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Prestwick Airport Passenger Reviews and Prestwick Airport Traveller Reports
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PRESTWICK AIRPORT customer review : 29 June 2012 by Peter Loni (UK) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
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Recommended |  |
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What a dump. You get soaked boarding and disembarking from your flight. Long waits in freezing cold sheds
to board the aircraft. It would appear that staff have been specially trained to be rude and off hand. If you
have a choice give this place a miss.
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Prestwick Airport customer review : 19 September 2011 by David Cochran (UK)
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |
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Seven years from my last review of this airport. During that time it seemed to improve slightly before descending
into the pit once more. However a lot of the things are less to do with the airport than ludicrous security and
baggage rules enforced with a gusto that would make any jobs worth proud. They just don't seem to get the fact
that at some point the customer just goes elsewhere. Car access is inconvenient and car parking is expensive, to
the point of robbery given land prices, and badly laid out. Food and drink in all parts of the airport are substandard
and expensive. The airport is grubby and the long walk, with steps, to the plane inconvenient and looks like it was
knocked together from left over porta-cabins. The only good thing about it is the train link but of course that is not
synchronised to accommodate late or early flights. Returning to it is just as bad with the needless UK border
control getting in everyone's way. I wonder how many people they have actually caught in return for holding
everyone up. We are on an internal European flight. A new ploy seems to be to x-ray baggage at customs, clearly
more about confiscating some duty free than a security measure. All in all a grubby little airport with the same one
sales point of many complacent airports, and that is a lack of competition.
Prestwick Airport customer review : 9 September 2011 by M Leitch (UK)
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |
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A return flight on business to Riga. A big sign at a cafe in departures offering "breakfast and a pint for £8.99" sums
it all up. The airport is shabby, offers few facilities and quite frankly should be avoided at all costs. I'd rather pay to
fly from Edinburgh.
Prestwick Airport customer review : 11 August 2010 by Barry Byrne
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
Some good and bad features of this airport. Firstly it has very little traffic and is not
crowded, with reasonable facilities in terms of bars, food service, newsagents etc. The
services landside are more or less replicated airside, with an oversized duty free. Given that
most flights from here are intra-EU, this is of limited interest to most passengers. Rail
access is close by, it could do with more prominent signs about train departure times and
better sign to say you pay on the train, there are no ticket sales at the station. Downsides
are the very dreary waiting area airside, which has no exterior windows at all. You cannot
tell if an aircraft has arrived, what the weather is like or just kill time looking out the
window. There are no windows. There is a very long line of check in desks, but as Ryanair is,
with the rarer Wizzair, the only scheduled operator, and as FR require you to check in on
line, these serve no purpose. Very strange procedure used for checking boarding passes - up at
the top of a set of stairs - trips and falls possible, as the Ryanair surge is suddenly halted
to have papers checked. Not the worst of places, provided your flight is not delayed - you
really are in the hands of the screens here, you will see nothing airside.
Prestwick Airport customer review : 14 June 2009 by Luke Addis
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
For the first couple of years of using this low cost airport, it was a great experience. Very
cheap and convenient train link, nice friendly staff and quick security due to small nature of
people passing through. However, this has al changed. The cutbacks are in place, and showing.
My last visit had very tedious queues at security. Bags are put aside with gay abandon, but
limited staff mean they are not checked for some while. They point blank refuse to open both
security points regardless of the fact that almost all passengers for each flight arrive
around an hour before. If you finally get past security, its all getting a bit shabby. No
windows mean it is claustrophobic, and a bar full of beer louts is the most prominent feature.
Staff insist in letting passengers though into boarding, but leave them waiting in a grotty
corridor for ages, every single time! Arrival is quick, easy and efficient. 50 percent off
railtravel with your ticket too. Prestwick needs to pull its finger out, it is a fast
deteriorating airport.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review by J Bradley
6 January 2009 Customer Rating :
Over the last couple of years the standards at Prestwick seem to have fallen to match those
of the major no frills airline which supplies it with most of its business. From its shabby
toilet facilities with cracked wash hand basins, broken taps and peeling wall paint to the
surly and rude security staff we encountered, it provided a totally disappointing travel
experience. On arrival at the airport we had to negotiate a ridiculously awkward pair of
wooden swing doors at the entrance as none of the automatic doors appeared to be in working
order. On to security who seemed genuinely annoyed that people were getting around the one
small carry on bag rule by cramming hand bags etc into other bags or more ludicrously as the
guy in front of me did by wearing three jackets. It is the only airport I have been through
in the last 6 months which applies such a policy. The departure lounge was crammed with
people and appears unable to cope with boarding more than one flight at a time. Their attempt
to board three flights simultaneously when we were there descended into farce with people
struggling to even reach the queue for their departure gate due to the crowds and confusion.
My advice would be to stay landside as long as possible, the dining and drinking area there
is much more spacious and comfortable. In the years immediately following its revival
Prestwick was a good airport and did what it did, well. Whilst it may be content now to cater
only to budget and seasonal charter airline business, it should at least make an attempt to
present itself as a reasonably comfortable place to spend a couple of hours rather than just
a soul-less transit station
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review by A Henderson
10 December 2008 Customer Rating :
Prestwick Airport is a vital part not only of the holiday/business travel in Scotland but also of
employment in the area. Why are we complaining about the flight times /train bus links etc. They
are no better from/to Glasgow Airport - in fact Glasgow does not have a train link that you can WALK
to in less than 5 mins - it's a bus to Paisley. The restrictions to parking commented on by one
reviewer are due to security - nothing to do with wanting more cash for parking - its the same at
Glasgow now. Prestwick has all you could want from an airport - somewhere to eat - the food in the
restaurant before you go to departures is fine and not too expensive for an airport. You then walk
all of 30 steps to the departures which have never at any time I have been there been queued. Small
duty free but there isn't many places in Europe you can actually benefit from duty free now. Plenty
to eat and drink in departures and even an outside smoking area for those who indulge. It doesn't
have the buzz of Glasgow but then again who needs buzz.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review by M Allan
3 April 2008 Customer Rating :
The best parts of PIK is the train station and the fact its half price train fare from anywhere in
scotland, and its a covered walkway straight to check in. Check in was speedy, but only one security
lane open? Causes panic when they start announcing boarding of your flight. Departure lounge small.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review by Ann McLaren
7 February 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
Prestwick Airport is a gem. I am biased as I live 15 mins away and use
this airport for the majority of my european business travel. Please
stay small as it is so easy to get in and out of the terminal and the
car park!
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review
by Alan McLaughlin
12 June 2006
I find the comments about Prestwick being to the detriment to the west
of Scotland absurd. Without the low cost links to France, Spain, Italy
etc, I and many other businesses just would not be able operate on the
continent. Glasgow (GLW) is hardly losing long haul business when
companies such as Continental, American, Air Canada and Emirates to name
a few have international operations there (no British Airways?).
Prestwick was ignored for decades by the major UK carriers so well done
Ryanair for rejuvenating it! The airport is now well serviced by road,
rail and bus links and provides reasonable facilities for budget travel.
However, The current owners need to start showing some improvement in
the infrastructure for their extra income. My pet hate about Prestwick:
What idiot thought of closing two of three lanes to traffic in front of
the terminal and banning drop-offs / pick ups? Presumably this was done
to increase car park revenue but has only served to create needless
traffic jams at peak times. Second irritation is how ground staff do not
enforce the sequenced numbered boarding procedure. Just plain laziness
and Ryanair ought to have a word with them.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review
by J Halliday
30 March 2006
Could not disagree with J Taylor's Comments more. Prestwick has been
around a lot longer than the 50's. It first opened in 1935. The
renovated terminal opened in 1964, 1959 / 1960 the apron was renovated
for the jet age. The airport has a much larger apron than glasgow, and
the airport diverts cargo usage away from the BAA airports freeing up
slots for us to use for commercial transports. The landing charges are
much cheaper than those at Glasgow and Edinburgh which is why Ryanair
chose to operate from there.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review
by Scott Brady
6 February 2006
A major plus at Prestwick is the fast, half-price train link to Glasgow
(45min), where you can also change for Edinburgh (+1h45m, or +1h15 if
you're quick). For the early morning/late night bus to/from the
airport, see the airport's website.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review
by J Taylor
17 January 2006
Most of the comments are correct in that Prestwick only survives to the
detriment of the west of Scotland, because Ryanair use it. Ryanair
insisted on calling it "Glasgow", although in typical Ryanair speak that
city is 30 miles away. And being a 50's airport is sadly lacking in most
modern passenger handling arrangements, but thats Ryanair too. Their
bucket seat operation deprives the true Glasgow Airport of the short
haul international services which also offered through links to and from
more distant areas not served direct from GLA. Examples, Lufthansa, Air
France, Sabena once operated giving links worlwide. They or another
carrier still operate to other Scottish Airports. Edinburgh Airport
illustrates the damage Prestwick and Ryanair operation is causing to the
true expansion of international routes at Glasgow with a steady influx
of short haul flights to Switzerland, Germany Russia etc. As a
consequence Edinburgh is now starting to attract some long haul
international airlines, Delta, Continental plus long haul charter,
previously the role of Glasgow. With a population base of 2.3 million in
the west and 0.8 in the east the west cannot operate successfully with
two such mismatched airports.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport review
by Mike Hunter
10 November 2005
Flying recently Prestwick-Pisa, we found the only flight leaves at about
7am so the half-price train service isn't much use. There is apparently
a bus leaving Edinburgh Waverley at 300am to meet this flight, but it
isn't well advertised, and we would have had to get up at 2am, or
probably never go to bed. We paid £45 for 12 days parking.
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by David Cochran
19
August 2005
It is a pity this airport has managed to survive. It is located in the wrong place. Oh for the
days when cheap flights from GO to Italy were possible using Glasgow Airport. The links to
Glasgow could be good if there was an integrated transport policy. I wonder if John Prescott or
Tony Blair ever find themselves just missing the last train ? What is the point in the last
train leaving just before the last planes arrive. The food and drink are poor value. The extra
charge for a bottomless coke seems good at first sight, but once you taste the coke you will
understand why they will let you refill it as often as you want. One glass is all you will ever
drink !
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by Charles Scott
15
February 2005
Having just used PIK the checkin desks and area are been modernised which means that 70 pc of the
checkin desks are behind a wooden fence leaving 4 desks to checkin the flights resulting in a rather
crowded area at times this is due to continue until april.
This also means that the escalator from the railway overbridge is also fenced off, you have to
follow a corrider above
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by N Fotheringill
11
June 2004
Prestwick is my 'local' airport and I use it more than any other. The terminal building was built in
the sixties and remained chronically underused for many years. Government interference stated that
all of Scotland's transatlantic flights should land at Prestwick and, not surprisingly, few airlines
took them up on the offer. This restriction was removed in the early nineties and it seemed as
though Prestwick might be closed for ever. However, with new owners touting for buisness, Ryanair
entered the scene and the airport has not looked back. Plenty of money has been spent in making the
airport a viable alternative to the much more handily placed Glasgow International. Firstly, a rail
station was built on site giving passengers two trains to central Glasgow per hour. Car parks were
expanded whilst internally a number of changes were made. Overall, though, the terminal is showing
its age and such things as check-in have a distinctly low-tech feel to them. However, the staff are
courteous and the queues move quickly. Groundside catering has improved lately though the grandly
named 'Graceland' bar (Prestwick is the only place in Britain where Elvis Presley is known to have
set foot) has gone. Airside is an odd experience. You a channeled through the duty free shop
(everything except booze and tobacco available to all passengers) to the waiting area which is below
the level of the aircraft stands. It can get a bit crowded in here and very messy if a number of
flights are scheduled at the same time. As most flights are with Ryanair, the rush for unreserved
seating leads to long queues through the one door that leads to the aircraft gates. Ryanair are
supposed to have a priority system for boarding but no one pays the slightest bit of notice to it.
Once through the door you walk to the appropriate gate underground, emerging up the stairs on the
tarmac for a short walk to the aircraft. On your return another walk brings you to the bagage
reclaim which can be either very quick indeed or annoyingly slow depending on your luck. The worst
part of the experience is paying the car parking fees which are huge. Book in advance if you can or
better still use the train. Overall, though, Prestwick is not a bad airport to use and access will
be much better next year when the road to Glasgow is upgraded to motorway standard.
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by Stuart Innes
11
June 2004
Glasgow Prestwick is an excellent asset to the city of Glasgow, mainly due to the expansion of
Ryanair European flights at the airport, train links to downtown Glasgow are good and quick. The
airport offers good opportunity for scottish travellers to enjoy cheap city breaks and also brings
more visitors to Glasgow from overseas.
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by Alan McVittie
27
May 2004
The airport is very small, three flights at check-in and the place becomes really crowded.
Doesn't
have the same choice as Glasgow and Edinburgh but for budget airlines is a gem.
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by John Crockett
20
February 2004
I have recently used the much underused and underated other International Airport of Glasgow at
Prestwick. Although the airport is about 30miles from Glasgow the access is trouble free and
reliable in the form of a train service and motorway both leading to Glasgow. It may be a bit of
extra hassle getting to airport but while other airports may be suffering ice and snow it is a good
bet that the runway at Prestwick will be open due to it's mild micro climate.
The airport is mainly used by Ryanair and charter aircraft. The airport is under private ownership
and not BAA like most other UK airports. The interior of the airport is old but it is efficient, no
crowds and every process from checking in to boarding is hassle free. There are bars and restaurants
and even an observation balcony. All in all quite pleasant and much under utilsed by the major
carriers.
Glasgow Prestwick
Airport review
by Kevin Steele
19
February 2004
Presently enjoying a renaissance thanks to the Ryanair revolution, Prestwick has become the rising
star of Scotland's four major airports. When it was cast off by the British Airports Authority in
1991 following the big airlines' moving their transatlantic traffic to the more convenient pastures
of Glasgow Intl. (GLA), Prestwick looked down and out. Today the airport is thriving thanks to its
new found status as Glasgow's low cost hub. Prestwick is located 32 miles to the south west of
Glasgow city centre, and the good news is that there is a half-hourly train service which gets you
there in about 40 minutes. Flash your ticket/itinerary at the ticket office and you will get half
price rail travel to /from the airport's own railway station, free rail travel to anywhere in
Scotland during the first 6 months of a new route. Road links aren't very good, as the airport is
accessed via the notorious A77 to southern Glasgow, although the road is at present being converted
to motorway standard. What about the airport itself? Well the bad news is that not much has been
invested in the 1964 vintage terminal building since the BAA sell-off. You board the plane from the
tarmac - no fancy walkways here! There have been various tweaks over the years, but overall the
place is in need of a serious revamp. The good news is that things are slowly improving with new
restaurants and bars being put in the main concourse, but the airside shops and duty free are
primitive. You won't complain at the prices though - although the food and drink is slightly dearer
in the airport norm, it's not exorbitant either. This is a nice airport overall, and the choice of
scheduled Ryanair flights direct rail link are without a doubt its biggest assets.
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