DELHI AIRPORT   Passenger Reviews and Traveller Reports

DELHI AIRPORT review :  19 March 2010 by Gerry Loomey   (Ireland)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Possibly the worst airport experience ever. Arrival was fine apart from the hoards of dodgy "Taxi" drivers jostling for your attention. International Departure was a nightmare. First the Passport check, very unfriendly and I was abused for not signing a form. Then the security check again very over the top and being a male the first time I have been frisked by a Female security guard! The departure Lounge is sparse, duty free does not accept Rupees only US Dollars or Credit cards. In fact you cannot change currency in the lounge if you are not in possession of an Indian Passport. Facilities were OK reasonable food ( itr was at 1am), the staff very unfriendly and the toilets were shocking though. Hopefully my last time through Delhi.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  14 January 2010 by A Kaufmann   (Germany)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Delhi airport was the worst experience so far. Starting from the useless print out e-ticket check (did anyone in India ever considered what e-ticket stands for?), followed by the slow and unfriendly security staff and last but not least the more than inappropriate and dirty waiting lounges. All this made us regret that our plane in Delhi was delayed by several hours instead of Istanbul, which would have been a superb option for a couple of additional hours on our way home.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  11 December 2009 by Saketh Ram   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Domestic airport is better than before. Lots of check in desks but did seem very crowded which is concerning since air traffic will only increase in India. Security very simple and didnt seem like a long wait. Departure area has lots of shops and eateries but boarding is still by bus with no airbridge! Strange you would build a new airport without these things as this is the busiest airport in India. International departures are still not great but better than before with lots of check in desks and more shops than before. It was a zoo at midnight with 20 wide body international flights leaving with 3 hours of each other. Premium lounge was a joke!

DELHI AIRPORT review :  25 September 2009 by Anish Ranjan   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Terminal 2 has improved quite a bit the last few years. The terminal was clean and organized and staff helpful and friendly. Immigration quick and departing Delhi was very easy. In the departures area there is a decent amount of food and beverage outlets and shops. For the first time I can say that I would rather travel out of Delhi than JFK.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  8 September 2009 by Peter Larsson   (Sweden)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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The international departure is a mess! The obligatory useless e-ticket printout checks at the door and the painfully slow immigration checks with water coming down from the ceiling, immigration officials standing around or suddenly leaving their cubicles and not returning forcing pax to move to others lines. Took over an hour to get to the security check which was quick though. The facilities inside are few and inadequate. Boarding took a long time with a line of people stretching back to the security checks. Delhi domestic is much nicer!

DELHI AIRPORT review :  27 July 2009 by Vikram Sambharya   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Terminal 2. Arriving at Delhi especially at night is horrible. Immigration lines can be very long, the bathroom dirty and strange, dogs outside the airport, and complete chaos. Departing is much better. Getting into the terminal is annoying with crowds of people and security. Once inside check-in is not bad. Once you get past the passport check and security your safe. The terminal is very small. There are few shops and places to sit. The terminal feels very old and is not something that you would see in the US. Overall it was ok, but not a good place for a connection.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  27 July 2009 by A Swamy   (India)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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BLR-DEL-CDG. Domestic to International transit at Delhi. Free coach service provided for the transit. Had to pay UDF of INR 1300 for the International flight at the counter. The same was not included in my ticket though this was not the case for many other passengers. I do not know whether it was the airline's fault or the DIAL but I lost about 45 minutes during check- in for this. Immigration experience was pretty amusing with the officer asking me why I was flying through DEL when I could have flown BLR-CDG direct! Security check was a breeze. The only restroom near our Gate was closed for maintenance/cleaning and I failed to find another one nearby. Apparently the nearest functioning restroom was on the other side of the building.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  13 July 2009 by Arun Koneri   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Intl Arrival is a joke. Immigration agent was not able to find my previous exit stamp and was looking for it all over, all the while complaining to me as if I had something to do with it. While coming down from the escalator a queue formed at the medical check up counters. no one to manage the queue. This was getting to be a safety issue as people on the escalator were not able to get off due to the long queues. Domestic Air India terminal is a glorified bus stop. Security takes ages with people cutting lines etc. Once inside, there is not much to do but look out the apron.

DELHI AIRPORT review :  13 July 2009 by S Srinivasan   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Things seem to be improving at DEL, with the recent opening of domestic terminal 1-D. More waiting space, better choices to eat and shop, clean toilets, a cleaner appearance in general, and more organized lines. At the international terminal, they finally have inline baggage screening, so you no longer have to stick your baggage through an x-ray machine after entering the terminal. They have also expanded the immigration area, so there have been minimal wait times my last few times through, and the former cattle stampede needed to get through the entry doors is no longer a problem, as crowd control has been improved and the entry points widened. The domestic/international transfer bus is also better, running every 20 minutes instead of every hour like before. On the downside - there's still absolutely nothing airside in the international terminal, and even in 1-D, there's little sitting space available at the gate areas downstairs. Security is maddeningly inconsistent. One time, they'll let you through with no problem, but other times, you'll be yelled at by security personnel to stand in another line, or they'll do seemingly useless things like make you dump the entire contents of your laptop bag into a tray and run it through the x-ray machine again!

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

Customer Rating :  3/5

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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

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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