Funchal Airport

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).

Compact but well-signposted, great viewing area, quick check-in, efficient passport and security checks (unlike Manchester with its interminable queues) and a small selection of shops and places to eat. With the exception of the passport and customs staff, the people are friendly and efficient. Pleasant place to wait for a flight and fly from - recommended.

Horrible experience. Airport had been closed early in the day due to high winds and when I contacted the airport's office that morning they didn't even tell us that. Arrived at airport in mid-afternoon to find total chaos. Little if any communication was provided during wait at baggage drop-off security or at the gate. Approximately 5 different flights were being handled at one time at one gate. There was nearly a stampede as multiple flights were being loaded simultaneously. Several seats were left empty on our flight although the flight was fully booked since many passengers were unaware the flight was even being boarded - no communication. I would never recommend going to Madiera to anyone due to this airport.

Travelled back on Monday 1st Sep 2014 this was a truly dreadful experience queued for 2.5 hrs for check in. Check in desk then closed without notice while still in queue to another flight. Had to join the back of another queue to try and get to Gatwick via TAP Airlines. These have got to be the worst and most unhelpful staff of any airport. No explanation of any sort bordering on rude staff member said she would escort us through as flight was about to close only for her to abandon us before security. Have been using Funchal for last 13 years and over the last 2 it has got considerably worse. We only just caught our plane but this didn't seem to be of any concern to the staff. Absolutely dreadful.

The embarking area is quite small and therefore a little bit suffocating. There's not a huge variety of shops but just enough of them for an airport the size of Madeira. Mondays and Thursdays are the busiest days. There are no air bridges so you most of the time will walk to your plane or to the terminal occasionally by bus if it's a busy day or it's raining. Security staff are friendly and most staff at the airport too. There is some possibility that due to high winds which are quite frequent in Madeira you'll have to go in circles around the island until the pilot is able to land. I frequently use the airport and it only happened last time I used the airport which was last week - July Summer - and it's more frequent during winter months though I flew a lot of times during winter and it never happened before. Rough landings are quite frequent too. On a final note the airport is cleaned to very high standards everywhere you go it seems neat. I never had to go through passport control until now but it seems like there's a chronic lack of staff in that area so be aware of that.

On 17/3/2014 we flew from Funchal to Manchester. It took us over 1 hr 25 mins to queue for security. This is not acceptable. No explanation was given and staff were churlish. Rather than maximising the income through many shops it would be better to provide more security gates and spend more time on staff training for customer service. I travel a lot and have never experienced such long waiting times at any European airport. It harms the reputation of Madeira if one has to wait such an unacceptably long time.

This is a unique airport for two reasons. First the location is right on the sea - in fact the runway is partially on stilts over the coast! This gives great views. The second reason is the balcony area. The balcony is on the second floor extremely close to the aeroplanes which offers great views of the runway too. It's a fairly quiet airport though so not many planes landing/taking off. The other facilities are standard if not above average. The price of a coffee is about 1.35 Euro before security and there is a small shop that sells general supplies for reasonable prices. It's certainly a unique airport and combines with cheap espresso I rate it very highly.