Leeds Bradford Airport

After a smooth exit through Palma Airport, we arrived at LBA glad to be back home. Then the nightmare began - firstly a long walk to the baggage area. 3 small carousels and no seating. We waited about an hour before any movement and some 15 minutes later we retrieve our bags. Next out to the taxi stand - not one taxi in sight. The booking office inform me of a waiting time of at least 30 minutes. I decided to phone a local private hire who promptly sent a car within 15 minutes costing an extra £3 on top of the fare to exit the site. £3 for less than a 1 minute pick-up. Maybe someone should pay more attention to customer service.

Check in was fine then called to the gate, had to walk to the other end of the terminal where we were held in an outbuilding for 30 mins with very few seats. Taken out of the building then to stand for over 30 mins in the strong wind before boarding the flight. On our return at 0110 in the morning we were bused to the terminal with a tour of the airport thrown in then had to walk miles down a corridor to Immigration, straight through no hold ups. We then went to the baggage pick up area the screen showing belt 2. We waited here, bags started coming through from a different flight then our flight disappeared off the screen to be replaced eventually by belt 4. From leaving the aircraft to getting our bags took an hour and 10 mins. This is the last thing you need at that time in the morning. Leeds/Bradford must be the worst airport in this country. Pity no one flies from Humberside to the Canaries.

I agree about the lack of seating and the pick up and drop off charges. They are too expensive. However the airport doesn't matter much to me. If you're happy travelling to Manchester when you live within ten minutes of Leeds, that's a waste of time and money in my eyes. The staff were friendly, it was acceptably clean. There are a lack of shops and duty free is small but it's a small airport so I'm not expecting Heathrow quality.

We use LBA because it is close to home and more convenient travel wise than Manchester. This is an airport that thinks it is up there with the big players. In fact, it is nowhere near to it. We have travelled through this place on four occasions and it just does not tick the boxes in so many areas of performance. The good: the long stay car park actually acknowledged our booking and issued us with a ticket. Check in was not too stressful, neither was security. Flight was called on time and we were bussed out to the waiting aircraft. The bad: On landing, walked across the tarmac to the excuse of a terminal building where you are greeted with steps up onto the first floor. No elevator or lift that I could see. Then, the long walk to immigration and down stairs to the baggage waiting area. And then we waited, and waited, and waited for almost an hour for our cases to appear. No customs on duty so out onto the concourse to look for the courtesy bus. Not one sign directing people to where the bus picks up. Back to the car park, dropped off miles from where the car was parked because the bus doesn't actually drive round the road where the cars are left. All we had to do then was exit the long stay car home and off we go. No. Two cars blocking both exit lanes because they couldn't get out. And nobody could get round them. Good riddance Leeds Bradford Airport, hello Manchester, an airport that actually works.

Just a few years ago, Leeds/Bradford was a little gem among airports, and had been for many years. Now it's a tired, overcrowded, cynical operation designed to rip off consumers to the max. It's enough to leave you feeling jaded and angry before you even take off, and that's no way to start any business trip or holiday. Although small, it used to have class and comfort. I live in Leeds but worked regularly in the Middle East. What a joy it was when heading out to have a pleasant drink or coffee in the bar, then board very comfortably and smoothly through one of the little gates shortly before departure. Travelling home, I could be off the plane from London and outside in a taxi, having collected my luggage, within the space of ten minutes. Fabulous. Now, the whole experience is cheap and nasty through and through - LBA outdoes, by far, the cheapest and nastiest of the budget airlines. The dreary cafe and sole bar/restaurant charge exorbitant prices for desperately average offerings (Er, this is Leeds, not Heathrow) and even WH Smith and Burger King think it's ok to double or even treble their high street prices because everyone's going on holiday and 'no one will notice'. To cap it all, a few years ago, drop-offs and pick-ups were banned directly outside the terminal, allegedly for 'security reasons' - although, curiously, one sole taxi firm, the astronomically-priced Arrow, was given a franchise for sole access. Now, to make matters far worse, customers cannot pick up or drop off at all within the boundaries of the airport without paying a £3 fee, even for the privilege of stopping for less than one minute - a scandalous rip-off. If you need a taxi to meet you, pre-book another firm to collect you in the car park. Even then, you'll still have to add the £3 cost of the car park fee to your fare. I live less than fifteen minutes away from Leeds/Bradford Airport and have travelled from there dozens of times, I've fond memories of it from childhood, back in the days when you could stand on the roof and watch the planes take off and arrive. It should be convenient and I should feel loyal. However my latest experiences, including a return trip last week to Jersey, have convinced me to travel always, in future, from Manchester. A much, much better and more interesting experience. It may take a little longer but, bizarrely, taking the train over an LBA 'approved' taxi will actually cost less. I should finally add that necessary changes to the security process in the last few years have in no way influenced my review. Staff at Leeds Bradford do a terrific and professional job of processing people as quickly as possible. The airport simply isn't big enough to deal with the number of people it now handles at peak times. Get yout act together, Leeds Bradford - start putting your customer first.

Just submitted my thoughts here without reading any other reviews. Now, having browsed what others think, it seems incredible that LBA's owners are failing to act when most customers clearly perceive the airport as a truly dreadful experience. I forgot to mention many of the bad points others have rightly highlighted - the lack of seating, the convoluted walks to aircraft, the clear difficulties for the elderly and disabled. I defer to J Mitchell who posted in April this year and sums the whole experience up in a nutshell: "Overall this is a hostile customer environment where you are captive and royally exploited at every possible opportunity". Sums things up absolutely perfectly.

Complaining about airports may seem like a first world problem but LBA, which was fine when run by the local Councils, has now sunk below the level of a third world landing strip. I have had the horrible experience of this place twice in the last few days. Arrival was at a remote point of the Tarmac. It was more than 15 minutes walk to arrivals, the first half in the open, fuel laden, air, the second in the world's longest tin bus shelter like structure. This was followed by stairs (I could not see a lift) and another interminable trek to border control. The staff at that point were pleasant and professional, as they are not employed by the airport. When I finally escaped the place I was collected, but the pick up cost £3, after another really and unnecessarily long trail to the pick up point. At least I didn't have to use the official mini cab firm, who use their monopoly to overcharge. The return flight was even worse, though I do have a top tip. Get collected and returned by someone with a "blue badge". They don't have to pay the rip off £3. Departures is even more of a miserable experience than arrivals, not least because it lasts longer. The security staff are the most miserable jobsworths it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. The shops and bars are depressing. Seating, except in bars, etc., is virtually non existent. If one smokes it is allowed in a monkey cage, on payment of £1 a visit. I used the place as I was staying nearby, but if any other airport is even close to convenient use that one instead.

If this airport represents Yorkshire then we should be ashamed. The carpets in the waiting area are dirty and stained, the toilets smell of urine and the tile floor needs a good clean. If the owners of the airport want to be taken seriously then they should close it down for a few weeks and give it a good clean.

A very small airport with poor amenities, not designed as a modern airport. Poor baggage reclaim - very slow. Purgatory if two aircrafts arrive together. If parked the furthest away from the terminal it can take 20 minutes to reach the terminal. Wouldn't recommend this airport.

Check in for Jet2 was quick as was security. Food was overpriced not much choice of shops. On return there was a long walk (10 mins) to the baggage reclaim area which meant going upstairs then back downstairs. To say the plane was parked close to the terminal baggage took nearly half an hour to appear. As mentioned, the drop off / pick up was expensive (£3 for less than 5 mins).