Funchal Airport

❎ Not Verified | Awful airport. Was caught up in the April 2018 delays with flights being unable to land due to cross winds. Although new the way its been designed is not user friendly. The announcements are completely unintelligible and there is just is not enough seating especially when there are these very frequent delays and there are a lot of unused open areas that could accommodate lots more seating. Impossible to get any food or drink due to the way the café areas are laid out especially when busy. Will never return to this lovely island until they do something about it.

✅ Trip Verified | Weather in March sometimes make troubles. Especially in Madeira. After centuries of heaving this weather, they could be accustomed handling with problems like this. But the information policy of the staff was catastrophic. For hours without queuing, check out twice and check in again, consolations, no decent food. Everything was like it happened for the first time. Madeira. Never again.

❎ Not Verified | Great small airport arrival was so fast and boarding too. You have so much shopping sites and a big duty free shop - everything you need. The staff are very polite and every thing is clean. Rental car staff are sometimes great but only sometimes.

✅ Verified Review | Due to extreme weather, our BA flight was delayed three days - after the first cancellation, we struggled to find a hotel for the night, there were a great number of passengers doing the same thing. Eventually, (I had lots of time) I found there was an information desk but it was hidden in the corner of the check-in area, some indication in the arrivals hall would have helped. During one of our periods of waiting we discovered the cafe on the third floor which has access to a roof terrace, surprisingly there is no security required to reach this area and you are then 50 metres from the aircraft with unlimited views - great for plane watching but from a security point-of-view, worrying. Departure is a farce, from gate 16 to the aircraft was less than 50 metres but you have to be bussed, as the local handling agent was very slow helping those passengers requiring assitance; we waited on the bus for some time.

✅ Verified Review | After spending a fabulous stay on Madeira we arrived at Funchal airport to await our return to Manchester. Check in was excellent, coffee and cakes at one of the cafes near the viewing area were very good. My wife decided to buy some sandwiches for the flight home and visited Portfolio and bought 2 sandwiches, one of which cost 6.50 euros for what turned out to be a plain bread cake, a paltry piece of parma ham and a slice of cheese. It was, arguably, the worst sandwich we had ever encountered, avoid at all costs!

✅ Verified Review | They have improved this airport a lot in the last year or so, particulary on departures, expanding it and creating wider spaces and more shops and bars. The security screening is also more extensive. Cleanliness remains a particular strong point. They have a broad smoking area outside where you can watch landings and take offs.

The changes in the departure area (bigger duty free shop, more shops and better quality ones and nice couches with fantastics view over the sea) turn Funchal into a modern and very nice airport. Now Funchal is at the same level as other small international airports in Europe.

I have travelled in and out of Madiera a dozen or so times. I have experienced delays, queues and the limited facilities in comparison to other larger airports. I can only say that I would rate Funchal Airport as being miles ahead of the poor efforts of any of the UK airports in handling passenger throughput. To complain about queues at airports suggests a traveller with a private jet or prefferencial check in and boarding terms. Well done Funchal, digital passport controls always work.

This is a hopeless place with no organisation and limited capacity. Old fashioned queue to single check in desks. Queue out of door so open extra desk and bring people from back to clear door leaving the rest of us like cattle. Considering already checked in online, baggage drop took ages. This is a sign the airport can not cope with demand. Security check was ridiculous as only four channels for hundreds of passengers. The staff were very nice but hugely overworked. Made our way through passport control as usual,big mistake, All the shops are prior to passport control. The duty free is a couple of shelves, no stock or choice. Boarding was a shambles staff walking the line checking boarding cards and passports but not checking passengers joining family groups or the second side line. Once through gate full bus still at stand but we were forced out of the building into the sun and fumes to make room for more people to crush through the gate. When I asked what the delay was, I was told that they were waiting for a bus. The fact this first bus was still there did not seem to suggest it was moved. We could have walked to the plane it was only 2 minutes away.

Modern airport, smooth check-in, very friendly staff, good terrace, free wifi (slow).