Lisbon Airport

✅ Trip Verified | On Friday, 11 November 2022, I arrived at Terminal 1 at the Lisbon airport (7:30am) with my wife and two friends. We were preparing to board United UA65, Gate 41, for a 10:15am departure to Newark, NJ. Our passports and/or boarding passes were checked no less than four times at: a) United check in b) Passenger/carry on luggage screening c) Passport check in hall d) Gate 41 When we arrived at (c), the Passport control hall, we found we were among 600-800 people awaiting passport check by only two customs agents handling non-electronic passports! It took 35-40 minutes for us to get to the front of the line. The delays were so bad that a number of frantic passengers began to surge (cut through the line) claiming to others that they were going to miss their planes. This incited anger amongst the other passengers who waited in their place in line. Some like me, forced these line jumpers to stop. Some surged forward and did make it to the front of the line. Not one policeman or customs agent ever appeared to take control of these unruly people. Only after nearly 30 minutes did a third, then a fourth customs agent finally show up to help expedite the huge back log of passengers. Then, we arrived at our Gate 41 only to find that the seating area was roped off! The agent behind the rope told me that we had to wait for the "police" to show up so that passports could be checked yet again! Every United passenger had to stand in a single file line in a narrow hall way for at least another 30 minutes before the "police" (or customs agent?) showed up to again check the passports and allow passengers to then be seated. I never expected that I would experience this kind of 3rd world treatment in Portugal. There is no excuse for not having the customs processing station adequately manned (with a police presence) to expeditiously process passengers. Had fights broken out, there were no police in that huge hall to stop the perpetrators. There is no excuse to force passengers to stand outside of their gate and wait for customs or police officials to re-process passports after they have just been processed at the customs center! This was a disgraceful experience that has left me bitter about Portugal and its careless disregard for tourists.

Not Verified | Lisbon Terminal 2 is little more than a prefab. Overcrowded due to lack of space. By far the worst airport departure experience I have had (I think I've been through at least 22 different airports). I will not be visiting Lisbon again due mainly to my experience. Awful.

Not Verified | Total chaos for departure in Terminal 2. We’ve travelled all over the world and third world countries airports operate in a more efficient and comfortable manner than this utter shambles. We weren’t travelling at peak time of day. We had a n hour delay on a 20.30 flight. One queue after another getting more crowded and more chaotic at each stage. The piece de resistance being the departure lounge. Three flights departing from the same small area in the same hour. The few moody, tired staff just moved queueing tapes over and over again until it was impossible to work out which queue was for which flight. We always take our own food and water when travelling short haul and would advise the same as the few food concessions also appeared to be in utter chaos. There are very few seats before passport control and none to speak of in the departure lounge. We were all sitting on the floor wherever there was a space with people attempting to walk through. Toilets smelly and dirty. There are no positives to travelling through this airport. Would put us off that part of Portugal. Would use Porto and train.

✅ Trip Verified | Flying in was fine but departing from Terminal 2 was ‘queuemageddon’. One long queue after another, starting with a queue to get though security to the gates which encircled the whole terminal. No staff to offer information. People waiting for a different flight to us with priority boarding heard the announcement for their flight and went to the front to be told to go right back to the end of the queue. Got to the security gate after 50 minutes and passport control were shouting at passengers and banging the desk to get attention. Finally made it through the gate - queue for the gate and then when through, another queue. Each time waiting up to 30 mins. The staff through security were more helpful but overall, the experience falls very short of a city which wants to be a desired tourist destination.

✅ Trip Verified | It is with a great sadness that I leave this review, have been living and working in Portugal for the past 4 years and I dread every single time I have to pass through Lisbon airport. As most of reviews in here state: The airport is overused and there is no more capacity for anything. Portugal has been debating for years whether they will build a new airport or not, well the time is overdue. Lisbon airport is falling apart. Many flights for little immigration positions, flights arriving from Brazil and the USA at the same time make passport control lines reach a 3-4 hours waiting time. Bathrooms are filthy and smelly. Staff are tired and dismissive. Flights often late for 30-60 minutes, poor signals and indications. Restaurants and cafes super crowded, the only positive thing is: It is connected to the Metro line. Avoid if you can.

Not Verified | Totally disorganised with almost no flight gate notification boards that only show flights up to around an hour ahead so these areas get super crowded. The notifications boards are very small and difficult to read. There is an extremely low number of seats available and most cafes have long queues and are under staffed. I was not travelling at a peak time but the airport departure area felt over crowded and very disorienting, departing travellers are mixed with arrivals in the walkways to gates making it again seem very very crowded In short the facilities are poor, understaffed and under seated. The organisation is awful borderline chaotic. Very long walks to gates, automated conveyers, you have to walk only. Definitely an airport to avoid slid at all possible.

Not Verified | I had to wait in line for 20min for passport verification. Flight was 1.5 hr late due to bussing to plane. Could not log in to wifi, was told this is quite common

✅ Trip Verified | Just.......awful. The airport is desperately undersized for the number of passengers passing through it. Use of buses to aircraft is extensive (3 times out of 4 on my recent trip) but what makes it really bad is the lack of any obvious organisation. Buses packed to the seams are held back regularly because the aircraft is not ready to board passengers and, going to the aircraft, business class pax get no special treatment. The TAP business class lounge is way too small and the lounge next door (presumably serving all the other airlines) had constant queues to get in. In brief, I consider this to be an airport to avoid at all costs if possible, as there are plenty of better alternatives.

✅ Trip Verified | Terrible airport! It was extremely busy and it felt like the airport was not large enough to accommodate all the passengers. People sitting on the floors, everywhere! Had to move from one area to another to get the flight and again, no seats anywhere! It was so warm waiting for the flight. We felt like we were being herded around like wild animals. Terrible experience.

✅ Trip Verified | I had to sit on the floor, pregnant. Absolutely unacceptable! Once you get to the gates with flights departing to the UK, there is no seating. What a shame. This area used to have seating - not a lot, but some, at least for people who need it. It's just getting worse.