The runway is right next to the sea but this did not affect the landing which was very smooth.
Once landed we had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus to take us to the terminal.
Going through passport control was very straightforward, however waiting for your luggage was not so quick.
There are 2 conveyabelts for the luggage to come through and a small screen above them to indicate which flight they are from. There was loads of people from other flights waiting for their luggage too so was very busy and hectic.
It took about 45 minutes before the cases from our flight started to come through and after a while the belt stopped and nearly half the people didn't have their cases, mine included.
After waiting 10 minutes the belt started again and the remaining cases came through (phew!)
There are plenty of trolleys to use which are free of charge. Once you have your luggage it's a struggle to get through the crowds to leave the airport but a big relief.
GOING HOME
We got dropped off right outside the departure area and had to wait for our check-in desk number to appear on the screens, which took approximately 20 minutes. Once again, there was too many people in a too small space.
As soon as the check-in number appeared, there was a massive rush to the desk.
Luckily, we got to the front of the queue and managed to request a window seat. The staff were pleasant but not over-friendly (although it was 3am).
There are 2 areas to go through passport control and security, which we didn't have to wait too long for.
The departure lounge was incredlibly busy and there didn't seem to be enough seats for the amount of people.
Leading from the lounge area are the departure gates. When your plane is ready to board, they is an announcement in Greek and then in English to say which gate to go through. The number will also be displayed on the screens.
OVERALL
It is a very small but busy airport and luckily fully air-conditioned.
Upstairs is one fairly small duty free shop which contains booze, perfume, sweets and a selection of make-up brands.
The toilets weren't particularly pleasent, with a few locks missing and overflowing bins. However, if you go through to the other section in the departure lounge, the toilets are less used and in a better state.
I didn't see any areas to be able to go outside and watch the planes.
Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes but it seemed forever.
Unfortunately, it was a unpleasent start and end to a lovely holiday in Crete but worth the while!
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Advantages: better than we expected, clean arrival facilities, wasnt too crowded on arrival, nice location, useful staff, shops, airconditioning Disadvantages: departure lounge, toilets in departures, lack of seating during busy times
ilusvm 29.08.2005 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Crete Airport
Advantages: Easily accessible to main town Heraklion. Good transport links to rest of island. Staff friendly Disadvantages: Slow check in procedure with scanning bags after check in with tickets. Tour operator queues.
Phweeter 28.04.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Crete Airport
Advantages: better than we expected, clean arrival facilities, wasnt too crowded on arrival, nice location, useful staff, shops, airconditioning Disadvantages: departure lounge, toilets in departures, lack of seating during busy times
ilusvm 29.08.2005 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Crete Airport
Aug 11th, 2004
very helpful by (38%):
helpful by (63%):
