Clean ,modern,good facilities,plenty of luggage trolleys,some great views on arriving
Disadvantages:
Too busy and brusque at times .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
We flew into Faro International Airport this year after a two and a half hour flight from Humberside Airport England . Faro is situated centrally along on the Algarve coast of Portugal and so gives easy access to most of the coastal resorts .
The airport is quite large and a very busy destination . As we were disembarking and being herded onto a bus to take us to the arrivals, more planes were departing and landing . There are nice gardens surrounding the airport . The views as you fly in low over the sea are quite spectacular at times and disappointing at others .The 'mud flats' look very unappealing .
Unlike England smoking restrictions are only the same as they ever were . This means that as soon as you are through arrivals you are able to smoke in the airport . As a non-smoker it did not matter to me but it did to some passengers .The reception area is large and was full of travel company reps and the car park was huge with many coaches waiting to ferry passengers to their holiday destinations .
As an International airport there is a range of shops , facilities and it is a clean and modern environment . Passing through arrivals was easy and the staff were pleasant and helpful . Outside it would be easy to hire a taxi if needed . We were pleased at how quickly the whole process was completed . We had a few hitches but nothing to do with the airport or staff but rather our travel company . Watch this space !
Coming home was a slightly different experience . In line with England restrictions are tight on what you can and cannot bring through customs especially in your hand luggage . I had forgotten and hastily packed our unused mosquito plug in our hand luggage . As it has a bottle of liquid which can be classed as dangerous it caused some consternation . I told the security guy I was happy to leave the liquid as long as I could keep the plug , and so we reached a compromise . The man who appeared to be the supervisor was polite and fair throughout . However the young women who operate the screens and search any bags were downright rude . I suppose they had seen many foreign visitors that day who had packed incorrectly . However as representatives of their country their attitude should have been more respectful . Many passengers were a little upset to say the least . Personally I followed the adage ' What can't be cured must be endured' and was determined nothing was going to spoil my holiday .
The security staff did give us a leaflet about the restrictions but of course they will no doubt change any time now . We all want to be safe but as Faro is particularly stringent our holiday rep could have made people aware . If you are visiting check out any current restrictions if you can .
When we eventually arrived through passprt control we had about 45 minutes to spare . There is a large well stocked duty free but it is not very cheap . Some fellow travellers told us their rep had told them about the problems and prices and they had ordered and paid for their duty free back at Humberside Airport . They were to pick it up on arrival back in England so that may be something worth knowing .
The cafe staff were brilliant and the exact opposite of the security staff . They were very busy but remained cheerful and friendly . Prices for snacks and drinks were good but the variety was limited .
The departure lounge was very busy and packed but there were plenty of seats and we were all too soon on our plane and back in England . Faro Airport is very hectic , efficient , clean and modern . There are masses of check in desks and it appeared as busy as Manchester Airport . Well almost .
The area that it fell down on for me was the security staff . I know their job is hard but there must still be some customer care in there if they want to keep holidaymakers travelling to the Algarve .
Thanks for reading Copyright Eiley2007
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