Faro Airport

Not Verified | Although Easter is a busy period it is entirely predictable and plannable! We arrived 30 March into Faro. Landed on time. Queue for passport control took over an hour and up to 3 hours 30 minutes for some, starting at the top of the stairs in the arrivals corridor. Baggage reclaim also backed up, with carnage at the belts. Took 90 mins from landing to reclaiming bag. On departure, exactly the same in reverse. The airport authorities really need a plan to deal with busy periods and also provide some level of customer service, queue management, medical assistance and assistance for those older and less mobile. Some thought and care would be appreciated. Many will not travel to Faro again unless you do some planning.

Not Verified |   New terminal run by lazy staff. Smelly toilets, miserable food outlet staff, and when our BA flight was delayed due to technical difficulties they couldn’t be bothered to announce anything, so people were queuing at the gate to ask for an update. Shocking

Not Verified |   A busy weekend I accept, as we flew Easter Saturday. Landed on time. Held on plane for 30 mins due to ‘congestion’ in arrivals. Then waited a further 20mins for a bus to the terminal. Terminal floor was really slippy as it had rained, no warning signs,. Queue for passport control took 1 hour, starting at the top of the stairs in the arrivals corridor. E gates all closed and only 3 manned desks, no supervision or queue management. Thus baggage reclaim backed up, with carnage at the belts. Took 90 mins from landing to reclaiming bag. On departure, exactly the same in reverse. Check in and security ok, but passport control took about an hour with only two manned desks and e gates not working - in a very hot and stuffy hall. Late gate changes then caused chaos, and I witnessed families in tears as their gate had closed whilst in the passport queue. All of this is very fixable if only they had enough staff to man more border control desks both inbound and outbound, and the e gates worked. After years flying through Faro, I will not be doing so again. Ever.

Not Verified | Staff here are very rude. Like most airports prices are very expensive. None of the automated passport lanes were open. Rude staff on passport control. Make you feel like a right idiot. Wasn’t just to me but everyone. Never had an experience like it! And I travel quite a lot.

✅ Trip Verified | Flew Luton - Faro on 6 March and return Faro - Luton on 15 March 2024. No dramas outbound - through pretty quickly and passport control pleasant enough. Returned from Faro 10 days later: airport quiet, passport control and security straightforward. Entered airside via a reasonably quiet and pleasant Duty Free area. Plenty of places to eat and drink, and enough quiet and relatively comfortable seating areas. Delayed 4 1/4 house (thanks, Ryanair) but by no means the worst airport to be stuck at for a while.

Not Verified | I would like to ask why the security staff at Faro Airport are not willing to provide "pat down" security check instead of going through the scanning machine at security control. I have medical issues and asked for a "pat down" instead of going through the scanning machine. I was firmly told by security staff "either you go through the scanning machine or you can stay here". Every airport in North America provides an alternative to using a "pat down" instead of going through the scanning machine. Can you tell me why Security Staff at Faro airport insist that all travelers go through the scanning machine or not travel at all" Please forward message to making a change. Thank you.

Not Verified | The immigration staff at this airport have the rudest most aggressive attitude to people ever. Send passengers from one queue to another so that they sit there doing nothing while passengers are crushed in one long snake even one collapsing! They really don’t want tourists here. I have been here 3 times in the last year but will not use this airport again.

✅ Trip Verified | I have just experienced completely rude and unacceptable behaviour from Faro airport passport staff. Having been sent down the correct lane for British passports, several of us then went down an empty lane not having noticed it said priority above. The man just pointed up without a word then patronisingly said "what does it say above?". This would have been bad enough as he sat there doing nothing, but he then called over people who arrived later from other queues. He was rude, jobsworth and lazy and a very bad advert for Portugal. I understand from exclamations I heard, but didn't see, that similar happened with people who accidentally went to the EU booth, having been directed there. If innocent mistakes need to be pointed out they should be done so politely, but frankly the contradictory and inconsistent behaviour was incomprehensible and utterly unacceptable. Tourism is the main source of income for The Algarve, and I love the area, however I, and many others, will seriously consider returning to such patronising rudeness. There is then no seating in the airport and it's always uncomfortably hot.

Not Verified | Dreadful Airport, rude staff. Duty free staff terrible, woman on till was so rude, she should not work in this line of work. Such a shame as the Algarve is lovely but I will never re visit because of this Airport. Dreadful! Needs to improve.

Not Verified | I have travelled extensively, and this is almost the worst airport I have ever experienced. An hour wait to get through passport control with no supervision. It was like being in a football crowd. Departure was much the same, if not worse. Waited an hour in the queue to check in. This must be doing huge damage to Portugals tourist industry. We loved the country, hotel and the people but it is very doubtful whether we will be visiting again.