Delhi Airport

Had the misfortune to transit at Indira Gandi Airport Delhi, yesterday during a Jet Airways flight from Bangkok to London. The Transfer route is clearly marked and eventually brings you to an International Transfer desk. Here one has to queue to see an Airline Agent who studies the onward boarding card that was issued at the point of departure and then having examined your passport, sticks a small stamp on its cover. You then follow the transfer route to security which is where the fun really starts. Men and women are split into separate queues which is fine and it took me about an hour to be processed in the queue I had joined. It appeared that the metal detector 'gates' weren't functioning properly so each passenger had to be screened by a hand held detector. The was conducted in a thorough manner as is expected but only one individual member of the security staff was doing this. About 7 or 8 other security staff were either standing around talking or staring at a hand luggage x-ray machine, only one of which appeared to be working. Frequently, hand luggage was stopped from going through because it contained either a laptop or a camera so the offending item needed to be removed adding further delay. It didn't appear to have occurred to the staff to display a sign instructing these items to be removed first. Having got through security, I proceeded to the departure gate for my onward flight to London which was now showing a one hour delay. There I joined a small queue to enter the gate area where yet again, an airline official closely examined my boarding card and passport and then allowed me to enter the gate area. After about 20 minutes, all those who had entered the gate area with me were instructed to leave it and yes you've guessed it, join an extremely long queue that had formed in order to go through the whole process of re-entering the gate area by once again having my boarding card and passport examined yet again. When I asked an airline representative why this was necessary, he merely shrugged his shoulders. Would strongly suggest avoiding this airport for transfer purposes if at all possible.

Used Terminal 1D for departure and arrival. Improved since the last time I used it and it seems better catered to the needs. Has a great food court and seating areas. Only nagging thing is the confused layout after security and overall feeling of being cramped. Wi-fi is abysmal.

Arrived on an international flight at 1.30am and had to transfer to domestic airport for a 5.30am flight. After several inquiries (signage is very poor), was directed to a small desk to get our tickets on the "free" shuttle to the domestic terminal. The staff member sends us to another place a couple of hundred meters down to catch the shuttle. Guess what? There's no shuttle but after about a 20 minute wait a city bus packed with people arrives. No easy way to get luggage into the packed bus. We eventually end up taking a taxi. On our way back we avoid the airport transfer by choosing a domestic airline that lands in T3. But this time we were not allowed to enter the check-in area because we were an hour too early and were held in a small cramped up staging area. In my years of travel I had never seen such poor arrangements. In general, the signs are inadequate, very few restrooms and in general a very poorly functional airport. The custom and immigration agents were very efficient even they just don't smile or greet you.

I was in transit at Delhi arriving from London Heathrow by AI 112 and was connecting to AI 142 dep.12.30 hrs. The incoming flight arrived on time and I was happy that I can have a shower at AI's Business class lounge. Alas, the airport security had other plans. We passed through the AI counter at the entrance of the transit security and was bunched in the first bay of the security queue (out of three). I have not experienced a more slovenly paced security screening ever. The CISF men were so slow that it took 1.25 hrs to pass through this rigmarole and it was nearly 12.00 hrs by the time I could extricate myself from this ordeal. There were only around 25 passengers and this is definitely a great disincentive for transit passengers. If Delhi's claims of being the best airport has any takers let them experience the ordeal of transit passengers and decide. To say the least, it is atrocious.

Delhi airport looks shiny and beautiful on the outside, but on the inside appalling customer service, inefficient use of security equipment, limited differentiation between a 'domestic' and 'international' airport, limited language skills on the part of security staff. Chaotic queuing, outmoded service in cafes (receipt couldn't be printed), lack of attention paid to travellers who had to rush to catch their flight, a long list of grievances, sadly. I feel ashamed to think that this is supposedly one of the better airports in Asia. The authorities must come up with customer friendly, hassle free experiences. Otherwise, a holiday for many, can turn into a nightmare.

Delhi airport is the best I have visited. The airport is beautifully built and consists of a huge variety of places to shop. It's pretty lively and clean and the staff are nice. There is just one problem - the immigration lines are long.

Flew out of Delhi T3 on an international flight to Paro in Bhutan. The flight was supposed to leave early morning so we arrived at the airport at around 4am. There are not many international departures at this time so the airport was empty. Check in took 15 mins and then immigration was another 10 minutes as was security. Adequate seating, shopping and eating facilities available. Arrival was as easy and efficient and took us not even 30 minutes to get our bags and get out.

Good modern facilities. The airport is huge and well run. Adequate seating areas for waiting passengers, relatively affordable duty free prices etc. I have used this airport over 5 times, and I have found my experience absolutely worth it. The immigration and the security on the way out can be slow, however this is pretty much the same in any big European hub.

Arrival on an international flight was surprisingly fast and efficient. Passed through the e-Visa immigration line very quickly, and was out the door to my waiting taxi in no time. Departure was another story. Ticketed passengers are not allowed to enter the main terminal until 3 hours before departure. You can either be herded into a small waiting area that has too few seats for too many people, or sit in a cafe or restaurant on the lower level as you wait for the 3 hour mark. The passport control line was huge, and the hall it's located in is not air-conditioned so it's a long, hot wait. Once you're past the long check-in, immigration and security lines things get better. The airport is modern, clean and a variety of shops, cafes and bars. The Metro line from the airport to the city is very fast, efficient and cheap.

Delhi Airport - whoever heard of a 'silent' airport playing non-stop music loud enough to be a nuisance. Play some instrumental if at all and at a low volume please. Some of us are international transit passengers who would rather catch some shut eye than be forced to listen to music. Air conditioning in the terminal did not seem to be functioning very well. The carpeting at the terminal seemed to be a bit jaded. A big jump from earlier days, but the sheen is going.