DELHI AIRPORT review :  29 June 2009 : by Kurt Mueller  (Germany)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Used domestic terminal 1D, flying with Jet Airways. This new facility is a world apart from the old terminal building, but I continue to wonder about whether "user friendly" is a word known to the airport planners in India. For instance: small entrance doors sprinkled along the facade instead of large automatic (or revolving) doors. Next: why the ridiculous separation of ticketing facilities from everything else. In this new terminal, the airline ticketing facilities are tucked away at the very end of the building - how about having them inside the departure hall. Also, the air-con seemed to be spectacularly ineffective.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  10 June 2009 : by Rohit Berry  (India)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

I have been transiting through Delhi IGI airport for the past 9-10 yrs. The facilities and the general outlook of the airport has improved. Coming to the failings, the toilets still stink occasionally, the departure lounge is a big mess, a few months ago had to depart at a busy time and there wasn't enough seating space. The whole ambience gives a very chaotic feeling. On the arrival side the arrival hall is absolute downright gloomy and too small for the number of passengers arriving at peak hrs.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 26 May 2009 : by C Halls

Customer Rating : 3/5

Delhi is updating their airports for the Commonwealth games in 2010 so there are some good parts and bad parts as they transition. We flew into the Intl airport and the bad reviews apply here - for example, an airport employee who had "no idea" how to direct us to the domestic terminal. Once we found the shuttle bus area (and used the scary bathroom) we were quickly transported to an old waiting area where sleeping people had taken up every chair. We passed by the new terminal (1D) on the way but were told a shuttle would arrive in 4 hours to pick us up and take us there. Finally, around 4 am, when we noticed employees arriving for work, we were allowed to walk over. The new domestic terminal (1D) is a joy! We were quickly processed, our questions answered at the information booth, used the sparkling bathrooms, and ate a tasty hot breakfast, and used a 14 rupee local phone. There was an ATM, DVD & CD store with cheap goods, bakery, and they were setting up a toy store and a FabIndia clothing and home goods store. There was even a gentleman coming around with surveys in English about what we thought of the new terminal. There were clear signs in English and the boarding process was easy to figure out. On the way out of India (Intl. airport) I'm not sure quite what part of the airport we were at, but it was newer than the area we flew in on. They had clean bathrooms, employees who knew what they were talking about, and even a kids play area!

DELHI AIRPORT review : 26 May 2009 : by Steve England

Customer Rating : 3/5

On arrival, there were no great delays although we were not expecting to have to complete a further form at immigration, relating to swine flu. Departing Delhi turned out not too bad. Staff OK. The main complaint was that when you pass security to go airside, there is no bar. (Apparently there are business lounges after immigration but I believe before security). The food at the couple of cafe-type places did not look very inspiring. The relief was that at least there was a smoking room. I wonder if the reason we did not see the worst of Delhi Airport was that we arrived at about midday, and our return flight was timed to leave early afternoon. Also, we did not have to transit. It seems that a lot of problems occur at night and that transiting between international and domestic flights can be troublesome.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 23 April 2009 : by Andrew Stuckles

Customer Rating : 4/5

Arrived in Delhi and cleared customs efficiently and effectively. On departure, the airport looked clean. Many restaurants and shops, though not a lot of chairs. Bathrooms were clean and maintained considering how busy they were. For smokers, there was a room dedicated to this function. Not much in way of Internet connectivity, though there were kiosks set up you could pay to use.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 6 April 2009 : by Tom Bamber

Customer Rating : 3/5

Arrived at 1.30am on a Monday and left at 7am on a Friday. Arrival was very quick and we were out of the airport in 20 minutes with hold luggage. No problems, no delays - easy. We were fortunate to fly business so were met at the kerb when we were flying back to the UK and taken from car to BA lounge via the various checks. There are 5 or so paperwork checks but they are quick, not an overhead and not an issue so I dont the understand the problem. (One tip - print your flight details - I showed mine off my Blackberry - initial confusion was sorted out quickly) BA lounge smallish but has everything you need - sure its not T5 LHR but its fine. Duty Free is sufficient and by the gate. The airport is clean, the staff are friendly.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 26 March 2009 : by A Thompson

Customer Rating : 3/5

I was expecting DEL to be awful. Maybe because I was expecting such a terrible place, I actually was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the airport is a little inadequate, but there is a new airport on the horizon (literally) and the current one is fine until it's completed.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 23 February 2009 : by V Shankey

Customer Rating : 1/5

I missed my connection due to a delayed flight to the domestic terminal and the impossibly long time needed to wait, then crawl to the International terminal. Warning! If you get into the International terminal, it is close to impossible to leave by the front door. I had to go to a hotel overnight, requiring an airlines agent to carefully sign me out (after waiting an hour for this person to show up), and then I had to deal with the chaos at arrivals to get a car to my hotel. Avoid this airport!

DELHI AIRPORT review : 13 January 2009 : by M Ivanova

Customer Rating : 1/5

Avoid transferring from domestic to international terminal, if you ever can (can imagine the other way works out a same pain). We had 3 hours connection time which we thought would be exorbitant - we used every minute of it. First it took more than an hour to collect the luggage (you can't check it through to at your original destination), then half hour waiting for a "check-in" to the shuttle service (what a valuable service!). Then more than half hour on the bus, including waiting. We could barely make it for check-in 45 minutes prior to our flight. Then numerous security, boarding pass and passport checks. Also be aware that airport shops (past security) would not accept Indian money.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 14 November 2008 : by P Zdanowski

Customer Rating : 1/5

Travelled from Delhi to LHR. Bearing in mind this is the international airport for the capital city and should be a showplace it is totally inadequate , very few facilities of any sort - 2 kiosks selling coffee and sandwiches a duty free shop that argued about payment in Rupees for goods and very few toilets. It was an absolute disgrace. The security was overwhelming - we had our tickets/boarding passes/passports checked by one person then stamped by another some 6 times between the entrance to the airport and finally getting onto the aeroplane and whilst security is important this was just plain silly.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 31 October 2008 : by M Golding

Customer Rating : 2/5

Experienced both the domestic and international terminals. First the domestic - the arrival from a flight from Varanasi was bizarre. Having got off the plane, all passengers transferring to the Agra flight were told to stay on the tarmac just beside the aircraft (can't see that being allowed in a UK airport) and then picked up on a bus which dropped us randomly on another bit of the tarmac near what looked like the baggage entrance to a terminal. No one there to meet us, no one there to tell us where to go - confused and a little bemused we started wandering towards what looked like the terminal - a baggage handler eventually waved us to what turned out to be a back door through some luggage. Shocking lack of security in contrast to the endless random checks, stamping of luggage tags/boarding passes and frisking that then goes on before you get on a flight. Left India a week later via the International Terminal. Getting into the airport was surprisingly painless and there were minimal hawkers/touts etc. trying to part you from your cash (possibly due to the fact our flight was at 3am and it was Diwali). The British Airways check in staff were very pleasant but the actual departure lounge is an absolute disgrace. Small, cramped with very inadequate refreshment facilities and poor/inaccurate boarding announcements. Toilets were ok although as usual in the ladies (but not in the gents) there was the inevitable 'attendant' wanting some cash from you. Having finally had our boarding call there was a further ridiculous security check and hence delay in the walkway to the plane with half the passengers being directed to a hand baggage check and the other half being frisked again. Not a great experience.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 30 October 2008 : by Bruce Temkin

Customer Rating : 1/5

Unbelievably inadequate, inefficient and poor facilities - and that's in the business class lounge alone! I admit that check-in went smoothly, but that's it. The business class lounge for Jet Airways, which also is used by a large assortment of other airlines, is circa 1975, with tired, worn chairs, inedible food and one slow computer. It's pretty pathetic.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 28 October 2008 : by Ann Shannon

Customer Rating : 1/5

Never travel through Delhi. This is a traveler's hell if ever there was one. Pandemonium & frustration (if not rage) reigns, along with chaos. Combine normal levels of Indian chaos, then factor in an exponential multiplier of, say, 10. Thousands of seasoned travelers walking around in stunned disbelief so deep it registers on the Richter scale, trying to find their way to the correct, interminable line followed by yet another, then another, interminable line, muttering, "I've never seen anything like this." Construction. Tens of thousands of people in lines to even get into the terminal, and once in, wandering, with no signage and no one to ask, which line they belong in. I was dropped from the domestic terminal bus to the international terminal in the street with no instructions, so far away from the terminal I couldn't even see it and didn't have a clue which direction to walk in. Being 62 years old, I had to lift & toss my 3 bags (one is 70 lbs) over a steel fence, and climb over it in a skirt to get to the sidewalk before traffic the street traffic crushed me. I had a 5 hour layover, and spent every minute of it, plus an extra hour, in line or searching for a line. They had to delay our flight's take-off by an hour, just to process the passengers who were still in line trying to get to the flight. I wouldn't even give it 1 star - a minus 10, maybe!

DELHI AIRPORT review : 28 October 2008 : by Peter Matza

Customer Rating : 2/5

Used both the domestic and international terminals. Compared with Bangkok, Delhi is poor. If the international departure 'lounge' remains as it is now, then I wouldn't want to fly from there again - poor security arrangements, no newsagent shop, no bar (current or planned we were told) terrible concessions (poor standards of hygiene and maintenance). However, it's not really the physical facilities (which are being upgraded) but the attitude problem

DELHI AIRPORT review : 2 September 2008 : by Kurt Müller

Customer Rating : 2/5

Clearly, there is a lot of construction and renovation work going on at Delhi, particularly visible at the domestic section. However, most sane people will be unable to understand the overly complicated access system to the airport. First entrance door: show your e-ticket. You are then in what appears to be ticket lobby, with the x-rax machines beyond in sight. Now some pretty girl with "may I help you?" approaches you. But instead of helping you, she asks for your photo ID, making you pull out the same ticket you showed 10 yards back already - plus passport. But you are still kept back from the x-ray equipment, this time by a uniformed guard who (you guessed it) wants to see your ticket and your ID all over again. Given that you can print a fake e-ticket at home anyway, what is the point in all this? Would I be as stupid as to print my own ticket using someone else's name so I would definitely not get into the building? I shall not even try to recall the times someone stamps your boarding pass and/or cabin luggage tag. Why does all this have to be so overly adverse to a smooth flow of pax?

DELHI AIRPORT review : 29 August 2008 : by V Sekhon

Customer Rating : 1/5

Flew to Delhi Via Shanghai. Off the plane and in queue at immigration. The line was not so bad but the washroom to the left wreaked of something. Through immigration and on to baggage claim in no time. Waiting for the baggage and the lights go off in the whole hall. My first reaction: grab my wallet and place it in my inner coat pocket and hold my carry on bags tightly. Luckily, power back on after a minute of darkness. Had pre-arranged a bus ticket before leaving, but since the flight got delayed in Shanghai, needed to call the bus service to make alternate arrangements. Out through customs and asked around for a phone, was told its a 30Rs charge. Hoards of people (none of them seem to have anyone arriving) just standing around and yelling at you (couldnt even make out what was being said). Departure: an absolute nightmare. Got to the airport about 5 hours before scheduled departure. Tried to get in, was told to come back 3 hours prior to departure. Waited in the expensive departure lounge and saw my flight get delayed and delayed for a total of 9 hours. Finally got in, through baggage scan. Greeted by unexpectedly nice guy who insisted on picking up my bags, through X-ray and tie them up - until he put my bags on the buggy and asked me for money. Got my boarding passes, tags and everything. Fooled by the guard before immigration, twice. As nobody told the pax on what part of the departure form to fill. Security was a breeze and the painful wait by the gate. Was glad to be out of there. I will be going back again in January but dont expect any improvement.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 12 August 2008 : by S Datta

Customer Rating : 3/5

Much improved since the last time I used it. I flew into the international terminal - immigration area still shabby but processing is quicker and more organised. Was out in about 10 mins, though had a 15-min wait to get luggage. However, the big improvement is at the international departures, which was the weakest point. The entry concourse looks much bigger, brighter, and is well-lit. What is more, there is no more jostling to get in - instead, there were (short, orderly) queues at each gate (and the staff seemed able to tell you which gate you should use). the restrooms outside the visitors' lounge were also new, clean, and well-kept. once inside, the ridiculous checked-baggage- screening requirement and attendant long disorderly chaotic queues are gone - so check-in was a breeze, and so was security. The terminal is still small, and sure it gets worse than this at the most crowded times.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 29 July 2008 : by David Leston

Customer Rating : 2/5

What an absolute nightmare. Both the domestic and international terminals are dirty and staffed by people who are unable to give any help to passengers with their questions. Once the massive construction program is completed I expect that the infrastructure itself will be much improved, but I'm at a loss to see how they're going to improve the overall passenger experience, if they don't train their staff in the basics of customer service.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 23 May 2008 : by J Roseau

Customer Rating : 3/5

I feel some of the criticism on this forum about Delhi Airport is unfair. Agreed that there are long queues and some of the staff can leave you shaking your head in disbelief. But at the same time things are changing and it seems for the better. Lets just hope that the numerous signs and photos of the upcoming facilities are true and Delhi does get its long overdue proper airport. I also traveled via the new airport in Hyderabad built by the same company that operates Delhi. If that is any indicator, Delhi hopefully should turn out good too.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 19 May 2008 : by P Singh

Customer Rating : 1/5

Horrendous. My wife and I were in transit at the Delhi airport last night and I can't begin to describe our experience. Absolutely horrendous, no signs for transit, noisy, immensely long waiting times to get a boarding card for our DEL - Chicago flight, dirty, smelly, and rude. Lots of people walking about but very little gets done and no one has answers. The staff were all confused and worse yet, exceptionally rude and condescending. We had to hand over our passports to an ill identified staff from American Airlines to get our boarding cards for our onward journey, as you can imagine we were very apprehensive about somebody taking off with our passports, we protested but to no avail. If you are a transit passenger be careful about who you hand your passport to in order to get your boarding card for the next leg of your journey. An older British gentleman protested and they didn't take his passport so perhaps that it the way to go. The security check was a joke. If the Delhi Airport is suppose to be ones first impression of the political slogan "Indian Shining" we saw very little shining going on here.

DELHI AIRPORT review : 29 April 2008 : by Randall Kingsley

Customer Rating : 1/5

Delhi is the worst international airport I have ever experienced. I forgave the long lines to clear immigration on arrival on the basis that there seemed to be some unusual work being done in this area of the airport. But the disorganised mess that is the departures area when leaving a few weeks later was almost unbelievable. Bags security process working intermittently and in some adhoc area of the room, extremely long lines after check in to clear immigration, a poorly equipped and disfunctional lounge area with the whole place being very dirty. How India is going to fix this mess for the next Commonwealth Games is beyond me and I guess that in the meantime, there will be hundreds of poor passengers like me, trying to get out of this airport as quickly as possible.