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.