Freetown Airport Passenger Reviews and Freetown Airport Traveller Reports   No Star Ranking Awarded         Add your Freetown Airport Review   Freetown Airport Ranking     Customer Review scoring : Freetown Airport   6 out of 10 7 reviews

	FREETOWN AIRPORT customer review :  4 March 2013 by Dave Stanley    (UK)
	Rating : 8/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	There are substantial and ongoing improvements to Freetown Airport. They have been rebuilding the terminal building around the old structure for the last few months. Departure and arrival procedures are now quite painless compared with the hot and basic conditions before. The check in area is large and clean and I did not have to queue for long. They could still do with increasing the air conditioning in that area though. Security is good and immigration is using new computers and biometric systems. The departure lounge is now quite big and comfortable. There are a few well stocked duty free shops. The original restaurant is still available as well as a new one upstairs. The new one is not well signposted. Overall, a big improvement. FNA now compares favourably with other airports in Africa.

FREETOWN AIRPORT review : 15 September 2009 by Dave Stanley

Customer Rating : 3/5

Few improvements to report. Check-in is still slow and chaotic. There are a few more air- conditioners inside, so it is not quite so hot. There have been recent problems with theft from checked luggage. Some reports even suggest that bags had been cut open. Definitely do not leave money or valuables in luggage. And do not let airport staff see if there is anything valuable in there. Business class passengers have a better experience because the initial queuing is reduced and the lounge provided some good food.

Freetown Airport by Dave Stanley

11 December 2007   Customer Rating :

I have been using the airport almost every month during the last year. Some improvement in arrival procedures has been made. There are not usually long queues at immigration and baggage arrives quite quickly. For departures, the entrance hall is still busy and too hot, but if you take a fan and pay a porter, you can survive. A couple of positives, the duty free shop remains good and cheap and the food in the upstairs bar/restaurant is good. The check in area has been improved, with modern counters. Hopefully this will reduce the queuing time in the entrance hall once it is fully up and running.

Freetown Airport by Peter Bedson

29 May 2006   Customer Rating : n/a

Much better than it used to be - they seem to have clamped down on the baggage handlers and general hangers on trying to extract dollars from you on the way in. On the way out no real problems aside from a few panhandllers trying to take a last opportunity to rip you off. Don't miss the duty free shop - it looks awful from the outside but is really well stocked and cheap.

Freetown Airport by Dave Stanley
3 April 2005

Back again at the end of March. This time not such a good experience. On the way in, baggage was late because the handlers could not be bothered to do their job. On the return, we suffered a very long wait in the extremely hot entrance hall. This is caused by the very slow and beauracratic check in procedures. The air conditioning in the main part of the airport is proving totally inadequate and many units do not work. Some of the staff are quite unhelpful. Sierra Leone needs tourism, but no respectable tour company would let their customers suffer this.

Freetown Airport by Dave Stanley

30 January 2005

This airport has improved significantly over the last 5 years. It was badly damaged during the troubles. The only facilities were a partly destroyed hanger. Now the main terminal has been refurbished it is quite respectable. Arrival is easy enough. You will need to be firm with the baggage handlers. They have been clamped down on recently, but they will still try there best to relieve you of a few $. If you let them, one will carry your bags to the door, another for a few more feet etc. Just say no and try not to look as if it is your first visit. Once you have got your bags, you have to visit the customs bench. You will now need transport to Freetown, which is the other side of a large estuary. There are helicopters, a ferry and a hovercraft. Take the Paramount helicopter, the other two take too long and are unreliable. It is cheap, $37 on my recent visit. You may have to change this into the local Leones before buying the ticket. There is an exchange office which gives respectable rates. The helicopter departure area is the old hanger that used to be the main terminal. It is dirty and hot, so try to get the first helicopter. These are old but reliable Russian MI-8's. You will arrive at the Mammy Yoko heliport. Here you will most likely be met by your local agency, or whoever you are visiting. If not, local taxis are available. A trip to most parts of Freetown should cost no more than Le10-20000. If you do not have accommodation booked, go to the Cape Sierra Hotel or Bintumani Hotel which are very close. On the way back, the helicopters leave about 6 hours before the time of departure. You then wait outside the Lungi terminal for an hour or more before suffering the long and bureaucratic check in procedure. This is typically African, and can take an hour+. The main lounge is air conditioned. There is also a very good duty free shop and a reasonable restaurant upstairs. You will probably not be hassled by airport officials for bribes, unlike other countries in the region.

Freetown Airport by Francis Ellis

15 April 2004

Freetown Lungi International Airport is a small airport terminal building. It recieves very few flights, the majority being international. It has so positive attributes like no congestion, speedy check in and checkout. A hotel is conveniently located near it. There is a duty free shop and restaurant. There is also a VIP Lounge for the elite and other first class passengers. Beware that the airport is very small. It needs renovations and a series of expansions effort due to its small size. The government is in the works of expanding it to accomodate the international passengers.