GLASGOW AIRPORT review : 22 November 2008 : by R Clark

Customer Rating : 4/5

GLA-STN with Easyjet. First use of this airport after completion of the Skyhub development. The development has done two things: (a) it has combined the security checkpoints from international, domestic and T2; and (b) it has shifted back the checkpoint so that many shops which were landside are now airside. At first glance this has worked - security took less than five minutes (at 5pm), and if one does have to queue there is far more room to do so. The Easyjet 'gate terminal' (Gates 9-10-11-12 on the eastern pier) is functional, although its orange decor gets a little garish after a while.

GLASGOW AIRPORT review : 25 September 2008 : by John Blighton

Customer Rating : 4/5

Check in at T2 was very quick and through security rather quickly even though there were quite a few flights around the same time. Arrived back a few days later at EasyJet pier and got busses to international arrivals. Passport control was very quick and collecting luggage wasn't too bad either. I couldn't fault the airport except for the price at one of the grill bars.

GLASGOW AIRPORT review : 6 September 2008 : by David Griffiths

Customer Rating : 2/5

GLA was my local airport until about seven years ago so it was interesting to see it again after that period. Sorry to say I am pretty unimpressed. The outside is a mess - arriving at the terminal is like landing in Beirut during the civil war. Just finding your way inside is an achievement in itself. The airport is trying to trade well beyond its realistic capacity and this shows in many ways from dirty toilets (my wife described the ladies toilet opposite the bottom of the escalator as "disgusting beyond belief") to inadequate baggage handling, overcrowded security and slow passport control. Waiting to board a flight at Gate 52 I found myself trapped in a claustrophobic, windowless shopping mall where the departure of aircraft was clearly of secondary importance to the main business of retailing. Glasgow is the greatest city in the world and deserves better. EDI, only 40 miles away, is an infinitely better and more civilised airport nowadays.

GLASGOW AIRPORT review : 7 June 2008 : by Tom Parker

Customer Rating : 2/5

Arrived 0001 Monday 2nd June 2008 to pick up my daughter on a delayed Globespan flight (20hours approx) The flight was not even listed on the arrivals board and I had to make enquiries with the security person in the arrival hall. I asked why it was not showing (Very disconcerting when you have somebody to meet and the plane doesn't exist according to the airport authority!) In fairness she did make enquiries and even requested that the flight be listed on the board but this never happened and the flight was still not showing when it landed at 0211hrs. Come on Glasgow/BAA get your act together this is basic stuff.

GLASGOW AIRPORT review : 29 April 2008 : by Bill Marwick

Customer Rating : 1/5

Why does BAA not do something to improve things at Glasgow Airport. Flight to Palma was fine (wtih Globespan) as was return flight, but that's when the irritations start. It was 9.30pm on a Thursday and the 'international side' wasn't open - so they bussed us to an international door from the domestic gate. We were in seats 1A and 1B and because they were only using the rear door for disembarking, we were last off the plane!! A KLM flight from Amsterdam arrived just after us, so by the time we got to passport control, there were hundreds of other passengers in front of us, and 3 staff on duty (2 for EU citizens and 1 for non-EU). This is very poor and gives a poor impression to foreign visitors. All of these problems and delays are caused by one thing - lack of staff. Come on, BAA, get yourself into the 21st century. We have been in airports all over the world, and Glasgow consistently under-achieves.

Glasgow Airport review by E Barr

12 February 2008   Customer Rating :

I regularly commute through Glasgow Airport and remain astounded at how consistently poor it can be, despite some great staff. Yes, the security incident last year was dreadful and people have coped admirably but this should not allow BAA / Ferrovial to gloss over the underlying issues with an airport that is "overtrading" until the extension is completed. Until this happens, some simple things could be done to make our lives easier and some real bugbears exist. On International arrivals why is the moving walkway always closed for maintenance / switched-off, as it was on January 25th? They do not, however switch off the message "you are approaching a moving walkway" - actually it is not working - first impressions count and this is not good. Why does baggage always take around at least 30 mins to arrive, as it did on February 2nd (as usual)? Most airports around the world are much faster than this and BAA have to take a hard look at itself on this one - are the baggage handlers understaffed? It certainly looks like it and, if they are, they have my sympathy, what with the growth of the airport. I recently used the new SkyLounge and overall it was a pleasant experience with nice staff. On a recent ski holiday flight I was subject to the usual crowd of happy skiers all off on their break and Glasgow Airport was struggling to cope. There appeared to be a "manager" running around with a walkie-talkie telling check-in staff not to overload the baggage belts - whilst we were all standing there. I am not sure what good this did as, in my case, it just seemed to annoy the check-in staff all the more on what was clearly a day that they all dread (with some justification it seems). There are some highlights. The "mature" gentleman in the whisky area of the duty free shop is very knowledgeable and friendly and the Caffe Nero is very small but has great staff and coffee. All in all this place is saved by the generally good natured attitude of the staff, despite some inconsistent management practices and general failure to recognise that people are not likely to accept this mess without having a voice. It's all very well expanding the retail side of an airport but the priority should be a "back to basics" campaign from the top down, in terms of customer experience in simple things like check-in, baggage and moving walkways. I have never met anyone who wanted to spend more time than necessary in an airport - so how about helping us all reach that goal?

Glasgow Airport review by Trevor Hoad

17 January 2008   Customer Rating :

You are now dropped off at the car parks and have to walk to the terminal building. Due to checking in on-line the day before I was able to check my bag in very quickly and spent the time before departing wandering around the limited choice of shops and having a meal. Overall I’m not that impressed with Glasgow when compared to other airports I have flown from.

Glasgow Airport review by C McLuckie

19 November 2007   Customer Rating :

Re. I Mitchell's comment. I don't disagree with the comment but, for information only, they have actually just started work on a new extension to the terminal which should radically improve matters. Due to open in late 2008.

Glasgow Airport review by I Mitchell

12 November 2007   Customer Rating :

Glasgow International Airport can only be described as being in a 1970's timewarp. The Airport is dirty and shabby and a disgrace as one of Scotland's main airports. I had the misfortune to have to fly from Glasgow in late August 2007. The check-in area is like any other major airport and reasonably modern however once you check in your luggage there is little in the way of quality shopping and the airport is dark and dingy. The food court area welcomes visitors with the most disgusting greasy chip fat smells. I decided to leave this general area and move through to the departure lounge and through security as I felt sure things must be better there. I was sadly mistaken. The Tax Free shopping is poor and there is then only 2 pub like eating choices available. There is completely inadequate seating for the number of passengers and the tables are greasy and dirty. I would not willingly choose to fly from Glasgow again unless the airport is completely refurbished. On contrast when I landed in Vancouver the airport there was futuristic, spotlessly clean and like a 5 star hotel lobby area.

Glasgow Airport review by Tom Caulfield

25 August 2007   Customer Rating :

New Skylounge in international departures very nice and comfortable could have better selection of food but drinks ok also free internet access staff very helpful. Check in facilities very good.

Glasgow Airport review by Daren Stubbs

13 February 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

Not too impressed with this airport. Seemed very cramped inside and not enough seats for the number of passengers. Outside the road network seemed very confusing and not very clear. Overall the impression was that this airport had not planned enough for increase in passenger numbers and was struggling to maintain adequate basic customer care,

Glasgow Airport review by Elizabeth Crookston

5 November 2006

Flew from Glasgow going to Sanford Orlando in October at six in the morning check in was ok but after security the place was a disaster area. The cafes were very busy and no one was clearing tables in fact I'm sure some of it had been there for hours. I appreciate that it was the school holidays and the place was very busy but it doesn't inspire me to travel from Glasgow and had I been a foreign visitor I would have been appalled at the state of the place. We couldn't even get a sandwich. Edinburgh is a much nicer airport and one which I would normally choose to fly from as its closer to home but unfortunately for us we had no option but to use Glasgow for this trip. I hope my next visit will be more pleasant

Glasgow Airport review by Neil Bingham

5 October 2006

Arrived Glasgow Airport for early morning flight to North Cyprus. Despite many cafes/restaurants only one open - why? - for us to get breakfast - with a queue a mile long of course! 20mins after joining very long queue for security checks (we have no problem with this necessary evil) we found that there were TWO queues - of course we were in the wrong one (the one for domestic flights)!! Better organisation of queues needed for those of us unfamiliar with the airport. On return to Glasgow on 25 Sep our baggage did not arrive on carousel until 90mins after landing - and when it did the carousel was already being used for a flight from USA (despite 4 or 5 unused carousels they put luggage from two flights on same carousel at same time - what a shambles). After waiting an hour for our bags, several people enquired at the "Baggage Enquiries" desk - what a complete waste of time - they of course passed the buck and said it was the airlines fault - nothing to do with them Glasgow Airport! They also said they had tried to contact the duty manager - without success. The baggage handling mess needs sorting as a matter of high priority - if there is a delay then customers need to be told, and need to be told the reason (The large lcd screens above the carousel have loads of spare space for a message - even if you are putting two flight numbers on them!) Come on Glasgow you can do better than this - try getting a few tips from Newcastle or Durham Tees Valley - they appear to have a much better idea on how to run an airport. Vast improvement is needed before Commonwealth Games comes to Glasgow.

Glasgow Airport review by Omar Moras

5 October 2006

Arrived in to Glasgow after a 7 hour flight from Dubai with Emirates. As the 777 was full of passengers I expected to have a long wait for my luggage - no sooner had I reached the belt the luggage started to come through. Glasgow International is so close to the city compared to it's other airport Glasgow Prestwick, I was in the city centre within 15 minutes. I had read recent reports before travelling about Glasgow International but can say compared to some other airports I have been in recently I cannot see where those people were coming from?

Glasgow Airport review by Moira Gibson

27 September 2006

Again after a transatlantic flight which arrived at 0630hrs (Sun 24th Sept) into Glasgow, had to wait over an hour before any luggage arrived from the flight. This is becoming the norm at Glasgow and they obviously do not have enough baggage handlers. Some may say it was due to it being a Sunday morning but this has happened the last 3 occasions when returning from USA. Scotland has much to learn about the travel industry and will lose customers to Edinburgh if this does not improve immediately.

Glasgow Airport review by David McConnell

25 September 2006

As a Glasgow citizen I have remained loyal to the airport for a number of years but there is no doubt that standards are now slipping significantly. Recently returned from Cyprus late evening and had to endure a 70 minute wait for our bags to appear. While waiting, other arriving flights added to the confusion as they were allocated the same baggage belt. It was fairly obvious that there was a distinct lack of staff available to service the incoming flights. Let's hope Ferrovial can change things around. It was only on leaving the car park that I realised that there may well be a strategy at work! The recently revised traffic management setup at the airport determined that my daughter had to enter the 'short stay' car park to pick us up but the baggage delay ensured that she 'exceeded' this period and as a result had to pay a signifificant amount on exit. Well done Glasgow!!

Glasgow Airport review by Steve Ward

16 September 2006

A cramped airport with limited food and shopping outlets. Access to Glasgow is good during off peak times but not so good to the rest of Scotland. However, traffic at peak times is very bad so leave early to avoid missing your flight. Hire car access is good with hire car right outside terminal. Check in for EasyJet is in a separate shed, sorry, building but doesn't suffer too much. Staff are very friendly.

Glasgow Airport review by Martin White

12 August 2006

I used to like travelling through Glasgow but it is losing its appeal. For me (and many others) travelling to Edinburgh is much more convenient and saves around 30 minutes (or more!) travelling by car. With its ever-expanding range of destinations both to Europe and the US, Edinburgh is fast becoming my first choice airport in Scotland. Sorry but I really do feel Glasgow is losing out to Edinburgh now and it won't be long before Edinburgh will become the main Scottish hub with Glasgow playing second fiddle. When this happens it will be more and more difficult for Glasgow to attract airlines.

Glasgow Airport review by David Allan

24 July 2006

Overall, a very cramped airport, with extremely limited F&B choices. The outdoor seating area at Starbucks, while a good idea, was ankle-deep in rubbish. Immigration is clearly overloaded/overwhelmed when (eg) a 777 Emirates flight from Dubai arrives, with no proper queue control. Security check at departures is chaotic. Also extremely cramped at Gate 31, where we were held while waiting to board the Emirates flight back to Dubai - why no proper departure lounges, as is the norm at other international airports?

Glasgow Airport review by Eric Simpson

24 July 2006

Despite a 04.30 check-in the airport was already busy on the first weekend of the Scottish school holiday season with long lines at a number of check-in desks. Although the check-in area generally feels well managed my impression is that over the years the first floor level of the main terminal building has become very cluttered with retail outlets, not all of which were open at this early hour. The business section of the recently opened Skylounge is attractively furnished and offers a stunning view over the runway and Kilpatrick Hills towards Ben Lomond. This lounge is now being used by a number of airlines for its premium passengers, however whether I would pay £17.50 for a visit is another matter. There have been a number of other improvements to the International departure pier all of which go to making Glasgow a much more attractive international departure point.

Glasgow Airport review by Nathan Fotheringill

18 May 2006

I take exception to the comment below about parking. Yes, you get to leave your car in a shiny new multi storey car park. Yes, it is next to the terminal. However, £11 per day (and part thereof) is a rip off - a stay of fifty hours cost us £33. Had we stayed another day it would have cost more than my return flight ticket to Southampton. I will use my usual off-airport car park, Q-Park (BCP) at Linwood next time as I don't fancy returning from my holidays and being presented with a bill for £150. As for the airport itself, it is acceptable in terms of facilities. It was a bit dirty but our flight was the end of the day and I'd like to think it would have got a tidy overnight. Security were polite, which makes a pleasant change. Gate facilities were non-existent at Gates 15 and 16 - there was a small snack bar nearby that was closed. A small walk to the BA gates at the end of the pier would have been required to purchase a pre-flight drink. On our return our bags were on the belt before we got there. From experience, I know that there is never much of a wait for baggage but no wait at all was impressive. I'm more than happy to recommend GLA as long as you avoid the on-airport car parks.

Glasgow Airport review by John Oram

6 February 2006

I was happy with GLA on a recent visit. I was particularly impressed with the number of food outlets. It would have been perfectly pleasant to wait around had we needed to. No queues at security. I noticed the short term car park which I was not using was a very good £11 per day - STN take note!

Glasgow Airport review by J A Taylor

17 January 2006

Glasgow is finally coming into the 21st century with direct links to a large easily accessible short stay car park making it perfect for drop off or pick up of passengers. The expanded international arrival hall with six carousels was long overdue as were the enclosures for smokers. Why however can the short length of travelator which is provided on the walkway to the international gates finger not be introduced on the interminable walk required to reach the distant gates there. This is done so successfully at Schiphol. All we need now is an extended list of short haul international destinations to see off that overpriced operation at Prestwick and the main "cowboy" operating there.

Glasgow Airport review by  I Wong

6 May 2005

A very nice airport with lesser transit time and is less crowded than LHR. There are dozens of good shops and restaurants to spend your time if you arrive early. Many sleeping chairs are also available on second floors, which provide excellent rests to transit passengers. Certainly, an alternative for those live in Northern Ireland and Scotland who want to avoid chaos in LHR whe

Glasgow Airport review by  D Gourlay

3 December 2004

A comment about the international departure lounge at Glasgow. My wife and I had a three hour wait for our flight to Vancouver we opted for a small breakfast at the only outlet in this lounge, the food was practically inedible, I actually broke the plastic fork trying to pierce the vulcanized sausage on my plate. It was also quite obvious that any patron requiring service in the bar or restaurant was disturbing the rude and indifferent staff. Disgusting food, high prices and rude staff, shake it up Glasgow you are in dire need of some competition in that departure lounge.

Glasgow Airport review by  A Brown

1 October 2004

GLA International wing is woefully inadequate for the traffic it handles. The entire building has the feel of a warehouse and is dingy. The luggage carousels are far too small for the amount of passengers coming off long haul flights. On the departures level there seems to be only one set of washrooms that have a never ending line up. The seating areas at the gate are far too small and the smoking area is not enclosed. It is more than just sunseekers that use GLA now, and it is becoming an unpleasant place to board or deplane a long haul flight. The one positive thing is that I have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes in the immigration line up.

Glasgow Airport review by  Leo McMaster

27 July 2004

It has lots to do for the kids and for adults with good quality shops and restaurants and bars. It also has a Rangers and Celtic shop which just opened about 3 weeks ago which is all reasonably priced. I haven't got any complaint to make about it except that it's a bit of a trek just to get to the Departure Lounge before we board the aircraft.

Glasgow Airport review by  Keith Millar

22 June 2004

Glasgow Airport is pleasant to use but it compares very poorly with other UK regional airports in terms of the number of non-stop daily scheduled services to European destinations. Only Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Dublin are served. Glasgow is Scotland's largest airport and yet the airports at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Prestwick offer many more scheduled European services. It would be interesting to have BAA's explanation as to why Glasgow, uniquely, seems unable to benefit from the boom in direct services from the regions.

Glasgow Airport review by  W Jackson

26 May 2004

Glasgow Airport manages to be brighter and more spacious than most in thr UK, and has a much more impressive set of connections than Edinburgh - both to the rest of the world and to the rest of Scotland. But it seems to be subject to endless rebuilding, and it's amazing that there is not an airport railway station. Best bet is to get the very cheap, very friendly and very fast bus straight to Glasgow Central Station avoiding Paisley, and the overpriced taxi rank. Or better still fly via Glasgow Prestwick.

Glasgow Airport review by  Mark Evans

10 June 2003

While it remains a reasonably pleasant airport to use, Glasgow is beginning to look jaded and suffers in comparison with the recently upgraded Edinburgh. The latter is spacious and airy, with generous seating space, while Glasgow has degenerated into a typical BAA rabbit warren of shops and food concessions. An odour of fast food products often prevails. The airport is 12-13 km west of Glasgow city centre, and public transport to central Glasgow (and Paisley) is provided by mini-buses provided by various operators. Many of their drivers accept the challenge of belting along the M8 at Schumacher speeds, but their steeds are not the most comfortable. Again, this arrangement appears inferior to Edinburgh's Airport Shuttle service using modern dedicated double-deckers. Given the intense historic rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow, I hope my comments will provoke improvements at the Glasgow end. "Let Glasgow Flourish" is the city's motto, and it will have a better chance of doing so with an improved airport.

 

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