is under renovation so I will give them some credit. The lines for US customs were too long. They open the US customs hall at certain times of the day before a bank of flights and everyone stands there waiting. Otherwise great airport good shopping and very friendly staff. I am sure when the construction is over it will be magnificent. |
| 332 | Calgary isn't the biggest but is my favorite airport. Terminals are nicely laid out passenger drop-off is easy and yes those Smarte-Cartes have yet to invade meaning that you can get a baggage cart FREE! Check-in works well and the first-class lounge is very nice. Customs clearance is easy coming to and from the United States and there are many food service venues. |
| 333 | The US departures section is poorly designed and looks ancient! The whole airport seems designed for the people who send off travellers - once you head through the gates there is absolutely nothing to do! Having said that it IS undergoing renovation so hopefully it'll only get better. |
| 334 | Just a breeze to navigate. Spacious clean low stress. Good views of runway and stands. Limited shopping/food options. Security not highly automated (a lot of manual pushing and shoving of trays). |
| 335 | Very large airport for flights it handles check in easy airside facilities rather limited for a brand new terminal. |
| 336 | My word the new terminal has capacity that won't be needed in Canberra for 50 years! And I think I saw a sign predicting another new terminal on the DFO side that would just be ridiculous. So it's great for passengers at the moment - huge amount of space short queues for everything lots of road access and parking great views of the runway good lounges. Perhaps the increase in size has made it less clear where to go for things like taxis and hire cars and I don't think they've finished all the signage yet. |
| 337 | Compared to the poor and cramped small terminal that used to be here the newly built terminal has fresh and airy conditions and quite good facilities. However an annoying issue is that now Canberra Airport's Terminal managers have decided to play terribly loud music through the main buildings. Why on earth this decision has been made is beyond me - it certainly doesn't fit the style of the average passenger passing through this terminal. Indeed its enough to make me try avoid this terminal and make a point of not buying anything from the commercial outlets. Otherwise drop-off and check-in facilities are good security is efficient and air-bridges and staff appear mostly efficient. |
| 338 | The new terminal is a revelation compared to the old cramped terminal. Bright and airy easy check-in excellent club lounges bright gate waiting areas easy boarding this is the way an airport should be. Only hassle at the moment is the location of the taxi stand but once the whole airport redevelopment is finished this will not be a problem. |
| 339 | The New Canberra airport is much improved on the old one. The nation's capital finally has a decent airport. Easy check-in area good airline lounges easy boarding process. very impressed. |
| 340 | Landed in Canberra from Melbourne on Qantas and taxied in to the new Canberra Airport Terminal. I was told only departure lounges for Virgin Blue and Tiger airways were still in use in the old terminal however all airlines had check-in and baggage claims in the new terminal. A magnificent improvement from the glass aerobridges to the large glass panes that covered the walls of the terminal. Larger Shops as well as a conveniently located coffee shop were also noted. There was a much larger seating capacity than previously. On the exterior the terminal was extremely fancy and had newly implemented elevated roads to the departures level. All in all a superb terminal with fancy design extravagant interiors and modern facilities. |
| 341 | Day return from Sydney - only had hand luggage so straight off plane (airbridge) and into terminal. Bus fare seemed reasonable ($9 one way $15 return) but I wasn't aware until told by a policeman in the terminal that it was a public holiday so bus service to town was infrequent. He told me where to find the bus stop (easy enough) but there was no timetable! I got a taxi instead. Departure was rather more troublesome - I had checked in for both flights in Sydney so didn't need the check-in facilities at CBR but finding a seat that was out of the quite fierce sun was rather difficult. Food prices were also high ($6.50 for two sandwiches $3.50 for a small bottle of soft drink). Then when I went through the scanner for security everything I was wearing set it off! I had to take off my belt then my shoes but it still beeped because I have metal pins in my feet. When I asked why I had not had any similar problem at SYD I was told "our scanner is more sensitive!" Way too sensitive is more like it. No airbridge this time - just a very short walk to the plane. It seems a nice enough airport but I have to deduct points for no bus timetable security and the over-priced food. |
| 342 | Checked in for my Qantas flight with Quickcheck which was very efficient. Then a short trip to the bag drop counter and we were on our way up the escalators to the gate lounge. Hardly anyone around and we were surprised that there weren't any kiosks or cafes to grab something at. However there was plenty of seating. I'm told that the Virgin area has a bit more activity as well as a cafe or two. You'd hope this little airport doesn't become a MEL or a SYD anytime soon. |
| 343 | Flew into Canberra on Virgin at 8.40am on a wet Friday morning 25/8. Virgin uses common user area and was only flight there. Bags off very quickly as lightly loaded flight and majority of passengers only had hand luggage. Rental car desks easy to locate and terminal well sign posted . About a 200m walk to rental car area mainly under cover. Arrival was all in all quick and efficient. Noted signs and announcements for bus service to city centre $7 one way or $12 return with service every half hour is quite good. Departure again very easy as not many Virgin flights in and out of Canberra. Warning - Check gate number carefully as Qantas use seperate departure area from others and they are not connected! Why they dont connect them is beyond me as it would save money by not having to double up on security staff and shop staff! Bar/snack counter in Common user area doesn't open until one hour before flight so if you are early stay landside if you want to eat or drink!. Terminal clean and bright with good view of apron area. Canberra is an efficient airport coping well with its current number of pasengers. |
| 344 | Unlike the DJ terminal in SYD CBR with its renovations is well light including plenty of natural light. Cleaners do an excellent job: SYD and to a lesser extent MEL and BNE take note! The coach service to the city remains inadequate: only an hourly frequency at most times on weekdays and no services on weekends and no pickups en route from 'Civic' (city) at places like offices in the suburb of Russell for instance. The urban otherwise excellent ACTION bus network should ideally serve the airport even if private operator Deanes presumably have the historic traffic rights. |
| 345 | I recently went through CBR on a Holiday to Canberra It is a nice Airport and terminal better than my home City Townsville but it looks to be revamped a little maybe replace the Aerobridges and Check-Inns Townsville even has newer Qantas Check-Inns and modern Aerobridges don't know about the Virgin Blue side though. |
| 346 | Yes the international flights started up a month ago you can now fly from CBR to NAN (I think that's right for Nadi) twice a week (Thursday and Sunday) at 1.30 pm. It's all very well set up like a production one minute they've got the customs set up and quarantine etc etc and half an hour later it's all gone again. You'd never know it was an international airport for one hour. |
| 347 | Went through CBR to fly to Melbourne for the Easter weekend. QF check-in staff member was very hospitable and I checked in with no fuss. Security staff friendly and I hope CBR stays this way. To be honest I wouldn't really want it to become another MEL or SYD or BNE. |
| 348 | Had the pleasure of visiting Canberra recently and I found the airport quite pleasant. The staff were also friendly and very helpful. I read in a local paper about plans to introduce international flights which I think is a great idea. |
| 349 | Canberra is my home airport and I generally agree with Paddy Ward that it is a nice airport. I have also found the staff to be friendly and accommodating. The Qantas check-in staff always try to get you a good seat for the international connections out of Sydney or Melbourne. The facilities are quite good with separate gate areas for Qantas and Virgin Blue/Regional Express. My only gripe is the stupid policy that only allows you to drop-off near the terminal but not pick up passengers and their luggage even if they are waiting at the kerb. This is supposedly for 'security reasons' but why then do they allow drop-offs. I believe that it's so the airport operators can rip you off for parking which has a minimum charge of $1 even if you stay for only one minute. |
| 350 | Although it isn't actually an international airport Canberra is a pleasure to pass through. Staff are friendly services are plentiful and it has good vibes about it. I invite others to share their experiences about Canberra airport. |
| 351 | I flew down mid week on Wednesday arriving around 2 pm. Sat on plane for 30 minutes on taxi-way waiting for a parking space. Then utter chaos. No restrooms. No air conditioning. People crammed in a space that was totally disorganized. It took 3 hours from exiting the plane to walking out the door of the airport. Utter chaos. I've never seen anything like it. I will never return. |
| 352 | Cancun airport arrivals is absolutely horrible! I have been through this airport dozens of times over two decades and nothing has changed! Plan to be processed for at least three hours. The problem here has consistently been complete and utter lack or organization and not enough staff and officials to process people. On top of that they just don't care. The airport authority doesn't care and that filters down to all the staff and immigration guards. I am not an airport official but I am an efficiency expert in my field of work. I would love to have a week in this airport and overhaul all of their processes! New cash grab! Smokers do not bring more than one carton of your homeland cigarettes through this airport! They will fine you 500% of the value of one carton for the excess. They consider it "foreign merchandise" and it will be taxed. I watched dozens of people utterly flabbergasted by this new tax grab. Be prepared to have all of your bags and luggage rescanned and searched. The trouble with these officials is they don't get the difference between what is coming into the country and what is being taken out. The exit process from Mexico is far easier and less time consuming! Like everything else in this country the Mexicans try to do things like the rest of the world but they don't quite hit the mark! Be prepared to have tons of your time wasted unnecessarily! |
| 353 | Arrived on a Tuesday in April around 11am local time. Sailed through immigration baggage pick-up and customs. Only hold up was filling out the forms since AA did not give us them on the airplane. From airplane to meeting our ride was 20 minutes. Departed on Saturday at 2.30om. Arrived at noon and almost did not have enough time. Waited to use the kiosk to check in. Waited almost 1.5 hours to drop bags off. Waited again for security. Airport was a complete zoo with nowhere to sit. Crowds everywhere and organization was lacking. Sound level in Terminal 3 was almost deafening. My ears ached by the time I got on the plane. Don't leave on Saturday afternoon if you want this experience at the end of your vacation! |
| 354 | It took us 3.5 hours to get through passport control. There must have been three or four planes landing within the space of a half an hour. The place was an absolute cattle market no air conditioning a sea of hot sweaty miserable people. The Customs staff appeared under manned or just couldn't care less. Although We loved the holiday I'm afraid we will never go back to Mexico or at least the Cancun area until this sorry excuse for an airport is either upgraded or redesigned it's not as if they don't have the passenger throughput! |
| 355 | Quite simply the worst airport experience I have had. Two hours two get through passport control. An absolute sea of frustrated hot and irritable passengers let alone tired screaming babies. Absolutely no sense of urgency from the few staff who were on duty and an overall feeling that was akin to a cattle market. Will never visit this place again! |
| 356 | My second time through this airport and nothing has changed for the better. Simply put the airport is not fit for purpose and the passenger experience is stressful and problematic when arriving. It is an absolute cattle market when trying to get through immigration baggage reclaim and then the awful customs (green light red light). Too many aircraft arriving together with too many passengers seeking to get out through facilities that cannot cope. |
| 357 | Travelled in Dec 2014. Hadn't been back here for a while so was surprised by the changes. Has to be the first airport that I have seen built inside a shopping mall. Even the boarding gates are hidden between stores. There are stores everywhere. What a zoo when its busy arriving or departing. Don't buy food inside the airport. Prices are ridiculous $23 USD for a single hamburger and fries. Can we all say Rip-off! Think I won't be back for a long while. |
| 358 | Used terminal 3 in November. Fairly modern terminal but with very limited facilities. The departure experience was far better than arrival. The departure hall was modern and clean and queue to check in or bag drop was not too long. Security check took a while but that seems to be the norm nowadays. There was a decent duty free and some shops after security. Nothing too interesting. Also few restaurants near the duty free. I visited the lounge which was poor - very limited drink and food and the seating area is dated. Arrival experience on the other hand was bad. Immigration was efficient but the luggage wait was long. I waited at least an hour to reclaim my luggage. After the luggage claim everyone has to go through the customs - the queuing system is bad and again the facilities not able to cope which results in another hour of waiting. And the entire arrival hall was chaotic. |
| 359 | Flew into Cancun on Monday 1 September 2014 arriving at 11.40am. Customs hall was empty and breezed through bags were actually waiting for us in the baggage room and then onto the "dreaded" baggage scan pressed the button it turned green. From stepping off the plane to meeting our rep must have taken all of 20 mins. Departed 11 September 2014 at 10 am check in at the AC counter was quick as was security check. There is adequate shops etc in the departures lounge. |
| 360 | I visit this airport at least once a year at times twice for the last 12 years. Very clean! Bathrooms are perfect! I have never been in that airport more than an hour fast and courteous staff. Only one time there was a long delay due to the computer systems being down that time we were stuck in the airport almost 3 hours. My only complaint is that at departure they have put self check-in kiosks and then they make you stand in line for 45 minutes to drop your bags off (AA specifically) - I wonder why they don't have a designated "baggage drop-off" counter? |
| 361 | We landed on time from Manchester and was then forced to wait just over an hour in the aircraft on the taxiway because there was nowhere to park the plane. When eventually we did get landside a queue like never seen trying to get through immigration. The baggage reclaim had 3 flights on the one belt and then another very long queue to get through customs after of course having all bags scanned. Not good enough for an International Airport. Three hours from landing to leaving the airport (16.04.14). |
| 362 | I have been traveling to this airport for over 20 years and they have made significant improvements that translate to shorter wait times. I have never seen them screen every bag there must have been a specific reason for that. The best advice I offer is do not travel on Saturday. That is by far the busiest day with the longest wait times due to timeshare owners. |
| 363 | I was there in Jan and our flight arrived late night. The line at security check took us about 20 minutes and staff were very polite plus about 20 minutes to reclaim baggage. The facilities are clean but seem old. Outside there are a lot of tourism agents staff and people offering services. It was easy to find the tourism agency staff and took the bus to the resort. When I came back home my flight was delayed. I arrived to the airport a long time before check in and the airline booth was not settled but the electronic monitor was displaying were it should be. There is no seats available in the check in area. I found seats in the arrival area or we could go to restaurant and snack places. When time to check in came there was a long line. Don't forget to have the Mexican entry form with you to avoid delays at the check in. Staff were efficient and the security screen was smooth. After you pass security the airport is much bigger than it seems and is busy. At least the area we were domestic and International flights were departing frequently. Boarding areas had plenty of seats and there was a lot of places for food. However prices are very high. Restroom at the boarding area and general facilities are clean and big enough to handle its traffic. I found the announcements in English very difficult to understand due to low sound pronunciation and noise. However there was no problem talking in English on the information centre or with airline staff. 10 minutes before boarding the flight showed up on the gate monitor and after that we had 1.40 hr delay until boarding with no explanation. The airport seems to handle well traffic on a normal season but it may be overwhelming during high peak. |
| 364 | Took nearly 90 minutes to get through immigration and as we were leaving were collared by official looking people with desks in the building trying to get deposits off us for free excursions. On leaving we had to pay £50 each (1800 pesos in total) and then found very expensive food and drink in the departure restaurants. |
| 365 | Arrival was on 5 March 2013. Having arrived on a half full British Airways flight from London we were off the aircraft and through immigration within 20 minutes of landing. There was only a small immigration queue and passengers appeared to be processed relatively quickly and the immigration official was pleasant. Short wait for bags to arrive and we were through customs in less than 5 minutes - again the customs official was polite welcoming and helpful despite requesting an additional baggage search of the person that I was travelling with. My main criticism was after leaving the terminal building it was unclear where to go for onward connections using public transport. On the return journey the airport was extremely busy - long queue for check-in although the check-in agent and BA's ground handling team generally were pleasant and helpful. We were very grateful for a short and efficient security process. No BA lounge so used the TGI Fridays which again was very busy but decent food at an ok price as we had complementary BA vouchers. Decent range of shops and managed to find a postbox for my postcards despite being told by several airport employees that there was not one in the terminal. Boarding was crazy but thankfully I was entitled to use the priority line. My recommendation to avoid stress would be to arrive at least 2 hours before you are due to travel as long queues appear to be the norm at this airport. |
| 366 | We were prepared for waiting as it was Christmas week. It took us about 40 minutes to clear immigration which was fine. However when we reached the baggage claim it was pandemonium. The entire room was full and lines snaked everywhere. They were actually using X-Ray machines to screen every bag leaving the terminal. I have traveled extensively world-wide and know of no country that is doing this including the U.S. What could Mexican Authorities possibly think tourists are smuggling into Cancun on already screened Aircraft? It took us 1.5hrs to exit the Baggage area and from what we heard we were lucky. There was more danger created by the shear amount of people crammed into that baggage room than there ever could have been by failing to X-Ray bags leaving the Airport. |
| 367 | Immigration hell. Took us 2 hours 30 minutes to get through and others longer. Friends arrived two days before us and they had same experience so not a one off. Worst I have ever experienced in 35 years of travel. |
| 368 | Landed at CUN airport from a flight coming from Montreal. There was at least 30 minutes of waiting to pass passport control probably because there were many flights landing at the same time mostly coming from the USA but my bags were already out. Check-in and to clear security went smoothly. The terminal was not very big but it's pretty busy. Overall Cancun airport is not too bad and it has a couple of shops and restaurants. |
| 369 | Just returned this morning Cancun to Glasgow. Check-in at Cancun was shambolic as we had to join a queue leading to two premium seating check-in desks displaying on the monitor check in for Manchester and Glasgow. When we eventually got to a desk it was just a shambles the PHS handling staff member labelled our suitcases then for some reason lifted them off the conveyor and then just by chance after we arrived at the departure lounge we noticed that we had been allocated economy seating at the rear of the aircraft. After contacting a female member of PHS staff she managed to get our seating changed to Premium. Needless to say our two suitcases never arrived in Glasgow. So be aware if you visit Cancun. |
| 370 | Very nice well organized airport has improved greatly over the three times we have visited the area. However - do not purchase food or gifts at the shops. Lunch for 2 adults and 2 children $123. Purchased a few gifts once we got home noticed the suggested retail prices was whited out and we were charged double what it should have been. Very disappointing and has contributed to our decision not to return to the area. |
| 371 | I use this airport several times a year. Though the name says "International" it is an ordinary US regional airport. The airport is served by feeder commuter flights for majors plus some mainline flights. A small restaurant and a few shops are at the terminal. The terminal is well kept and is connected to a parking building so that you do not have to go out during the cold winter. The free WiFi is available. I would like to mention that TSA personnel's at this airport are professionals and have never been unpleasant. |
| 372 | Cancun Airport This was a bright clean and friendly airport with a good range of shops and cafes. The staff were friendly and helpful. I flew in to Mexico via a different airport so my experience of Cancun is based on departures only. |
| 373 | This airport is new and is fairly easy to navigate. Parking in front of the terminal is excellent. I flew into CUN and had to stop at the agricultural inspection station because I had 4 cats. The agricultural inspector was very nice and my paperwork was in order but under current law each passenger is allowed only 2 cats so Aduana wouldn't let me take all of my cats out with me until necessary paperwork was completed. Overall the airport is excellent for facilities. |
| 374 | My husband and I departed the Cancun airport for Chicago just after the Christmas Day terror attempt resulting in increased security. We were prepared for the security delays and allowed time to pass through. The airport experience was uneventful. I have a titanium knee replacement and always get stopped at security! It's expected and never intimidating. However: During this time of heightened security I passed right through the scanners. Either the screeners didn't question what they saw or they missed it. It could have been a weapon! I am now concerned that I didn't mention this at the gate but I didn't . Just hoping that the airport officials read these comments. |
| 375 | Very impressed. Compared to Dubai airport (supposedly one of the best) it was excellent. Good places to eat and nice shops. Exceptionally clean toilets. |
| 376 | Third world airport is a scary sounding phrase but Cancun airport doesn't deserve the scary reputation that this suggests. In several trips through Cancun in the past three years I have never had a problem. On arrival transiting through immigration was reasonably fast and checked baggage always turned up quickly. Sometimes (if your 'number comes up') Mexican customs makes a more thorough search of your baggage (including x-raying) but even this wasn't too much of a problem. On departure I’ve found that the airport processes people quickly and that security line-ups are minimal. There is plenty of comfortable seating in the departure area and many options for the shopper or traveller with time on their hands (including one of those typical Mexican pharmacies that sell just about any kind of drug without requiring a prescription). I only have two issues with Cancun: Firstly the number of time share hawkers waiting to pounce on you right after you exit customs some masquerading as representatives of the tour companies. Just ignore them and keep walking. The other issue is temporary – Cancun is building a new runway and the road network is a little messed up while construction is in progress making it slow driving in and out. In summary Cancun airport is easier to arrive at and depart from than a number of "First world airports" that I’ve travelled through in recent times and they should be complimented for doing a good job. |
| 377 | It's really a tale of two airports. The immigration and arrivals areas are bad. I arrived 3.5 hours ahead of the party I was meeting in Cancun. I went through immigration and started over to baggage claim. The people on my flight and I waited more than 30 minutes for our luggage. After that the challenge is dodging the timeshare hawkers. Right when you walk into the rental car area there is an area of bank teller like booths staffed with people who wave you over urgently as soon as you make eye contact. It seems official but don't fall for it. If you dont get stuck with that then there are people standing around who pretend they are going to help you to your rental car or to the transportation to your hotel but it always ends up turning into a timeshare commercial. Also there is no place to sit so if you have to wait for any amount of time you have to sit on the floor. I would suggest when arriving leave straight away from the airport and dont make eye contact with anyone! Just plow through to the exit. The departure area is much nicer. Pretty clean lots of shops and stuff. I was amazed at how decent it was. No problems with the departure process. Planes are slow to board. Security goes through every carry on bag as you board the plane. The beauty of Cancun far outweighs the bad stuff at the airport. Just get out of there as soon as you can and enjoy the paradise that awaits |
| 378 | Very pleasantly surprised leaving from Cancun. Bright clean and large modern airport. Check-in for XL Airways was quick and efficient no delays at security ample seating in area with shops and food outlets. At 11 pm currency exchange was still open. |
| 379 | I suppose that I expected a bit more from an airport serving a major tourist area. First there is only one runway (which was closed for 20 minutes due to debris as we approached from Denver) and many of the gates have no jetways. When we departed we had to board a bus with no seats to be hauled to the far end of the tarmac to board our flight from portable steps. When you arrive you are besieged by people wanting to give you a "welcome package" - invariably people hawking time shares. If you have never been to Cancun before you have no idea that they are not affiliated with the company you booked your tours through. Very chaotic getting to ground transportation. This airport is decidedly third world which I found surprising. |
| 380 | Cancun Airport has undergone a great deal of improvement in the last year. Baggage reclaim was pleasantly quick and the immigration side is bigger and more efficient than previous years. They have X-ray machines now instead of opening everybodys case now but they still select many at random for close inspection which can delay you. The departure checkin desks appear on screen 3 hours before the flight but there was an hour queuing before the desk actually opened . The departure lounge in the international terminal has been vastly improved with a snack food court bar and a new duty free shopping area which passed the time quite nicely. All in all quite a good experience and much more efficient. There was no baggage search to delay checkin on departure this year but they still have a departure tax of $50 USD at check in ! |
| 381 | Very impressed with the layout services cleanliness and comfort of the Cancun airport - well done. It certainly makes for an even better vacation experience. |
| 382 | I have arrived and departed via Terminal 2 (domestic flights) several times and it has been a decent experience. In fact CUN was making some progress previous to the Hurricane Wilma incident. The location of the airport is quite far away from Cancun but its in the center of the Maya Riviera complex. True many improvements can be made (especially when it comes to entertainment and ventilation) but it fares quite well compared to other Mexican airports. Transportation wise there are some problems but it fares better than Honolulu or San Diego. |
| 383 | Cancun airport was very unpleasant experience. There were signs everywhere that said "NO SMOKING" but everyone was smoking. If you can't stand the smoke this airport will be a terrible place. There is no enforcement to prevent people from smoking. In addition ventilation in the airport is pretty bad which doesn't help this situation. I even asked the security guard about this and she just told me "I am sorry". |
| 384 | Cancun airport is OK. I arrived and departed through Terminal 1 which is the older terminal. Customs and Immigration on arrival was orderly and straight-forward. Departures were well-labeled and frequently announced. Transport from the airport to Cancun is frustrating as you are guided to the $60 taxis. There is no signage or other directions to the $1.50 shuttle that departs every half hour. (I learned about this only for my return) The trick is that the shuttle only departs from Terminal 2 so from Terminal 1 you must first take the inter-terminal shuttle. Also annoying was the chronic smoking in the terminal even at the gates despite 'No Smoking' signs posted everywhere. |
| 385 | Cancun airport is really operated quite efficiently not that improvements cant be made. I have been in and out of this airport for 15 years and have experienced it all. Everything is a matter of perspective Mexico is Mexico some things are to be expected and prepared for. |
| 386 | Cancun Airport has always provided exceptional service and a great experience. Terminal 1 is a bit old and always crowded but since I'm mexican I almost always arrive and depart from Terminal 2 which is a newer bigger and more modern terminal with a big round concourse comprising around 20 gates. The new baggage claim area is a total disaster they send 4 flights to the same conveyor just like in Mexico City even when there are many carousels left. Conveyors 15-18 are never used instead they exploit 1-10 and sometimes use 11-15. Organization is a big problem but its even a great and big international airport. |
| 387 | I flew into Cancun once from Charlotte. Customs and immigration were chaotic. Lines were formed all over. It took 2 hours to clear passport control. Check in was no problem at all. |
| 388 | Based on my last four visits to Cancun I would have to agree with the negative comments posted her by others. The exception - on 8th October 2004 I left Cancun for London Gatwick and everything went smoothly and quickly! We arrived at the airport about 90 minutes before our scheduled departure (charter Britannia BY362B 15:35 departure) and there was no queue at all - we walked straight up to the desk without our luggage having to undergo a manual search where we were checked-in quickly and we paid our departure tax there (none of the separate queuing as reported by Nick Williamson). The straight through to the departure lounge where we made some duty-free purchases and had a drink and then boarded the flight on time and departure was also on time. I guess that sometimes things work very well even in Cancun! |
| 389 | A wonderful airport to travel through except for the ridiculous amount of customs desks on the green lane when coming in from overseas. Are these people for real? Have they been given instructions to chase overseas visitors away? Surely South Africa needs as many tourists as possible? This is going to put the word out that they should avoid it for sure. I've had a couple of trips to Cape Town since Christmas and been stopped both times with no contraband carried. British readers would recognise them as 'Jobsworths' who need to tick boxes to keep their jobs. Very irritating and very intimidating. |
| 390 | Cape Town Airport was voted the best airport in Africa and it is easy to see why: it is fairly new very clean and very efficient. Employees are very friendly and the toilets spotless. The security is top notch and very efficient and fast (American airports could learn a lot here). The only down side is the arrival level: whoever designed it must have been drunk because when you arrive you have to walk to the far-end of the building collect your luggage and walk all the way back (can be as far as 800m)! |
| 391 | Security checks were lacking at Cape Town airport and did not come anywhere near the high levels experienced at other airports throughout the world. We took a flight on 3rd March 2014 to London. We were not asked to declare any liquids not asked to empty pockets or remove belts jewellery shoes coats or anything. Needless to say the scanner alarm sounded when we both passed through the arch due to the various metal items in pockets or on our persons. We were then very briefly 'patted down' as was every other passenger. I would be very uneasy about taking flights from Cape Town until they tighten up significantly on their security procedures. |
| 392 | Economy check in for a mid afternoon international flight was very disorganized and unsettling. Large numbers of people milling around aimlessly with no defined queue for check in. Lots of people were accompanying a single passenger to the check in counter and airline staff thin on the ground. It was unexpected of an otherwise really spacious and very beautiful airport. |
| 393 | Brilliant and efficient. No wonder this is the best airport in Africa. World-class facilities brilliant lounges and seems to handle passenger numbers easily (it was completely rebuilt for the 2010 World Cup). Centralised departure terminal on top floor with restaurants on mezzanine level. All arrivals on ground floor. Compact and easy to navigate. Lots of parking and connections to city (public bus / taxi etc) right outside the central terminal. After seeing my share of global airports I am proud to call this airport home. |
| 394 | Good for a small airport. International arrival was fine except for insufficient immigration staff. Domestic departure also fine: fast check-in and security spacious terminal and decent shops. Might not be able to handle an increase in passengers though. |
| 395 | This is a very clean modern airport and easily navigated. The only thing I would say that is negative is the lack of food outlets in the departure lounge. |
| 396 | Airport has totally been changed for past fifa world cup football. Airport can compete with any modern airport. Access is easy service fast and professional. Airport is clean and everything is widely available. Waiting area gives you a panoramic view of planes landing and taking off while waiting for your flight. Bars and restaurant are not cheap but cheaper then most other international airports. |
| 397 | Mango flight CPT-DUR. Checked in online picked up boarding pass from counter and issued return evening flights b/pass. Clean neat tidy spacious Central Processing Unit with friendly check in staff long early morning queues went very quickly with at least 6 X-ray machines operated by friendly staff on duty. ID check before easy boarding. |
| 398 | CPT fully deserves the Skytrax rating "Best airport in Africa" - terminal building appears modern bright clean and friendly no long distance from VAT refund to baggage wrapping to check-in. I used the smaller international section where only merely 15 flights depart every day so no queues at security no queues at immigration no full lounges. Flew Turkish Airlines they use the Bidvest Lounge very friendly staff there choice and variety of their food could be better though. What a positive difference compared to busy Johannesburg. |
| 399 | A spacious and well lit airport (lots of glass allowing natural light in). Processing time on arrival rather slow (around 50 mins) so luggage had already been delivered by the time I'd exited the customs area. Check-in on departure quickly completed. All staff I encountered including those at the security checks were efficient and friendly. Sufficient shops to pass time away without them appearing to me too many. A very pleasant airport all 'round. |
| 400 | Really nice airport - clean and new with speedy transit both inbound and outbound. Only one issue - the cafe/restaurant in international departures woefully slow with disinterested staff. |
| 401 | CPT made my trip a complete pleasure! Getting to the airport was fast The CTB was clean modern had a very calm environment with lots of natural light. Check-in was fast. The lounges were relaxing the Nintendo wi facility was really fun. Boarding was fast. lots of duty free restaurants and bars. All were priced well. Friendly and efficient staff. A real experience. |
| 402 | CPT-Nelspruit JNB-CPT. Great airport efficient and friendly security and check in staff clean and modern. Lots of retail outlets on departures and arrivals. |
| 403 | Domestic departures clean and fresh. Good selection of shops restaurants and bookstores on airside. BA drop and go with no queuing. Arrivals terminal much improved since last flown before world cup. Baggage out quickly. Convenient store and food hall well positioned outside arrivals underneath departures hall. Noticed in JNB and CPT complimetary newspapers available in restaurants to the travelling public. |
| 404 | Better than ever! Check in is a pleasure. Finding and being helped at VAT counters too. Easy and pleasant security procedures. |
| 405 | Arrived from KL and waited for my wheelchair to be brought to aircraft. Was told that baggage handling staff had ignored label attached and slung it onto the carousel. Waited until airport provided another chair pushed by helpful young lady whose name I have forgotten. Immigration hall appeared unmanned when we got there but we spotted a manned desk. Upon approaching we noticed that the adjacent desk was occupied by a large lady who was catching up on her sleep shaking the rafters with her snores. The surly attandant stamped our passports without a word. No "welcome" or anything like that - merely an attitude of "how dare you make me work". Retrieved my chair and trundled outside to find our son who was supposed to pick us up was not there. Upon phoning him we discovered he had been directed by ACSA staff to the domestic arrivals despite his explanation he was picking up from an international flight. No private vehicle access is available and it took the efforts of the cheerful lady to allow him through. This is the poorest service I have received at any airport having come through KL Hanoi Bangkok Phuket and Singapore airports where everything ran like clockwork compared to our fiasco. |
| 406 | Check in quick and easy security scanning quick and efficient and immigration a breeze. Other than that a wonderful revamped airport! |
| 407 | What a difference here. From a small uncomfortable airport in the mid nineties to a modern large facility matching many European airports. Excellent check in and immigration checks much faster than before. The shrink wrapping machine for luggage (recommend that you use it) takes a bit of finding now and is not signposted. Good experience. |
| 408 | Absolutely fantastic airport a great improvement on the previous International & Domestic terminals which were in turn the best airports in Southern Africa. This really shows Joburg Airport how it should be done. One mistake in the layout in departures there is no seating provision at all so families cannot sit down and have a precious moment before they separate something that upset my wife. |
| 409 | Cape Town International is a small and cosy aiport. Very efficient and encountered no problems when using it recently. Only short coming once airside very limited food outlets. Security and immigration officials very friendly and pleasant! |
| 410 | Cape Town International Terminal. Check-in at SAA swift with absolutely no queues. Security and passport control both efficient and friendly. Large and airey terminal space affords a pleasant environment. Only slight draw back is buses remain part of the course at CPT which is OK if your going on a RJ (one bus) but seems to take for ever if its a large airliner. Hoping the new terminal can mirror the old one but with airbridges! |
| 411 | I found Cape Town airport one of the better airports in South Africa. Did not have to wait ages for bags to arrive like other airports they were out in 5 mins through customs in under 10 mins and in a car to the hotel. Staff were so much more friendly than Johannesburg airport and the whole airport is much cleaner and easier to get around. |
| 412 | 45 minutes to wait for luggage when only one international flight had landed is simply unacceptable or to quote the word which was one of the options on the SMS questionnaire that passengers can complete pathetic. Also the luggage was delivered to a different carousel to the one shown on the boards. The aircraft I arrived on (EK) was parked away from the terminal and we were bussed to the terminal. The driver did not bother to park close to the steps and passengers had to walk through puddles of rainwater. The airport has good facilities is extremely clean and immigration was reasonably fast. Large areas are still under construction and I prefer not to think what might happen with the 2010 football matches. It is clear though that they are making an effort and are responsive to feedback as I received a call from a lady at the airport not long after sending off the SMS questionnaire.. |
| 413 | Despite the construction CPT domestic terminal is a cinch to get through. There's a short walk from the plane to terminal building and vice versa. The baggage collection area is a bit drab but our bags were out in about 10 minutes. On arrival there's a long walk from the drop-off area to the terminal building due to the construction but once inside no queues at all either in the check-in areas or in security. At 6:45 on a weekday morning we went from drop-off to the gate in 10 minutes flat. The porters aren't nearly as imposing as at JNB either. All common areas past security were clean and inviting with plenty of shops restaurants and seating. |
| 414 | Things have taken a turn for the worse while CPT is being rebuilt. Sign posting for the entry to international car hire return location is non-existent. We drove round in circles repeatedly and never found it and had to park in the short term car park. Avis staff were less than sympathetic although acknowledging the problem. The pedestrian route from the international car rentals location to the international terminal is also poorly sign posted. The queuing system a in the international terminal at security was badly organized. |
| 415 | Arrived at Cape Town International 2 weeks ago was a pleasant experience. Helpful and friendly staff. Departing from Cape Town International to London via Amsterdam was on the other hand an unpleasant experience. Checked in online but had to get the boarding passes at the airport. Lady who checked our passports/itinerary unfriendly almost rude lady at the baggage check-in wasn't friendly either. |
| 416 | I and my family use Cape Town airport 6 times a year at least. Friendly efficient and comparatively safe. Johannesburg on the other hand is fraught with sulky staff under-trained and very unsafe. We have been accosted in the lifts twice. And now there is the problem of people being followed from Johannesburg airport and hijacked. |
| 417 | I've travelled through this airport over the last 26 years and it's still a pleasure. Immigration queues struggle in the morning but staff are friendly and polite. Baggage is fast and efficient. Check in long haul - pleasant and efficient [hooray for BA online check in!]. The line after security gets longer every time I fly. Domestic flights: Check in - reasonably short lines but after security departures can be a bit congested so if you're at the front enjoy the lounges. Arrivals - what a pleasure bags there in no time. Shopping is reasonable but the international departures arrangement via the bus means a lot of time standing around in an otherwise empty departure area away from the restaurants and shops. About the only thing I can think of that needs improving. |
| 418 | Arrived and departed this airport with complete ease speed and helpfulness. The airport is beautifully clean and welcoming. I have used it many times on long haul from UK and it is a pleasure always. |
| 419 | Pleasant airport overall with nice open areas. The arrival coincided with BA but we were first and did not have any undue delays. On departure the computers were down so much was done manually but with no significant inconvenience. |
| 420 | After our overnight flight it was great to arrive in an airport like Cape Town. Small clean and easy to find your way around. Because our SAA plane arrived together with a British plane there were a few hundred people to go through immigration by passing only a few manned desks. Because I had had eye-surgery just 3 weeks before I could not handle the queues and was perfectly willing to sit them out on chairs next to the bathrooms. However within 5 minutes we were picked up and escorted outside to the car rental desk. Absolutely great. In Schiphol Airport people were nowhere near as friendly attentive and helpful. Our next trip to S.A. will absolutely start in Cape Town! |
| 421 | Just returned from using this airport. Arrivals is still chaos with too few staff on and has been subject to many protests from local people. Departures was fine though on my day no queues and through with no delays at all. Used the Rennies lounge (also KLM & Virgin Business class lounge) this time and very good value for money. Can be purchased if travelling economy. Apart from arrivals no complaints. |
| 422 | Queues for International departures stretched from the ground floor through security to the Immigration departure Hall. Why? Just three of eighteen desks manned four long haul wide bodied departures at this time of day so maybe 1400 people departing within 20 minutes. Two flights were delayed because of this. Seems like inefficiency on Immigration's part as one airline rep said it happening all the time. Wake up Cape Town the African World cup is only just round the corner! |
| 423 | An excellent airport in all respects apart from limited catering facilities and one which has greatly improved over the thirty or so years I've been using it regularly. However I had an 'interesting' experience on Saturday night (24 SEP). Whilst waiting at the check- in to sort out a minor problem with my ticket I asked the lady if I could weigh myself on the baggage scale as I was curious to see how much weight I'd picked up on the last trip. My normal weight is between 64-66 kgs. You may imagine my surprise when it registered me as 47 kgs. I got on and off again with the same result! I told her jokingly that I would be happy to use that same scales with my wine laden overweight suitcase on my next trip. I then went to the next counter which showed my weight as 78 kgs (also twice.) A third and fourth one were correct. I do wonder if there is some sort of scam going on here as I find it hard to imagine that such a huge error could not have been picked up and addressed. |
| 424 | This was my first time in RSA and Cape Town was a good choice of entry. The building is spacious modern and light and I was through the busy and commendably thorough immigration section within 20 minutes which was impressive given the size of the queues. The only difficulty encountered was with the car park payment machines many of which seemed to be breaking down and which also accepted only a few values of notes resulting in long queues. |
| 425 | Each time I have flown in and out it has been easy. The lines moves quickly and everyone is friendly and helpful. Upon arrival after passing through immigration you proceed to the baggage carousel and hope that your luggage has made it to your destination with you but don't try to walk away with your suitcase that easily someone will be standing by to check your baggage tag and your passport. |
| 426 | Nearly two years on from the most recent review by A Hetier and much remains familiar at Maiquetia. Entering the country is easy and immigration is quick and friendly. Leaving the international terminal however is a far more stressful experience. The problem seems to stem from the multiple security agencies operating at the airport who often duplicate security checks. So one set of police screened everyone queueing at the check-in desk. Once in the customs/immigration area carry-on bags were x-rayed twice in rapid succession by two entirely different security groups. Then - and this was the real delay - passengers were called from the boarding gate in groups of 5-7 at fifteen to twenty minute intervals to go down to the working area of the airport for hand inspections of their already checked-in suitcases. I was in the penultimate group to be called down for an inspection at 6 PM - for a flight that was supposed to have left at 4:20. Some passengers claimed that TAP (with whom I was flying) and Iberia are singled out for this type of additional security check |
| 427 | One needs more than arriving 2 hours before take-off time for international flights. I would suggest 3. Queues are terrible everywhere (check-in taxes immigration). And why taxes can't be paid by card?! On arrival migration services seem more efficient (search me...) and luggage is delivered efficiently. It is a pity not to be able to get money from an ATM in the international space (only local cards seem to work). On departure when you pass migration you get into a renewed part of the airport with plenty of space totally different from the departure area which is crowed. Duty free shops are nice as well as the food offer. Some don't like the patterns on the floor of the departure area but it's one of the charms of Maiquetía airport. Another one is the take-off and landing especially at daytime. I always enjoy the landscape. |
| 428 | Caracas airport despite many improvements still has a very long way to go to be thought of as anything more than adequate. The mad "tax" system where you pay to get out. A rather surprising total of six separate search points. The woeful queues at Immigration both inbound and outbound. The lack of a covered walkway between International and Domestic terminals. The constant unwanted attention from taxi touts and money changers. |
| 429 | Despite the "new" international terminal ~ give yourself several hours to check-in. It took me 2 hours 15 minutes at American the other morning. |
| 430 | I've been in CCS many times and the improvements made to the airport are incredible. Very friendly and helpful staff. Still it is not a modern airport but manageable considering the amount of passengers. The only bad thing is that they are not paying attention to the security and when you are in the arrivals hall a bunch of people come and ask you if you want a taxi or maybe you want to buy the local currency - I undestand this due to the political situation the country is facing but as I always say it could and must be better. |
| 431 | I agree entirely with Fernando. Immigration staff also very helpful as well as friendly and efficient. Only problem now is the collapsed bridge on the road to Caracas. A diversion has been made but is only two lanes and is operated on a tidal system. Can add an hour or two to the journey. |
| 432 | I guess Mr. E Bernal hasn't been to CCS Int´l recently. This airport has been totally renewed. since June a brand new arrival area was opened with about 40 desks and very friendly staff. Deplane go through immigration and picking up your luggage takes about 20 minutes. So I recommend you to save those US$ 200 and continuing to fly through Caracas. By the way I did not know that there were flights from Maracaibo to Aruba. |
| 433 | I have flown into Maracaibo via CCS twice this year (both Air France) and after both experiences I have to remind myself to fly via Aruba next time even with the extra 200 EUR of flying KLM (AMS- Aruba). The reasons - All European flights arrive around the same time so you can imagine the line at the immigration counters. Of 10 desks on both times there were only 3 open. First time we queued for 1.5 hours (and the suitcases were waiting outside next to the belt). The second time we risked missing our connecting flight so an officer kindly let us skip the +2 hrs queue at the time we got on the line. The international and domestic terminals are not connected so when transferring it takes a 10 min walk (and carrying your suitcases) under a devil sun. You are not allowed to take the trolleys out of the terminals so the option you have (unless you carry it yourself) is to pay for a porter. I don't know how much it is since we decided to carry them ourselves. Be sure to cool off later on as the AC is barely noticeable inside the terminals. Domestic terminal same chaos as international. Upon departure make sure to check in as soon as it is open - same immigration queues! We were almost the first ones checking in and it still took us more than 30 mins to get through immigration! I must say however it is being remodelled and the new international departure area (before entering secure zone) has a nice food court incl Subway and TGI Fridays. Among others I have flown into Nigeria via Lagos and I must say Caracas is the worst airport I have ever encountered and will avoid it whenever possible. Departure tax is also more expensive than when flying out directly from Maracaibo (nice small international airport). |
| 434 | On my last visit I found many issues which dismayed me regarding Simon Bolivar International Airport. (1) Only 2 ATM's in the entire international Terminal(side by side unsignposted and upstairs in the Mezzanine Level) - both "out of order". (2) Several Bank outlets in the main terminal concourses - closed in the middle of the day. (3) Inability to take luggage carts from the baggage claim area outside the exits into the main Arrivals Hall. (4) Excessive number of "pushy" unregulated (and mostly uninsured) taxi touts. The airport authority regulates (or attempts to) taxis and there is an offical Taxi / Transportation counter in the Arrivals hall. (5) On Departure from the country there is an airport user tax which must be paid prior to security / immigration. The organisation and collection of this farcical and woefully inadequate. In the airport's defense I would say it has one of the better Tourist Information desks of many South American airports but while the staff may be friendly and helpful there are all too few of them. Food selection and outlets are reasonable and shopping appears quite inexpensive. |
| 435 | It had been about four years since my last visit to CCS int'l and I don't really know what to think about it. The airport was or is being rebuilt and it looks really nice with lots of shops and everything but the staff are really rude and unkind. Four years ago it was all the contrary the airport was a chaos but the staff was very nice and polite. So - is that the price the airport has to pay so that it can be rebuilt? |
| 436 | The shops are nice and cheap and the staff = helpful and nice but the tax collecting system they have is ridiculous and unfriendly. |
| 437 | My impression was that the departing area is too crowded I consider CCS airport as big but definitively it urgently needs more space. The system they have to collect the taxes is inconvenient and archaic. Why don’t they just include all taxes in the ticket so that all passengers can avoid wasting their time that filling down those two forms causes? The departing area is ok pretty dark but it's impossible not to realize the amazing piece of work all along the floor made by a local artist. The airport has many cafes and restaurants and stores as well and although at first you feel a little scared because of the presence of military all around the airport the staff is incredibly nice. |
| 438 | Nice place to be with duty free shops that offer convenient prices. Pretty crowded but it's ok a little noisy but the airport staff are really nice friendly and helpful. It's being renovated so it's getting a new and very modern image. |
| 439 | A new arrival terminal is being built and a enormous area with restaurants stores and open spaces for the art was opened the last semester of 2002. They also built a conventions center outside the airport that is meant to be used as an area to receive important personalities of the politic and artistic world. Also the Hilton chain is building a hotel just across the street of the international arrivals. The international cargo area was massively expanded and they are also going to build another runaway. I think that such a modern city as Caracas really needed its airport to be renovated besides Caracas Intl works as a hub for many European and Latin American airlines so the passengers traffic is being increasing during the last 5 years. What I would criticize of all this renovation is the fact that they eliminated the great open terrace from where you could feel the breeze of the sea and see the landing and the taking off of airplanes while having a cold drink. |
| 440 | Having lived in Venezuela many years I've flown in and out of Caracas' Simon Bolivar airport many times. The airport was nothing special up until they began a massive renovation project a couple of years ago. A new hotel is being built at the airport and the international terminal is being greatly upgraded. Work should be completed soon but like many other projects in Venezuela it will probably be delayed some. Additionally the duty-free shops have been expanded and improved. The shops belong to the same chain of duty-free shops found in Spain's airports called "Aldeasa." |
| 441 | I found Carcassonne Airport to be very easy to use. My mother who has limited mobility has difficulty walking or standing for long periods so Carcassonne Airport which is tiny suited us very well. We didn't see a shop but we had something to eat there which was adequate. The taxi rank is just outside the building. We found Carcassonne Airport the taxi service and the Cite to be so easy to navigate and so hassle-free that we're going again this year. I would recommend Carcassonne and the airport for a short break as so little time is wasted at the airport. |
| 442 | Very small airport but that can be an advantage as it was for us. By the time we had cleared customs our bags were through and in 5 minutes were at the car hire office 50 feet away and on the road in minutes. On return no queuing to check-in and security took no time at all. Had good breakfast in restaurant upstairs. Only problem might be if more than one flight arriving or departing at the same time. Only complaint not enough seats once airside. |
| 443 | Blast from the past with these reviews. I've recently been using Salvaza again as an alternative method to get from Liverpool to Toulouse though unfortunately it's getting worse. Nathan Fotheringill mentions in his review that he doesn't know how they would cope with two flights at the same time. The answer is "with great difficulty" Queuing up outside to check in was bad enough in the heat wouldn't fancy it in the rain at all. This was last Sunday (1st Aug 2010) with a Porto flight at 1530 & Liverpool one at 1535. 2 hours was only just enough time to get through the mayhem caused by the lack of signage and frustrated staff. Incidentally I'm not blaming the staff but the management who should seriously think of investing in this place before everyone starts abandoning it. Back to the old Manchester to Toulouse bit again. A bit more expensive but a lot more efficient. |
| 444 | Don't expect too much of this little airport but it is friendly and the departures lounge has expanded recently. At one time the only facilities were the toilets once you were through the security but now there is a vending machine for soft drinks and chocolate etc. The restaurant (upstairs) has a good menu and they are fully aware of the flight times so you don't have to wait for hours for your meal. There is one small shop (outside the security check area) which doesn't help if you want to take those items through with you that are ordinarily banned. The security staff also apply an interesting interpretation on what is dangerous: we had a travel iron confiscated from our hand luggage as it could be used as a blunt instrument. On the way back we could have bought one at Stansted - presumably traveling from the UK we weren't likely to brain anyone with it. |
| 445 | Nice airport. Staff very friendly and helpful. Nice restaurant food excellent and staff very friendly. |
| 446 | This airport is in need of some investment as the current building is barely adequate for a full 737-800 load of passengers. On arrival you will almost certainly have to queue outside to squeeze into the arrivals hall. Your bags should not take too long to arrive however. We departed on the 09:40 Ryanair flight to Stansted arriving at the airport two hours prior to departure as recommended. The airport was closed! The very nice restaurant upstairs is worth a visit after checking in - don't expect any facilities at all once you have passed through security. Our flight was only half full so there was plenty of room at the gate. A full aircraft would have made the place very crowded. I don't kow how they would cope with two flights departing at the same time. |
| 447 | Suffering under the strain of extra Ryanair flights the current extension works mean a marquee now covers departures. There is a tiny baggage carrousel which is woefully inadequate for 189 people arriving on a Ryanair 737-800. Hopefully when the works are completed they'll have created enough room for growth. Shuttle Bus to town (Stops at SNCF Station and 'Cite Medieval') for 5 EURO each way takes 10 to 20 minutes into town. |
| 448 | Great little airport clean well sign posted and accessible. There is no duty free but it does have a small shop selling local produce. On the upper level is a lovely restaurant and next to that a cafe/bar over looking the one runway. It's my favourite airport because it's so simple to use. |
| 449 | Small airport. Don't bother arriving too early for your flight as the shops don't open when the booking desks do 2 hours before the flight leaves. Absolutely nothing except toilets after customs. |
| 450 | Hadn't been to Cardiff for a number of years due to poor flight choices. This time I was on Business. Great car parking and shuttle service. The security experience was horrendous. Staff were aggressive and patronising. As I had some liquids in my case, they quite rightly had to inspect it. However this was done in front of everyone with all personal belongings shown to everyone who was passing. It was an unnecessarily humiliating experience and easily solvable by having a screened area. The security staff were very unpleasant however and seemed to take great delight in ordering passengers around. I might have thought this was a one off but on my return trip we were again 'barked at' and ushered unpleasantly and officiously whilst having our passports checked. I will fly from Bristol or Heathrow from now on. I will not be going back. |
| 451 | Outward, my grumble was the extremely high prices for food and drink at the Echo bar! The return experience was the worst I've experienced. Upon arrival there was a very long walk from the arrivals gate to immigration where we joined a queue which took over 30 minutes to get to the front. There were 3 immigration officers on duty, 1 of whom just sat and looked at the queue and served no one. My hope was that with the delay in clearing immigration, our luggage would be on the belt. Unfortunately, this was not the case and we had another 20 minute wait for the luggage (50 minutes after arrival!). After leaving the terminal, we tried to find the bus stop for the courtesy bus to car park 2. It was really badly signed and when we did get it's location verified by an airport worker, we had another 20 minute wait for the bus. To top it all, there didn't appear to be any visible exit signs, so another 5 minutes was wasted driving around. |
| 452 | Very limited choice of shops and eating facilities compared to alternative airports. |
| 453 | Having decided to go to Prague for the weekend of my wife's birthday my children and I decided to do the costings as this was going to be her 60th birthday present. Can you imagine the shock that the price's quoted from our (local airport we live in Porthcawl) were so much more than the package we put together flying from Bristol including the parking and 3 nights in the Hilton in Prague! As the people of Wales airport you are a country mile from getting it anywhere near right. |
| 454 | After many years of using Bristol airport we decided to give Cardiff another go (we only live 8 miles from CWL). The main problem is the poor choice of flights but we managed to get a flight to Barcelona which almost fitted our needs. The airport's recent modernisation seems to be pretty good. Drop-off area was good and no charge (well done CWL). Check-in staff were fine security was no worse nor no better than most airports we use so all in all not bad. As part of the modernisation Cardiff seems to have followed the Bristol plan - enlarge the Duty Free shops at the expense of seating - not good. The catering is average but the prices are eye wateringly expensive over £2 for a cup of tea is such a rip-off. I thought the Welsh government owned this airport. They should stop such profiteering. Would we use the airport again. The answer is most definitely yes if suitable flights are available but that's the snag there aren't many flights to anywhere. |
| 455 | I was checking in my disabled grandmother and the staff were nothing but miserable rude and unhelpful. I saw a smile from one member of staff while checking in my grandmother and I felt we were made to feel a nuisance to these people. At one point someone told me to 'put her in a chair and take her to a desk!' Then they had a cheek to charge me 5 pounds for parking as it obviously takes longer to assist a person who requires a wheelchair. I phoned to complain and again felt the staff were not bothered and refused to refund me telling me to call another department. Not happy at all. |
| 456 | Much smaller than I imagined for a capital city airport and not one that I would want to be stuck in for too long as facilities are quite limited but overall a positive experience with short queues and friendly staff. A nice touch was a machine at the security exit allowing passengers to rate their experience. I hope these results are looked at and acted upon and believe that every airport should do it as it is often seems that it is this part of the travel process that determines how good or bad a passenger's overall experience is. |
| 457 | I will never use Cardiff Airport again. My wife and I have always used Cardiff for holidays but after being let down three times over one holiday never again. We are going to Bristol for the first time this year and even through its further away I believe we wont be let down. We have had our flights changed three times from Cardiff and we did not know what time we are supposed to fly or even if we can take two suitcases that we had paid for! I am sorry to say that I have lost faith in Cardiff airport. Is it any wonder people are going elsewhere? Also Cardiff is an international airport not a regional airport what a bad joke. |
| 458 | My experience of this airport was positive. I can't understand all the negative reviews trashing the place. Staff were friendly. Security also efficient and friendly. Seemed a little bit too quiet for a modern airport. I know they are trying to attract more business and I really hope they succeed. I'd read all kinds of horror stories about the place but it was fine. I'd been using KLM to travel into Bristol as it's usually a little bit cheaper but will definitely use their service into Cardiff again as it is closer to my destination. |
| 459 | We have flown from Cardiff airport for over 30 years. My mother and father used to fly twice a year back and forth between Dublin in the late 50's and early 60's and as a child I flew regularly between Cardiff and Dublin to visit family. As a family I my husband and my two teenage sons have used the airport since 2001. In December 2001 we flew on a day trip to Lapland. In 2006 it was with Thomson to Sanford Florida and experienced no problems. Again in 2008 to Sanford Florida with Monarch. In this occasion we arrived at the airport at 4am for our 7 am flight and didn't check in until 6.15 due to a computer crash. We then used the airport in 2009 to fly to Dublin. We didn't return until 2012 where we flew back to Dublin. We are flying yet again to Dublin in October this year and are hoping to have another stress free experience at this airport! |
| 460 | Very disappointed that since the take over of Cardiff airport no budget airline has returned eg. BMI Baby or would be nice to see Ryanair or EasyJet. Living in Wales we should be able to get flights for the same price as available from Bristol airport and not get the extra flight supplements also more competitive airlines than Thomson or Thomas Cook. I and many friends and family choose to travel to Bristol driving past Cardiff airport as there is usually a saving of at least £600 per family booking when travelling from Bristol with these airlines. Cardiff really needs to look at the services and flights available if it is going to develop in a competitive market. |
| 461 | I have just read the previous reviews and I'm sorry but I totally disagree with them! Quick check in quick through security yes they are strict but welcome to a modern safety conscious airport. Compared with some of the modern airports it could do with modernising however that really does not bother me. Parking was cheap at the Holiday Inn Express with a free taxi to the front door which took 2 minutes altogether. Cardiff airport has retained another passenger and would recommend to anyone else. |
| 462 | Dull ugly and (worst of all) the most unreliable and infrequent airport-to-city centre transport system of any airport I have known. Little wonder the airport is a white elephant recently bailed out by the Welsh Assembly government. You will arrive and discover that there are no taxis (these must be ordered) no trains (although there is a train link some distance away requiring a taxi!) and (most shameful of all) buses that depart once every 45 minutes! The latter are poorly signed and the whole this is a fiasco. I arrived on a flight at Cardiff Airport at 7.30pm and the terminal was closed. We were escorted through an area by airport staff to an exit and dumped outside to fend for ourselves (see above about lack of transportation). It was like flying to Uzbekistan circa 1953! I urgently recommend that you fly to Bristol instead then take the train. Failing that just don't go to Cardiff. |
| 463 | Being disabled at Cardiff airport is a nightmare. We leave the car at the highwayman parking their mini bus parks in front of the airport and this is where the trouble starts. I have to try and get a suitcase up 5 steps while walking with a walking stick at check-in it was not explained how far gate 13 was. The experience happens in reverse when I land surely slopes would be better then steps to the car park. |
| 464 | I have used many airports in the world and have had very different experiences in each. However Cardiff airport is unique. The infrastructure is dilapidated and reminiscent of some early Soviet political chambers. The shenanigans inside the building provided by the 'security' folk is astounding. A very unpleasant (and unnecessary) thorough frisking. The security staff were disrespectful and appeared to be jeering when the bleeper sounded at the security gate. It is the boat for me in future. |
| 465 | We have used this airport on a regular basis and every time we are structure by how unfriendly most of the staff are. The security/customs people are rude and intimidating. The NCP staff unbelievably pathetic in attitude and all they have to do is authorise a pre booked ticket. We flew in from Amsterdam and what a contrast in how the Dutch run an airport. This airport is the "gate way" to Wales. What a bad advertisement. Its now owned by the Council. Tax payers money being wasted. Close it. |
| 466 | We regularly fly throughout the year from Cardiff or Bristol. Bristol airport lounge is excellent value however Cardiff airport lounge limits you to two alcoholic drinks! I do not want to get drunk at the airport but two wines or beers for my husband over 3 hours is pathetic! Out of curiosity I've clicked on the terms and conditions of numerous airports throughout the country and haven't come across any others that limit the drinks. Bristol airports 'Silver parking zone' is excellent and extremely well managed compared with what's on offer at Cardiff. Cardiff airport is supposed to be trying to encourage more people to use it but these are just two examples of why we prefer to fly from Bristol. |
| 467 | As I am a Welshman I am saddened to have to write a review of this nature about the Welsh international airport. I was unfortunate to use CWL for a return flight to Turkey recently. I had heard the news about difficulties at the airport and airlines pulling out but could it be that bad? A travel rep. told me they had difficulty selling flights from Cardiff and flights were being reduced. After being there I understand why! On arrival at the terminal I found that the check in queues for the Thomson desks were reaching outside the entrance. With travellers having to arrive up to 3 hours before flying and waiting for what seemed forever to actually check in the facilities for having a meal both before entering and in the departure lounge are very poor. Eventual boarding was good. On our return in the early hours of the morning the only flight to land waiting for our cases became an exercise in patience. Some cases would arrive and there would be up to a 15 min wait for the next batch (I think they were unloading using a wheelbarrow) in all for not a very big plane it took well over an hour to deliver all the luggage. It would seem on speaking to fellow sufferers this is the norm! Will I be using CWL again? Only if there is no alternative. |
| 468 | Be aware that Cardiff airport has now introduced a £2 charge for use of the luggage trolley - a 'trolley tax'! I was absolutely furious to find this new situation upon returning last Friday. All the other passengers were equally outraged. Clearly they want to lose yet more passengers. Next time we'll probably fly from London. |
| 469 | I used to use this airport on a regular (every week) basis changing in Amsterdam for my final destination. Over the years (last 10) this airport has become a disgrace. Starting with the primitive parking facilities - not so cheap - and security outside that would be acceptable to a US embassy - to the grotty interior underworked and over zealous security staff inside. I now get up 2 hours earlier and drive to Heathrow. Sometimes use Bristol - it's not bad at all and far superior to Cardiff. |
| 470 | Despite it being the most local we'll take Bristol or Birmingham next time. Not content with ripping people off at every opportunity (parking drop-off fees etc.) now they charge for having those ludicrous "security" bags. However the real problem is the menacing security theatre. Getting menaced by them has become routine upon returning to Cardiff and it's not much fun on the way out either. Getting grilled with questions about our holiday time away business money spent purpose etc. all leading up to a full going-through of our baggage is humiliating and frightening. We are citizens returning to our own country. Someone should tell the Cardiff security this. |
| 471 | We recently used this airport for the first time in 25 years (moved back to Cardiff). Parking was close enough to the terminal to walk and was incredibly cheap. Check-in was no different from any other airport I have ever used and security is no worse either (always a trial anywhere). Prices at the bar and cafe were shocking (more expensive than Heathrow) but you don't have to buy. On our return we were off the plane and in the car within 20 minutes and that was after collecting bags which is pretty good in my experience. Other reviews moan about charges for Pick-up and Drop-off but most UK airports now do this and there is a free area if you wish to use it. It's a shame that there are not more flights but this might cause its own problems with congestion. I desperately want to use my local airport so I hope the management does something to attract more airlines to Cardiff. Cardiff Airport has the potential to be a first class regional hub. |
| 472 | Flew twice this Summer from Cardiff as I live locally everything went like clockwork but unable to check in online and airport looking very run down. What must visitors to the only airport in Wales think. |
| 473 | This has to win the prize as the worst airport in the world. You are charged a £1 to drop off which is not even outside the terminal they have gone crazy in the name of security. You can park outside Heathrow terminals and get out of the car with bags etc and free of charge. The check in desks are abysmal and slow considering they hardly have any flights going through and the security area is painfully slow rude and inefficient. They had a nice flight to Zurich flying out of the airport the last few months and I now see that they have lost that to Bristol. |
| 474 | We haven't flown from Cardiff Airport for over 3 years despite it being our closest and most convenient airport as we live in west Wales - we decided to give both Cardiff and Vueling airlines a chance as we usually fly from Bristol (far more choice of flights and usually half the price). We arrived 3 hours before our flight and due to horrendous service at check-in and awful service through security check we only just got through to departures with 5 mins to go - disaster of an airport really needs to sort itself out. We will not be returning to Cardiff and we have just booked our October half term flights with Ryanair from Bristol. They seem to be ripping any remaining customers they have left off for every penny they can! As they are now charging to drop off near the airport - this is a total disgrace we have 2 young children and we need to get them out as close to airport as possible together with cases while I park at the overpriced car park - but here in Cardiff I now have to pay a pound just to drop off my wife and kids. |
| 475 | Since BMI baby has left this airport it has become far to expensive to use the airport from now on all our holidays will be from Bristol or Birmingham. I personally can not see this airport lasting much longer and the management are closing this airport by out pricing its use to the working class people I have just priced a return flight for September this year from Cardiff to Alicante Spain and it comes to £149.00 from Cardiff and the same flight from Bristol is £46.00. |
| 476 | Incredibly small airport which has it's good and bad points. No queues at check-in and security are always welcome. However major shortage in places to eat needs to be addressed. Waiting areas were clean as were the toilets - both before and after security. Ground staff were very helpful and friendly. Better advice on how to reach the city centre wouldn't go wrong however! |
| 477 | Avoid this ironically-named airport especially if you're not a local and especially if you're using it to arrive. If you've found and survived one of the limited flights followed by a long wait and an over-the-top interrogation at passport control (which seems to be standard for non- Europeans) then comes the punch - you're in the middle of nowhere and you won't get any help. It's hard to believe that an airport like this still exists. |
| 478 | I fly from this airport regularly to NCL and although it has very basic faciilities it's very quick to get through check in/security and onto the plane. I only use the coffee shop and it's always open when I pass through. Shame there is only a limited range of scheduled services from the airport though. |
| 479 | It's going downhill even further. The shuttle bus to the newly-built link railway station is being retired from the end of May leaving pax without a car to a disorganised bus service. And guess what? The only hand scanner for self-printed (online) checkin documents was out of order again today. Unsuspecting travellers thus had to return downstairs to the departures hall queue up at checkin lines often waiting up to 20 mins for a card boarding pass. I suggest that regular travellers send in their spare change to the Airport Manager so the Airport Appeal for a Second Scanner Fund can buy a secondhand backup reader from a more efficient airport. That said staff here are fine and often a bit frustrated at the inefficiencies from management. |
| 480 | Cardiff is a typical small airport which has traditionally been principally for charter flights. Over the years I have seen its custom fall away as charter customers switch to Bristol and Birmingham both of which offer far better service. Cardiff has tried to reinvent itself as an 'International class' airport but it is never going to compete with the likes of Birmingham and that has failed miserably. Because of security restrictions the roof is never open and the upper floor rarely accessible. The building has all the charm of a Communist era building with few external windows. Compared with Bristol it is very claustrophobic. The land side facilities are minimal. The only positive side is the helpful disabled facilities and support that is offered. |
| 481 | Cardiff Airport has strengths and weaknesses. It is small so you can easily get from one area to another without too much difficulty. It has a pleasant Executive Lounge and a small range of shops. Retrieval of baggage is fairly painless and staff are fairly friendly. However the airport is still set in the 1960's and the major re-construction work to make it a 2000's generation airport has not taken place. The limited choice of flights the supporting services of bars restaurants and car park all create the impression of an airport with limited ambition and initiative. Earlier comments about drop off and pick up remain issues to a certain extent (the logic of having a security barrier at which you are simply waved through without any check seems a particularly useless feature). |
| 482 | Semi derelict dirty? Not sure how anyone could describe the airport as this - unless they have some sort of an agenda. I use the airport 3 or 4 times a year and find it perfectly acceptable for what I need. Not perfect but then again what airport is? Last week after flying from Edinburgh I disembarked paid for the car parking (not pre-booked) and was out of the airport within 15 mins. What is the problem with that? |
| 483 | Have used Cardiff airport a few times but only due to flight price rather use Bristol even at a higher cost. Staff are friendly but the airport is semi-derelict dirty and the building work never seems to finish and the benefits cannot be seen. Car parking is expensive and the shuttle bus almost non-existant even access by road is difficult. Do'nt believe their claims about being accessible by train. |
| 484 | I've never really had much problem when flying out of/into Cardiff. The security system needs looking at - passengers standing in queues for over an hour in high season - I witnessed a lady passing out as a result of standing in a non airconditioned room for over an hour. There is only one taxi rank outside the airport but there are local firms that you can ring for a taxi. £27 to Cardiff city (as a previous writer stated) is actually a good price - Cardiff Airport is actually around 12 miles away from the outskirts of the City. I agree that the airport needs to up its standards dramatically to compete as an international airport but it is getting better. |
| 485 | Had the misfortune of using Cardiff last week! Arrived early for a check in at 6pm and had a couple of drinks in landside bar imagine our surprise when at 4pm we were told that the bar is closing and that the only bar facility was Airside! We were unable to go airside as check- in for our flight was not till 6pm. We then went to restaurant landside to get a hot meal - the airport closes landside it would appear at 4pm even for food! Once again the response was go Airside! Cardiff airport claim to be an international airport - act like one and have a full service available landside. |
| 486 | Travelled out and back the same day to Dublin on Aer Arann. Getting dropped off at the airport requires running the gauntlet of the security staff on the approach road - twice we had to stop and tell them we needed to drive to the airport to drop-off. Security seems a bit over the top - especially as they merely waved us on - didn't check the car ask to see my ticket etc... Checked in on-line so avoided the queues - amazed how many security staff are employed. Arrival back later that evening was very different. The airport is no longer allowing cars to pick-up from outside the terminal - instead cars now have to enter the unlit short stay car park down the road from the terminal building and wait for passengers to find them. Not so easy when its dark and raining. After leaving a very chaotic terminal building I had a difficult time trying to find my lift home. The car park being used is unpaved with mud and gravel underfoot - not sure how anyone would manage with a luggage trolley. It requires a walk along the airport road for a couple of hundred yards. Once I had found my lift (could only do this by means of a mobile phone and directions) it took about 10 minutes to exit the car park as cars were not following any type of one way system - reason - no arrows painted on the gravel. I have no idea what the management of this airport are doing here - the airport is a disgrace to Wales (and the UK for that matter) and I would be ashamed of welcoming any visitor into Wales via this airport. |
| 487 | Really worn and shabby but it is small and one can get through quickly which is definitely good but not a great advertisement for the capital of Wales. There is a lot of room for improvement. It compares poorly to Bristol which is pretty average. The road system between the airport and the city is like something out of another era. This airport really is a bit of throw back in all senses and this a for a city with the millenium stadium. |
| 488 | I have never found getting to the airport a problem. The road access is fine - much better than Bristol. However the passport control system on arrival back into Cardiff is a nightmare - the only airport I have known to take so long is Plodiv in Bulgaria! |
| 489 | It's tatty when compared to the likes of Bristol International Airport both in terms of number of destinations you can fly to as well as overall look and feel and the food options are low quality and over priced. On the plus side it's easy to get to by car but public transport options are severely limited and it's a nightmare if you are reliant on a taxi and your flight arrives at the same time as a load of others (expect big queues!) Definitely not a place with the customer at it's heart. |
| 490 | Can't understand the fuss with poor road access. Cardiff is much easier to get to than most UK airports. I regularly fly KLM to Schiphol then to Shanghai. CIA is shabby and run-down catering facilities very mediocre but fortunately I don't need to use them as I drive my own car and find I can get from the place very easily. I have never encountered traffic problems. I understand taxi and public transport provision is poor. |
| 491 | Have flown from Cardiff airport several times in the past 12 years. Little has changed however - the airport is in dire need of a complete make-over. Not the cleanest of places decor old and overall looks more like a bus station. Going through customs coming from an Amsterdam flight also can seem a little nerve-wrecking - many folks are pulled over and usually customs officers with sniffer dogs come over to you I assume sniffing for drugs. This can be a little intimidating with a dog sniffing all over your luggage and person! Outside there is only one taxi company and they can charge 27 pounds sterling for a trip to downtown Cardiff. In contrast if you take a taxi from Cardiff to the airport with another taxi company it will be considerably less! One final note - recently it took me 40 minutes in the morning to get through security leaving Cardiff! In summary although this can be a useful airport to link with Schiphol in Amsterdam in reality it is way below standard and I'm surprised Welsh Tourism and local business do not push for better standards and service. Bristol airport is much nicer! |
| 492 | Didn't personally fly from Cardiff but we took my daughter and a friend there as they were going on a day's educational visit to Auschwitz. Access was well signposted and the separation of "drop- offs" and "pick-ups" seemed to work quite well. We were pleasantly surprised at being able to drop off the girls right outside the terminal building without any fuss. Picking them up late at night was less straightforward as they seemed to take ages coming through to the Arrivals area after the plane had landed even though none on their flight had hold luggage to collect. The delay was at passport control as three flights arrived within about 20 minutes of each other. By the time the girls came through the queue for car parking payment at one end of the arrivals area virtually joined the queue at the other end for the (one?) ticket validating machine. Some people obviously got fed up waiting in one or other of these queues so there was a snarl up by the exits from the car park while people left their cars to pay at the "box" nearby and others with tickets ready (but time running out) fuming because the exits were blocked. More pay / validation points are needed. As to the airport itself my daughter (used to Liverpool & Manchester) described it as "sweet"! |
| 493 | When will this minor provincial airport realise it should have aspirations? As previous posts show public transport is poor especially late and early in the day. And it must be one of the few European airports that does not have a taxi rank and where very long waits in a tiny taxi shed are common. The interior is dreary and the up down turn round down up of the maze-like entrance from incoming flights is hardly an 'international arrival' experience. I use it because it is close to home but every journey brings another example of lack of customer focus and management grip. The other morning I was travelling with light hand luggage only and had printed-off my boarding card from the web. Thus I went straight upstairs to security. "The scanner's not working you'll have to go back downstairs to check in and get a regular boarding card". That I did queuing up patiently. Then upstairs again where a different member of staff remarked "sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't". I asked if she could get a supervisor to put up a prominent notice at the foot of the stairs when their only scanner went out of order like this - just so that pax didn't have to go up the stairs only to have to go down again and then up again. This appeared to be a revolutionary idea for Cardiff. Perhaps they can't source a notice board and marker pen - and I'm sure they haven't thought of having two scanners have they? They certainly haven't trained their staff to be resourceful and pro-active. |
| 494 | We flew into Cardiff airport on Thursday 24th April intending to get public transport to central Cardiff. We missed the two buses that could have got us there (one direct and one via a rail connection) as they left the stand within a couple of minutes of each other and then we had to wait an hour for the next to arrive although one was scheduled to have arrived after about 45 minutes it did turn up but having dropped passengers off it drove away without picking up the waiting passengers. This was at 5pm so hardly an off-peak period!! We returned to the airport on Monday 28th April to fly to Malaga. It took us an hour to check in with bmibaby although there were only about a dozen people in the queue ahead of us. When we got to the desk we were a kilo overweight so we removed a bag of magazines from our suitcase and put it in our cabin bag which was almost empty. This put us below 20 kilos but the girl did not seem too happy at what we had done and insisted that we put the cabin bag in a measuring cradle even though it was a regulation size airline cabin bag. It fitted easily needless to say. Was she resentful at not being able to charge us excess baggage? We have travelled dozens of times all over the world with that bag and never been asked to prove its measurements before. Then it was the turn of the security check into departures. One desk open a large queue of people and further delays. We and others expressed our annoyance at the fact that there were 11 other security staff just hanging about chatting to each other. To add further insult to passengers some 'staff' who had been waiting to clear security were called forward and given priority over paying customers! The general facilities of the airport seem good but clearly there is a major management problem which causes problems for passengers and probably results in loss of revenue for airport shops/cafes etc. as passengers spend so much time in queues they have little time left for anything else. |
| 495 | Strict minimum no much to do no much space. If you can prefer Avianca vip lounge with snacks drinks and wifi. |
| 496 | I did a recent domestic round trip through this airport. Arrival is uncomplicated (no jetways and a short walk to the terminal) although travelers should be aware that the luggage trolleys are only for the use of porters unlike other airports. Taxis await outside the baggage claim. Check-in is more complicated. The first departure area one encounters is actually where ticketed passengers go to reach their gate. The actual check- in is further down the walkway - no signs are provided but employees are quite helpful. The airport appears to be in a state of protracted renovation that is evident at departure - a regular visitor commented that it was different every time he visited there so conditions may change. The security is pretty simple - no removing of watches etc. The gate area is a bullpen and the monitors provide the names of airlines but no departure information. There is a cafe and a small gift shop but little else nearby. Free wifi is provided. Departure announcements are not translated into English or any other language although a large proportion of travelers obviously were foreigners |
| 497 | The airport has undergone refurbishment in recent years and is pleasant and air-conditioned. Security is tight and efficient. One problem is the availability of refreshments. There is only one major cafeteria - located in the walkway between the domestic and international sections of the airport - but it is a rip-off. If you buy something simple like a soda and a chocolate bar though the courtyard by the domestic arrivals area is very pleasant. When you clear customs upon arriving you need to go to the little taxi services window just outside domestic arrivals to request a taxi to go into town. The attendant will then give you a ticket with the fare printed on it depending on where you go. Do not go straight to the taxi rank nearby as the drivers will attempt to harass you into their cab smile a lot and then rip you off! Alternatively if you don't mind a short 2 minute walk you can just walk straight down the street that leads out of the terminal and get a taxi (or even a local bus) much more cheaply. |
| 498 | Two small entrance doors only for the Terminal 2 therefore long waiting lines. Security check failed in the entrance. Easy identification at the airport. Poorly maintained and dirty WC. Very limited equipment. Average boarding areas. I already tried the main lounge which was not bad but there wasn't a wide enough choice of food. I don't really recommend this airport only for a stopover. |
| 499 | A good experience at Casablanca: it'll never win any awards but my experience was generally positive. I was through immigration in about 15 minutes my bags came in another 10 and I was on a train to Marrakech shortly after. Departure was even better: a quick and smooth check in and then through immigration and security in 15 minutes. The weak point is the overpriced food court in the basement of T2. I expect to be ripped off at airports once they've got you airside but the prices at Casablanca were pretty ridiculous. That said the overall experience was positive. |
| 500 | Worst airport I've ever been to. It took 1.5 hrs to get through immigration. Officers were wandering around aimlessly talking to one another talking on their cell phones congregating in groups with no interest in helping anybody or doing anything while the lines got longer and longer as more flights arrived. A riot almost broke out the crowd was so unruly. The time it took to get the passport stamped averaged about 5-7 minutes per person. One poor family from the Congo talked to an officer for about 30 minutes at one of the windows and was finally told they had to go off to a room somewhere to talk to someone else. |
| 501 | I fly in and out of CMN once or twice a year and on the whole find it to be ok. There is lots of time waiting for passports to be stamped as each person has to have an immigration number added to their passport. Your bags may seem to take ages to come but a little tip will start them coming through surprisingly quickly. One tip is to get you immigration card filled in before landing as this will delay you otherwise on arrivals or departures. Make sure you have credit on your phone as the airport phones never seem to work. Be careful what you say in your own language in front of some of the officials as they can understand a lot more than you think. |
| 502 | Beyond the precincts of this airport is an appealing and welcoming country but passing through CMN is a stressful experience. The facilities look frayed at the edges but are at least functioning but the impression is of an airport that is staffed as part of a job creation exercise with motivation energy and charm being in short supply. Security is a particular bane with backed-up lines and staff relishing the chance to exercise their power by barking at pax. My most recent experience was in transit from a flight that originated in Agadir. All transit passengers having already endured security checks at the point of origin were subject to fresh checks despite tight connections for many. I am in no rush to return. |
| 503 | Excellent on arrival clean efficient immigration system utter chaos on leaving avoid this airport. |
| 504 | Utter chaos all baggage seemed to be dumped on one carousal. Queues abound a place to be avoided if at all possible. Nightmares about going there again. |
| 505 | Transit via CMN on the way to New York. Airport made a good impression because of the convenient terminal good air conditioning caring staff English speaking security. There were plenty of seats in the secure zone but all of them were separated by handrails to prevent passengers from sleeping on them. Nice duty free shops. A pity many shops were closed at night during our layover. I can recommend this airport. |
| 506 | It is difficult to understand how a nation interested in tourism could tolerate such a dysfunctional facility as their primary air gateway. We arrived on a domestic flight from Ouarzazate for a transfer to a Lufthansa connection to DCA via Frankfurt. After finding our way with little or no signage to the transfer desk we found one person working there who pointed us to the other end of the counter for Lufthansa. As we had just over one hour for our transfer we became concerned when no one had showed up to man the desk for more than 30 minutes. No one could or would answer any questions. After an hour a Lufthansa agent arrived and told us that the flight schedule had been changed to one hour later and after many minutes managed to issue a boarding pass. We then proceeded to security where a surly attendant looked at my boarding pass and passport and asked why our passports had not been stamped in Ouarzazate. He then pointed to a desk nearby. Of course there was no one at the desk. Finally the only really pleasant person in the entire airport arrived and processed our passports though rather than stamping the boarding pass for the Casablanca to Frankfurt flight he stamped the one for Frankfurt to Washington. After finally making our way through security we arrived at the gate where there was no arrival/departure board and no one around to answer questions. The only place open for food had sandwiches that looked as if they had been there for several days. We had to wait for Lufthansa to give us something on the plane (in our respective middle seats several rows apart). Not surprisingly when we finally arrived at Washington our luggage was nowhere to be found. Lufthansa got it to us three days later. If you have any option do not fly through Casablanca. |
| 507 | This is Morocco's largest and main airport but it is horrible. We arrived from Dubai on Emirates after a 9 hour flight. Immigration lines were about an hour long even though they had several wickets open. Then they randomly screened only half the luggage. There are few stores once you get out into the arrivals hallway. Just a bunch of taxi bullying you into using them. The rail station is downstairs with few signs it is dark and dingy. Trains run every hour and people just abandon their luggage carts in the walkway by the train doors so it becomes an obstacle course to get on and off. No staff collect the carts. When we arrived by train to fly out it was just as bad. They security-screen your luggage as you enter the airport but don't seem to care if you set the metal detector off. We arrived 5 hours in advance. Most PA announcements are in French and Moroccan Arabic very few in English. The check-in opened 3 hours in advance of the flight and we got through Immigration and Customs easily enough. However the departure lounge is horrible. Over priced duty free shops and an overpriced Internet cafe ($10 per hour). There are no lounge chairs. All chairs have arms so you can not lie down across open seats. When our Lufthansa flight was boarding they funnelled everyone out into the gateway outside and then stopped us. Avoid at all costs! |
| 508 | Casablanca airport provided a very average experience. The young girls managing the check-in counters were more concerned about chatting with each other instead of checking peoples luggage in! So it took forever to check-in. It didn't get better at immigration where the locals pushed forward and tried to skip in line if they could get away with it. And again the staff took their time with checking people. The safety check was an absolute joke! Yes it was the usual as in all other airports but here the staff didn't care about people setting off the metal detector! The airport was clean and had an average amount of shops. |
| 509 | Casablanca must surely rank among the most tourist hostile airports anywhere. My wife and I arrived by Air France from CDG at 3pm and were stuck in the immigration line for 2 hours. There were a number of women with small children in the line and they too had to cool their heels until an immigration official eventually got round to processing them and eventually us. We had a driver waiting to take us to Marrakech and I feared that he might have given up. But no. Apparently this is the norm. The imigration check was somewhat "speedy." We got through in only 1 and a half hours. If Morocco is interested in increasing its tourist potential this is not the way to go. |
| 510 | Probably the worst experience of my life. Not exaggerating. Cigarette buts and stray cats everywhere. "No smoking" signs and announcements yet every single individual in the [overpriced] cafe was smoking. No accountability among employees. Spent twenty hours in the airport trying to get on a flight that I had booked. Got bounced between six different desks for hours. Seventeen-hour delays flagrant lies insults and employees and police continuously attempting to extract bribes. The shops will sell you phone cards too but all of the phones are out of order. Most of the "complimentary" WCs are half out-of-order and lacking TP. Half of the airport (T3 and the corridor toward it) are unlit unused and poorly laid out. Employees will claim to speak English and French. They don't know English and some of them hardly know French. |
| 511 | Casablanca is a terrible airport both in tems of facilities and personnel. Despite being an intercontinental airport there is bag deposit facility and no hotel. The closest one is over 3km away. The person at the information desk in the new terminal barely speaks any other language than arabic and is uninformed. When I asked the hotel phone number he didn't even have it written somewhere and had to struggle to remember it by heart! The worst is passport control: when I asked the guy to stamp a used page since I have very few empty ones for my visas he nodded and then stamped a virgin page straight away! I could not believe it! He just said: "sorry it doesn't matter anyway". |
| 512 | SWhile the new Terminal 2 is spacious clean and well equipped check in-staff are not well trained. I came to the airport and they told me I should have had a hard copy ticket not an electronic ticket and there was nothing they could do about it. I insisted they try and resolve the problem. After waiting until all passengers were checked in I asked again for help. The girl begrudgingly said she'd go to the Main Office and took a French woman passenger with her with a similar problem but told me wait there. They were gone almost an hour and I asked for help from the remaining check in desk woman on duty. She told me she had nothing to do with "my problem" so my husband explained in Arabic and asked her politely for help. She was very rude and very angry I asked her for her name. She started screaming at me "Are you the police? Are you a gendarme? I don't have to tell my name or badge number to anyone but the police." She refused to call her supervisor and continued her contemptuous and rude treatment towards me yelling at me to go sit down. The police showed up and she calmed down. The other woman then arrived with the French woman she'd helped who also had only an electronic ticket but told me the same thing again "We will put you on the plane to Lisbon and when you get there get your baggage and go find US Airways and ask them to straighten it out." The police then escorted me to the plane which was late taking off which had inconvenienced all passengers. And all this problem because they claimed the computer systems don't communicate with Lisbon/US Airways. These employees need better training in customer service or they will run everyone off eventually. |
| 513 | So crowded you couldn't move and the 3 or 4 kiosks for food packed and staffed by one or two people serving up overpriced and lackluster sandwiches mostly. There are no gate numbers on your boarding pass - I was told by an airport employee and a police officer I should go to gate 26 for my connection to Montreal. Then 1/2 hour before my boarding time a bus pulled up and the police yelled out "New York" - I just happened to ask him about my flight to Montreal and he told me to get on the aforementioned bus. This took me to the correct gate for my flight. None of this info is posted announced told to you or on your boarding pass. Only by the grace of God and the good will of surly airport staff will you get to your flight! Avoid if you can. |
| 514 | Quiet clean and organized airport. The check-in is usually done quickly without waiting. Only negative point is the customs staff that always try to get some extra money out of you by asking you to be "nice" to them. I always told them that I already spent my last MAD and maybe could help them out next time. These people should better controlled as they put a very negative image on the country. |
| 515 | The airport had seen some good and tangible improvements. The problem that needs to be urgently addressed still is transport to and from CMN especially after 2330. This is an airport and many international flights arrive at or around 2300. So please CMN operators don't leave arriving passengers at the mercy of the highly priced and notoriously disorganised taxi drivers. The rating of any airport is measured not only by new buildings and check-in counters but by other services it provides to the public such transport links their availibility and their affordability. |
| 516 | A good effort to facilitate passengers and advance tourist industry but efforts occasionally are not enough. Nobody knows what and where endless bureaucracy and delays in everything. Big surprise: on the way back to Athens August 25th 2008 departure 02:45 we had to do the check in with only 2 desks open for 250 passengers while the man on the desk was disappearing every 2 minutes or 3 to talk with colleagues and fool around. The flight was delayed because most of the passengers had not done the check in although been there 3 hours before. No duty free shop was open for travellers to spend their money. Overall impression: decent infrastructure average to law quality services. |
| 517 | Casablanca Airport is a huge surprise. I had expected something less fanciful only to meet a well run and neat airport. Clearing customs in a large bright room lit by natural sunlight is comforting. It is a little darker at baggage claim and the arrival hall is more sombre than the departure. There are some money changers and unfortunately along came the touts as well. The train station is right below the airport and train service is 1 train per hour into the city (30-40 mins). The International Departure Hall on the other hand is modern bright and spiffy and again clearing customs is a breeze. My only grouse - the check-in rows and customs are far apart so a fair bit of walking is involved. The gates are clearly marked and easy to get to and eateries and cafes are fairly easily located. |
| 518 | Reasonable airport seemed efficient clean and friendly. Arrived in the evening and had to wait over an hour for the last train to Casablanca- Voyageurs which was annoying and there was no early train which arrived in time for my return flight early in the morning so I was forced to spent the night in the airport! Plenty of guards made the place seem secure found a couple of soft mats on which I managed to get some rest. All procedures were smooth check-in passport control and boarding by bus. |
| 519 | Although Royal Air Morac tries to make CMN appear as one the up to date modern connecting hubs it isn't quite there. With one 767 coming in from JFK it took more than an hour to get the whole group of passengers through. And when making a connection on the way out the waiting area isn't really up to date either. The airport is not non smoking and if you don't like to be swarmed by second hand smoke it makes it tough. The food choices again arent really up to good modern standards. But with hat said those are really the only negatives I can think of at CMN. Its got cool duty free shopping. |
| 520 | In transit between flights from Bamako to Lyon and return. Overall a cosey airport fairly clean and with comfortable seats. Many nice duty free shops with plenty of local handicraft and jewelry. On the minus side: most shops close at night and half the public 'Maroc Telecom' telephone booths don't work properly. |
| 521 | Having arrived at Casablanca from Montreal in the early hours I was wanting coffee. I had no local currency and neither did the cafe have change. I was treated to not one but two free cups of excellent espresso. This doesn't happen very often in this world we live in. This is an airport that practices humanity. |
| 522 | Filthy chaotic poorly managed and miserable. Expected to queue at check-in/bag drop and that was only for 5 minutes but the queue for security had to be seen to be believed and made even worse by ignorant people trying to jump in the queue claiming they only had five minutes (but were then seen the other side drinking). It was then bedlam at the departure gate with two flights "queuing" at adjacent gates and incoherent announcements. Such an appalling end to a beautiful holiday. Airports should be clean there should be soap toilet paper and regular emptying of bins in toilets and proper organisation at security and departure gates all of which was sorely lacking at Catania. |
| 523 | Have just come back from our first holiday in Sicily - arriving and departing from Catania. Arrived at Catania Airport this morning with 2 hours prior to departure time to be greeted with complete and utter chaos caused by overflow in the airport check in security queues. Average queue time of over 2.5 hours to get through airport security - queues of over 300 deep! People missing their flights and lots of friction between passengers due to queue jumping and lack of staff in managing the situation. We only managed to catch our flight as we stumbled across an alternative queue reserved for solo passengers. Situation not acceptable nor sustainable and the airport management seriously need to address this issue. Security staff looked incredibly weary and I would have concerns as to whether this affected their ability to perform the necessary security checks. |
| 524 | We travelled during the busiest holiday period in August and this airport was completely inadequate and ill equipped to deal with it. There was no crowd management with long and disorganised queues at check in and security. People were pushing in and weaving in and out all the time. It was so bad that other passengers used their phones to film people cutting in the queues as evidence. There should have been more staff on duty and more desks open to deal with the crowds. Hardly ideal after a 2 and a half hour coach journey from the hotel. Also not enough toilets and very few meal options in the departure lounge plus not enough seating at our gate. |
| 525 | On arrival and departure I used the toilets they were the worst that I have ever used in any airport. There was no soap in dispensers. Looking at the general condition of these toilets and wash areas they looked as if they had never been adequately cleaned. A total disgrace. Management should be ashamed. |
| 526 | Totally under resourced. Bar and catering airside very poor. About 5 tables to eat at! VIP lounge poor as noted elsewhere poorly air conditioned few drinks and poor food. Airlines should not support it! Travelling with British Airways. |
| 527 | Quite the worst organised airport it has ever been my misfortune to visit. Only 2 security gates open at busy time and queues backing through the doors. No information and staff denying there is any problem. Little better after security cleared with poor experience at the gate. All in all - dreadful! |
| 528 | What a dreadful place. Light and airy airport but shocking facilities and the VIP lounge is incredibly bad and nothing but a terrible rip off for those who have paid to upgrade. The VIP lounge is tiny the day I visited there was a surly girl on the desk making a private phone call who seemed most annoyed that I requested the Wi-fi password which then didn't work. A few packet of crisps and a tall glass fridge with three bottles of water and a handful of bottles of orange juice. That isn't what people pay VIP fees for. No alcohol and no food and two day old newspapers. The toilets in the VIP lounge were filthy and the toilet roll holder in the ladies isn't even next to the toilet. Someone had also been smoking in the loo. The bars and shops in the airport are incredibly expensive. You can't wait to get out of this place. Once you go through passport control there aren't enough seats for passengers waiting to board so people sit on the floors. |
| 529 | Spacious with lots of seats. Shops are of standard number and quality. The VIP lounge upstairs is clean and tidy. Small but with good view of the apron but the drinks selection is limited to soft drinks and no food other than some miserable crisps. 2 newspapers and a magazine and that was it. |
| 530 | New terminal is a nice spacious building with plenty of check-in desks and several security gates the queuing times are very low. Unfortunately there are no adequate seating facilities toilets are usually almost clean but not so easy to get to there are only a few shops and places to buy food that open quite late in the morning. Staff is not so friendly and speaks only Italian. Once passport control was closed and we had to wait a few moments for the policeman to open. Never had problems with the luggage though. |
| 531 | Have had the misfortune to visit this airport on several occasions and have to agree with other comments regarding the filthy state of the place lack of customer service and very limited options for purchasing a meal. Last night we travelled from Catania to Malta and as usual it was filthy dirty the check-in staff surly and the icing on the cake was that the runway was closed for 3 and a half hours (no reason given for this) we has to sit and wait for 5 interminable hours with everything closed - no shops or bars to break the monotony- really not what you expect at all. |
| 532 | New terminal same old problems: I was looking forward to arrive and depart from the newly opened airport terminal. It looks impressive from the outside but once you are inside it is dirty and badly maintained. Arrived on Swiss from Zurich. Even as we were the only flight at that moment baggage handlers needed over 45 minutes to get all the luggage out of on the carousel. Flight was early which led to the fact that no one was available to operate the passenger bridge. Had to wait on the plane for approximately 10 minutes. Long walk over to the rental-car-offices along the old terminal where beggars and strolling dogs have taken over. Departure - overcrowded departure area. Windows and public toilets dirty. Staff unfriendly and uninterested. The only thing that really worked was the air-conditioning in the building. Overpriced cafés and bars. Catania airport hasn't improved a bit it is still filthy overcrowded and chaotic. |
| 533 | As Sicily's busiest airport CTA was recently given a totally new terminal building: light airy and pleasant. The building itself is where the positives end. The facility is hopelessly inadequate. There are good dining options upstairs and they can be reached by an escalator at the very far south end of the terminal that is is you can make your way past the thronging check-in queues. Looking for the toilet? Back downstairs you go and through a labyrinthine corridor and you will find them but if they are not closed for cleaning they will be reduced to an unusable state. Once you make it past the interminable queue for the security check be sure to keep an eye on the one central FID. Announcements regarding delays or gate changes (for those flights lucky enough to be parked at a gate) simply do not exist. Seating and toilet facilities airside are extremely limited and you will almost certainly have to take a bus to your aircraft on a stand-off bay. If you are arriving be in no hurry to get to the baggage carousel |
| 534 | If you want a nice building with service in the dark ages Catania is for you. Went to get a coffee - closed for 10 minutes while they mopped the floor you could have been served over the counter in the area not being mopped but clearly that option didn't occur to the staff. Decided to use the toilet - closed for 10 minutes while they cleaned the floor - so walked to the other end of the airport. Went to go through passport control - closed for 10 minutes (make that 30 but 10 minutes is Sicilian for a delay of indeterminate length) the reason being the departure lounge is only big enough for the passengers of one aircraft so they only let that many through passport control at once. Still not much point in getting to the departure lounge too early as there are minimal facilities that side anyway (toilet small duty free shop only good for non eec flights and a vending machine) |
| 535 | Used this airport 7 times in the last 3 years. Its a little dingy as a first impression. Its small and not enough seats and the seats available are metal and hard. The carpet needs replacing urgently. There are a couple of overpriced shops for gifts and food but nothing special. The route through from plane to outside is usually very quick and much less stressful than Manila. Departure tax was php550 and it was too much. I believe the amount has now increased substantially. At the end of this form it asks"would you recommend this Airport?" Of course, there is no other! |
| 536 | Cebu Mactan is one of the better airports I have used. The staff are pleasant in all situations that may arise and extremely helpful. I see derogatory comments on here about the cleanliness Cebu airport from English travelers, they should look at their own airports first before commenting, most airports in UK are filthy especially Heathrow. Cebu is one of the most pleasant travel experiences you could wish for after a long haul flight, or of course the beginning of one. I would agree there are a lack of restaurants but this is a comparatively small international airport that is gradually growing. |
| 537 | An excellent experience, with alighting from the aircraft through immigration, collecting my bag and proceeding through customs to a taxi outside taking less than 15 minutes. The only downside is that relatives and friends are made to wait outside in what can be hot and (in the rainy season) humid conditions, rather than the airconditioned terminal. A contract has been awarded for a new international terminal so whether that construction adversely affects the existing terminals remains to be seen. Overall a great experience: if only Melbourne and Sydney in Australia were like this! Consider using Cebu for international arrivals and departures instead of Manila if at all possible with flight schedules. |
| 538 | Once again I arrived at the airport amazingly I love the fact that getting off the plane and picking up my luggage took approximately 10 minutes. Immigration is the same picking up the luggage is the same nothing has changed the sad thing is my partner has to wait outside the airport and isn't allow inside the airport. As I have mentioned before it is excellent to arrive. Now departures is an entirely different matter you have to go through two security checks pay the departure tax which I think is pretty disgusting especially since they have increased it from PHP550 to PHP750 and the Cathay Pacific Lounge is pretty awful with extremely limited food and drinks and very dated. The duty free shops is expensive there is only one souvenir shop with some sort of food (admittedly I have never eaten there) a small smoking bar the washroom facilities are pretty basic too. The departure lounge itself is extremely basic hard uncomfortable seats. I been told it is now in private hands yes I noticed some lick of paints and small constructions going on but not impress at all. I am really looking forward to the new Bohol airport opening soon as I spend most of my time in Bohol. |
| 539 | I have been using cebu airport over many years as I travel from Cebu to Dumaguete City by way of land/ferry. It used to be chaotic in the old days but steadily and surely its getting better I went through the airport Dec 2014 Jan 2015 coming in is good no big crowds and it does not take long to get to the baggage pick up and main entrance (for those of you that get ripped off by taxis the fare to Cebu city center is P200). But the outward flight I was surprised at the check in area a few new shops a coffee shop which is welcomed and a few new souvenir type shops but still very limited for food. Have a meal before you get there! Staff are very good the porters for a small tip will do everything for you push your luggage and get you in the check out line - they are a great help and always cheerful. In short if you can avoid Manila do so as Manila airport is the worst. While Cebu is so quiet after a long haul flight and outside the taxi service and approach is managed well. If you are used to the Philippines you know how to be patient if you are new to it just show up and do not get agitated and keep smiling. |
| 540 | This Airport is supposed to be in the hands of a private company after they won a bidding to take it over but you would hardly think so as there are only cosmetic changes like a bit of paint and posters. I flew out of this airport recently and you have the same chaos at the x-ray machines just to get into the check-in area. There is even less seating than before in this area before you check in and you see people all over sitting on the floor waiting for the check-in counter to open. After check-in you have another x-ray machine with staff who really couldn't care. All the seating is still the same cold uninviting metal chairs. The toilets are still filthy and no maintenance on the one I visited. Its a small airport but this private operator is definitely not up to the mark in terms of making it a pleasant experience for passengers. The food stalls etc.. are very expensive for what you get so gave that a miss. The only saving grace was the free Wi-Fi that actually worked along with this airport being better than NAIA T1. |
| 541 | As usual entering Cebu Airport is brilliant as it only took me less than 10 minutes from leaving Cathay Pacific to leaving the airport. However I made a mistake I was approached by a taxi driver and I ended up paying double the fare nobody warned me about this. Lounge at Cebu airport is OK but could be improved. Some changes seem to be happening it seem cleaner however the departure lounge is pretty awful. This time I am rewarding it a 7 5 as it is excellent in leaving the airport but this time I have rewarded an extra 2 point on leaving as I met a wonderful immigration officer and chatted about Cebu Airport. Next year they are set to improve the departure and extra shops and reckon it will be finish in 4 years. |
| 542 | Both the domestic and international sections are adequate overall. I've been through this airport 8 times in the past year and it is generally a stress-free experience. It is clean the queues are usually not bad the security / customs / immigration / airline officials are polite and the air conditioning just about right for everyone (judging by the lack of people either fanning themselves or shivering). There are quite a few shops but they mostly sell the same things and travellers shouldn't rely on them for books magazines or puzzles. The smoking area in the check in area is fine but the one in the departure area is best avoided unless you're really desperate. There doesn't seem to be free wi-fi (or if there is it isn't working). |
| 543 | I have written several reviews. It is a brilliant airport to use when you arrive particularly if you are a premium traveller. From the moment I landed and got through immigration and picked up my luggage it took 6 minutes (admittedly with the assistant of the fabulous Cathay Pacific staff who led me through to the immigration first). The only issue I have is my poor friend has to wait outside the building. On my return to Cebu after checking in very quickly and paying my departure tax of 550 peso (honestly where does the money go) and through to the Cathay Pacific VIP lounge not bad but no hot breakfast something they should consider though. Then through to departure waiting lounge luckily the wait was only 10 minutes but plastic seats. There is talk of a new airport with 5 star facilities but I been told it wont be ready until 2030. I given it a 5 as it is excellent in entering Cebu but no points in leaving as lack of facilities. |
| 544 | Traveled from SIN and arrived at around 4am and had a connecting flight to Boracay 3 hours later - nowhere to sit useless wifi mosquitoes everywhere. One of my worst connections ever. The only good thing was the painless and quick passport check but that's it. Departure Quick security process and passport check the only thing I didn't like was the exit tax. Where is the tax money going? Definitely not to improve the airport. |
| 545 | I arrived from London via Hong Kong and as I was flying business class the whole procedure from getting off the plane luggage and passport control took less than 15 minutes very impressive however I hated the idea that people who wish to meet their friends or families at airport including mine were made to wait outside the airport in all kind of weather to me that is like treating them like 2nd class citizen. Apart from that I love arriving at Cebu as I know I be out so quickly. |
| 546 | Pleasantly surprised by the business lounge which is quite good for such a small and behind the time airport. However I do have several criticisms. 1: Why do I have to pay for departure tax as far as I am aware it only the Philippines that does this and I am not convinced that the money will go to improve the airport. 2: Lack of shops. 3: I would have thought there would be a better seats for business class and first class passenger again the departure terminal looks tired and unclean and the seats are not that comfortable either. |
| 547 | Cebu International Airport has changed a lot and for the better. It's small and efficient. Exiting the airport is smoother and hadn't been hassled anymore by airport staff asking for freebies and asserting to help with your luggage even if you don't want to mainly to ask for tips. It's quick and smoother so well done. |
| 548 | I arrived at Cebu airport to leave for HKG and then onto London. (My last report was 3 weeks earlier on arrival this one is departing). The main part of the airport was buzzing and a nice selection of shops however once checking in I was so surprise that I had to pay departure tax and had no pesos on me luckily I had English money but I suspect I got rip off with the lousy exchange rates. Why on earth do I have to pay this departure tax wasn't happy about this at all. There is one restaurant at the departure lounge and it is very expensive had to sit in the large waiting area where the seats was dirty and very uncomfortable 3 hours of boredom no cheap drinks either. |
| 549 | This is the first report of me arriving in Cebu after a long flight from London to Hong Kong I was very please to get off the plane and find my luggage was already waiting and straight to passport and out all in 20 minutes however a little surprise how quite the airport was but had not realise that my friends were waiting for me outside the airport. |
| 550 | The international departures terminal does not have much to offer some snack shops money change souvenirs and a restaurant none if which accept credit cards. The seats are not very comfortable. If you have to kill between flights I'd recommend going across the road to the Waterfront Hotel. From the front of the international departures building cross the road and walk up the stairs where you see the sign for the There is a restaurant in the lobby which is a more comfortable place to wait they accept credit card and provide access to free wifi. |
| 551 | Small airport with very expensive duty free shops that only accepts USD. Not worth it to shop in there at all when you know you are obviously paying a premium. A lot of taxi touts once you step out of the airport. Airport is old and run down with nothing to shop in there. No cosmetics or alcohol duty free shops. Worst thing is that you have to pay an airport fee of PHP550. This is the only airport which I've been made to pay an airport fee for goodness knows what. There is also no wifi in this airport. |
| 552 | For a rather small but busy airport it's efficiently run. Friendly staff too expensive so called tax free shops extremely expensive to drink a beer after check in and security. More convenient then NAIA. Could use an upgrade but there seem to be plans to build a new import in nearby Cordova. Knowing how things go in Philippines this will probably be in 2025. Better to pay 550 pesos airport tax in Cebu then 750 pesos in Manila. |
| 553 | Departures is the saddest and most horrible airport I have ever used. The lower bar has been re-set in my estimate. You have to pay PHP550 each 'extra tax' regardless of what you already paid in the ticket. Only one little duty free which I thought was overpriced there is a small store selling a few snacks one restaurant where they make it clear that they do not accept credit cards. Most people walk out when they see the prices. After much tinkering I did manage to get the free wifi working. Quite a shock after visiting such a lovely country. |
| 554 | Arrived on an evening flight from Manila that was delayed. All good on arrival luggage and disembarking quick. International departure was good. A little crowded as a couple of flights were leaving but through to check-in quickly. Staff at the Cathay desk were friendly and helpful. No long queues. Aerobridges always help as does a 747 with 3 seats to myself! |
| 555 | Look like the airport is stuck in the 1980s. Too brown and too dark the ambience is not appropriate for a city known for its beaches and clear skies. Fairly clean halls but the toilets need a little more scrubbing. Very few dining options. An upgrade or a new terminal must be in order. |
| 556 | The airport is small so it's easy to navigate. Used the domestic area of the airport and it was a good experience. Check-In hall was old but very clean and spacious. Security was okay we had to pay the terminal fee as usual. Departure gates were rather spacious and cozy. The best part was the free internet and the computer stations! It was fast and I was able to go on facebook and check my emails. There were an ample amount of restaurants and shops and the staff was rather friendly. I much prefer Cebu than Manila it's small manageable and the experience is less stressful. |
| 557 | Used Mactan-Cebu International Airport Sept 2nd 2010 close to 12 midday (incoming) and Sept 22 2010 and again around 12 midday (outgoing). Small yes but I liked that. Very few shops. After check in and passing customs and all that it was no problem of leaving airport building to smoke a ciggy. Plus be aware you have to pay PHP 550 on departure (airport tax?). What struck me most as odd that upon arrival there was no soul in arrivals. I've learned that in case you have no plane ticket you can not enter airport building. So those who will pick you up are outside the airport building waiting for you. On both occasions I did not experience any hassles. |
| 558 | This is a nice small airport and arrival and departure managed in a breeze. Arrival with luggage through immigration and my greeting party in about 20 minutes from an international flight. Leaving is a bit more problematic as you check in and then come back through security but it works ok and staff are very friendly and helpful albeit it will cost you a tip. |
| 559 | Used it 14 times within the last year twice internationally. The smallness of it is nice you are quick everywhere - international arrival/departure was swifter and nicer than Manila NAIA. Few shops. After check-in you can leave the terminal again to wait outside or in the restaurants. |
| 560 | Decent for a smaller airport. After trying to navigate through larger airports for years I have learned to appreciate smallness in an airport. True not much selection for shopping but I don't go to an airport to shop. I really love the fact that its easy to get from one part of the terminal to the other. Once you clear customs you are right on the street where you can easily hail a taxi to take you into town. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this place. |
| 561 | Cebu Airport is Okay as an airport but really very very small and gets very boring let alone the stuff you want to buy that are at least 10 times more expensive than in the city. I had to wait for 3 hours before boarding my flight to Manila we had to change our gate 2 times and it was the most boring time in my life. |
| 562 | First time experience at Cebu. We arrived by boat at 6am and went straight to the airport as we didnt have the funds to go roaming around we on our voyage home. It was disappointing we were not able to check in our bags and the atmosphere was like a deserted town everything just about closed. Seating uncomfortable also. Once check in opened for our flight it was a breeze going through. The next trip I had the best customer service I could get. Due to traffic we had arrived as the plane was boarding. They accepted me on the flight rushed my bags to the plane and rushed me through immigration. This would happen for a second time on next departure. Once again we was rushed to the plane and we departed for Malaysia. This displays great commitment to not leave anyone behind. Facilities of the airport are a little bit disappointing. There are no chain food restaurants at the airport and not much available after you have passed immigration. I would give 5 stars for the customer service but its let down by the actual airport. An upgrade is needed for potential expansion as I would prefer flying into Cebu rather than Manila as Cebu is peaceful and calm at the airport all it needs is an update. |
| 563 | Cebu is a more convenient and less hassled entry point to the Philippines than Manila. Taxi travel to and from Cebu's CBD is efficient aided by the two bridges in lieu of the former one connecting Mactan and Cebu islands. Provided one arrives on an airline like SilkAir that flies at off-peak times to Cebu immigration queues can be non-existent. However leaving can be a different story with a 20 minute queue to obtain entry to the checkin area and then a 25 minute wait in the mid afternoon through immigration. Cebu's beautiful resorts are popular with Koreans so make sure that the departure time of your flight does not coincide with flights to Seoul or Pusan - you will not be able to get to your gate in five minutes. The restricted entry to checkin is designed to stop hordes of well wishes from clogging checkin but it does add a delay not found in many other non- Filipino airports. There is a limited range of shops once through immigration and they do not stock basics like 'load' for a local cellphone - so come prepared with snacks if need be. It is possible once you have checked in to hand in your boarding pass and re-enter the 'outside world' but you do have to then queue to go through security to the checkin area so some may conclude it is not worth the hassle to bid a final goodbye to family friends or business associates. |
| 564 | Mactan airport is very okay but relatively small with less than 10 gates and looks like it has seen better days. Since Cebu tourism is booming at times the airport is overcrowded. No place to shop and eat apart from the souvenir shops and cheap donuts. Immigration was fast though and people are nice. The airport seems very laid back though which is good. Definitely better than Manila airport. Tip: on arrival go to the departure areas for a cab because the arrival coupon taxis are way more expensive. |
| 565 | This Airport especially late at night at the international departures is now overloaded with passengers taking flights that the queues have become horrendous both at the first security check before you get to the check in. The it takes 45 mins now just to clear immigration & another 15-20mins to go through another security check before you reach your gate. Now plans are in place to expand the international terminal & at this time of night its like a zoo. Don't bother buying from the Duty Free as the prices are sky high & you could have bought these cheaper in town. |
| 566 | Totally agree with Dirk Visser. Really bad airport very dirty. Absolutely nothing to do after immigration (no shops very limited seats) so don't pass immigration too early. Only one shop with extremely limited selection. Don't plan to buy anything there you must be self sufficient until you get on the plane (bring your Ipod and your own water/food). Very surprising that the airport is still so sub- standard although so many tourists are going to Cebu (which is beautiful by the way). A pity. Might be better than Manila (haven't been to Manila in 4 years) but that does not say much. |
| 567 | We flew into and out of Cebu-Mactan Airport in November of this year. We arrived quite late from HKG and had to wait quite a while for immigration to process our full flight together with a PAL flight from Japan. Luggage claim area was like stepping back in time....a bit dodgy but ok. Leave the terminal and you are literally bombarded left and right by taxi drivers and money exchangers. Leaving was a different story. The check-in desks for the international departures are behind doors that are kept locked until a few hours before departure which means you are sitting in a rather dingy terminal until your airline is ready to check you in. Security is a joke but that didn't surprise us after being in the Philippines. Once you check in you have the option of going through to the gate or back into the main terminal. We were told to go to immigration and were surprised with the fact that we had to pay an airport tax P 550 or $ 11. Once through passport control you are at the gates. There is ONE store: Phlilippes Duty Free (total rip- off and joke) and two cafeterias which were asking ridiculous amounts for everything on the menu. As the gate area was kept closed you wait in a huge area behind passport control just behind passport control. We had a laugh as we stood (there were only 5 chairs) behind the passport control people who were playing video games on their computers. That explains why they snarled at us when we arrived! We interrupted them!!!! Other than stand and wait you can be massaged by ladies that await you when you clear immigration who bother you even when you barely look in their direction. So for those travelling to this prison- turned-airport do not clear immigration too early as there is nothing to do! Facilities are way under par but being the Philippines it shouldn't come as a surprise. |
| 568 | Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) is a much better entry point to the Philippines than Ninoy Aquino (unless your final destination is Manila of course). However despite the fact that Cebu is the second-largest city in the Philippines there is nothing overly impressive about its airport. I arrived at CEB on a domestic flight and was quite surprised how desolate the terminal was. This was in stark contrast to what was waiting just outside. For a flight of 60 or so people it seemed like the whole city of Cebu was waiting to greet us in the "welcoming area". I stuck out like a sore thumb being the only Cacuasian around but never once felt threatened by the smiling faces of Filipinos. I was immediately greeted by a sonata of sales pitches as taxi reps competed for my business. I gently waved them off since I was waiting to meet my friend. They were persistent but not obnoxious. The availability of transportation is not a problem at CEB but you will need to learn the art of negotiation to avoid being charged unfairly. Thankfully my friend is quite skilled in these matters and we never had to pay an elevated fare. A few weeks later I left from the international terminal at CEB for a flight to HKG. I don't remember much about my actual impressions of this terminal since I was contemplating a heartbreaking goodbye to my friend. However I do remember that the security line was not long at all and the entire process of getting my boarding pass and clearing customs took about 15 minutes max. The airport workers were quite friendly except of course for the customs official. CEB is a utilitarian airport and nothing more. It helps you get around the Philippines and S.E. Asia but luxurious it is not. It does however have a much more friendly feel than NAIA and Manila's domestic terminal. |
| 569 | This is a small international airport. The approach to the terminal is not very impressive. The food selection and stores outside the security check area have very few selections compared to other international airports of comparable size. Security check line is short and the process efficient. Once inside the terminal is bereft of quality food outlets. There are few stores that sell souvenirs and indigenous food items to take home. We stayed inside Philippine Airlines business class lounge so we avoided the large crowd outside. The public restrooms are not well maintained. To get inside the boarding area each passenger must pay an airport departure tax payable in cash. The boarding area is too small for the Airbus A330-300 that PAL uses for its Cebu-Manila flights. |
| 570 | Airport of Cebu is very laid back style. But it makes me feel more convenient than to go Manila airport. There are 4 international airlines to choose from - Cathay Silk Air Malaysia Airlines and Qatar airways. Its hassle free airport and when it comes to transportation lots of taxi outside the airport. And two big hotel near the airport - Waterfront Mactan hotel and Days hotel. |
| 571 | I have never expected that a small-scale airport can be able to provide outstanding and extensive services to travellers. The airport was very clean and tidy, and everything in the terminal was well organised. Incredibly large number of facilities including an observation public bath. A wide choice of restaurants was available and the prices were reasonable. The sky deck was very large and great for phototaking. Airport signs were very clear and staff were always eager to help travellers. Convenient access to the city centre. The airport gave us a great impression upon our first visit to Nagoya. |
| 572 | Connected through this airport with Delta. It seems slightly older and smaller than Narita. Passing through security was quick and painless. The place is clean and has an open and bright feeling. There are standard airport shopping opportunities if you are interested. The meal options seemed severely limited which would be my only real complaint however I believe it is a large complaint because airplane food is awful. |
| 573 | Good small airport for a short transit. Not as big as NRT which makes it not as daunting. Small shopping selection but pretty good food. Efficient staff and quick security measures makes transit quite painless. |
| 574 | I used Nagoya as a transit airport between Indonesia and USA. Quick arrival procedures. Everything was well signed in Japanese and English. Transfer desk was unmanned but I bypassed as I already had boarding pass for connecting flight. Security was fast and polite. Terminal was clean and orderly. My flight was delayed by 10 hours. Terminal has high ceilings and big windows looking out over ramp providing an open feeling. Clean restrooms. Only 1 restaurant which only takes Japanese Yen and a Starbucks but there are several money exchange booths. I did not find an ATM anywhere. Lots of duty-free and high-end shops but only one very poorly stocked news stand. Free Internet throughout airport both via wifi and several laptop stations with Ethernet power plugs chair and light. Lots of vending machines throughout but only take Yen. |
| 575 | We flew into Nagoya Airport with the intent of catching the bullet train to Tokyo. Definitely need more english signs in the transportation areas. We went on the train into Nagoya first went to the front nice and plenty of seats lots of smokers though |
| 576 | Nagoya Airport is an impressive building with a nice selection of shops and restaurants. However be prepared for excessive immigration queues fairly rude check-in staff and exceptionally brusque (indifferent at best) customs officers. Perhaps I just passed through on 2 occasions when everyone was having a bad day! Just don't expect much from the staff! |
| 577 | If you have the benefit of arriving there you'll be pleased with the smooth flow of passport control and customs. Plenty of staff on hand to assist even some volunteers to help you when you come out of customs if you don't speak much Japanese. The local impeccable train network is a 5 min walk from customs where you can connect right into Nagoya city within 30minutes. Departing out of Centrair the fourth floor is full of interesting places to shop and eat. So much space in the airport it's spotless. Skydeck is a treat and favorite is the sento (Japanese public bath) right up there on the fourth floor. |
| 578 | I have been though the new Nagoya Airport a handful of times which took over from the old and tired Komaki airport. Overall it is much better than the old airport being clean and relatively spacious. There is a small food court with a limited selection of food (western and Japanese) as well as high brand stores. Staff are very polite and my experience through customs and immigration has been excellent. We did sometimes have to wait a while but we were treated very well by staff which is a highlight of customer service in Japan. The airport has frequent connections (every 15 mins) to Nagoya city via the dedicated Meitetsu airport train which is wonderful. Cost (one way) for the Limited Express (25 mins) is 1100 yen / $11 and the Express (35 mins) is 830 yen / $8. You have both premium cars and standard cars I would go for the premium since there are less people and the interior is very nice but the standard is fine though often crowded. A decent airport. |
| 579 | Nagoya Centrair (Chubu) has one fantastic characteristic that we almost never ever see anymore today: a great open-air rooftop deck allowing for great views on the tarmac and runways. The airport building itself is pleasant and has many food courts before security but only a handful of (very expensive) shops and one disappointing restaurant beyond security. The departure gates area is very clean and relaxing but boring except for the big windows to watch planes and enjoy the view of the bay . It takes about 45min (and 110 USD) by taxi from the airport to downtown Nagoya. |
| 580 | The new Centrair airport is a vast improvement on the old Komaki airport which had all the charm of a bus-stop. However it's newness seems to be the only thing it has over the previous airport. It's design is almost exactly the same as Komaki's. The check-in and arrival areas are not that much bigger than Komaki's except there is a small shopping area and foodcourt upstairs. The shops in this area tend to be mostly high-end brand name vendors and the foodcourt is so small you can hardly ever get a seat there. In fact seating seems to be an issue in centrair. In the check-in area also there really aren't that many places to sit down and wait. This is different when you proceed through passport control and enter the departure area. It's huge and spacious. A lot of room here which is nice but it's also very empty. There are very few places to get food drinks or duty-free shopping. I had the over-all impression that perhaps the departure area of centrair is a bit too big. I was there during the christmas/new-year period yet there were hardly any flights leaving. Overall centrair is a good clean and spacious(on the departure side) airport. No problems with check-in arrival and baggage claim. It still feels a bit utilitarian though. Despite being new it's only a slight improvement. After using Komaki several times I was looking forward to a new and improved Nagoya airport. Centrair is an improvement but not much of one I'm afraid. I've never used Kansai yet but all the airports I've used in Japan to date tend to be no more than a place to check-in and simply just wait for your flight. Nothing more nothing less. Centrair is no different really. In the future I'll stick to Narita as it 's a similar distance for me to travel to. |
| 581 | Centrair is an amazing airport and far better than the old Nagoya airport. The airport's access to downtown is very efficient and convenient but lacks enough foreign language staff to help foreigners in need. Centrair's top floor is divided into a Japanese and Western areas. the Japanese side sells local foods and products. The Western side has a wide variety of restaurants ranging from French to Korean. Shops range from last minute to luxury. One of its great options is a Japanese Hot Spring bath - but the wait time is close to 1.5 hours. The departure area is very clean and relaxing but lacks small shops or cafes for getting that last minute thing. The DFS is all luxury goods and lacks local products. Luckily it has nice big windows to watch planes come and go and enjoy the view of the bay. The departure area has multiple internet connection tables but require users to be members of certain providers. Several locations are wireless and free for everyone. Transfering between International and Domestic is a simple walk after going through customs. Chubu International Airport is a great place and in my opinion better than Narita for convenience to a downtown area and better than Kansai for ease of use and shopping. This airport is a destination all its own. |
| 582 | Current Nagoya Airport is just clean. That's all. All of facilities shops and staffs are filled with so many problems. I am Japanese so it's no problem. But as for passengers from outside countries it is big PROBLEM and big HEADACHE. The first when you get off the airplane immigration tests your patience. (almost every "foreigner" looks like complaint obviously) they immigration staffs speak worse English with grumpy face. The second when you go out of airport for transportation Far less English signs are waiting for you. Mentioning to departure in the common area there are few food shops and shopping stores - bad and expensive. Besides All goods of them is for Japanese. According to the government and Nagoya local government Next year 2005 they will complete to architect "New Nagoya Airport (We call 'New Chubu Int'l Airport') " at the seashore in Tokoname town. To be physically far from the Nagoya center - it is no doubt. Probably as the same as Narita and Kansai new airport will put facilities food shops and immigration staffs who speak worse English. This is the very nightmare. Awful. Terrible. |
| 583 | A terrible airport. Nowhere near enough facilities staff or processes to cope with the peak demand. An awful experience which ruined the holiday. Snow on runway caused major delays and backed up flights in UK - in the Alps? In the winter? Why should this have been a surprise? Limited snow clearing equipment. This airport should not be allowed to operate as a tourist airport for high volume of ski flights. Staff flustered passengers under pressure and tempers flaring. A horrible horrible experience but one for which there is little alternative choice with Crystal Ski to the Mont Blanc area. Unfortunately - same airport destination already booked for next year (prior to this horrific experience). 4.5 hours in slow moving road traffic to arrive at airport for 10 hour delay with what seemed like thousands and thousands of other similarly angry people. Read many reviews since which all give similar warnings over a long period of time - what do we have to say differently to prompt some dignified changes to this facility's operation? Avoid if you can. |
| 584 | This is by far the worst airport experience I have ever had. I have travelled extensively to some pretty remote places but this one is by far the worst. 1 hour queue to check in with no more than 10 parties in front of us. When we got there he had no record of our ski equipment been booked for carriage though I showed him the document which plainly showed it had so he had to call his supervisor. The check in itself was makeshift with half a dozen tee shirt clad youths throwing bags onto trolleys once finally checked in. Then another queue for security. Few trays to put things in when you got to the departure area (4 gates) it was completely full. I suspect there were at least a thousand people in a room designed for 200. When we arrived we had to circle for 30 minutes as there was no where to put us. There are tent like structures all around the terminal building serving as arrival security baggage halls etc. the main issue seems to be greed in that they are taking far more flights than the airport can handle. Avoid at all costs. |
| 585 | Chambery Airport is a disgrace! Every flight in and out delayed by 1 hour. Very limited seating very poor services (1 restaurant and snack bar). The departure lounge is just one big room (with 4 so called departure gates) where all different flight passengers just stand around mixed in hoping to be near their gate - utter chaos. Avoid using Chambery Airport at all cost - go somewhere different and if skiing in La Plagne/Les Arc area use Geneva airport. This airport just cannot cope with more than a few planes a day! |
| 586 | A total disaster which spoiled the holiday. Wildly over congested seating very limited and passengers sleeping all over the floor. Flight information on two screens only horrific queues for check in and immigration. Avoid at all costs and the extra transfer time from Grenoble Geneva etc more than makes up for the horrible experience that is Chambery. |
| 587 | Terribly congested airport especially ski resort changeover delays. Always delays as only limited capacity for airliners in landing parking weight restrictions etc. Cant find seats no room to sit on floors litter everywhere toilets overflowing with urine no proper information and facilities unable to cope. A usual Saturday experience according to our Crystal rep. This airport is a health and safety disaster. Travel companies should put pressure on Chambery authorities to expand and improve facilities. Until then use elsewhere - Grenoble Lyons or Geneva or try other countries as it is a horrible experience. |
| 588 | Extremely congested during the arrival and departure of weekend ski flights. Neither the arrivals area nor the departures area are physically big enough to cater for the number of customers trying to get through. Very subject to weather delays: day before we arrived most flights were diverted to Grenoble. We were processed (!) efficiently in both directions and will probably use the airport again due to the shorter transfer times to resorts than from GVA or LYS. |
| 589 | Small airport at the base of the French Alps catering mainly for British skiing flights during the winter season. Facilities very limited |
| 590 | CZX is a small domestic airport (however a new big terminal is being constructed nearby) with basic facilities (and no milk at a coffee shop). Efficient check-in although boarding is little disorganized as you have to walk to the airplane. Not much to do apart from couple of souvenir and grocery/travel stuff stores airside |
| 591 | The worst airport I have ever experienced. We arrived two hours before our flight which we assumed would be ample time but alarm bells began to ring when we saw massive queues everywhere both outside and inside the terminal. When we found the check in desk although the queue was not that long the check in person took a ridiculous amount of time to deal with each party so it took ages to reach the front of the queue. We then discovered that we had to join another queue to have the bags x- rayed! After that we queued again to get through security and this was a free for all with no system at all and the staff again were really slow and didn't seem to care at all. By the time we finally reached the gate the whole process had taken over one and a half hours! Had we arrived at the airport much later we easily could have missed our flight altogether! The airport clearly neither has the staff nor the capacity to deal with the amount of traffic it receives and is a shambles more akin to airports of the 1960's. This experience means we are very unlikely to ever visit Crete again and this is a shame as the island has much to offer. Since the island is very much tourist dependent the authorities need to get a grip on this problem as it is a disgrace. |
| 592 | Arriving from Amsterdam the baggage arrived quickly. Very long queues even outside waiting to depart interfering with arriving passengers. Departing from Chania: We arrived in good time to avoid this. We appreciated the nice air-conditioning in the departure hall and lounge after a long hot car journey. The toilets are in need of an overhaul broken seats WC roll holders tiles etc. You have to carry you hold luggage from check-in to security. Before security a big bottle of water costs 50 c After security in the bar 1.50 Euro. The monitors with information all worked. The holding bar was adequate. "Tax-free" shop and bar expensive. This airport is better than Heraklion airport when we were there last year. |
| 593 | Nice small airport for winter chaotic during summer. Long waiting for baggage screening. Not many stores expensive bar toilets below standards limited signage far from city without extensive bus routes. Arrival area very dark light bulbs burned out airport information desk clueless. Needs improvements very fast. |
| 594 | My wife and I were attending an Army reunion at Madison WI. Trip to Madison was good, but on the return flight into Charlotte the requested mobile transport for my wife was not at the gate and approximately 30 minutes were wasted trying to procure transport to get to the gate by boarding time. The driver explained that his cart broke down and that he checked 3 others which were not serviceable. We had to change to another cart as they cannot change floors. On the lower level, the employee scanned in the wrong flight and gate and my wife caught it before we left, very poor management on having serviceable transport available as well as employee who can operate a scanner. The connecting flight from Charlotte to Columbia (CAE) is not worth the effort with far too much time wasted on the ground, boarding, taxiing and deplaning and no space on the small "puddle jumper" aircraft for standard carry on luggage. Next time we use the Columbia shuttle service. |
| 595 | Distance from car rental area to check-in isn´t that far compared to other US airports. TSA is a story of it´s own. Not the airport administrations fault! Be prepared to walk a few minutes to get to your gate, but it helps to burn some calories. I rate it as one of the best in the eastern US. |
| 596 | Where to even start. So they installed machines in the arrival area, presumably to get arriving US citizens through immigration faster. Or so you would think. Instead, they actually added those machines as an additional step to hassle incoming passengers, because after queuing for half an hour for the machines you will then be made to queue again to see an agent. If you have the misfortune to be a permanent resident in this country, they will now take your fingerprints and your photo twice. Yes, both at the machines and at the officer's. Of course they then also ask you what you want in the USA. The whole process is ridiculously inefficient, the staff are unfriendly and unhelpful, both visitors and citizens/residents of this country are treated like criminals. The worst experience at any airport. |
| 597 | I have to go to this airport every time I need to fly somewhere and it's such a hassle. The staff and employees are very unfriendly and unhelpful and they assist people with the fewest words possible. Most staff don't look like they enjoy their jobs. Checking in is especially a hassle. They don't care if you miss your flight or not. The airport itself isn't too clean either. The signs are sometimes confusing as well. |
| 598 | What a nice airport. Can get international flights but not huge and crazy like DC or Atlanta. Lots of facilities and they have old fashioned rocking chairs in the terminal area-nice touch. Also have attendants in the restrooms-also a nice touch. Only negative is their intercom system. Hard to tell which gate desk the announcements are from and hard to hear some clearly. |
| 599 | The airport is very busy and does a very good job moving travelers. But the U.S. Customs Service is the very worst of several ports of entry we have been thru. The staff are not well informed uniformly rude and insulting. Overall an extremely poor impression for foreign visitors. |
| 600 | CLT-their directional parking signage is directionless! They should be ashamed of themselves! Had a 7 am flight to SFO and circled your airport three times following your LT parking signs only to find no parking lots. If I had an airport facility saturated in construction chaos I would have employees out in the open to direct traffic and answer questions. If anyone is thinking about flying out of CLT during the upcoming holidays my advice is don't! |
| 601 | Charlotte is a busy airport - a hub for US Airways - and TSA lines there can be tough. There are - when all areas are open - five TSA lines so check out other lines if the middle ones are full. Once inside the airport has pretty good amenities - massage and decent fast food. US Air club is very nice one of the best in the USA. Outside there is a lot of construction. The Hertz rental car center is atrocious - very long lines in May. Attendants in men's room is a lost occupation but does exist here. Stopping off at the men's room is usually a nightmare in most airports. Full time attendant makes it much cleaner. Overall this very busy airport has more southern charm than say Atlanta Hartsfield. For those renting cars the local highways are atrociously under- signed. Often there is one sign and when you look around for more guidance there's nothing. Charlotte NC and NCDOT need to do a much better job in adding signs: Those of us renting cars are new to the area and we will get lost. Most major cities do a far better job of communicating the airport's location with adequate signs. |
| 602 | This review is strictly about customs and immigration. They turned what used to be a simple process into the biggest cluster I have ever seen. First you enter a cavernous room at one end. Then you queue up at the other end. You go through multiple twists and turns with hundreds of others until you reach a kiosk. A person barks at you when the next kiosk is available. Then you are left on your own to figure out the purpose of the kiosk. Once you follow a series of instructions it takes your picture. Then you have to redo the steps for each person in your group. Lastly your are funnelled into another queue to meet with a customs agent to stamp your passport. Once out of line you pick up your bags recheck them go through security again and hope you make your connection on time. This entire process from stepping on US soil to going through security again took around 50 minutes. And this was a Monday night. Ridiculous. |
| 603 | I arrived to Charlotte Airport on my connection to Atlanta. Aircraft had to wait about 20 minutes on the taxiway before going to the gate. Airport was very congested and not maintained. People were standing everywhere and gate change was done last minute. Terminal and gates were very unorganized. Everyone at the gate wanted to charge their phone but plugs were very limited and some were not working. |
| 604 | Going through Customs in Charlotte was horrible. Long lines. Very few employees. One employee in particular was rude and obnoxious. I have been through Customs many other places including London a week ago...all were a breeze to get through. Charlotte also used to be easy. What has happened? |
| 605 | Living in Philadelphia I always feel annoyed that I have to change flights at CLT to get to almost anywhere in Latin America on US Airways. That said it's very convenient if your flight arrives at concourse D (a number of PHL-CLT flights arrive at concourse D as they continue on to international destinations) as all international flights depart from concourse D and it's very convenient. If your flight arrives at any other concourse expect a really long walk. However my latest arrival at CLT was anything but convenient. There's a lot of construction going on in the customs and immigration area and confusion reigns with even the staff not really understanding where anything is. The Global Entry kiosks are still right at the entrance to the hall but for some inexplicable reason instead of letting Global Entry passengers exit through the lane closest to the kiosks they are now directed to join the huge line of passengers waiting for the other lanes and then directed all the way to the other side of the hall where the exit for Global Entry is covered in black plastic. After pointlessly waiting over half an hour to exit the scene in the baggage claim and customs area was just as chaotic. After finally emerging from customs and directly into the baggage re-check-in area I totally forgot that I needed to check in the two bottles of wine I had purchased in duty free before I rechecked my suitcase. Luckily I hadn't got too far but by the time I returned to the counter my suitcase had already disappeared into the bowels of the airport so I then needed to check in my carry on bag with my wine. What an absolute mess of an airport. |
| 606 | Not a half-bad airport definitely the superior US Airways hub in comparison to Philadelphia. It's very clean nicely signed everywhere and the workers generally have good attitudes. However it would seem the runway layout may have some issues and when it was raining yesterday everything fell through by a bit. A shuttle would be good as well. Overall I'd fly again but I'd give myself more time in case something goes wrong since they aren't as quick to fix errors like some other airports I've been to. |
| 607 | We recently flew from Charlotte NC to Chicago IL on June 7 2013. I had never flown before but my husband had on several occasions so he knew what to do. The screening process only took a matter of minutes. We did end up having to wait for quite a while because there was bad weather outside causing our plane to arrive late. We didn't have any problems with the staff or with the facilities. Anything we needed was readily available. |
| 608 | I flew through CLT many times in the past and never really had anything positive or negative to say about it. However a recent experience helped to define my opinion of the airport. I flew US from PUJ to MIA via CLT which meant clearing immigration and customs in CLT. I must say that CLT is the most efficient airport I've ever seen in my life of traveling and I've traveled to some of the largest and most reputable airports in the world. From disembarking to claiming luggage immigration customs and going through security it was all literally a matter of 20 minutes give or take. I'd like to see any airport in the United States come anywhere close to that. Customs and immigration officers for international arrivals were friendly and cheerful. TSA were also surprisingly very polite and helpful too. Shopping and food choices are unbelievable not even JFK has such a selection. If ever I have to connect planes anywhere in the United States CLT is my #1 choice! |
| 609 | Ok airport however the parking situation is a mess. Can take up to an hour to get either long and short term lots. |
| 610 | Worst TSA in the Nation - security line 57 minutes long - no consideration foot the fact they make dozens of people miss their flights - over 100 first class passenger skipped the line during that time with no thought to the coach folks who missed their flights as a result. |
| 611 | Charlotte is a brilliant airport for arriving international passengers. Polite immigration officers simple customs formalities in-line baggage recheck and virtually no line for TSA to get back airside. And there is an excellent wine tasting bar with good food in the terminal. |
| 612 | Smaller and more compact than other airports we've used for international-domestic connections. Immigration and customs processes were quick. Needed a new belt and got one in a store that was open early just as we re-entered the terminal area for our connection. Only clubs are US Airways clubs which do not have showers but which are large. Gate areas can be very crowded for some flights. |
| 613 | Possibly the loveliest airport I have been to in my last 12 months of travelling around the world! Unfortunately I had to wait 5 hours for a connecting flight but felt fortunate enough to be in Charlotte Douglas doing so. The staff were all extremely courteous helpful and friendly |
| 614 | Quite possibly the worst travel experience ever. 4 security lines only 1 open because of TSA staffing issues. US Air rep gave me the wrong ticket causing me to miss my flight. None of the gate destination boards were working so they all had the wrong city names on them. I will definitely fly around Charlotte in the future. By the way when did they start allowing pan handling in the airport restrooms? I don't want to feel obligated to tip a uniformed personnel for getting me a paper towel to dry my hands. |
| 615 | I got through the immigration line in less than 10 minutes! Yes you have to claim your luggage and then recheck it but it was hassle free. Now the line to go through security was ridiculously long but it moved relatively fast. Overall I was very pleased with this airport. |
| 616 | I flew into Charlotte airport from Rome and had a layover in Charlotte on the way to Greensboro NC. First the International flight procedures were really confusing. You have pick up your checked luggage carry about 10 feet and recheck it. Very pointless. Also I've never been treated so poorly in any airport in my life. They rudely yell commands at you. They are very unorganized and blame it on the customers. I had my passport thrown back in my face at passport control/customs. Overall I was very disappointed with my experience. |
| 617 | If you are booking an International Flight don't even consider going through Charlotte. They do not have enough employees to handle the volume of people. We landed there from the Cayman Islands. The line for immigration was over 90 minutes. We had to run to our connecting flight. Arrived in Milwaukee missing a bag that was left in Charlotte. |
| 618 | Decent airport. No big complaints other than as usual inadequate space in front of the terminals for the large number of cars that drop off passengers. There should also be monitors showing flight status that are visible from the food court areas. A dearth of airline clubs - just US Airways I believe - but there are at least three of those. I found the signs giving directions within the terminals a bit confusing. |
| 619 | For the most part CLT is a pretty run-of-the-mill domestic hub airport. However there are two things that really stand out. The first is the good selection of locally themed restaurants. The second are the rocking chairs under shade trees in the main terminal area complete with power ports (the free WiFi is an added bonus - if only they had more of the rocking chairs because finding an open one can be difficult). You definitely get the feeling of being home in North Carolina while transiting through the airport. |
| 620 | The sound system is terrible. The airport needs to seriously rethink the acoustics in the terminal as messages from gates are too loud and can be heard from gates away. The sound engineering needs a lot of work. |
| 621 | Transiting from London and to Washington DCA was a delight. A large number of immigration officers at their desks waiting for us to get off the plane courteous and friendly staff two people in front of me at the security check to get back into the airport. The terminal is adequate with the usual selection of shops and cafes. By far the best arrival experience I have had in the USA for decades. |
| 622 | Transited twice during recent trip - once on international to domestic and once domestic to international. Former went smoothly. I was worried our 2+ hr connection would be sufficient but Immigration and Customs were very quick processes and we didn't have to wait too long for our bags to arrive. On the return we were on a small plane (Dash-8) from GSP. As expected some of the larger carry-on bags were taken from us and put in the baggage hold and given tags to retrieve the bags upon landing. Upon arrival the unloading of bags on the tarmac seemed to take a long time and when a thunderstorm approached we all had to go inside. Finally the workers were allowed to get our bags and gradually put them in the terminal where we waited. The airport is quite big and can take a while to traverse with somewhat confusing signage though certainly nothing like some other airports such as ATL. Managed to find the larger of the two US Airways clubs so we were out of the crowds until it came time to board our next flight. |
| 623 | Transferred from a US flight to another US flight. My flight from FLL arrived at the B concourse and I had to transfer to the C concourse for my flight to LGA. It was the evening rush hour and it was very crowded. Transfer was painless with the moving walkways. The selection of restaurants and shops is excellent lots to choose from. The gate area was rather cramped and the ceilings were dilapidated as well as the windows were dirty. Overall a great airport with friendly staff not the best one but it was a good experience. |
| 624 | My wife just arrived at CLT with two small children enroute to PHX from PLS. The flight was 30 mins late. Customs took 2 hrs. She missed her connection. She asked if there were any special processing lines for small children like in MIA. The response "get into the back of the line like everyone else". Great treatment for a 5 yr old. Everyone in the airport and US Airways were rude and unhelpful. Avoid at all costs. We will continue to fly American through MIA. |
| 625 | While returning to Charlotte after a nice vacation we found we had a dead battery. There is an airport service that will help you with problems such as this we told the ticket attendant she radioed the service and within a few minutes he was there to boost our battery at no charge. Thanks Charlotte Too bad more people don't know that you offer such a service. |
| 626 | This was our first experience with the Charlotte airport having always used JFK or Atlanta what a pleasant difference CLT offers. Clean uncrowded (on a Saturday depart and Sunday return) and all staff being very friendly. Security check was quick polite and efficient. All in all the whole experience was very civilised and we would highly recommend this airport. |
| 627 | There is very little to make this otherwise nondescript airport stand out except for one unique redeeming quality: the availability of free wireless internet. When I used this airport a couple of years ago to visit family I regretted not having brought my laptop. |
| 628 | We transited CLT twice: going from Rio to San Francisco and going from Washington DC to Rio. Going through Immigration and Customs was a snap. There were plenty of shops and restaurants but we spent out waiting time in the larger US Airways club (sure wish they had showers). We didn't see much of the airport but all in all it seemed clean modern and relatively easy to navigate (less chaotic than say Atlanta Hartsfield). |
| 629 | The main building with check-in counters is easy to negotiate landside. You can hardly have the check-in counters closer to the entrance doors than here. Once airside though long walks await the traveler. Security is strange with male pax asked to remove their sweatshirts (not females though wonder why). First time this has happened to me anywhere in the world and I can understand the public support for an anti-TSA demonstration prior to Thanksgiving. More curiosity at the "Carolina Beer Co." restaurant where the waiter asked to see my ID after ordering a beer. When I presented my driving licence he refused this as "it was from out of state" and asked for my passport instead. He accepted it although it was most definitely "out of state". When I enquired as to what this fuss was all about I was informed that they had orders to check the age of patrons to make sure there was no underage drinking. Laudable cause indeed - but one would think they would be able to recognize the absence of any potential problem without resorting to checking IDs when a traveler is like me 50+ years old. WiFi is free at this airport. |
| 630 | We arrived at CLT on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm from Cancun - only four immigration officers (out of nine stations) working at a time when several hundred passengers were in line to have their passports stamped. We had a two hour layover between flights and barely made our connecting flight. If that wasn't bad enough after passing immigration retrieving our bags and going through customs then rechecking our bags - we spent another 20 minutes getting through security again. They seemed to be experimenting with the new full body scanner and the process was not working correctly having to rescan a child several times in addition to wanding him. This makes no sense whatsoever. Situations like this backed up security at a time when passengers were trying to get to their next flights. One of the security employees even announced that security is not related to immigration and customs -basically saying it wasn't the TSA fault that immigration was so slow. We certainly understand the need for these protections but they must work more efficiently. The flights are scheduled well in advance why not have sufficient officers working to handle the passengers. |
| 631 | I used this airport for my holidays in the USA I was transiting through Charlotte. For me the positive point is that they were no big queue for admittance in the USA making it easy. After collecting bags I just have to let them in the xray and it was finished. As I got 4 hours transit I went in the city of Charlotte which is quite nice for transiting. WHen I went back to the airport I found controls ok but I found the airport style a little bit old fashioned. Anyway it's a nice airport. |
| 632 | I have connected through Charlotte many times for both domestic and international flights. We are always happy to go through this airport. Immigration/Customs efficient and the one time we ended up getting in late and missing our connecting flight we were given a decent voucher for food while waiting for a later flight home to PIT. Staff are friendly and helpful and there are lots of food choices. |
| 633 | I dread Atlanta and avoid at all costs. Charlotte makes for a wonderful alternative and the US Airways ground staff are informative and hospitable. |
| 634 | I travel for a living and connect through Charlotte at least twice a month and guess I just have bad luck? I fly from Raleigh which should be a thirty minute flight max but for some reason we always get grounded due to air traffic and the flight seems to now take an hour and a half. I've had to run through this airport countless times and since there's no rapid transportation going from the A terminal to the E terminal can be hell. And once I catch my connection taking off takes forever. However the free Wi-Fi is lovely and I always appreciate airports with Chili's! |
| 635 | Unlike the other reviewers here we had a very bad experience that might be specific to certain days of the week at CLT and/or elsewhere. We arrived in CLT on a Saturday from Mexico and went through customs around 6 pm. At that point there were maybe 2 planes full of people ahead of us and only 6 customs officers screening people. It took well over an hour for us to get through customs. While waiting 3 additional flights arrived and were queued behind us. We heard later that it took many people over 2 hours to get through and that many missed connecting flights as a result. What makes this experience especially unfortunate is that it is really unnecessary: a TSA agent told us that this is a recurring situation on Saturday nights - which means the Dept. of Homeland Security at Charlotte could have planned ahead knowing the number of international flights coming in on weekends. Instead it appears they assigned more people to herd us and/or tell people to put away cellphones and cameras than there were US customs agents. Signage in the airport is mediocre at best requiring people to direct travelers at times. On the positive side we found the selection of restaurants to be excellent and the airport clean and modern-looking. |
| 636 | CLT is compact well-signed easy to navigate and most importantly-not overcrowded. Only negative- my flight waited on the tarmac for 15-20 minutes for a gate to become available (not sure whether or not this occurrs frequently). Excellent alternative to transiting through Atlanta. |
| 637 | Chic and comfortable. I didn't notice any decent restaurants - all they seem to have is fast food. But if there's one major complaint I have is this: how could you call yourselves an "international" airport and don't have facilities dedicated for currency exchange! And don't direct me to the bank - it was closed. Driving out of the airport was a nightmare but I will allow that traffic that particular day or time may just happened to be awful. Fix those little items and CLT is one of the best airports in the country. |
| 638 | Arrived to CLT from Munich the immigration was so fast that I have been waiting for luggage 10 minutes. Then everything was easy and fast to get a car. For sure a good entry point for that area of the US. |
| 639 | Any US airport that can get a UK citizen travelling in Y class into a rental car and on the Interstate in under an hour from touchdown gets my vote. CLT was presentable and not too crowded. Immigration and all other staff were friendly with the possible exception of the Hertz desk clerk who was a bit curt. I agree with the comment about car return but computer routing to/from the West always seems to take you down Little Rock Road which is a bit of a tradesman’s entrance thus not well signed rather than the more official Interstate route. Be warned! |
| 640 | I agree with the other reviewers about the Charlotte airport. It's a gem once you get inside. However if you are returning with a rental car I suggest you give yourself plenty of time. The rental return signage is the worst I've seen in 20 years of air travel. I've been there 5 times and it still takes me a extra time (and a u-turn or two) to find the rental car lot (I use Hertz but they all have the same problem). If you're an airport manager or city planner for Charlotte please see what you can do to improve this one glaring defect. Oh and by the way this Hertz airport rental operation is not the smoothest either. They use one or two big shuttle buses so the wait for a pick-up can be long. On the inbound they didn't have my car ready for me although my arrival was on time (and they forgot the nav system). On the return the bus driver almost ran over me when I tried to board the bus. I'm not kidding. Happy travels. |
| 641 | CLT is a very nice airport with an easy-to-understand approach. It is also the airport of choice if you are supposed to be heading to any location in South Carolina like CAE (Columbia) or GSP (Greenville- Spartanburg). Taking that next leg is quite expensive so land at CLT and rent a vehicle. The parking garage is simple and very close to the main building. I'd recommend CLT as a good portcall for anyone entering the USA as their customs are efficient. |
| 642 | I have connected through SFO LAX EWR MIA BOS etc etc and this was my first time in North Carolina. I have to say this little gem wins hands down every time. More akin to a European hub than the hellholes of Los Angeles and Boston and especially user friendly if you have children. Plenty of shops and things for kids to look at and do and just a general feeling of Southern Friendliness Id go back anytime! Definitely doing something right! |
| 643 | I have only used CLT airport twice (once on arrival and once on departure to/from the US) but what an experience. Based on the other comments I may have arrived on a bad day because it took me at least 90 minutes to get through immigration! I had to run for my connecting flight but I was stopped and selected for an extra security check by personnel that was in no hurry to expedite this check and I did of course loose my connecting flight. I have never experienced anything similar to this. I have been a Star Alliance Gold member since 1998 so I do travel some. Although the time needed to get through immigration may vary I have never on my numerous visits to the US (approximately 3-5 times a year since the mid 90s) had to wait as long as at CLT. Please observe that I always try to get a seat making me one of the first out of the plane just to get a head start for immigration. |
| 644 | My wife and I connected through CLT on our journey from Nashville (BNA) to London Gatwick (LGW) this past December and found this airport to be far superior to Atlanta for connecting flights. Courteous people everywhere you turn along with an excellent airport layout made our journey both easy and pleasant. I can't really offer an opinion on the restaurants there but the numerous Starbucks were noted. US Airways has really made a believer out of me as far as their friendly employees and pleasant flights. I have been to London on nine previous occasions by four different carriers and US Air overall has been the best way to fly. Upon return from Gatwick into Charlotte the journey through US Customs was far quicker than Atlanta Dallas-Ft Worth Houston or Chicago O'Hare. The big difference is in the sheer volume of passengers that are processed at the larger airports that result in the long lines of tired grouchy people. Baggage transfer and the distance to departing domestic gates are well laid out and the use of moving passenger walkways makes your connection a breeze. If you don't mind going through the smaller Gatwick airport for your trip to London I don't believe that you can beat Charlotte International and US Airways. |
| 645 | I have used CLT for connecting flights several times. It is a very "pretty" airport and at times reminds me of a smaller-scale O'Hare (due mainly to the greenhouse-like windows in certain areas). Each time I have gone it has been rather crowded but the facilities are more than adequate to handle the traffic. In addition the signage is quite prominent and the layout does not leave you scratching your head. When I arrived at CLT for the first time I had to walk a few terminals over for my connecting flight. It was quite a trek but with the aid of moving sidewalks it was just a 10-minute walk. |
| 646 | Just returned from Miami to London with a connection in Charlotte - found this airport to be very user-friendly with several restaurants and shops. Not too busy and bliss smoking allowed in the restaurants! Would use again. |
| 647 | I have connected through Charlotte many times on US Air and though it is far from my favorite airport I'll take it over Atlanta for connections any day--it tends to be far less hectic. My chief complaints with the facilities include: the lack of decent eateries (be prepared to pay $8 for a cold sandwich and drink) |
| 648 | We connected at Charlotte with US Air on our way from Gatwick to Orlando. Unfortunately we didn't get to chance to experience any of its facilities as immigration was staffed by 2 immigration officers which meant that it took us a ridiculous 75 minutes to clear immigration. We then ordered by the US Air reps to sprint to the gate for our connecting flight which ended up feeling like more of a marathon than a sprint. Seemed nice and clean but hey it's hard to tell when your running as fast as you can with hand luggage etc. Our recommendation is to make sure your at the front of the line when getting off your plane so you don't end up at the back of a line of over 300 people being serviced by 2 surly immigration officials. |
| 649 | CHA is a compact but efficient airport serving a metropolitan market of about 500000 residents. In the past it has suffered from proximity to major airports in Nashville and Atlanta but today 7 airlines service Chattanooga with a rather rapidly growing number of destinations. The airport is very clean with free Wi-Fi throughout and parking and security is superior. Low fare airlines have joined the legacy carriers so there is quite a nice selection of flights and fares. Sure saves time and headaches of leaving from larger airports. |
| 650 | CHA has the misfortune of being too close to Atlanta. Over half of Chattanooga flyers drive to Atlanta (or Nashville or Birmingham) to fly. However CHA offers competitive fares and I would guess most flights now are regional jet. The airport itself is beautiful with a large copper dome as the facility's trademark (in honor of the city's railroad heritage). CHA is a modern state-of-the-art airport and is where I choose to fly out of even though I live in the northern Atlanta 'burbs. |
| 651 | As a resident of Chattanooga I have used this airport on several occasions. With just 5 gates it seems to be a bit undersized for a city of 160000. However speaking from an architectural perspective it has more character than most airports I have flown through and is very clean besides. There is virtually no chance of getting lost owing to the small size and simple layout. The security checkpoint is neither intimidating nor cumbersome but the agents are thorough and will search your bags if needed. CHA recently added a daily direct flight to Dallas/Fort Worth and will soon follow up with direct service to Houston and Orlando. Other cities with direct service to and from CHA include: Atlanta Chicago Charlotte Washington (DC) Cincinnati and Memphis. CHA really is a connected airport and getting moreso all the time apparently. |
| 652 | One of the easiest domestic airports to figure out. Just a couple of restaurants but each one has great selection of food. They've been getting better flights and it is transitioning to more of a transit type airport. Staff is scarce but ticket counters are fast to check-in and the security line is real quick(5 minutes at the most). I now start my journey to any destination from here. |
| 653 | Arrived at Chengdu on domestic flight from Shenzhen. No problems getting to town on the bus. A dew days later I had to depart on a domestic flight to Jiuzhaigou. Beware there are two terminals both a distance from each other. I got off at the wrong terminal no sign of a transfer bus so I had walk. Not much fun in the rain. |
| 654 | Chengdu Terminal 2 looked new and clean. Despite Air China advice to reach airport 3 hours in advance the check in counter opened only 1.5 hours before departure. Check in immigration and security were efficient and quick. The departures waiting area had nothing of interest even for Chinese travelers let alone foreign ones. There were several shops selling the same souvenirs at inflated prices. The shop girls were standing bored as no customers even entered the shops. There was one book shop selling only Chinese books and 2 restaurants serving standard bland and tasteless fare not the renowned Sichuan cuisine again at inflated prices. The waiting area for our flight was barricaded off and pax had to sit at some other gate. Absolutely nothing for international passengers and it seemed even for Chinese. Even Domestic termini are better. |
| 655 | XIY-CTU-AUH. Arrived from Xi'an on domestic flight in Terminal 3 which was newly opened in Spring 2012. All very clean and tidy with clear signs in Mandarin and English. Quite a long walk to Baggage Reclaim for the furthest gates but not unreasonable. Toilets clean and plentiful with both squat and regular options. For International Departures there are 2 main dining options before Check-in either KFC or local Chinese food. There are a few stores selling various local foods and some souvenirs. Check-In pretty good and Passport Control and Security all pretty smooth. No requirement to remove belts or laptops for security scanning but do enforce the 100ml liquid rules from Europe. In the International Departures no dining opportunities but a couple of coffee-shop options along with the usual array of Duty Free shops. Most departures are from one of the 11 airbridges. Announcements made in both Chinese and English. Toilets are clean. |
| 656 | KUL-CTU-KUL. The Shuanglin terminal is equipped with all the usual amenities. The toilets are clean the terminal is clean. The terminal also has signs in English/Chinese. Going through customs and immigration is a breeze. You can reach the city centre easily by bus or taxi however signs to the bus outside was not to clearly shown. |
| 657 | This is the major airport for southwest China. Flew into Chengdu from Shenzhen where it was quite a lengthy walk from the Terminal 2 gate to baggage claim. This was topped off with a further lengthy walk to the opposite end of the terminal for the taxi rank. Flying out a week later I had time to look at the airport more closely. Terminal 1 is old and definitely looking it's age. Terminal 2 was shiny and modern with three fingers that extend out. Plenty of interesting shops to keep myself amused inside the terminal and the lounges were adequately comfortable. The feeling was light and airy inside with a good view to the outside despite the extra glass screen separating arriving passengers from departing ones. |
| 658 | I had the misfortune to fly home from Chennai airport just under two weeks ago. It must be the slowest airport in the world. I've been to India six times now so am well acquainted with the slowness of almost everything in the country. However one expects better of an airport especially one that's fairly new and modern-looking and no other Indian airport I've travelled flown home from has been as bad. The first queue was a long one but no longer than many other airport queues I've been in but unlike in most other airports it hardly moved the queue for immigration at Heathrow when I got home was just as long but constantly moving so didn't take too long. The Chennai queue was unbelievably slow. Then came the queues (plural) for security. I understand that they have good reason to take security seriously and I'm glad they do but they kept recalling bags to have another look at them and then someone would search them by hand. One young woman who was just in front of me had her handbag taken from her and put through three times and searched by hand twice - this really can only mean that the staff didn't do it correctly the first time unless it was the result of a malicious desire to make passengers miss their flights. My bag was put through the scanner twice and searched by hand. I saw this happening to other people too. This was on top of the body searches of course (which I know are necessary but do add more time to the process). This is without question the most inefficient airport I've ever used and I shall do my best never to have to use it again. |
| 659 | I have visited Chennai airport 6-7 times in last 10 years. Surprised to see that despite having world class airports so close (Bangalore and Hyderabad - I visited both and they are excellent) Chennai didn't learn any lessons. Both the International and Domestic terminals are messy. Not clean and I am sure many wouldn't like to use the rest rooms. There are not too many options in the terminal for restaurants or bars or shopping. You will always see a few people being escorted by airport employees to the immigration and for security clearance causing irritation among the people standing in queue. There is no medical assistance or pharmacy either. |
| 660 | Used the airport on January 8 2015 as part of my transit to Delhi. Had extended stay there as my connection missed and needless I say the experience was nice and better than what it was when I used in four years back. The new terminal is excellent well stocked and surprisingly clean than many similar Indian Airports. The only problem encountered was the security which is still slow and tacky to negotiate. |
| 661 | The old airport is of a very low standard without any facilities. Toilets are not clean and smell. The newly constructed International terminal looks fine from outside. Even though airport may be small facilities and ground staff are the parameters which make an airport among one of the best. |
| 662 | I flew in to Chennai airport from Sydney recently along with my Australian colleague. The first impression of the new airport is still disappointing with the promised changes not being seen anywhere. With the travelators not working its a long walk to the immigration counters. I had a quick passage through the immigration whilst my Australian colleague didn't have too much luck. The Malaysian airlines stewardess didn't provide him with the immigration card. He was asked to fill it in at the immigration counter which was fine. The immigration official was insistent on exactly knowing the address of the hotel where he was going to stay. The officials tone and tenor was disappointing. This is definitely not the way for the immigration officials to conduct themselves. Overall Chennai airport is a huge disappointment. |
| 663 | Passed through MAA three times - once in transit one arrival and one departure. This airport should be avoided if you have any choice or option. Arrival was at 3am from LHR very long walk to old terminal for immigration although both immigration and baggage were quick and cheerful. Outside the terminal is a complete zoo. No easy public transport. Luckily we had a driver. Transit involved a 4.5 hour change from international to international flight. We were met off the flight by airline staff who did not identify themselves as such until asked then placed in quarantine in a locked area with two other transit passengers. The only facilities were a water fountain and a dirty toilet with no paper. The staff took our passports boarding passes and luggage receipts. To my relief they did come back an hour later with new boarding passes and luggage tags and let us out of the locked area. It did all work in the end - we made our connection and our bags arrived at LHR - it just wasn't very pleasant Facilities at this airport - food shopping wifi toilets and lounges - are all minimal or poor and anywhere from unclean to filthy dirty. |
| 664 | Chennai airport needs to address the following: Cleanliness in the terminal no tissues in the washrooms rusted pipes in the water dispensers open waste bins near the restaurants. Lot of makeshift equipment and ladders placed around. No 'wet floor' sign used when cleaning. The sign board to 'Terminals' is hidden by a Police barricade as you approach the airport from GST road. Commendable part is the immigration which is quick and to the point. Security needs to be more faster or more lanes to be added. More variety in the restaurants is needed. Long wait to travel between domestic and international terminals. I am sure the airport can be made a lot better than what it is now. |
| 665 | The new international terminal that looks grand from outside is badly planned inside. Construction dirt and grime are seen on all white-painted columns and girders. The lounge is located on a higher floor and is accessible only by lift. An escalator would have moved people more conveniently. Anyway the lounge is pathetic compared to the lounges in the old terminal. There is no arrival immigration in the new terminal and passengers are forced to walk some 500 m to the immigration counters in the old terminal. The smelly toilets seem to have been transplanted from the old terminal and are maintained just as filthy. One cannot help comparing this airport to the cleanly maintained private airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad. Wonder when immigration and baggage handling facilities will be available in the new terminal. |
| 666 | I was there a couple of months ago and was shocked to see carpets instead of tiles in the new departure lounge. Needless to say they were badly stained. Everything else was lousy I asked at the book-shop about Indian news- magazines and was snobbishly told that only foreign publications were available. The food and drink available is expensive and awful. Truly a disgusting experience. |
| 667 | The brand new terminal is falling apart. Tiles broken/cracking all over the place. Who was the genius that recommended fabric seats-they are very badly stained. Bathrooms smell and flood all over the place. |
| 668 | This airport is a dump. It's meant to be brand new. There are signs for a food court - no food court just some terrible looking lounge that you can only enter if you have a certain type of Visa card. There used to be one bar but someone in their infinite wisdom decided to shut this down without providing an alternative facility. What sort of person presides over this fiasco of a facility?. It's filthy dirty and the staff have no idea how to deal with customers. Unfortunately as with any airport one doesn't have a choice but to use it. Shame on this airport and the management of it. |
| 669 | Filthy (even the new international terminal) chaotic and certainly not recommended if you can avoid it. The so called business class lounge (La Meridian) is a joke and no matter how much the airlines pay to use it I assure you it is 100% too much. Food is terrible and drinks limited. If you are arriving here try to do it without checked in baggage baggage reclaim can take more than 60 minutes! On the plus side some of the staff I found helpful on the departure side. At all costs avoid. |
| 670 | Cant say more about an airport that has been built only as a "Show put up". I travelled by an AI flight (International) from Mumbai to Chennai that was already 1 hour late. Landed at 12am in the morning only to be kept waiting for baggage that didn't come out for 30 mins. I saw a baggage security point that has been put just immediately near the downward escalator. There was a huge line of people trying to put their baggage in the security screening area but there could have been a big disaster with all the people coming down on the escalator and the crowd ahead not moving beyond the baggage screening. Luckily nothing happened. I travel often to Chennai on work. Must say that I have stopped using the Washrooms in this airport as they have become dirtier than before. The so called garden inside the airport is all dried up. The same old shops that have been moved from old terminal to the new one. |
| 671 | I visited Chennai a few times in the last month (Bangalore - Chennai domestic leg - Jet Airways Chennai - Pune domestic leg on GoAir Pune - Chennai domestic leg and Chennai - Delhi international Air India en route to Sydney. The new domestic airport is functional and it's good to see aerobridges being used for domestic flights. They have segregated the arrival and departure at the domestic terminal across two levels. However they still don't have the in-line baggage for the GoAir domestic flights. The biggest disappointment is the international section of the airport. The bathrooms are nothing to rave home about. The gates are still in the old terminal with a long walk to them. There is not a single good bookstore with a good collection of books. The shops try to fleece the customers with different prices for different passenger based on nationalities. This doesn't happen in New Delhi or in Hyderabad or in Bangalore. They don't give receipts for the purchase in the stores unless you ask for it. |
| 672 | Every time I enter this new so called 'swanky' terminal I keep looking (at regular intervals) at the roof and the glass panels just to make sure I'm not in way of something falling off. Surely this is the lousiest and dirtiest 'new' terminal built in the recent past. The end product is a big disappointment for those of us who have been waiting for a new terminal for over several years. This is not an 'international' airport to feel proud about. The funniest part of this airport is that only the check-in is in the new terminal and then you are led in a 'smelly' pathway (without AC) that connects the old airport for boarding the flight. The (striking) AAI staff neither want to keep this terminal clean nor allow private interested parties to maintain this airport - too bad. If I were to rate this airport on a scale of 1-10 I would definitely rate it at '1' just because when you look at it from a distance (from the roadside) it looks swanky especially when the lights are on at night! |
| 673 | Compared to the airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad the international terminal here is a joke. Arrival is in the old smelly terminal. Once outside chaos reigns while trying to get to your pre-paid taxi. I was pleasantly surprised while departing to see a spanking new terminal. However once inside this "new" terminal is already looking old with dirty carpets and glass windows. The worst part was that this new terminal is just a facade. One goes down the escalator to the boarding gates and finds oneself back in the old terminal once again. This so- called gateway to South India needs a new airport privately built and managed. Definitely not recommend this airport. |
| 674 | Charging Rs.60-70 for vehicles dropping of passengers is outright daylight robbery. Either they should keep guards like in Mumbai or Hyderabad to ward off vehicles who park on the road or they should just increase the time at least for taxis. Every time I go to the airport I get annoyed. I don't even want to go into the toilets issue and lack of eating joints. |
| 675 | I don't think I have ever been to a worse airport. I don't know why they have wasted money in revamping the whole place. Just giving it a bigger structure doesn't mean renovation. All those old worthless shops are still there. Food is bad. Toilets are as bad as they were in the older airport. There's no proper bar or smoking lounge. There are no food chains. The baggage counters are a total disaster. Staff are bad. My advice: avoid using this airport if you can. |
| 676 | I cannot think of any airport worse than Chennai airport. There is a constant smell in the building and the biggest nightmare are the toilets which are almost always wet and unclean. The airport resembles a bus station. Add to this arrogant security personnel and semi-educated staff it amounts to the worst airport in the world. What is sad is that these un-inspired people just need to compare with Hyderabad to see how bad they are. The pain just continues when you go outside to be cheated by the auto/taxi people. |
| 677 | The new domestic terminal seems to be improving by the day. Ample space at the drop -off area on the departure side with separate entrances for airlines clearly marked . Couple of coffee shops outside which is welcome if you have friends / relatives seeing you off. Inside there are multiple options now in terms of coffee shops restaurants (couple of them are due to open) book -shops and other small shops. Ample seating space and the quality of announcements is also very clear. The washrooms have received a lot of bad press since the terminal opened but that seems to be improving now. Not everything can be blamed on bad maintenance here some of it is also dependent on user behavior. Also noticed that there was no regular cleaning of the trash bins and most of them were on the verge of over flowing. Something needs to be done about this. The arrival side has an easy access to the car park with a luggage ramp which is quite helpful. Only minus point is the long walk from the gates to the baggage claim area. Overall an airport which is improving by the day. |
| 678 | Had to use the airport to take a 5am flight reached the airport at 1.30 hoping to have some dinner before checking in. Surprisingly the airport terminals were shut! The cityside has no passenger facilities - no toilets no food outlets no phone booths and no security. For a crowd of 300 about to catch the first few flights there were just 4 security guards. Terminals opened at 3am. This 'new' airport has just two outdated X-ray machines for baggage screening. Horrible queues. Airside area is equally pathetic with horrible loos. No clarity on boarding gates as there were no announcements the screens spent an unusually long time displaying information in Tamil. Additionally the design highlight of the new terminal an in-terminal garden is hardly viewable for dust on the glass curtain walls. Charging points seemed to be inactive through the terminal and the so-called food court is yet to open. All in all the most pathetic airport I've had to use. |
| 679 | This airport never changes. The new terminal is less than a year old and its already showing its age. Especially the washrooms. I hate using the loos of this airport with Wet floors leaking taps and worst of all the staff don't care. This airport is definitely not at all up to the mark. The staff are particularly disinterested in managing the show! Brand new class exteriors are the only thing good to see. |
| 680 | Back to MAA again after 4 months. Pretty much the same as before. Long lines at the airline counter but no lines at immigration. Security was ok. Immigration staff were pleasant on both directions. One complaint I have is that there are no announcements in Tamil in this airport. None of the airlines bothered in my 2 hours waiting. |
| 681 | Flew into and out of the airport in December a year after my last trip. Arrival pretty much the same as before. Immigration queues are long and slow. Bags took a while to arrive and no issues with customs. Crowd management outside the airport can be better hopefully the new terminal will work better. On departure I did not have a print out of my boarding pass but the security personnel accepted the ticket on my tablet but with a warning. Immigration is long and took an hour to get through security was quick. They have moved the location of security for the better and airside is much more spacious with lots of seats. I've always found immigration personal friendly in Chennai airport and have never encountered a grumpy one. Overall standard Indian airport with not many amenities hope they open the new terminal soon. |
| 682 | Chennai Airport will hopefully be replaced with the new terminal in the near future honestly I found the business class really poor and very over crowded with limited choice and poor options. I did not stay long preferring to walk the terminal than sit in an area that I did not feel welcome. The terminal for departures is not particularly clean but does seem to work most staff are polite but not particularly friendly although I did not find the rude either. They do love rubber stamps though. The arrivals process was quick although immigration did seem to take longer by western standards it is not that bad for the rest of the world. Roll on the new terminal - it must be better than this. |
| 683 | Flew on the night AI flight from SIN to MAA and back. Overall this is an airport that gets you in and out without nothing much to do in between unlike Changi. Having said that I prefer MAA over BOM DEL CCU or BLR simply for the small size closeness to the city and the un-chaotic nature of the airport. Immigration and customs have been pretty decent. Some construction going on and can't wait to travel through the new terminal. Hopefully it will be better! Only gripe is the lateness of baggage arrival especially during nights when most international flights arrive. They need more handlers customs officers and most importantly more conveyor belts! |
| 684 | I recently used Chennai airport's international and domestic terminals for transit to Madurai from Sydney as well for the return trip back to Sydney. The international terminal has some improved facilities with the inline baggage scanning system reducing the time to check-in. The immigration customs and baggage arrival are quite smooth though the customs and immigration officials could be groomed a bit to be passenger- friendly. They let domestic passengers enter the terminal even if the flight is 5 hours away which is a positive. However the biggest gripe is about the toilets. The toilets are smelly unkempt and very poor both in the international as well as in the domestic terminal. The domestic terminal doesn't have enough seats which forces passengers to sit on the floor. They still use the buses to get the passengers to the aircraft on the domestic side of the terminal. |
| 685 | I have flown from Chennai 5 times (all international travel). I saw some expansion works in Dec 2011. Every something is being expanded but at a very slow pace. When I entered the airport the floor was not clean was not able to enter the toilets - everywhere smelt. When I complained airport staffs behaved in a very rude manner. Security checks were impressive and very strict cleared everything in 10 minutes. Immigration at departure and arrival in Chennai is always a nightmare. Immigration officers spend more than 10 minutes on each person. Hope to see improvements in the near future. |
| 686 | 2012 and I'm not sure this airport has budged in terms of quality ratings. It's about relativity and considering the time gone by a lot of airports in India have come a long way not just gleaming glass and steel structures also aesthetics amenities cleanliness and just looking like it belongs to the right time period. Chennai airport in 2012 reminded me of Mumbai's in the 90's if you don't see the signs to the toilet your nose can rescue you. |
| 687 | Officials are awful security staff make the traveller uncomfortable and keep scolding passengers. Immigration process takes too long by staff with a long face but luckily they don't scold the passengers. Duty free has good options. Airport floor and washroom are extremely unclean. Not enough signs and flight information boards. |
| 688 | This is a very poor airport. Toilets are disgusting. After check-in it gets even worse. A very dark and old- looking place. No signs or information of any kind. No view of the planes. Only upside is that nobody arrives early so we were quickly through security and check-in. There are no restaurants or shops. Just a very strange bookstore and a small "cart". |
| 689 | I flew in and out of Chennai last week. Traveled to Tuticorin during the week and back to Chennai to catch the international flight. I had 5 hrs before my flight was not allowed into the international area for at least 2 hrs no suggestion of where you could rest. I spoke to the security staff at the visitors viewing gallery and was let in and sat around for 2 hrs unable to use the washroom facilities as I was unable to leave my baggage unsupervised. Once International check-in was completed had to sit in the gate lounge for nearly 2 hrs. Washroom facilities were filthy toilets were filthy awash with water no soap to wash hands. Terrible experience - please clean up your act. |
| 690 | Chennai airport is a disaster. Visitors not allowed inside the terminal oppressive security staff everywhere whose rationale is impossible to grasp. Had to wait for several hours outside the terminal unable to re-enter the terminal after arriving on a night flight an hour ago. This airport is definitely to be avoided although I've noticed similar measures and problems in other Indian airports as well. |
| 691 | Flew in and out of Chennai International and domestic four times in Dec 2011 and Jan 2012. Arriving from Singapore was the worst it was a wet night and after purchasing the prepaid taxi voucher I exited the terminal to a scene from hell. Fifty or more taxis trying to load passengers in the rain. There was no proper queue arranged and it was a free for all. I last used Chennai airport in 2004 and it has just deteriorated since filthy toilets piles of rubbish swept into heaps beside overflowing rubbish bins with dirty chairs. |
| 692 | Things are improving although slowly. Airport terminals are becoming larger newer with more international arrival and departure flights. Passengers have to be bear the brunt queuing time at immigration and security is too much. With more flights there is no increase in immigration and security counters no priority for women children or elderly passengers. Passengers spending so much time queuing only increases anxiety of the already stressed traveler. An increase of seating and cleanliness can be improved. |
| 693 | Chaos is the one word which encompasses Madras airport. I think the people of this city ought to be ashamed of this gateway to this city. Filth grime poor hygiene and generally impolite staff make this an awful airport to arrive or depart through. The security staff are terrible. If you can avoid this airport then do so. I doubt if the modern new terminal is going to be any different since the staff running it will be the same. |
| 694 | No change since last visit. Terminals are not the most modern. Bathrooms are not very clean and food options very limited. Seating options are very less as well for there are many international flights leaving within a small window. Security was quick and as always immigration officials are pleasant and chatty. This airport is not one where you want to be stuck for long. Can't wait for the new terminals to open up. |
| 695 | I recently used visited MAA via Cathay Pacific from Sydney and left for Sydney on Thai. The airport still has the staid look on it though the number of immigration counters seems to have increased. The luggage took a while to arrive. On the return leg the immigration and the security were a breeze |
| 696 | Used Chennai airport (arrival from BKK at 23:30) and departure to BKK at 0025. Security checks on arrival and departure are very strict but well organised and going through is relatively swift taken into account the ageing building. My flights being at night both on arrival and departure I could experience on arrival a problem for locating an exchange booth which is operated by Thomas Cook but in a remote corner stall. When outside the crowd and dim lights give a feeling of unsafety. On late night departure after the process of check-in airside hall is a shame for regular travellers ie. the ones not holding a pass to use VIP rooms. Ranks of dirty seats (check before you seat down) probably never cleaned up. No facility except one small food stall selling bad veg sandwiches and few drinks at extravagant price for India. No restaurant despite a sign showing there has been one may be 2 centuries ago - toilet and drinking water also to be avoided. All in all an unpleasant experience as no comfort and dirty place. |
| 697 | Used Chennai Airport for International arrival at 2330 and Domestic departure at 0555. Swine flu Immigration and Customs checks very swift as ours was the only plane arriving. The baggage though took more than 15 minutes to arrive on the belts. Had to walk just 5 mins to the domestic terminal for the early morning departure. "Tired looking" is an understatement for the domestic terminal. There were more than 100 passengers waiting for morning domestic flights after international arrival. No proper seating arrangements and many were sitting or sleeping on the floor. Toilets were awful and stinking. The whole terminal building is in a miserable condition. |
| 698 | Used Chennai airport for domestic arrival and intl departures last week. The new domestic arrival is now part of the intl terminal and is new. Took 10 minutes from plane to curb side (no checked bags). very impressed. The arrivals hall is spacious and well lit. Intl Departures has been a consistently good experience over the past 2-3 years. My flight departed at 21:30 so customs immigration and security all deserted. Immigration officials in Chennai more civil and polite than Delhi. overall good experience. |
| 699 | From plane to car took no more than 20 minutes which was great but airport itself looked very old and tired. Flew home from different airport (the modern but awful Cochin) so was spared the departure experience. |
| 700 | The facilities for transfer passengers domestic flight to international with a long wait between flights are poor. There is only one very small and not good quality restaurant. There is no where to rest in reasonable comfort. |
| 701 | I used Madras Airport twice in the space of five days: once for an international departure and once in transit. Departing at noon the airport was not particularly busy. Nevertheless checking in at the Jet Airways counter (Premiere) took forever - it seemed the party ahead of me with more than one piece of checked baggage per head completely brought down the entire system. Lounge comfortable security swift but I fail to understand how so many passengers passed security and boarded our flight with three or even four pieces of hand baggage. Boarding through Gate 5 (bus gate) which is absolutely awful in terms of state of disrepair and trash all over the place. A few day later I was in transit from Colombo to Frankfurt and upon arrival was asked to leave my ticket and passport with a member of ground staff who eventually returned with my boarding card in hand more than two hours (!) later. Why not have a simple transit desk as everywhere else in the world? |
| 702 | Chennai Intl terminal is vastly improved since I last visited. Immigration counters on arrival side were staffed well and special attention was given to passengers traveling with children (like us). We were asked to move to an empty line meant for special category of travelers the staff made sure no one else piggy backed on us and other passengers with similar needs were also helped. The baggage area is more spacious and well lit. Exiting the terminal is also a little better as you are buffered from the meet and greet crowd very efficiently. But it was the Intl departure area that has improved more there are more shops and duty free (most items are over priced but they were running 2 for 1 deals on some brands of liquor). A new section has opened up which houses the AI Maharajah lounge as well as the BICA lounge. Security is still a big pain with long queues and the odd passenger trying to break in. Make sure you have a baggage tag on all carry on items (the ones where you write your name for ID that you find at the airline check in desk) security uses this to stamp on. If you don't have one then they will send you back. There is a smoking room past security. For the male traveler restrooms are just barely acceptable not sure about the ladies room. Jet Airways doesn't require you to Xray your bags before check in as they do it inline after check in. |
| 703 | Recently went through MAA for an international flight for the first time in a long while. The interior is still rather drab much like the Indian airports of yesteryear but the airport is much less congested than Delhi or Mumbai. Upon entry signage for the baggage screening machines (i.e. which one to use for your airline) is poor so you end up having to guess. Immigration counters were well-staffed and took no time at all and customs no longer goes out of their way to harass you like they used to 10 years ago. Shopping/food is dreadfully limited inside the terminal so if you need something to eat try the small food court outside the departures entry gate (the Anjappar restaurant serves decent local fare) or the restaurant on the second floor between the international and domestic terminals. The best thing about MAA is that unlike BOM or DEL the domestic and international terminals are next door to each other so if you have an inbound/outbound domestic connection it's a short 5 minute walk over - thus saving you from getting harassed for tips by the touts running the terminal shuttles or getting ripped off by the taxi/auto drivers. |
| 704 | Arrivals has continuously improved in the past 4 years. Passport control quick. Luggage arrival may take a while (30 mins to 1 hour); Customs is quick and easy. Smoking permitted inside terminal - a nuisance. Duty free can be purchased upon arrival not much of a choice though. Basic stuff. Foreign exchange - Thomas Cook office within the secure area available. Free local phone call permitted from assistance booth near baggage collection area. Most staff speak good english and respond well. Long-distance / international calls can be placed from telephone booths (labeled ISD/STD) which are manned and you can get receipts. If you have someone to pick you up at the airport: Clear customs; Exit immediately after customs and wait there. You will turn left to exit the "secure area". Do not do this unless you have seen the people waiting to receive you. If you have do not have someone to pick you up: Clear customs; Exit and as you turn left you will see two private travel agencies within the secure area (one is Akbar travels and the other is Airport Express). Both of them are prepaid safe reliable. Akbar costs 350 rupees (less than 10 USD) (as of Aug 2008) to a ride anywhere in to Chennai city. Tip the person who rolls your luggage (about 20 to 30 rupees); and tip the driver about the same. Walk very closely to the person who takes your luggage to your car since you might get lost in the crowd outside. MAA International Departures: Arrive at least 3 to 4 hours prior to departure time. Must have a ticket / itinerary printed and in your hand with passport to get in to the airport. No other options allowed. Check-in queues are very long and slow. Elite status helps (depending on airline). No food for purchase prior to check-in. Passport control is usually quick (max 30 minutes with a 100 people in line). Duty free available. Overpriced food available prior to and after security check (for your handbags etc). The food is actually good in the mornings (between 6 to 9:30 AM) and after that its not that great. Make sure you have a luggage tag for your hand baggage - this is true for all Indian airports. They will make you leave the line and go and get one. Also make sure you have exactly one piece of hand baggage...no matter what it is.(so fit everything in to one bag). Did not use any lounges. MAA Local airport: NEed ticket with ID to enter airport. Some food available prior to check-in. All luggage is screened with X-ray machines similar to international airport. These queues are long. Otherwise its generally quick to get through to check luggage and clear security. Individual airlines may be slow depending on quality of service. After security check there is extremely overpriced stuff to eat. A coffee dispensing machine. Its pretty boring otherwise. Nothing to do except people-watch. Most airlines need you to take a bus to the plane. Watch for the gates being called out. You could easily miss the call - but they track you down anyway if they know you checked-in. |
| 705 | I have lived in Chennai for over 25 years and currently reside in USA my home for the last 10 years. Frankly Chennai airport is a nightmare. Having lived in India for long I can put up with less-than-sparkling toilets but what amazes me is the perennial air-conditioning problems in the airport. It is not that air-conditioning technology is rocket science. It has been in vogue for almost 100 years now. Why then is it so difficult to make the air-conditioning effective? The nearly year-long hot and humid weather of Chennai makes the airport suffocating. I really pity the westerners who have to put up with this fuming and sweating. Other attractions of Chennai airport include glum-faced immigration inspectors who cannot smile or even utter a word of welcome to foreigners visiting our country indifferent and unhelpful airport staff etc. The sooner all airports are privatized in our country the better. |
| 706 | We have gone through Chennai Airport recently in 2006 and again just a few weeks ago. Even last year the airport was better than I had expected. This year the improvements to the International Terminal main hall are immense more seating gleaming floors and it seemed slightly less chaotic than our previous transit through it. Tea coffee cold drinks and snacks are available and the facilities are clean enough. Even the arrival and baggage collection on our inbound sector was fine. Despite the fact that the A/C isn't up and running yet I would certainly have Chennai as my airport of choice for entering/leaving India. |
| 707 | With major renovation works almost complete MAA is now more convenient particularly for domestic travellers. There are now two separate check- in areas for all domestic carriers as opposed to only one previously (which was always overcrowded). So checking-in (and particularly baggage screening) is less stressful. Also: new are separate airline lounges but I am not sure whether they are a real improvement. For one the combined Paramount/Sahara lounge does not serve any beer whereas the airport restaurant does. Second all the new lounges lack windows - the airport restaurant offers a spectacular view across the tarmac and runways. Security uncrowded despite my flight departing at 18.50. I checked the prices at the refreshment stand in the departure lounge and the prices are effectively daylight robbery (Rs 60 for a can of Coke). Still a lack of airbridges and most domestic pax have to be taken by bus. At Madras as at most Indian airports there seems to be a competition among airlines as to who can offer the most inaccessible airport bus - with some having you negotiate 4 steps to get on and off. Underslung bus chassis have been around since before WWII so what happened? |
| 708 | Not a bad little airport. Always a scrum before check-in unless you are travelling in business class but generally ok facilities and duty free a bit sparse but fairly clean. |
| 709 | I arrived late at night and had an early morning flight to Hyderabad so had to spend the night in the Domestic terminal. Airport itself is quite clean compared to others in India. Airconditioning ineffective so the airport itself was very humid. There seems to be a real mosquito problem in this airport. Overall it was clean security is a joke. Not too many shopping options or food options but tea and coffee as well as candy are available. There is a full time restaurant on the 2nd floor although I didn't try it out. International arrivals hall is surprisingly clean - okay airport for Indian standards. |
| 710 | Chennai airport is superior to the other Indian international terminals namely Delhi Mumbai and Hyderabad. You have to wait to get in through the front doors but it's usually in the 15-20 minute range as opposed to the nearly one hour cattle stampede I had to deal with in Hyderabad. I wouldn't call the ground crews friendly but they are reasonably efficient and the majority of the flights leave on time. Security and immigration queues are long but not unbearable and definitely shorter than what you have to deal with in Delhi or Mumbai. The A/C doesn't work great but I haven't found an airport in India where it actually does. Overall not great but a tolerable experience. |
| 711 | It's not that bad. Look for the "retiring rooms" bookable with the airport manager at the domestic terminal 900 rupees or 650 for a family. If your flight doesn't leave until some unearthly hour use this facility. HBO on the TV 2 beds fridge air con. Hot shower. Don't want to spend money go to the flight viewing deck on the 2nd floor. It's got a cafeteria cooling fans reasonably quiet seating cleaner toilets if you use the ones down the airlines office block on this floor. |
| 712 | We travelled through Chennai on 5 August arriving from Mumbai connecting to Columbo on Jet Airways. Incoming flight was delayed and I cannot praise the Jet Airways groundstaff who ensured we met our connection enough. They seperated our luggage out personally escorted us through every stage of the transit and escorted is on to the plane. Everything is relative after the horrors of Mumbai airport I found Chennai airport clean and efficient. |
| 713 | I often use Madras for international travel as it has better and more frequent connections than Bangalore. In comparison I agree that it is one of the better airports in India particularly the international building. It is reasonably spacious given the passenger numbers and never as chaotic as for instance Delhi. The airline lounges are definitely better in Madras than elsewhere in India. What is frustrating is the basic "Indian" layout of having the departure gates separated from the airbridges by a common corridor also used for arrivals so you often find your boarding procedure interrupted by inbound passengers flowing past the door of your boarding gate. This morning I arrived from CMB at 9.05 a.m. passed immigration customs and was in time to check in for a 10.05 a.m. Jet Airways flight at the domestic terminal. Hard to beat! |
| 714 | I fully agree with the comment from Warren Ezequiel. I couldn't believe such a long delay on immigration. The general hygiene is poor but the the toilets are the worst!!! If the local goverment wants to bring more tourist to Tamil Nadu they should think seriosly about improving the airport image since this is the gate to the country. |
| 715 | I have travelled through Chennai airport on several occasions in the last 3 years and have found it to be best in India so I am surprised by many of the comments. International arrivals and baggage claim facilities though primitive are a vast improvement on other airports in the country. On recent trips with LH GF and BA we were through immigration and had collected our baggage within 30mins of arrival |
| 716 | Arriving at Chennai airport on an international flight makes one sick. The long lines of people waiting to get their passports stamped on arrival is the beginning of all woes. The area around the conveyor belt is filthy with litter and the staff are not presentable whether it is their dress or even in being polite - this includes the immigration officer who stamps the passport on arrival. He looks at the passport photograph and then looks at the person as if the former was a criminal of some sort. Outside the airport there are umpteen beggars taxi drivers touts and the lot trying to ask one where he is going and whteher their luggage needs to be carried - even if it were a small backpack. Many NRIs of Tamil origin are ashamed of their capital city and they prefer to travel to either Bangalore Kochi or Trivandrum. With several other cities like Bangalore getting a new airport and more international flights I feel many people even to Tamilnadu will be avoiding the Chennai airport in future. The Governments involved must have sufficient police presence at both the airport and train stations to prevent tired international travellers from being harassed. Also the whole of Chennai needs a bit of education in how to be clean. If nothing is going to be done to make Chennai a safe comfortable and clean place for arrival I think it will soon lose its position as 'Gateway to the South'. |
| 717 | On arrival passport control was a little slow processing everyone despite our being the only international flight in at the time (A320). That said they have a job to do and I have certainly experienced much slower elsewhere. Some of our bags were already waiting by the time we reached the belt. Overall a fairly painless arrival and out of the building within 35 minutes from arrival. Departure was a pleasure. Security check and bag X-Ray as you enter the terminal. No queues at check-in. Outbound passport processing very quick. Once large departure lounge covering all international gates but it had lots of seats and a pleasant outlook over the runway. Adequate range of retail and food outlets in the waiting area. Very happy with this airport and the experience. |
| 718 | I find that the airport has made significant improvements and seems to have more traffic. There is hardly any waiting at check-in or for screening. An excellent regional airport with decent food outlets and reasonable prices. It is not overly cluttered with shops and stalls. This is my favourite regional airport. |
| 719 | It is almost a joy to fly into this airport and avoid the chaos that is Bangkok. Have arrived on Air Asia non- stop flight from KL several times over past few months and I've only been unlucky once. Departing is even quicker. A big thumbs up to whoever brought in the CIQ system when transiting BKK so you can clear immigration in CNX rather than in BKK. |
| 720 | This is an efficient medium-sized international gateway which I think is greatly under-utilized. AOT has done a lot in recent years to upgrade the airport with the construction of the terminal extension now used by international passenger traffic. The prices charged at food outlets here are very reasonable. |
| 721 | Excellent regional airport nicely split within the same terminal between International and Domestic (I used the latter). Spacious and efficient check-in on Air Asia. Plenty of places for a snack or drink. Low key and efficient security. Good signs screens and flight announcements and adequate seating at the gates. |
| 722 | My local airport. My comments are directed not so much at airport administrators but at King Power who run the duty free shop at CNX. They have an outlet in the arrivals hall. Despite the fact that there are only two daily nonstop flights from KL and Singapore KP deem it too late to offer a service late at night when the Air Asia flight from Singapore arrives at 2300. If you are not going to offer goods for pax on these services one has to wonder why they bother to have an outlet there in the first place? But customer service has never been a strong point with KP. I can only assume that pax off the late night flights from Incheon and Taipei suffer the same fate. Welcome to Thailand. Not a great first impression. |
| 723 | A facility not many people will no about but worth knowing if the need arises. I had a minor motorcycle accident en rotue to the aiport recently which left my am bloodied and dirty. After checkin I noticed a 'first aid centre' signposted on the first floor of the international departures terminal. I duly found it and the room is staffed with a qualified nurse. She cleaned and dressed the wound and sent me on my way. I had to sign a register to show that I had attended the facility and I was expecting a small charge which I would have happily paid. The cost - nothing? |
| 724 | The new look airport is now complete with clear distinction between domestic and international flights. I use this airport several times a month and the improvements were carried out with almost no inconvenience to passengers. It has to be one of the best regional airports around! |
| 725 | A small 'regional' airport that handles some international flights. Though there is a domestic and an international section if you fly Thai you must enter the international section for Thai check-ins. Going thru the initial security at the front door. Warning : all gels liquids etc must be packed in check-on bags. No allowances. Departure lounge is ok - as long as no more than 2 planes are leaving close together. Arrival (domestic) is a breeze - from plane seat to taxi seat (with carry-on) about 7 minutes. Services (food books etc) are limited. Parking in the lot is easy and 'cheap'. Close to city centre - maybe a 10 minute taxi ride. Airport shared with RTAF 41 Squadron. |
| 726 | Great little airport but if you cant find your bags on the domestic arrivals belt they will be in the international arrivals hall about a 5 minute walk at the other end of the airport. International departure gates have a smoking room which far superior to what is on offer at BKK as you can actually see when the plane starts boarding. |
| 727 | One of the better regional airports I have visited in recent years. It is small but quite efficient. The restaurant run by Thai Airways is good and very reasonable. The domestic and international sections are now in separate "terminals" and construction is presently still ongoing. International customs and immigration clearance is far far better than in Bangkok. |
| 728 | I like its surrounding and staff are friendly. It is not as bssy as Bkk or Phuket. It is just big enough and up to the international standard to handle flights from other countries in Asia and most certainly several daily flights from BKK. |
| 729 | A great little airport that I've used many times for domestic flights. It is not a shopping destination like BKK but it does the job just fine. |
| 730 | Just back from Chiang Mai. The immigration took some time to clear although 70% of counter is open my queue hardly moved. Didn't take deal with taxi as had arranged for hotel transfer. When departing few shops and information counter. Quite amusing that luggage scanning is done on the entrance thus making a long queue outside the departure lobby. After check in pass the immigration swiftly and into a quite big empty departure hall with few duty shop open small outlet of black canyon coffee and a small massage centre. |
| 731 | The new international terminal is open and airlines have moved their check-in desks finally into the new terminal. It is a modern version of what existed in the old terminal although rumour has it that there will be a TG lounge in the international departures area. The same very limited choice of duty free and a black canyon coffee outlet. You still use the old domestic terminal if travelling to BKK or other Thai airports. Arrivals is a bit more pleasant with a few more immigration desks. Even more limited duty free shop which is closed for very late arrivals. Having waxed lyrical about the meter taxis this service has gone downhill. Arriving at varying times of the day from 0735 to 2330 has seen no taxis at the airport whatsoever. Not good enough. And the bus routes/timetables are as confusing as ever. Still haven't worked out why route 6/L didn't take me to the airport. It got close! |
| 732 | Arrived at Chiang Mai Airport on a domestic Thai Airlines flight from Bangkok after transferring from a Bangkok Airways flight from Siem Reap. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai we waited and waited for our baggage to arrive. After nearly everyone else had left with their bags we asked around and found that our bags had been sent to the international arrivals area at the other end of the airport. Although our arriving flight was a domestic one the baggage had been transferred at Bangkok (we didn't have to claim it and go through customs there |
| 733 | First time using CNX airport. Immigration staff are warm and friendly. Tried to amuse my daughter after a 3 hr flight from SIN. Airport is small with about 4-5 lanes for immigration clearance and 2-3 belts for baggage claim. There is about 2 fast food outlets 1 ice cream outlet 1 coffee outlet and a Thai resturant (worth the $). After passing through the customs there is only 1 duty free shop in the international terminal. Massage counter in the departure area is 2x the price in the night bazar! Overall the terminal needs to be upgraded to cope with the increasing number of passengers especially from the domestic areas. There is about 3 international flights/day and about 15-20 domestic flights/day. They are in the midst of building a new terminal. The Bangkok Airways lounge for all passengers looks very appealing! |
| 734 | I live in Chiang Mai and fly in/out at least 4-6 times a month. The airport has been upgraded in the 2 years I have been here and the new TG lounge is really rather nice. Typical thai decor. Adequate snacks/beverages. Why are westerners hung up on alcohol. Is it really impossible to go anywhere without consuming the stuff? BKK is only an hour away!! And that is an airline issue not the airports. Buy an overpriced beer upstairs! The restaurant upstairs is a rip-off but this is not a unique problem to CNX as it is true of just about every airport i can think of (and I travel around 70000 miles a year so i know a few). CNX has much going for it notably the close proximity to the centre of town and the recent addition of a meter taxi service which I always use and a bus service which passes the end of my street if I could just fathom out what their schedule is supposed to be!! and the ability of being able to clear immigration here off most (BUT NOT ALL) connecting flights is a real plus. Some carriers have no agreement so TG in BKK claim (and disputed by BKK customs) to transit BKK and thus benefit from this facility. I arrived in BKK on Gulf Air (GF) and found this out the hard way but no problems with Emirates. So you end up having to clear immigration in BKK travel to CNX as a domestic passenger then reunite yourself with your baggage in the customs hall by walking in 'the wrong way'. Fortunately there is no problem as the security people probably see this off every flight. And to those who dream of flights from the USA or Australia direct to CNX please stop dreaming. We have lost the non-stop narita flight into CNX so the thought of an LAX-CNX flight is sheer fantasy. So we will all be stuck with a night in BKK. A new HKG-CNX flight is about to start with Hong Kong Express. But having seen how they cancel flights from HKG to Guangzhou one wonders how long this will last. But Silk Air to SIN and Air Asia to KL is appreciated and reliable! Travel well travel safe. Then enjoy Chiang Mai. Value for money here is second to none. |
| 735 | Chiangmai Airport is clearly unable to cope with the rapidly increasing traffic. It is always congested and crowded. Having used the airport at least a dozen times over the past year or two I can say that almost always the flights would be delayed no matter what airline you use. Sometimes for just 10-15 minutes sometimes for several hours. |
| 736 | This is what a good local hub is all about. Although not very big by international standards it is a very user friendly Airport with good facilities shops bars etc. Located only about 10 minutes from the centre of town by taxi it is very easy to get to and even easier to leave from. A pleasure to use and reflective of the goodwill and even bigger welcome smiles from the people of Northern Thailand. |
| 737 | Surprised to learn how small Chiang Mai airport is and yet hosts many large aircraft each day (Thai A300-600 and Orient Thai B747-200). My overall impression of the airport was okay. The TG Biz/First Class Lounge was adequate had a good number of food items (better than many lounges at larger airports I've visited - namely DTW and NRT). But no alcohol (just like TG flights even in premium cabin). Too bad there is no bus transit service to town (though the flat rate of $100 baht for cab fare is not so bad). |
| 738 | I come from Chiang Mai. So I use this airport to get out of the city pretty regularly. The airport is quite small but it has all the the modern equipments that other international airports have. It can be crowded with passengers all day long which makes it so lively to remind you to get there early for your flight. The airport is on its way for expansion. There is some improvement on the runway and I believe the internal terminal has been upgraded to take more passengers too. I heard that in the near future there will be some inter-continental flights come to CNX regularly too. I like this idea because I can skip the overnight stay in BKK when I got to Thailand from America or Australia. |
| 739 | It's quite small old facility and stuffed with many amenities - post office bank duty-free souvenir shops snack bars transportation/hotel kiosk and even massage chairs. But there is not much room there. Baggage claim area can be very hard to maneuver for Airbus 300 passenger load. Interior decoration is heavy with Thai hand crafts. It's only 15-min ride from city center. |
| 740 | Visited for Songkran this year. Lovely to be met by Thai dancers in traditional outfits. That's where the satisfaction ended. My phone credit had run out. There is nowhere available in the terminal to purchase a top-up. I was being picked up and could not contact my driver. "Information services" suggested I take a taxi into city buy a top-up at 7/11 then come back to airport. How ludicrous? No offer of using the phone. told to try public phone. Refused to give me change of baht 1000 note as that was all I had. No customer service whatsoever. |
| 741 | Very nice small airport easy check in with friendly staff. Plenty of seating in the airport with small selection of shops and restaurants and bars. Parking for cars very close to terminal and with plenty of spaces. Easy access to main roads when you leave the airport. Baggage reclaim very quick. A pleasure to arrive at this airport. |
| 742 | We arrived at Midway and departed from O'Hare so didn't experienced waits at ticket counters security etc. Once we arrived we were quickly met by an attendant as my wife had requested wheelchair assistance and were soon at the baggage carousel area. Our bags quickly arrived and we got a taxi just a few yards away. The airport is nothing fancy but in our case at least it was easy to use. |
| 743 | I would like to comment on the rudeness of the Parking personnel. I was being dropped off at the airport and before I could even open the door the crazy person starts screaming "You cant stop there". How are people supposed to get out of the car you are not parking just getting. The time she wasted screaming was very unnecessary. The people need training on how to deal with the public doing your job is one thing but arguing with people is unnecessary. I stood and watched this idiot for about ten minutes doing the same to other cars. Two minutes is not a lifetime and Midway is getting to be the worst for dropping off and picking up passengers. The same when you pick up as soon as the car stops you are warned to keep moving. I can't stand those rude ignorant untrained people. Do they ever travel? Do they get the same treatment. |
| 744 | This airport is not large enough to handle the amount of passengers that go through it. It has insufficient seating due to the small nature of the terminal. Flights overlap and many passengers have trouble finding seats. Other than the lack of seating the airport is normal. The restrooms are very clean and can accommodate many so queues do not form. |
| 745 | Recently flown in and out of MDW as well as transited through this airport. Would not be the best airport in the world but certainly better than ORD as well as many other U.S. airports. Cannot say much about check-in times as check-in at the counter mostly avoided due to web check-in but the security checkpoint sometimes could form quite a bit of queue. However the lines are processed relatively fast so no need to be totally terrified at the scene. Airside seems to be better than landside. The concourses are actually quite spacious with lots of eateries and other shops. The concourses and the restrooms fairly clean and well maintained. No free wifi but at least power outlets are abundant. Ground transportation also fair. The orange line connects MDW with downtown so at least a reliable option is there for those wanting to visit downtown. However no direct links from the interstate to MDW. Better option than ORD especially when transiting. |
| 746 | I like that the gates where I as at (concourse A) there were no loud TVs or music playing. Travelling is loud enough. We don't need FOX or CNN filling our acoustic space. The free w-fi is as it should be. |
| 747 | Very easy to transport yourself from gate to gate. Luggage area plenty of space and good display boards to find your luggage carousel. I appreciate airports that have glass pains where you can see the airline activity from any gate and Midway creates a nice travel atmosphere. could use more shops and eaterys. |
| 748 | I went through and connected at Midway during the holiday season and it was very stressing. The terminals seem cramped and were extremely crowded. The food choices were overpriced and with little variety but there seemed to be some nice sit down bistros etc for people with long layovers. The terminal was easy to navigate but hard to find the amenities. We wasted 10 minutes in our little layover just to find a pay phone. As I finally took a break at the restroom I found them there. With very little time we rushed to our connecting flight which was a disaster! In our packed flight our gate had barely any seats. Now our gate waiting area had very little space so fine. I understand. But wait! They put in big business type seats to waste space. People were everywhere and people were sitting on the floor and standing. |
| 749 | With the new concourses it's a good domestic connecting option. Gate areas seemed clean and I could find a chair near my boarding queue. The B concourse (Southwest/ATA) is very long but there is a moving walkway down most of it. I thought the concessions were quite good but there was not enough seating in the food court area. |
| 750 | What a nice little airport! I was flying ATL-MDW-SEA and had a couple of hours in between flights each way. Midway was very clean and easy to navigate through. Decent selection of shops too. Flights were right on time and there wasn't much taxi time at all. We were always 1st or 2nd in line for takeoff. I will gladly fly through Midway again. |
| 751 | My daughter and I flew from Midway to Charlotte North Carolina in April 2003 and what a fantastic airport. We were very happy with the airport staff. The whole airport impressed us. Also in April 2003 we flew to Las Vegas from Midway : what a jolly crowd of passengers. We did have a delay but because all the passengers were in such a holiday mood it made the wait all that more bearable. |
| 752 | I just returned to Midway on Sunday. We decided to use the parking available there at the airport because it is very reasonable. Security however is nowhere to be found. The bus drivers do not make sure all the passengers from the parking lot is off before the departing to go home passengers come aboard. The result of this is my wallet was stolen. Welcome Home! When security was notified by me they really did not want to hear my story so I thought you might. I will never use the parking at the airport again. |
| 753 | I have to agree with the the previous two comments. I was not expecting much from Chicago's "second airport" but wow what a great airport. Many shops and cafes. I flew in at an early hour and most everything was open. Given a choice I would much rather fly through Midway than O'hara. Just a well done airport. |
| 754 | As a weekly flyer in and out of Chicago I am used to using O'hare. I went through Midway for the first time and its one of the nicest if not small airports in the US. Extremely easy to navigate eating and shopping areas are pleasant and the whole airport is very modern. It is also a snap to get to the city center on the Orange Line "El" train. |
| 755 | Just returned from a trip MDW-PHX-MDW. Wow what a change from old Midway. Chicago Midway new terminal does not even resemble the old crowded Midway airport. A lot of room around the check-in counters and in the departure hall. A large corridor that connects the departure hall with the gates area. This corridor serves as a security check-point waiting line. Very large and roomy and can accomodate easily everyone. Departed during the peak hours of 7-9 am. Large food court and decent shoping option. The new gates area is roomy with plenty of seating space. If you are unlucky to use the old gates though (Southwest still uses some of the old gates) the same old very dense area with very tired look and feel. But these are phased out gradually. When returned docked at a remote gate and had to walk quite a bit to connect to the new terminal arrival hall. Once in the arrival hall luggage carousels are quite big and not too crowded. There are security personnel that make sure before you leave that you picked the baggage that belongs to you and not someone's else. Good connection to the loop via train only $1.50. Midway is a decent less crowded alternative to O'Hare. Wish more major carriers will start serving it more often. |
| 756 | I departed with Delta from terminal 2 to go to Detroit to then fly to Italy via Amsterdam. Terminal two lacks in outlets and other similar amenities but I only stayed there for a short while so no need. On the return I flew United from Pisa to Chicago via Munich. The international terminal five is horrible. We arrived at peak hour and it was hopeless. There were dozens of flights from Europe and Asia that all seemed to arrive at the same time. This caused lines that stretched almost down the entire hallway just to go through passport control. After that the baggage hall was chaotic. With mountains of luggage being taken off early from the conveyor belt just to make room for more flights. The entire terminal unnavigable with the amount of craziness that was going on. There was a line that stretched through the baggage hall and all around it just to get land side. The line took an hour an if someone had any connections they wouldn't be able to catch them. If Chicago O'hare wants to be able to handle A380s and more planes they are going to need lots of renovations. |
| 757 | I understand O'Hare is remarkably busy and has the weather to contend with so I do extend some grace for the reality induced by the moderately rainy day of my travel. However, the services, staff, lines, even the terminals themselves seem worn out and tired - exhausted from the constant fight-or-flight existence the airport lives under. I'll spare the details of my experience, only noting I was delayed, cancelled, and delayed again while just trying to pass through on a connector home. As I had extra time on my hands I decided to people-watch and experience the airport. People running from one place to another with frantic gazelle-like dodging and suitcases in tow. Others growing roots on burdened chairs while they wait with a hopeful stare at the stand-by list. Missed flights, pilots timing out, gate changes, and a maelstrom of reluctant airline refuges just looking for escape. Personnel were usually trying to be helpful, to their credit, but honestly inside I think they knew they were just plugging holes in the Titanic - praying to make it to the end of their shift. Problems if you need to get to the buses and shuttles. Down there, around the bend, back up an elevator? The midnight group of us were on a quest to find the final sign depicting 'Door 2.' The next day at 6.45am I returned with the hope times had improved but sure enough there were already the runners, the sitters, and the delayed flights all displaying the new day's same experiences for would-be travelers through O'hare. Does it need to be this way? O'Hare - it's time for a big disruptive change in flexible workflow and smart throughput, a desperate need for profound innovation. |
| 758 | I recently had to transit through Chicago O'Hare from American Eagle flight to a British Airways flight to London. Passengers who transit from AA to BA Transatlantic can now transfer Air Side between Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 International Departures, this means that there is no additional security to go through once you have cleared security at your original US departure airport for the domestic segment. Transer from the domestic to the international terminal took a matter of minutes & was so easy to do which meant no more rushing to get to the transit system and then go through security again. Anyone can now transfer now with ease and no stress, we just need to have the same for inbound and that will make the whole experience much more enjoyable. |
| 759 | Flew from London to Chicago with BA upon arrival in Chicago I was dreading the lines for immigration and customs, however to my surprise no lines at all! I was through immigration, customs and re-checked my luggage all within 25 minutes which is amazing. It is still a shame that there is no airside transfer between terminals but I am sure that will come as passengers who are travelling with BA to London & who transfer from a AA or American Eagle flight can now use the shuttle to transfer between terminal 3 to terminal 5 international departures. Otherwise a great experience with good facilities for passengers. |
| 760 | Easy signage. Food and quality moving to higher level. Charging stations improving. More will have to be added quickly. New airport map is available and excellent. Luggage moves quickly to luggage belts. Concourses clean. Maybe brighten or modernize to freshen up. |
| 761 | The Airport terminal looks decent. But sadly it lacks facilities that even Mumbai has. Fewer charging points no free wifi. A really horrible airport. |
| 762 | Terrible airport many flight delays because of "weather". De-icing policy is ridiculous. Avoid this airport unless final destination is Chicago. Try MSP as far more reliable alternative. |
| 763 | They are horribly organized. With delays and lost luggage common (especially when changing airlines) just avoid the airport in general. They have some cleaner restrooms but that's the only real positive to them it seems. Limited food choices long distances between terminals with no easy way to get between them. Just avoid this airport. |
| 764 | Just flew home to O'Hare yesterday afternoon. The customs experience was fine using the kiosks. But then you must deal with people. A woman shouted at me to go to number 43! I looked at that station and there was a man there with no passengers so I went straight to his booth. He screamed at me "I did not call you". I picked up my passport and papers and began to retreat at which point he said "Come here!" I told him the woman had directed me to his booth but he said again "I did not call you!" He then began to ask me a series of questions in a loud angry tone. Welcome home to Chicago! |
| 765 | Very slow and long trip to the trains. Food options are limited and expensive. Signage poor and confusing. Security staff too busy chatting and joking amongst themselves instead of doing their job and clearing big queues. It could be different to US citizens though but definitely an airport to avoid. Plus you have to have to clear and check in your luggage. I missed my connection. |
| 766 | I've travelled about 10 times to the US this year it was a nightmare. We flew into O'Hare on Saturday 19th July 2014. The queue for passport control was incredible long - they were told that it would be more than a 3 hour wait and it turned out to be a total nightmare for us. O'Hare is incredibly badly organised. We asked if there was a separate line for families with kids but it was not. The people who were controlling the traffic were rude. How do you wait with two children under 10 (one 14 months old) in a queue that long after a 9 hour transatlantic flight? Dreadful. This is not the first time they or we have experienced long queues of this nature at O'Hare. Nothing seems to be done about it - why? |
| 767 | Immigration for non US citizens at this airport has always been bad but our last visit in July 2014 took us 2.5 hours. There were only two booths open to serve a massive snaking queue. Often they would stop to chat just to keep us all waiting a bit longer. It's not about security it's just an opportunity for big brother to treat you as they please. And there's nothing you can do about it. They love giving passengers a hard time because that is there mindset. Welcome to the USA! |
| 768 | My daughter and three little grand-daughters flew into O'Hare (they live in Chicago) late on Friday 8th August 2014. The queue for passport control was ridiculously long - they were told that it would be a 3 hour wait as 10000 passengers on 25 flights had turned up around the same time. It turned out to be a total nightmare for them. O'Hare is incredibly badly organised. How do you wait with three children under 7 (one 4 years old) in a queue that long after an 8.5 hour transatlantic flight? Dreadful. This is not the first time they or we have experienced long queues of this nature at O'Hare. Nothing seems to be done about it - why? |
| 769 | Flew to O'Hare on a trip from Lubbock-Beijing. The American Airlines Terminal is very large and takes a long time to get from one gate to another the terminal however has a good selection of facilities and is quite clean. The check in was actually pretty fast and the counter agents were helpful security however is the other way around the lines are very long and slow the staff working at security are rude and aren't very helpful. Not a good airport for accessibility but has a good selection of food and retail services. |
| 770 | My wife my daughter and I flew into O'Hare in 2012 in order to go to a wedding. Admittedly our flight was late departing from Heathrow but when we arrived at O'Hare we had about 2 hours to spare before the departure of our connecting flight. That however wasn't enough time to get us through security and customs. We missed our connection. The information available was poor and only a few clearance desks were staffed. Our requests to be fast-tracked fell on deaf ears. My wife and I are both elderly and we had to stand for about an hour and a half in an over-heated terminal building as the "snake" slowly moved forward. We enjoyed our stay but I'm not going through that again. |
| 771 | Flew Heathrow to Chicago then onward to Omaha. This required claiming baggage passing through customs and immigration then handing over baggage and transferring terminal. Fair enough but it would have been better if the people collecting the luggage for the onward flight weren't just piling it in a corner (not exactly what you expect in these hyper-security conscious times) one of the shuttle trains hadn't been out of action and a TSA agent who decided that he wasn't happy with the location of the desk and adjusted it by less than an inch before every passenger. I think my colleague ticked him off by standing about 6 inches past his sign saying "wait here to be called forward" so he was making a point to slow everyone down. Very petty and a great first impression for my first trip to the US. Fortunately everyone else we met was lovely! Terminal 1 is pretty big with lots of small kiosks and a few sit down places but lacks proper eating places as are found in Heathrow Gatwick Edinburgh etc.. Flying back we wanted dinner but could only really get a snack. |
| 772 | O'Hare is enormous and always busy but in spite of that it is well organized. The signage is clear and easy to understand. The security line which may look daunting at first moves quickly. Once through any domestic security checkpoint you can access all domestic terminals (1-3). There is a wide variety of places to eat and drink or grab something quick at a broad range of prices. While not a shopping mall like many newer airports there are plenty of places to shop and browse. The Blue line train is an inexpensive and reliable way to get to or from downtown Chicago or its neighborhoods. I use O'Hare regularly and find it as tolerable as any airport - none of which I would describe as pleasant places to spend time. The main complaint I hear is from non-US citizens arriving at the International Terminal (Terminal 5) waiting in very long lines. I have experienced long lines when arriving as a non-citizen at airports around the world so this does not appear to be a problem unique to O'Hare. |
| 773 | My experience was pleasant flying from ORD's newly remodelled Terminal 5. No hassles through TSA on the way out and no headaches coming back in. The new shops are lovely but pricey and it was fun passing time in the duty free shop. We did not encounter any rude or indifferent employees. What I liked best about my return through ORD is the passport control process. While the traditional process is still available for US Passports they also offer (at no cost) kiosks that get you through the process much quicker. The kiosks are in the room after TSA's "Trusted a Traveler" portals; I made the mistake of trying one of those out first. Baggage and customs were a breeze too. So ORD is now my first choice if I'm flying international. |
| 774 | I travelled on AA connecting from CDG and then transferring from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 on an American Eagle flight to BWI. I was extremely nervous even though I had 2 hours to connect. I was amazed that it took me just 30 minutes to pass through immigration customs and security! Since my transatlantic leg was 40 minutes ahead of schedule I was ready for my next flight before my first flight was even scheduled to land. Although the connections process was seamless and efficient Terminal 3's L concourse is pretty dark and dreary and the facilities are nothing to write home about. Overall a positive experience. |
| 775 | A chaotic and unpleasant experience I wouldn't want to repeat unless I had to. Very slow journey to and from airport on train to centre. Food options in terminal 5 very limited and expensive. Signage around airport very poor and confusing. Security staff too busy chatting and joking amongst themselves instead of doing their job and clearing big queues. |
| 776 | Read many of the reviews here and agree to avoid this airport at all costs especially if flying International and connecting to a domestic flight. I was very lucky to get through Immigration-Customs in about 20 mins just happened to be at the right place and time but I did notice behind me a very long line which I believe was for Non US citizens. I was lucky to get through Customs in the amount of time I did and I barely made my flight (had 1.5 hrs). Also the staff here seem to be very impersonal and not friendly - a sharp difference when you travel throughout Asia and Australia where them seem more willing to help. Unfortunate as for many visitors to the U.S. this will be their first impression and maybe their last. Terminal 5 and Terminal 1 seem to have plenty of Restaurant and shopping choices. Also the structure seemed to be updated. But didn't have much time here and was running from landing at Terminal 5 to catch my connection to Terminal 1. You have to take a train from Terminal 5 to the Domestic Terminals (keep in mind you also have to recheck baggage if landing here first coming from International) so if you have 2 hrs it may be just enough time. |
| 777 | ORD is one of the world's busiest airports in terms of both passengers and aircraft movements so it is to be expected problems might arise. I've been flying in and out of here for over 30 years and I love the place. Food? Depends where you go: Terminals 1 and 3 are pretty good but Terminal 2 could use improvements and Terminal 5 has a long way to go. United and American Airlines are in terminals 1 and 3 respectively which explains why those have the best offerings. The security lines aren't all that bad and I find the customs officials to be pretty good. Also ORD is fairly clean something that most airports of its size and stature are not. |
| 778 | U.S. Citizens were let through immigration in minutes the rest of us were kept waiting for 3 hours. We missed our connection of course. What was truly offensive though was the lack of attention paid to this second group only two booths were open (in contrast to 6 for citizens) and the officials had seemingly no concern for the steadily lengthening line. Amazingly they would exit the booths to chat. I've never been treated this way in a U.S airport before. Shocking. |
| 779 | Yes it is huge with incredible crowds but terminals were relatively efficient and the lines relatively short. Only problem I had was with a car starter at cab company who seemed to have no empathy for someone who was not familiar enough with the airport to realize that there is no Terminal 4. Other than that the ground staff were very nice. |
| 780 | Four hour wait to get through immigration so missed my connecting flight. Absolutely useless - no queue management or information small children crying. Most emerging market airports are far superior. |
| 781 | The immigration performance at terminal 5 is the worst I have experienced anywhere in the world in my 30 years as a frequent international traveller. I landed at 2.10 pm joined the long line for non US immigration at 2.25 pm and was finally processed at 4.45 pm. There were only 3 immigration booths open for non US travellers whilst many more were open for residents and US citizens. The staff managing the lines were most unhelpful and bullied people along in a brusque manner. There were families with young children elderly people clearly uncomfortable with the delay. At first I thought I was unlucky on this particular day but frequent visitors in the line told me this was pretty true to form. I am a frequent traveller to the USA and I can honestly say I have never had more than 40 minutes to wait at immigration at other international airports. If indeed this performance is typical I will make it a point in future never to come in again through O'Hare on an inbound international flight. Baggage of course had been taken off the belt and it took me another 10 minutes finding my bags with no signage nor anyone there to ask. The delay meant I missed my pre-booked shuttle to downtown and had to pay again for a taxi. All in all the experience was extremely poor. |
| 782 | First time out of O'Hare and as a British passport holder we are normally good as a Nation for complaining. But my experience as a full fare paying First Class ticket holder on United Airlines out of Terminal One was just plain disgusting. Never seen so many uninterested employees. Self check-in when you have paid for a First Class ticket should be an experience above the normal but here no. United have no policy to make you feel different whether you are. Coach or first? No disrespect to Coach my normal travel would be by that means but just on this occasion I provided what I thought would be nice experience. So no directions given when I checked in no mention that the First Class lounge was closed for refurb. So now with meal voucher and a couple of drinks vouchers I'm back down to Coach level facilities. I might as well purchased a day ticket for the United Club and saved $3000 on the airfare. Truly a well deserved low level expectation airline matched by an equally poor and run down airport. Avoid UA and avoid O'Hare most of all avoid any First Class with UA because they see you no different from any other Coach passenger. |
| 783 | I fly though O'Hare 2 or 3 times a year I have never had to long to wait at customs / immigration this year I have only had to wait 30 minutes each time the TSA are friendly and polite any cuts caused by the sequester seem to have been absorbed well I see less TSA people sat round (probably on a break) then before the cuts I have not had any problems at the airport over the years the terminal is always clean and tidy. Departures at T5 at O'Hare has had a major upgrade in July the old lines have gone and you now go though a bigger and faster screening area they also found room to include a large duty free area after you pass security there is a surprise! This seems to be where the old food court used to be all the food courts that were on the upper level at T5 are now airside and the prices seem to be a little lower than last year. T5 is the best of all the terminals at O'Hare since it is smaller then the others so there is less walking time to get around it the car parks are just outside and Coach USA are outside every hour they offer good value travel (go their web site to see where they go) the train to other terminals comes around every 10 minutes and takes a few minutes to get to T2 the roads around the airport can be confusing but that can be said about most airports. |
| 784 | We flew home from here after a recent holiday. We had flown out of London Heathrow and found the contrast quite surprising. Upon arrival we self checked our bags which was fairly straightforward. We were then unsure which way to go for security. One member of staff directed us to the wrong place but we eventually found where to go. There was a long queue although it did move reasonably quickly - it probably took about 15 minutes. One thing that surprised us was that under 12s or over 70s did not need to remove their shoes for security checks - surely if someone is a risk everyone is a potential risk no matter their age? Once on the concourse we were unsure where to go and wait. There is basically a long corridor with a few shops and nowhere to sit other than the departure gates. We therefore had 3 hours to kill and not a lot to fill the time with. I would have happily browsed a shopping area and probably spent some money on last minutes gifts. It also felt odd having no designated sitting area prior to our gate being open. Not a user friendly airport considering the amount of time you need to spend there. |
| 785 | Today was my first trip to O'Hare in nearly 20 years. I've avoided it like the plague always opting for Midway when having to fly to a Chicago for a reason. Too big too inconvenient too impersonal. Today I had no choice and I was curious to see if it had changed. It hasn't except for appearing more crowded and run down than I remember. I always liked Chicago for the friendliness of its people but I can only assume that most of the people who work at O'Hare are not from this area. Unsmiling tired looking indifferent employees who seem pained to have to engage with you. They all look like they hate their jobs and why wouldn't they? If I had to work here and have to deal with these same people on a day to day basis I'd be unhappy too. Back to Midway at any cost! BTW I am only talking about a Terminals 1 and 2 United's terminals. The others might be great - I wouldn't know. |
| 786 | I really have no problem with O'Hare. It's a mess getting to the airport but traffic is hardly their fault. There's wifi here and outlets spread around. The food's not that great but it's an airport. I always breeze through security so I don't really have a problem. Employees seem very friendly especially for Chicago. I think this place gets a bad rap. |
| 787 | I've been through this airport twice now (transferring from domestics to international the first time and from international to domestic the second time). My first experience was decent |
| 788 | I am a British citizen and have visited Chicago many many times over the past 20 years and usually felt welcome. However this fine city is now totally let down by the incompetent management of arrivals procedures at O'Hare Terminal 5. The reality that I experienced on arrival into O'Hare T5 on September 24 was anything but welcoming. There was a 2 hour line for immigration followed by indifferent/rude airport and airline employees in the baggage claim area. Ironically in the weeks before this visit Chicago was being promoted as a welcoming tourist destination in commercials on UK TV networks. I fully understand that the Mayor's tourism dept. does not control the activities of Dept. of Homeland Security or airline employees and while I can respect that immigration procedures are very necessary for the security of US borders it is completely ridiculous to use resources to promote the city in overseas TV markets but then not adequately resource immigration procedures to facilitate those visits. Right now flying into O'Hare T5 = undesirable experience. |
| 789 | This is by far the most disorganized airport visited in my life long lines everywhere slow and rude officers no air conditioning dirty bathrooms. |
| 790 | Flew DUB-ORD-SNA and on this occasion ORD was a breeze to connect to onward flight as I had already pre-cleared Customs/INS at DUB (AA Flight) so it arrived at T3 (Domestic) and only had to walk about 6-8 gates for next flight also from T3 whole process only took about 15mins which beats hands down the 3hrs plus you can normally expect at ORD for INS/Customs/Transfers etc. |
| 791 | Good points: Automatic toilets - seat covers change automatically. Conveniently located. More flights compared to midway airport - more options and flexibility. Bad points: Very rude careless anti-social airport staff. TSA agents as someone said bark at you. International ticketing agents are mostly good. Confusing directions to terminals ticketing areas and parking lots. Insufficient announcements on gate changes and inadequate seating in front of many gates. Insufficient charging outlets. No free Wi-Fi and customer service for missed flights and cancellation inadequate. Have to wait hours to re-book flights. Delays to go through immigration and catch connecting flights. Chaotic. Parking close to terminals $50 a day. Old and smelly underpasses connecting terminals. |
| 792 | It has got to be the most disorganised airport I have been through. We landed at the international terminal and went through immigration and customs and made our way to the domestic terminal to catch our next flight. It was only because we had a rough idea of where to go from a previous experience that we got to the front of the queue to go through security into the domestic terminal. Two lines were open of about 15 lines checking passports and hand luggage. Shortly after we got to this stage there must have been at least 150 people behind us. I am certain some of these poor people must have missed their connections. 3 years previous we had 1.45 hours to do the same thing and missed our connection because there were not enough security lines open. We sat in the airport for 8 hours waiting for a flight. Allowing time for immigration customs trekking to the other end of the airport and going through the inefficient security gates you require at least 4 hours. The last flight to come home was very disorganised we changed gates twice and no one seemed to know what they were doing. After all this I don't suppose any one will take any notice. |
| 793 | Flew into ORD July 5 and returned to UK on 13 July. Was pleasantly surprised by speed of customs/immigration at T5 around 10am as I was able to use the 'Green Card' line as a Canadian citizen. Very quick connection to Blue Line and into Chicago. On way back flew out of T1 very disappointed with the sole duty free shop - ridiculous! |
| 794 | I have flown internationally many many times but only through San Francisco. This week my wife and I had to go through Chicago's O'Hare and it was horrible! For some reason the people that run the immigration and customs have decided to automate the process yet they still had bungling fools directing people and checking documents. The people checking documents who we assumed were immigration officers had no clue. The immigration people took our customs paperwork which are usually taken by the customs officers after you get your baggage. Several immigration officers had piles of them on their check-in desks. At immigration they make you go to a computer that scans your passport then takes your photo. If you are travelling with someone it takes theirs along with yours. We then get a major surprise: one officer is checking everyone's baggage all 300 of us from the flight from Germany! The line is very long and very slow. I can only imagine some older couple getting extremely stressed out by this process. |
| 795 | The lack of outlets for charging accessories is absolutely ridiculous in 2013 every location to grab a drink had no availability. Airport needs a serious update. |
| 796 | Just flown international out of Terminal 5. The facilities in the departure lounge are almost non-existent. There is a small Korean cafe a Mexican cafe with small bar and two bar carts. Apart from buying sandwiches and soft drinks from shops these are the only means of eating and drinking. Nothing warns you about the lack of facilities before you go through security. When you complain you are just told that other facilities will be available at the end of the year. This is of no help when you are looking for a meal. The two small cafes are so busy that they are now doing take-aways. It says it all when there are very limited facilities for eating and drinking but there is a large duty free shop. |
| 797 | We recently flew into O'Hare airport when we arrived from Charlotte NC. We had a late night arrival. So late that nearly everything was closed. The restrooms thankfully were not and they were spotless. We were able to Locate the Blue line to get to our destination. A man helped us to figure out what to do once we got there. On our departure from Chicago we were able to print our boarding passes pass through screening and the ticketing area in about 15 minutes. There were many food vendors and stores we could buy food from and we even saw that you could get a massage. We had to wait about an hour but it was not an unpleasant wait. The NSA staff and airport staff were all pleasant and helpful. |
| 798 | Very old very outdated very antiquated. The long lines the shuttling between terminals the lack of plugs for cell phones and lap tops and the rude staff was enough to make me never go through there again. Please update this tacky monstrosity and modernize it. |
| 799 | Generally I complain about Chicago's airports but this time I had no issues. Staff was quick and efficient and I was able to be through everything very rapidly. Luggage was quick and waiting for me upon my return no problems at all. Food choice could be better. |
| 800 | Terminal 5 is an absolute nightmare for non US travelers. United booked my flight with a 1.5 hrs connection. Flying out there was a uniformed man who called passengers off our flight to a free immigration booth after waiting for half an hour. Since there were many hundreds of people jammed into the immigration hall we would never have made our flight. Coming back no such luck. After waiting for 45 minutes in the incredible line up which appeared to consist of a thousand people I pleaded with the girl directing US residents and she let me into this line. After picking up my luggage and re checking with united I had twenty minutes to get to terminal 2 before my flight left. I still had to go through security in terminal 2. I made it just but my baggage didn't. How can they possibly justify having two customs officials to deal with this enormous number of people. |
| 801 | We passed through this airport twice in a week once from UK and then from Mexico. On both occasions we were met by huge queues for passport check both times taking 2-3 hours to get through. As we made our way towards immigration we were ordered by a young lady to 'stand against the wall' get against the wall'. We queued there for about 45 minutes before getting to a hall best described as a cattle market crammed with hundreds of visitors. People were taking photos of the unbelievable crowd. Only about 1/3 of passport desks were manned. It took 2 hours to get through the queue plus the 45 minutes in the corridor. Many people were missing connecting flights. When they asked staff what they should do they were rudely told 'stand in line there's nothing you can do you just have to catch the next one'. I guess for some that meant spending the night in the terminal. One parent tried to offer food to their bored child only to be ordered to 'put that food away- no food' because they were using sniffer dogs. There was not a hint of courtesy politeness or helpfulness in any of the staff. US citizens seemed to be getting through in about 15 minutes. This was obviously not an isolated incident since it was the same on both occasions we passed through. This is the worst airport I have ever passed through. They should not be allowed to take international flights if they think it is reasonable to treat the passengers this way. |
| 802 | We arrived from UK with about an hour to get off the British Airways flight get through immigration collect our cases hand them in again and get to the next terminal by the transit train. As we taxied to a stop the pilot said all those with immediate connecting flights would find an orange envelope on the wall when we got to the end of the airbridge just wave this as we went through the airport and we be rushed through. I have to say it all worked like clockwork. As we approached immigration a lady directed us into a short queue of about ten people. (The main queue snaked around for several hundred yards). We were through in about ten minutes and although our luggage with the red labels came after numerous ones without we found the new bag drop counter and jumped on the train to the next terminal. Our flight boarded whilst luggage was still turning up on the tarmac but when we arrived at New Orleans. The success of this was due to having both flights booked by BA so they were responsible for getting us to the final destination. From previous reports I had read of Chicago I had no faith in making New Orleans on this last flight of the night so I can only say thanks to BA and the staff at Chicago for making the experience efficient and pleasurable. |
| 803 | Arrived at O'Hare from London yesterday to face longest immigration line that I've ever seen in many years of travelling worldwide. In essence it took me 3 hours of waiting to be processed! Yes I repeat 3 hours! I can only say that I was appalled to be treated so badly. Is this the way to treat visitors to the US who are a vital source of revenue for the country? I love Chicago and the US but was very disappointed by the complete disregard for visitors shown by US Immigration management. The solution is simple: employ more people and have sufficient staff on at busy times. The people who were in that line yesterday all went away with a very bad impression and will no doubt avoid flying into Chicago in the future. |
| 804 | Got to airport 2.5 hrs early for an early evening American Airlines flight to Tampa. T3 security was good (got through in 20 minutes) but our gate (K1) has virtually no seating. Gate is located right outside security but there were less than 50 seats at the gate which is typically used for mainline flights. Most other gates have sufficient seating however. There is a decent choice of food but the majority of it is (at least in T3) located in a food court where Conc. H and K split off from each other and could possibly be a 5 minute walk to the food court not to mention the wait to get your food. |
| 805 | I read all the recent reviews and thought ORD would be horrendous but contrary to the reviews the airport worked well! My family of 4 arrived in T5 on Sunday 30 Dec 2012 afternoon after more than an hour's delay in Heathrow London due to a technical fault with the aircraft and half expected to miss our flight connection as our original transit time was only 3 hr. Well we got through Immigration in 45 mins (we are all non-US citizens) retrieved our luggage from the carousel without a hitch and passed them to the United Airlines staff waiting there. We got to Concourse C for our flight to Atlanta albeit with only 20 mins before scheduled flight time. We didn't meet any unhelpful or brusque staff and we were pleasantly surprised that the airport's transfer systems (for luggage and passengers) all worked as they ought. As a bonus the airport also has a good choice of dining places plus the fun brachiosaurus in Concourse B. |
| 806 | The worst airport I have transited through. If you're coming to the USA through this airport and you're not a citizen or a green card holder - avoid. I transited through this airport twice and each time the wait at immigration was over 2 hours. If you don't want to miss a connecting flight you need at least a 4 hours layover to be on the safe side. I missed a flight and the airport personnel refused to help me to make it on time. |
| 807 | Flown into Terminal 3 and then waited for others at Terminal 1/2. Although it is not a fault of anyone this airport is just unreliable especially in the winter anyone can lose connections due to delays that can be triggered not just by snowfalls but also by mere rains coupled with low visibility. I was affected by exactly that and ended up arriving at O'Hare an hour late. Airport's location itself is already a reason to avoid this airport especially for connections. The airport offers a cheap rail link into the downtown in addition to the expressway option and considering the frequent congestion's on the expressways around Chicago sometimes the metro option is a must for travelers. Except for T5 - the international terminal - the other terminals are also nicely grouped together in the central terminal area so walking over to a different terminal is not that difficult at all there is a free and efficient Airport Transit System that links all terminals and the remote parking lots. The terminal facilities however can have some upgrades to be more appealing. Airside had seating available for passengers around each gate but landside had a very limited number of benches. The wifi was not free and even when I wanted to pay for it the signal was not even strong. The power ports were virtually non-existent. Flight information displays were lacking both in terms of its quality and its size. Information was incorrect for some delayed flights. Some flight information was not even clear as to which terminal they were expected to depart/arrive many first-timers would be in trouble finding their ways to the correct terminal/gates. Other aspects of evaluation seem to be on par with or slightly worse than most other major airports in my opinion. In short I would discourage others from flying in and out of ORD unless it is unavoidable (e.g. Chicago is their final destination). Except for the superior availability of flight options from United and American I would always choose other major hubs over ORD. |
| 808 | The Immigration at Chicago O'Hare is an embarrassment for both Chicago and USA. The level of service has declined to the point that it took us over one hour to clear immigration - I have flown in and out of O'Hare since 1971. In Terminal 5 there are 34 lanes on each of two sides. Of the 34 lanes about 5-6 were manned for Visitors while 1-3 were manned for Residents. One of the agents decided to take a 30 minute break while several hundred of us waited in line to clear immigration |
| 809 | After my earlier positive review (10 Oct) about coming IN to Chicago and then an internal flight to Savannah from O'Hare on another day we did the O'Hare - London Heathrow return. Whilst not quite as horrendous as we were told when in the security queue (2 x-ray/security machines for the whole of International / Terminal 5 departures? Really?) that there were no restaurants past security. So we found something dreadful to eat at what passes for the truly laughable 'food court' in Terminal 5. Then found some much more acceptable offerings when we got through security. The International Departures part of Terminal 5 Chicago O'Hare is fairly grim (and that is putting it mildly). All I can say is get something to eat before you get to Terminal 5 and take a good book / Kindle. There's nothing to do after Security. Come on Chicago - you're a great city - have an International Airport that matches. |
| 810 | We were delayed 2 hours at immigration with long queues of tired passengers. The staff marshalling us into the lines were not interested in providing any comfort or words to ease the frustration. The immigration officials were slow and limited in number to make things worse I realise that the staff were merely doing their jobs and cannot be expected to hurry up the process so I blame the management of the area and the processes involved. If this situation is a continuing one then surely some way of improving the process more staff at peak times for example should be used. The stats for arrivals are no secret the airlines know the figures so why don't the immigration department official do something about it. Or maybe nobody really cares whether we visit again or not! |
| 811 | Terminal 5 (international) at O'hare is one of the worst places to fly out of. The facilities including places to eat are limited to a duty free shop souvenir shop and 3 fast food restaurants and a small Bar that surround a depressing seating area. The security checkpoint is very slow and on a busy day you could end up standing in line for over an hour. After the security there are no restaurants or fast food places whatsoever. Just a couple of kiosks and news stands. The domestic terminals at O'hare are way better and have tons of options for food etc so it's surprising that they don't try to make the international terminal a bit more accommodating. |
| 812 | Absolutely no working electrical outlets in T3 Concourse G. I tried eight gates and could not fine any live outlets. Seems like a small thing but delays and cancelled flights mean you need computers and phones longer. I could get no work complete because my batteries died while awaiting a flight. |
| 813 | After awful reviews of O'Hare it was with some trepidation that I flew Heathrow - O'Hare and O'hare to Savannah. Whilst we did have to wait a while to get through passport control security baggage retrieval etc we were at our downtown hotel within 2 hours of landing. And whilst not exactly service with a smile it wasn't the worst experience either (Newark hang your head in shame). O'Hare to Savannah was a breeze on a busy Monday am - smiley helpful check in staff and very nice security people. Not much to do when through security but at least there's a variety of eating places. Not what I was expecting. |
| 814 | I landed and had two hours to connect. Barely made it and only because I had no checked luggage. There were 3 lines at immigration. The busiest was for transit passengers and this had the fewest staff 3 inspectors and one was missing several times. I was standing in line with hundreds of people all getting more and more desperate as they were transit passengers and many needed to get on with it. Why did the supervisor not shift some of the passengers to the green card line which was moving at a good pace? They did not do that before the green card line was completely empty. Will do my best to avoid Chicago in the future! |
| 815 | No signs anywhere 3 hours to go through immigration filthy toilets and staff who obviously couldn't care less. I will make a serious effort to never see this place again. |
| 816 | When we arrived on a flight from LHR there was a long walk to immigration. Luckily the flight before us had just about gone through and we were one of the first people off the plane so we got through in about 10 minutes. After clearing everything and at the exit there were no signs to where the Car Rental Shuttles are and there was no one about to ask. For our return flight the walkways around check-in were very narrow and congested. The queue for security was very long with a wait for about 20 minutes with 2 lanes for 'normal' people and 1 lane for business/first class. The staff just waved their fingers at you without even looking at you. Airside there are no restaurants and the only place you can get food from is a small open shop. At the gate there is also few seats lots of the passengers sat on the floor. |
| 817 | Facilities are disastrous (filthy/dirty restrooms malfunctioning AC system even broken escalators) security officers have no respect to passengers whatsoever staff in general are rude delays occur all the time (even at 7am when there are only 3 planes on the runways). There is almost no gate or flight information public transportation is a joke and you often have to walk long distances to reach the correct gate. The only redeeming value is the quality and variety of eateries offered. In short O'Hare is a disgrace to the city of Chicago. |
| 818 | An absolutely horrible airport to transit through especially if you're coming off a domestic flight (in my case Denver) and transiting to Europe. I got off the plane and there was absolutely no information anywhere about where to go. I had to walk all the way to one end of the terminal to find a flight overview but those were only for that particular terminal and hence terminal and gate information for next flight was not on there. I had to ask for help at a random gate (where I had to say "excuse me" 4 times before any of the employees bothered looking at me). I was eventually directed towards terminal 5. After getting to terminal 5 which was a bit of a project in itself the line for security clearance stretched for about 100 meters without any organization whatsoever. In line I talked to some people who were going on the same flight who had had the exact same issues as well. The staff are also the rudest I have ever encountered even against the people standing in the business/first class line. No matter how good of a stay you might have had in the US this airport will almost not make you want to return anytime soon. In summary a poorly organized airport with a horribly rude staff. Avoid transiting through this airport. If you have no other choice make sure to at the very least have 2 hours between flights. |
| 819 | I will try to never fly through Chicago again. Everyone I have met here has been rude! Except for one security gentleman as we left customs to go to another terminal a gentleman whose service and kind attitude really stands out against everyone else's amazing rudeness. Even the ladies in our first class lounge who couldn't explain to me how it works as it's my first time in such a lounge but instead treated me with curt responses and no niceties. I am returning home from overseas and am really tired already. This kind of treatment is undignified and absolutely unacceptable. |
| 820 | Nearly 2 hours in immigration 4 people manning 15 channels don't they know there are wide bodied jets inbound with passengers. I use to come through ORD 3-6 times per year and its getting worse. Barely had enough time to make my connection and then when I get to terminal 1 the security queues are taking 40 minutes to process and that was the premium channel. A bad advert for the US and worse for O'Hare. If you have the option don't enter the US via Chicago. |
| 821 | This process is very broken. They had two lines US visitors and US citizens Canadians and people with Green Cards. The issue was very simple the US Citizens flew by and could have been processed in matter of seconds. The people with Green Cards had to go through a lengthy interrogation. Take a hint from grocery stores - for the people with the fewest items open an express line. I waited in line for 1.5 hours to take 2 minutes to process. |
| 822 | This airport needs to do something about its immigration and customs officers. After arriving on a slightly delayed fight from Manchester and despite the best efforts of American Airlines agents in giving out priority passes we missed a connecting flight. Firstly the immigration officer managed to mess up the finger printing on mine and my wife's passports and with a curt' you can come in' to me 'but she can't to my wife accompanied by a pointed finger. I tried to explain to him what had happened but he was not interested and we had to go and sit in a room with other none desirables. On speaking to a supervisor the problem was sorted out. Next was the customs officer after we were directed the wrong way he proceeded to shout and point at us in front of many other people I suspect this was the first time he has worn a uniform and has been in a position of power if this is the welcome you can expect on arrival at Chicago the I will avoid flying there at any cost. On our return flight they managed to direct us to the wrong terminal and only just made our flight thankfully the passport control officers were much more efficient and polite. On return to Manchester we saw how much more polite our immigration officers were to visiting US passport holders. |
| 823 | It is normal to wait 2-3 hours at immigration which is very tiresome when you have already travelled for many hours. There is a total lack of security officers and obviously little or no organization. The management says it is a question of security but in reality it is impossible to hide how badly organized O'Hare immigrations is. |
| 824 | The longest wait at immigrations I have ever experienced: over 3 hours. For a while only one booth was staffed for hundreds of people standing in line including mothers with children elderly persons in frail physical condition. Many missed their connecting flights. A nightmare. |
| 825 | 2.5 hours immigration queue delay with 3 staff manning the area sometimes only 2 staff. With 400 or so people waiting this is very tiring and time consuming after a long flight. I understand that safety and security are vital but a few more staff present might have speeded up events at immigration. It seemed that the staff do not work as a team very well as we are asked to stand here then another person says no stand over there in that queue. Upon leaving the US the process was much faster and the staff seemed more friendly. Other than that I had a great vacation. |
| 826 | Have stood in line more than once to get through security for over an hour. They almost always have half the lanes closed and force customers to stand in line. Security personnel have grouchy looks on their face do not say hello do not smile and bark commands at you like you're a dog. Absolutely horrible! |
| 827 | United terminal is modern. Policemen on the beat can be rude unfriendly and downright intimidating. ORD staff are generally friendly. International arrivals hall a dump. CTA station to Cumberland is on the lower level and is nice and clean. I prefer travelling to the loop/North Michigan Avenue on the EL train. Report at least 4 hrs early for check-in. |
| 828 | In transit from Zurich to Minneapolis via ORD. An ordeal. Long waiting lines at Terminal 5 for immigration. Very slow security process in Terminal 1 for my connecting flight. Connecting time was just sufficient to get from plane to plane just in time (almost 3 hours). Lack of efficiency makes ORD a bad place to connect. The only nice thing were the friendly people at immigration and security. |
| 829 | Stopped here with United on my way to Roanoke (ROA) from San Francisco (SFO). This is the one to avoid. When I landed the plane took 20 mins to taxi to the gate because of the terribly organized runways. I came to find that although the terminal (Terminal 1) was clean and had plenty of eateries most were too expensive. After passing that little conglomerate eateries are next to none so it took awhile to find a decently-priced place. Finding a restroom was nightmare. I had to find Terminal 2 which took even longer than the restroom thanks to an appalling lack of signage. Terminal 2 was far too small to hold all the passengers necessary and indirectly because of that it was appallingly dirty. The flight to Roanoke got caught in traffic. There is no next time for this airport I'll use Midway if I have to. |
| 830 | Security (as with any US airport) takes a while and there are usually long lines. Shops and restaurants are very limited (even at T5 the international terminal). Transfer between terminals means that you need to clear immigration and customs and either take the bus or the monorail train which means that you then need to go through TSA security again. Facilities are nothing special and the terminals are generally long and narrow hence no sense of spaciousness. |
| 831 | The airport is large mostly clean with long security lines. But that is all ok. The thing that is not ok is that they charge for WiFi access. They have large signs that proclaim the easy use of WiFi but in fact they charge $10 per day to access. This lack of basic Internet services is enough to prompt me to take my business away from Chicago. |
| 832 | Terminal 2 - check-in and security lines ok but a long and dull wait for your flight if you are not a gold card fidelity member. Restaurants are limited and far too crowded along with the waiting areas. |
| 833 | International T5 arrivals needs more attention arrived from LHR at immigration there were long lines. It is a very hot area so frustrations do start appear with tired passengers. Authorities know what flights are arriving there should be enough people on duty to meet the demand as it is not a great first impression. Transferring between terminals needs to be improved having to leave airside to go to your connecting terminal and then go back through TSA security. I had to line up for over 1hr to go through security so with the hour long wait for immigration & the hour wait to line up and go through security you need at least 3hrs if you are transferring to a domestic flight. O'Hare does need to have an Air Side transfer to reduce lines for security in the terminals otherwise passengers will start to go to other gateway airports. |
| 834 | Chicago T5 for international flights is a poor facility for such a major city. Firstly the long narrow design often means long walks to check in back to security in the centre and back to the gate. Routing to the CTA train is not very well signed yes it gets you to the shuttle tram fairly well but after that getting off the tram at T1 or T2 signs are geared only to passengers flying from that terminal not passengers en route to the CTA city train on the Blue line. Surely not impossible to deal with this likely eventuality. Indeed T5 passengers are probably more likely to use CTA than the domestic arrivals. Security queues outbound at T5 can be really awful it took 1hr last Tuesday for no obvious reason. Some queues moved faster than others the one on the left next to the food court (a very small basic facility) was slowest as it was always used to pass flight crew to the top of the line. Airside there are only tiny shopping facilities no newspapers except from those machines you see on the street a small selection of mass market magazines. Of course if you want food go somewhere else or bring it with you. An extraordinary lack of initiative to ignore selling to passengers with long wait times. There are very few seats at the gates even though more seats could be accommodated. Even less seats if you have to wait groundside. Air conditioning is weak particularly at check in where the sun heats the facility. It is bright and clean however and some of the art work is worth a look. |
| 835 | Warning to O'Hare visitors. There is a group of scam artists that might approach you with a very sad story about being stuck there and needing money to get home for a funeral - sick mother - doctors appointment. This has happened to me three times in the last year. Don't give them any money! If the airport would be as diligent about these people as they are about harmless homeless people O'Hare might be more tolerable! |
| 836 | Arrivals absolutely terrible experience - waiting 2hrs 15 minutes in a hot and stuffy passport control queue. They only had 4 people manning the desks while the non US-Citizen queue was 500 people. Departures - dreadful sign posting when trying to move between the CTA and different terminals. Shopping facilities quite poor in the departure lounge. |
| 837 | For an international airport this has got to be one of the worst for lack of facilities for outgoing passengers. Immigration is great with very friendly & courteous staff who despite the long wait & heat manage to raise a smile with even the most weary passenger. The International terminal needs to update it's catering facilities both landside & airside with only a very small food court landside and a sandwich shop airside selling a few duty free items. Surely someone would have seen $ signs & created more retail outlets on both sides for such a captive market? Perhaps they should take a look at LAX or LHR & see how much money there is to be made in providing customers with better services? |
| 838 | Overall it is not too bad previous comments about inter terminal transfer are not quite right as the monorail runs to all terminals. Access to down town via the subway is good and quick. The biggest issue is in T5 and that is the almost absence of any decent retail outlets (food and drinks etc) either side of the gates. Like all US airports security and internal long haul to short haul domestic flights is an absolute pain that needs a goof two hours for the uneducated. |
| 839 | Quite the worst international airport I have ever been through. There is no direct link between the domestic terminals and the international terminal which means if you come in on an International flight you have no hope connecting unless you have at least a 3 hour wait between flights. This airport is totally unable to cope with the numbers of passengers going through it and the sooner it creates a link between the terminals where connecting passengers can go through their own security check it will get worse. I avoid this airport like the plague and pay extra to avoid it. |
| 840 | A warning to people who become stranded here overnight. Do yourself the favor and get a hotel. The rudest unfriendliest airport authorities will wake you up repeatedly to ask why you are there. As if I want to be there! |
| 841 | Transited through Chicago en route to Delhia from Philadelphia. I had 8 hours between flights enroute to Delhi so popped into town by train for a walk. It was easy cheap and convenient to take the train downtown. On my way home had a 2 hour transit between flights from Delhi and onward to Philly. No problem. Passport contol customs and rechecking my bag went smoothly. Transit between T5 and T3 was easy on the Airport Transit System. Security was a bit slow but nothing unexpected. I was through everything an at my gate with an hour spare. |
| 842 | For being one of the largest and busiest airports in the United States and the world I think it would be nice for this airport to be more modern and aesthetically appealing. This airport has a nondescript "just sort of here" rustic utilitarian atmosphere that leaves me unimpressed. Other airports such as Houston's Bush Intercontinental Dallas-Fort Worth International Detroit and even Minneapolis-St. Paul have a more upscale look to them. |
| 843 | We arrived in International Terminal 5 very late due to bad weather and had missed the last flight to Denver. We were rebooked on the first flight out the next day but since it was a different airline did not receive a voucher for a hotel. We decided to rough it out for 6 hrs in T5 upon advice from a Chicago City policeman as they had a snack stand that was open 24hrs. There were quite a few of us sharing this predicament (12 total). Around 2am a group of Aviation Police waltzed thru waking everyone up demanding to know why we were there. They proceeded to 'evict' a small group of what appeared to be homeless men in a most rude manner. These men were not bothering anyone were not under the influence of anything and were quietly sleeping (I had spoken to one of the gentlemen earlier and he was most friendly). My 9 yr old daughter started to cry at the way these poor people were treated and asked me why those policemen were being so mean. |
| 844 | What a pit this place is. Came into Terminal 5 - zero signs for international transit and first area you show up has 1000+ people in line. Crazy. Figured out by myself there must be a different place for transit but still lines by no means short. Once through the customs little info to help on where to go to get your next flight. Finally figured T1 so train it was. Then at T1 crazy long security lineup - why did they have me leave the security zone I was in when I landed in T5 to then go back into the security zone in T1 - job making I guess as it sure is inefficient and wasted 2 hours of my time. Had 3 hours to connect and just barely made it. T1 is old and tired. Basic African airports aren't this bad and for many arriving to US for first time their initial impression is sad indeed. |
| 845 | Arriving international as a non US citizen is a lottery at ORD. You can be very lucky and get straight through in no time at all if your plane is the only international arrival. I have taken the evening AA flight from LHR many times and found immigration bags and customs superb. However at other times it is a nightmare. Certain times of day you have 4-5 widebodies full of Germans and Koreans and I have waited in a hot immigration line for 2 hours+. Not quite as bad as Miami or Delta at JFK but worth avoiding. Unfortunately you do not know until you get there. They open a second hall when busy and that helps but it is still horrible at wrong time and wonderful at right time. Walk from plane is not too long. The shuttle between terminals is efficient and quick (wish LHR had one) and the Hilton Hotel in the airport is very convenient for overnight connections (otherwise you need 3.5 hours minimum to guarantee international connection (which is a pain when you get through in 20 minutes). |
| 846 | Passed t |
