This week we have my 80 year old Mother in law staying with us and had to go and meet her at Dinard Airport, which I would like to review, because in many ways, it fulfills people's basic needs as a small airport, and in other ways it fails miserably.
AIRPORT LOCATION
The airport is well signposted and getting there was easy. This is a small airport on the outskirts of Dinard, in Brittany, and map references were good and road signs started early in the voyage, making the journey simple.
ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT
The parking arrangements were a little complicated and I drove around in a circle before being able to locate the entry to the car park, where you have a barrier and have to take a time ticket. So far, so good.
Locating the terminal from the car park is simple as it is within easy walking distance.
INSIDE THE TERMINAL
Inside the terminal was sparce at best, and one thing that amazed me was that even a small international airport like this, albeit for flights inside Europe, was that there was no cash machine !
There are three desks for hiring of vehicles and I wanted to check out the prices for my sister in law who arrives next week. There are four alternative companies, each offering Category A, B and C vehicles (from large to small vehicles) with a very sufficient mileage allowance on the two that was able to establish contact with. The Hertz and Avis desks had no staff which was disappointing because it meant I could not make full enquiries.
The Ryanair desk clerk was extremely helpful and Air France had a desk, and there was another desk devoted to freight. There were no queues and I thought that the checking in procedure was pretty friendly in that when people were late for booking in, they actually called to passengers by name to report to the checking in point, although I also noticed that these passengers were checking in, and having to wait in a waiting area with absolutely nothing in the way of drinks, or entertainment for up to an hour.
There were no magazine kiosks which disappointed me as many people want to spend time reading whilst waiting for flights. I had not anticipated this at all and expected to be able to get a magazine, but was disappointed.
PUBLIC TOILETS were clean, allowed for disabled travellers and had adequate facilities.
UPSTAIRS
The restaurant bar area is approached by an impressive marble staircase, and here I checked to see how user friendly the restaurant was, i.e. whether wheelchair access was allowed for, and here the airport was helpful in that they did have a lift for people with luggage or that were wheelchair bound.
Going into the restaurant, you are given a choice of outside seating which was not tempting in really hot sweaty conditions the day I visited. Instead, I chose to eat in the restaurant, which serve up anything from snacks like Croque Monsieurs (i.e. cheese on toast with bacon inside), or full blown meals. The snacks were pricey and for a coffee and a Croque Monsieur and a glass of mineral water, I got no change to 10.00 Euros which is about £6.50
The restaurant itself is on two levels and access to the higher level would be impossible for wheelchairs, although there is adequate space elsewhere in the restaurant.
The staff were particularly friendly, and when I asked for water, after feeling ill, they helped enormously by providing it, and giving me the attention a sick person requires.
OVERALL CONCLUSION.
A little disappointed because although the facilities for eating are reasonably good, and there is a choice from a vending machine, I do not feel the management have made the most of thinking of customers and believe the addition of a cash machine and indeed a magazine kiosk would not be unreasonable.
Taxi services are readily available outside the doors, and the staff allowed me to enter the checking out baggage section which is normally restricted because the person I was greeting was a bewildered handicapped person. Baggage handling was relatively quick, and staff were available for wheeling my mother in law from the plane to the terminal.
The machine for paying for your parking takes both notes (Euros and credit cards) although it is not obvious where the machine actually is or how to use it.
Probably 5 out of a possible 10 for this airport, considering the amount of passengers flowing through their gates daily.
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