MILAN MALPENSA AIRPORT review : 6 January 2009 : by Peter Cullen

Customer Rating :  2/5

I have used Terminal one 5-6 times in the past, as others have said, it has its shortcomings, but I never felt it was too bad. Recently went to Terminal 2 for the first time: arrival not bad, though getting on a bus when the terminal building was about 20 metres from the front of the aircraft is a bit frustrating. Departing was considerably worse: security was quick, though that was where the efficiency ended. Not enough seats and limited food facilities. Worse followed though: we knew the flight was delayed by '45 minutes' (not the airport's fault, it was foggy). We were then called to the gate about 30 minutes before 'departure' by a message on the screens ; after about 20 minutes we were told that we were at the wrong gate (and treated as if it was our fault) so, we all went to the right gate where we stood for another 30 minutes before the aircraft arrived. We were then cleared to stand for a further 20 minutes before being allowed to board the aircraft, it eventually left the stand 90 minutes after the scheduled time. I am not complaining about the delay, bad weather in January is a hazard of flying, but the airport must have known it was going to be much more than 45 minutes late a couple of hours in advance, why did they not inform us? Also why did they have 100 people just standing around for well over an hour, again they must have known - we could have shared the sparse seating. When will airport managers treat passengers as understanding human beings rather than units to be processed in ignorance whenever a problem arises?

MILAN MALPENSA AIRPORT review : 10 December 2008 : by F Oegema

Customer Rating :  2/5

After Paris CDG Malpensa is the worst big airport in Europe, and it's slightly better than CDG only because since Alitalia's demise it has become relatively quiet, which makes life more bearable. But this does not take away anything from the fact that this airport is badly designed, badly constructed and even worse maintained. I am a KLM Elite customer and I speak fluently Italian so I usually get good service, but every time I'm there I see how most 'common' and foreign people are treated like cattle (unfortunately typical of Northern Italy in general). One positive note: the Alitalia business lounge in the 'A' area has hardly any customers any more but still has a real Italian coffee bar, so if you're on a Skyteam flight go there (the AF/KLM lounge is an embarrassment).

Milan Malpensa Airport review by T Saunders

17 June 2008   Customer Rating :

Initially, not a bad airport. Thumbs up for quick security clearance though, and we must accept that having to embark/disembark via shuttle bus is simply part of air travel these days. Until they build more gates at least.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by S Gardner

4 June 2008   Customer Rating :

For an airport which is not so old, the services at Malpensa are appalling. The way of closing all bars and shops from 9 at night until 9 in the morning - is this an international airport or a shopping mall ?

Milan Malpensa Airport review by David Bielli

16 March 2008   Customer Rating :

MXP should be reconstructed, restructured, reorganized. It is one of the worst airports you will ever get a chance to visit. Arrival haul for check-in is confusing, signs are small, only two posts with screens showing check-in gates. Bad choices of shops, unfriendly staff, badly signed. Once you check in, you have to track downstairs to go through the security - which is really inconvenient, as there are only stairs. Security lines took me about 40mins before I got to the terminal. With little time to spare, I looked around for some shops - most of them were small, reminded me of little South American airport stands - definitely not worth an Italian - airport hub. Buses are used (I transited 3 times in February) to transfer the pax - something awful in the Italian cold and once it was even raining, so we got on the plane completely wet. Overall, this is one of the worst airports - avoid at all costs unless something major changes. Sad thing to see gateway to Northern Italy in such a disastrous state.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by A Peckham

5 February 2008   Customer Rating :

Arrived in Schengen no probs about immigration. Bags arrived in 10 minutes which is unheard of in the infamous baggage history of this airport. Admittedly this was handled by ATA better or far more reliable than SEA handling. I hope the future absence of Alitalia, with it withdrawing most services from the airport, will make things better!

Milan Malpensa Airport review by F Cremonini

31 January 2008   Customer Rating :

Milan Malpensa is certainly one of the worst airports in Europe, despite the fact that the Terminal 1is relatively new - it is about 10 year-old. Due to a general lack of gates, you will be bussed if you come from most destinations in Europe. There are a few shops inside and a couple of bars. Toilets look like they have been built in the 70' and have never been renewned - nor cleaned! Baggage handling took ages - up to one hour and a half to retrieve one's luggage. To be avoided at all costs - Rome Fiumicino is not a perfect airport, but it is much better.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by David Mrnka

8 January 2008   Customer Rating :

MXP must be one of the worst airports out there, considering its relatively new, I do not understand what happened to it. I arrived - absolute lack of gates, you will be whisked on the bus if you come from most destinations in Europe. It can get really annoying particularly in the winter months. Only few shops inside, couple of restaurants, that are not worth much attention. The worst is probably the luggage handling - it took 90 Mins for my luggage to arrive from a flight PRG-MXP on a small A320 plane. 4 different flights were put on the same belt (one from TAM brazil) and other regional airports. The belt would move than stop for 10mins, then move few luggage and stop again for 10mins. It was the most frustrating thing I have experienced. MXP needs to improve desperately. Not sure how that is going to happen when Alitalia is going to move all the flights to Rome.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Paul Jacobsen

19 November 2007   Customer Rating :

I had an average experience with Malpensa. The Schengen terminal upon arrival was uncrowded, so that everything went smoothly. But it is a long walk through endless corridors to reach the baggage claim area. Transfer into Milan city centre is operated by two competing bus companies, with rather the same prices. Allow at least 55min between Malpensa and the city, easily more in rush-hour periods. Upon departure there are very few and small flight information screens, making it difficult to locate the right check-in desks. It is even more difficult to find the gates, as security checks take place at an intermediate floor, between Arrivals and Departures floors! Security employees were efficient and friendly. The Schengen file (for Gates A) was quick enough, but the Non-Schengen queue (for Gates B) seemed to be chronically congested. If you have lounges access, ask the check-in desk to tell you where they are, as they are very badly posted.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by K Larsen

17 October 2007   Customer Rating :

A very average airport, not organised at all. As most of the times, it is design that counts for Italians while functionality and practicality is very low in their priorities. Staff were pleasant, but very slow and there was a mess concerning the e-ticket and baggage drop desks (flying KLM). A lot of shops, and prices tend to be normal for a European airport. But I was astonished with the fact that check in is on the 2nd floor and the gates on the 1st. So this means that you have to go down the stairs and if you have hand-baggage carry it all the way down as moving stairs or elevators are not an option here. The security seemed to work fast and efficiently and the people there were even rather friendly. Malpensa is though an airport that has reached its limit since we had to wait for more than half an hour to take off although we were finished with boarding 10 minutes before the given time, because of congestion on the ground! All in all a very very average airport serving a large region of both Lombardia and south Switzerland.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Viktor Borisov

25 July 2007   Customer Rating :

First impressions were quite nice when you see the terminal from the outside, but once you enter inside - welcome to the maze! The signs for the detour were false, people were all hurrying to catch their connecting flights, some were lost and some mixed up the directions and went to a closed door instead. What a disappointment. The transit area is extremely full, migration procedures fast on EU lane. Should you have an option with a transit via Milan Malpensa, try to avoid it and enjoy much better cheaper transfers like Prague for example.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by John Kotsopoulos

19 July 2007   Customer Rating :

I can hardly believe that Malpenza was only inaugurated a decade ago. This airport has the retro feel of something from the 1970s (even the moving walkways look totally obsolete). I can only speak for the EU- Schengen section of the terminal, but all I can say is that the lack of services is woeful. In a country of such style and glorious food, how is it that there are so few restaurants? And the under-staffed café at the departure gates is always overwhelmed with long lines. Finally, the shopping area is tiny and claustrophobic. This airport is a real disappointment.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by John Herbert

22 June 2007   Customer Rating :

Malpensa Terminal 2, home to Easyjet and others has no Car Hire collection desk or drop off facilities. On arrival you have to take the Terminal 1 connection bus (free) which runs every 20 mins or so and collect the car from T1. No fast get away's here. Drop off is the same it's at T1, allow extra time to get back to Terminal 2 for check in. Most annoying especially at 5.30am.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by George Baritakis

26 February 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

Malpensa terminal 1 is a huge dissapointment. Outside looks good, but inside is poor, no many restaurants, not many stores, and by 10 pm everything is closed. Taxis from there to nearby hotels or the city center are awfully expensive. not to mention that most people can hardly communicate in English. Malpensa terminal 2 - one of the ugliest and oldest terminals still operating. Only 1 newspapers store and 1 small fast food restaurant.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Louise Doherty
27 December 2006

Terminal 2 looks like a relic from a 1970s package holiday terminal, I half expected a straw donkey to come trotting through! The cafe on the top floor is reasonable and has a good selection of freshly cooked food, but there needs to be more shops, bars etc in departures. Friendly staff make delays here pleasant too.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Franco Plona
7 November 2006

From the outside looks good and inside is a mess, the new Malpensa airport was inaugurated less than 10 years ago and no new upgrade have taken place since then. The Alitalia business lounge in concourse B is small old and always full small bar but no food you have to paid for the internet cleanliness is not a priority especially in the bathrooms. I prefer to use the KLM business Lounge in comparison is heaven not hell, you still have to paid for the internet but is clean and with a good selection of beverage and food, self service. But the sky team should not have a kind of consistency in their products? Pure chaos at the gate; with the new regulation for the flight to USA your passport need to be scan so they can check it with the no fly list, very disorganized the flight is schedule to leave at 10.20 at 10 am 2 airport staff start scanning one by one a full 777 at the gate than finally a third staff arrives resulting in nearly 45 minute delay in departure, why they do not do like in other airport: scan the passport and than move to a sterile area till the plane is ready to load? Utterly disorganized.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Andrew Bennett
15 October 2006

Sadly, I have to agree with the most recent comments. I use this airport a couple of times a year and my experience on Saturday last was no better than before. My KLM check in was reasonable, but a colleague flying BA encountered lengthy and slow queues, obstreperous officials, etc. I was told to hurry into security as there was a 45 minute delay - and found none! For a reasonably new airport, too, parts are now looking very shabby and the overwhelming impression of the departures hall on a typically murky Milan morning is one of gloom and despondency. Quite a contrast with bright and cheerful BCN, through which I passed on the way to Malpensa.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Marja Jurgensen
5 October 2006

Malpensa is a typical Italian facility - looks fine , but once you get in it's like a Dante's inferno. Plan everything at home, connections, buses, hotels, because once you get there you're practically on your own, unless you speak a good italian and you have a lot of time to spare and lots of patience. Eating and shopping is good. It certainly is in need of another runway and they should improve the connections to and from Milan.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Dirk Visser
30 July 2006

Passed through MXP 4 times in a few months and I have to say that it is without a doubt one of the worst airports in Europe. The airport also is a reflection of the largest airline serving it: Alitalia. Despite the airport being less than 10 years old, it is already showing a tired interior - dingy terminals, chaos at the security checks between the terminals and the bussing to the majority of the aircraft is a disgrace. I, along with many others, do not understand why the Italian gov't selected such a poor architectural design for this airport... They want to develop this airport further as an important hub, but how can they if they didn't build enough gates??? It's not appealling and in the hot summer months the bus services are unbearable. Airport personnel are also lacking in manners and do not know what organisation is....they show up late at the gates, ignore passengers seeking information, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. With regards to shops and catering - it's alright, though very overpriced. And the lack of seating is a disgrace too. How this airport can grow and that it attracts even more airlines is just a mystery to me - it's in fact an airport to avoid at all cost.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by D Seid
10 May 2006

This airport is appalling. There is nothing to do in this bleak and rundown environment with poor shopping options, uncomfortable seating, not internet options, delapidated bathrooms, and limited eating options. The only thing in its favor in connecting through it is that one doesn't have to go miles to get from gate to gate if in the same terminal. Also, my luggage was transferred without a problem.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Lance Jeffcoat
28 July 2005

This month, I flew through MXP for the first (and last time). It was very warm in the airport. Unfortunately, I had a 6 hour layover and I agree with the previous reviewer about the Alitalia Business class lounge- terrible. The toilets were dirty, there were no snacks in the lounge, the 2 computers were not working, and the lounge feels cramped. Walking through the airport, I noticed there is an Air France/KLM lounge and I spent 3 hours there. It was not crowded, had a great selection of snacks, plasma tvs, and clean restrooms.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Bart de Groot
12 July 2005

Milan Malpensa is the worst European airport I have visited. Arriving after a long intercontinental flight, I found out there was no transfer desk for European connections. I was forced to exit the airport, move to the arrivals area and stand in the long queue for the regular check in. What also didn't help was that there are way too few seats at the boarding gates, due to which 80% of the passengers has to stand (in our case more than an hour), or sit on the ground. The toilets were dirty, and tax free shops (nice selection I must admit) strongly overpriced. Prices at the restaurants and coffee shops are reasonable, but food quality was terrible and the way everything was organized was confusing. Overall, I will surely try to avoid this airport for future transfers.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Sascha Menzendorf
4 July 2005

8 hours stop-over in early July 2005 enroute TXL-MXP-DXB with Alitalia. Although most of the airport staff is friendly, the information desks are occupied by the worst service employees one can imagine: very rude, hectic, unknowing, ignorant etc. And this was apparently no particular case as I had two encounters of that kind. amenity-wise the airport is meagre as well. There are not enough seats and the ones available are very uncomfortable. I could not find any chill-out zones so I was cramped in between others on one of the small seats. The airport in general seems very old and obsolete. However, the food court offers the best food I ever had at an airport. Delicious pizza and pasta, absolutely recommendable. Overall I would rate MXP 4 out of 10.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by J P Bertani
29 June 2005

Milan MXP non-shengen side. Very convenient for transits as the airport is small compared to the others main international Hubs. The bad point is that boarding is mostly made by non air conditioned bus. During summer it is unbearable as sometimes one can wait for 10 minutes in heavy sun with doors locked. Alitalia business class lounge is a joke. Looks more like a small over crowed bar in central Milan than a proper lounge, i.e very few reading materials, no internet, no showers, no toilets, no food, just few seats and a big TV screen to watch sports events. Dutyfree is very expensive and one can find cheaper prices downtown. Very few shops. A terminal extension is under construction. Let's hope it will look like a real international airport.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Charmaine Langford

8 June 2005

I am a first time flyer, and I connected at Malpensa on my way to New Delhi, India. The airport is quite lovely. It is spacious, bright and the information clerk was extremely helpful in assisting me with calling back home to USA. She even gave me her phone card to use at one of the pay phones. Browsing the designer shops, can keep you occupied while you wait for your flight to connect. The cafe there serves marvelous food, although a little pricey in my opinion (1 bottle of diet coke cost $4.00 US. Bathrooms are clean and comfortable. All in all, I think it was a wonderful experience passing through MXP and I look forward to it again.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Denis Holdenried

15 May 2005

I frequently use Malpensa as a connecting hub- so I don't have many problems with the remote position. The airport itself is spacious and bright. I do like the design and don't think that it is old fashioned. The sand-stone walls and marble floors are very handsome. Toilets have increased in number and are usually cleaner than in other large European airports and much nicer than in the USA. Restaurants and bars are not too many in number but are very nice and serve excellent food and drink. Duty free shops and other shopping are excellent. Changing flights in Milan is extremely easy compared with most other large airports. Staff are correct and friendly enough- in line with the usual northern Italian style. Overall, one of the best airports in Europe- in spite of its reputation!

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Andrew Bennett

6 May 2005

I had a very unpleasant aggressive encounter with Italian police here when trying to check into area 12 (for BA) a couple of weeks ago. There was a small, young, gun-toting female officer who appeared to delight in holding up the queue as long as possible and was very rude and obstructive when I had to return to hand in my hold luggage as the facility was not open when I first checked in. Why is there security before the check-in desks as well as all the usual stuff afterwards and why only for BA passengers apparently? A potentially quite pleasant airport spoiled by this (oh and by the lack of clarity in signing food facilities: I ate, not very well, before setting off for a distant gate area and then discovered much better facilities there!).

Milan Malpensa Airport review by John Bird

13 March 2005

I know that the bus to terminal drives me silly and the customs queues are long but yet, this huge airport has lots of space, great shopping and good road access. It is also very clean compared to many world airports. I feel very safe inside that airport.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Marcello Ascia

20 February 2005

For a city known as "the fashion/design capital of the world", recently-built Malpensa is a bad joke. The terminal looks like a tackily revamped bus station.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by A Pezzotti

15 February 2005

I have to agree with several comments posted before mine. Once you leave the aircraft at Malpensa you are normally faced with quite a long queue at the passport control. Most of the lines are closed and there is a big confusion as nobody is following the division between EU and non-EU nationals. The baggage delivery has improved a lot in the last year and is now acceptable. The problem comes when you have to reach Milan or, worse, another town in the area. Taxis will charge you incredible fares, better stick to buses or trains. The problem is the time you will need to get to town (45 minutes to 1 hour). Check-in facilities are poor unless you have to leave for the States, UK or Israel. In that case the airport is using some safe-check in desks at the very end of the terminal. The strange thing is that once you've checked your luggage you have to exit the safe area and walk all the way back to the main terminal in order to enter the departure area from the usual entrance. It's quite a long walk. The terminal itself is not very nice but at least it's easy to find your way trough it. Restaurants and bars are not first class but are acceptably comfortable.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by N Malik

6 January 2005

I agree with the previous comments. Malpensa although recently built, has an old fashioned interior and looks like a high class third world airport - rather than a world class European airport. What a waste of money.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Diego Vieira

1 January 2005

I had to use Malpensa to get a connection flight to Athens, during the Olympic Summer games. The first impression was that the terminal was a little bit old fashioned, the floor is just horrible, the windows are dirty, and the sofas are ridiculous. The immigration line take a eternity, even the european citizens counter was closed. After that, I started to look for gate A. I just couldn't find the gate A anywhere. So I asked for some information. The lady looked my boarding pass and said that I had to go downstairs, because my airplane would be in a remote position. So,I started to look for the stairs. Again,I just couldn't find it. So I asked for a security guard, and he showed me a narrow hall, that I was thinking it was a hall to the bathrooms. I went down and I finally found my gate. Milan deserves a better, functional, and modern airport. The way it's today, looks more like a bus terminal than an european airport.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by A Day

23 October 2004

Malpensa is a big airport but not nearly as congested and confusing as some, although seating is definitely lacking. The shops are fun if you have a long layover. They do need more and larger bathrooms and need to keep them cleaner. If you take a shuttle from central Milan, be sure you get off at the correct terminal as they're not exactly next to each other. The British Airways staff was exceptionally helpful and pleasant and prepared me well for the challenge ahead of me - connecting at Heathrow!

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Trisha O' Neill

24 May 2004

Nice Airport, very different to find your way, signs are limited, staff are not overly friendly, which is a mild understatement, fantastic Duty Free shopping though.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Christof Baetz

21 May 2004

We have travelled several times with Alitalia and therefore change planes at either Fiumicino or Malpensa. When the transfer time between two flights is short, you have to hurry up and hopefully the lines at the security check through which you have to go in transfer are not too long - but usually they are. Three times my baggage got lost at Malpensa. This happened nowhere else until today. The number of shops is little compared to airports like Barcelona or Frankfurt. If you are a SkyTeam frequent flyer and have access to the lounges we suggest to rather go the Air France lounge (smoking area and self-service of drinks and snacks) than going to the Alitalia Lounge (no self-service, no smoking area). Recently we experienced a very unfriendly and unprofessional check-in procedure at one of Alitalia's Magnifica Class check-in desks. However, the check in there was done by SEA ground services and not by Alitalia staff. In total I would say Malpensa is a rather boring airport with unfriendly staff.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by M Biondo

11 March 2004

I think Malpensa is a good airport - they provide you with good duty free shopping. It is easy to get around - the people are friendly if you are friendly back to them.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Paul Twiss

22 January 2004

Malpensa is unfortunately the airport that I have to use regularly as it is my home airport. It is staffed by unhelpful and unfriendly people, information is always late if ever given, TV screens are never all functioning, space to sit is at a premium, if you have to arrive for early flights leave time, as the security check is staffed by one person only, flights almost always levae and arrive late and it has the worst baggage delivery system and times I have found in the world...no wonder other hubs in Europe have more business.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Jan Andersen

17 November 2003

An unexpected, urgent trip to Milan meant a very late booking, so I had to land in LIN and then leave from MXP. LIN is an old and small but very efficient airport and the 73 bus as always took me from the airport to Piazza San Babila in no time. The return trip was more of a hassle. It was my first time to use MXP so I thought it would be a wise option to take the train from Stazione Cadorna. It took about more than 50 mins - and it stopped not once but twice! And to think it was an express train After climbing two pretty steep escalators, navigating through poor signs and getting through heightened security checks because there was a flight going to Israel I arrived late for boarding. Moral lesson: Use LIN to go to Milan and you will travel happily ever after.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Alessandro Severi

26 August 2003

I think Malpensa airport is ok, it is not excellent. It is very spacious and you don't find the silly space problems with check-in that you find in Heathrow, especially terminal 2. The staff are usually ok. The good thing is that handling liberalisation is limited, there are only two ramp handlers (SEA Handling, owned by SEA Airport Authority which serves 95% of airlines including Alitalia and ATA Handling), this might mean that you have to wait more for luggage but less is lost. Most airlines use one of the two for passenger assistance as well. If you have to connect it's better than other airport with multi-terminals like CDG where 90% you have to change terminal, all frills airlines are in terminal 1. Even though I might be the only one thinking this I actually prefer to take the bus from the plane to the terminal because this means I don't have to walk. Most passengers are bussed to the plane because of the design which has the planes parked away from the terminal. Overall a good airport.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Daniel Bliss

22 August 2003

It would be a good airport if they would only finish building it. If you're lucky enough to have your flight assigned to one of the two completed piers, it's a fine facility. But if your plane is parked around the foundations of the long-awaited third pier, prepare to be herded through the basement and then bussed out to your plane. And I hope, what with those runways pointing straight at the Alps rather than along them, that it is better integrated with Swiss air traffic control than when I was there a couple of years ago -- the delays were just horrendous. Lots of potential, but until the terminal is actually finished, Rome wins hands down in Italy.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by M Devor

12 August 2003

Massive building, relatively clean and comfortable, and as mentioned previously, I love the huge windows looking out onto the tarmac. English is nearly non-existant as is traveler advice and info. I was trying to get info on the buses into the city/Linate and they just couldn't explain to me where, when, and how, etc, so it took me forever to figure out for myself. I was told erroneously that my hotel was near Linate, not true, so another bus to take. Malpensa is one of the few European airports to make the Schengen deal work, as it was created after Schengen had commenced. Shops and eateries are good. The lounge-Club SEA (access by Priority Pass) was ok, but the attendant was so rude and unfriendly. She was snapping at people. Only Italian newspapers, and this was the lounge in the int'l section. Whatever. The worst part, as mentioned, is the horrible distance from the city. Get real. I didn't have as much of a problem arriving. However, coming back, the line up at Stazione Centrale was a madhouse and boarding the bus to the airport was challenging. The taxis there are too expensive for my budget and they have to be way more than 60e unless they offer you a fixed price. The bus ride coming back took forever. Other than that, good airport. They need - Nonstop trains to the Central Station and they most certainly need - decent hotels out at Malpensa. An airport hotel should be one of the first things to go up. Also, staff who can speak relatively decent English. Rome seems to make it work, why not Malpensa? If going to Milan, I would connect and fly to Linate.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Jeff Schwartz

29 April 2003

Old design is a correct description. Still using "busses" to board airplanes. Is this really a new airport?

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Rafael Bozzolla

22 April 2003

The main problem with MXP is its lack of good connections to Milan. Instead of building some adequate rail and road links to the city and closing Linate for good, Italians tried to find an intermediate solution. The result? The airport itself lacks the critical mass to be a real hub, and Milanese sometimes rather take a flight at linate and connect somewhere else than take a non stop from Malpensa. The least it could be done is to make the rail link direct to Centrale station, so that non Milanese pax could get to the airport with just one train change. The airport itself? It is nice, but bags are a real problem and bathrooms are a bit run down for such a new facility!

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Simon Cheung

27 February 2003

Apart from its rather sterile and bland design, I've no criticisms of the main terminal. What's really bad is the rail link into the city centre at Cadorna station. I know the airport is situated 50 km from town, but for such a major airport why does the train only run twice an hour and take a staggering 45 minutes! In terms of public/private transport to Malpensa no route is better than the other. Taxis cost around 60 and are only any help if you're pushed for time, traffic depending. I recommend you arrive in good time because if you're running late for a flight you'll also have miles to run to the gates ! Or better still, use Linate which takes as little as 10 minutes to get to, and is a real gem of an airport even if it only serves the usual suspects such as CDG, LHR, FRA and no intercontinental ones.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Alessandro Gilberti

18 November 2002

Is this an airport or a circus? Old fashioned design. Distance between the check in and the gates (it's almost 1 km ) Few security checks - it means incredibly long lines waiting to be checked. No dedicated smoking areas, except if you are member of the club SEA (company who owns the airport ) paying 600 Euros per year to get into their dedicated lounge. No separate boarding gates for coach / business / first class. Destroyed and dirty toilets. Usually more than 30 minutes to get the bags. One boarding platform for the taxis so if you get out from the wrong exit you have to be prepared to walk for at least 1 Km.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Steve Fenton

31 October 2002

I use Malpensa a lot and find the location crazy. Its one hour drive from central Milan and the 2 terminals are so far apart I am amazed they are still in the same time zone. Getting help at this airport is simply a joke and the cost of a taxi will simply empty your pocket. The business lounges are average and often no place to sit at busy times. On a positive note, the bar just after arrivals has a little terrace to it and they are very friendly in there.

Milan Malpensa Airport review by Luigi Vallero

11 September 2002

When the new Terminal Malpensa 2000 opened a few years ago, it was intended to become Italy's hub to the world. In fact it has managed to increase the number of airlines that serve Milan, and for sure has widened the number of destinations served from Italy's main industrial centre. Nevertheless the airport still suffers today from problems that are probably "genetic". Passengers are compelled to walk a lot to reach gates, signs inside the terminal are often unclear, the general architecture is unpractical - even though it looks grand - and forces people to quite a number of level changes, even using absurd lifts. And still it is prone to huge delays due to air traffic capacity limits, while baggage handling is still another unsolved "mystery". On the plus side, there's a good selection of Italian fashion and food shops, and it offers a good view of the airside through magnificent windows overlooking the apron. Not a bad airport, but certainly not one I would list as one of my favourites.

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