Vienna Airport

The distance from the arrival of the City train to Terminal 1 is not short. It took us good 20 minutes to get to BA counter. The majority of departure gates are 20-30 minutes walk, according to airport information.

Very good directions. You can find what you want easy and fast. During passport control there is no queues and problems. Baggage claims are situated very good and as you come after passport control, your baggage will be on the baggage claim.

Out of all airports that I've been, Vienna International Airport is the worst. Poor facility and rude service. We only needed to drop off the luggage, but had to wait for an hour just because we arrived at the airport early. That we can understand, but the member of staff at the counter could have explained nicely!

Vienna airport is very clean and quiet. Signs are clear but they should think about putting one more sign in transfer area that should point out that you have multiple choice. Namely, when I got out of a plane by ramp, I followed the sign that pointed to transfer area and gates. I came by security control and passed it only to be pointed again to position where I came out of a plane. Then I realized that i had to go directly to passport control and then to another terminal again to security check. The WIFI is unlimited and fast. Upon my arrival from FCO the plane was late and i missed connecting flight to Zagreb. But I managed to book another flight that same day and staff was very professional and polite. The toilets are very clean and there are many restaurants and shops.

Transit is easy and quick. Friendly security staff, short distances between the gates in F (Schengen), D and G (non-Schengen). There is only one but: Always when I fly via VIE the aircraft is parked on apron position and the bus ride is an adventure due to the driving style of the bus drivers.

Had a transfer flight. Wanted to buy a small bottle of water (£3.20) in one of the cafes gates G. Asked if I could pay in GBP and got a positive answer. However this particular sales person tried charging me £7 for it. She kept arguing that she got the exchange rate right even though it is an obvious mistake and kept pushing me into paying £7 for £3.2 bottle of water. Outrageous service not enough decent cafes to eat/drink and almost nothing is translated in English.

I flew in/out VIE from/to Punta Cana through terminal D. Definitely a mixed-bag experience in agreement with most comments here. Arrival (immigration customs etc) was swift and convenient. CAT service easy to use and access but the information on alternatives (as much cheaper S7 line) hard to locate unless you asked. Rental car desks can only be reached only after a maze of hallways doors etc. but eventually you will get there. Using an off-site car rental agency? Good luck you will have to ask at the information desk on what to do as there are no signs or clues in that regard. For departing passengers waiting areas beyond the security checkpoint at pier D seem a bit cramped AND bathrooms are a flight of stairs down (so I'm assuming handicapped and/or older passengers would need special staff assistance?). The black/off-white/white shiny-surfaces decor-although sleek/contemporary I should say- reminded me of scenes of the Death Star in Star Wars (seriously). And yes more areas for sitting/relaxing would be a plus (compared to all the floor space devoted to retail). Overall an OK experience and no major hardship to speak off at all but as the gate to a stunning world-class and with a highly efficient public-transport city system like Vienna its airport seems a notch below.

What can I say? As a resident of Vienna I am ashamed of this airport! I wasn't overly happy with the airport before its extension but at least it had a "soul". When the airport management announced 10 years ago that a new terminal and a new concourse would finally be built I was really "thrilled" because it meant that Vienna Airport would catch up with other hubs worldwide. I hoped that all the knowledge about airport design would be taken into consideration leading to a state of the art aviation facility. The result is a mess! The architectural design (black and white) makes it a very dull place. You need to go one level down to reach the restrooms hard for people with slightly reduced mobility. The flooring of the concourse couldn't be less beautiful (linoleum) signage is horrible - what do people with impaired vision do? Food has become very expensive. On the positive side security was fast building is very clean. The new train station is very nice it is now very easy to reach the terminal. Unfortunately they do not display local trains (route S7) going to Vienna which are very cheap. I can only conclude that Vienna Airport wants you to take their expensive City Airport Train (CAT) which is useless unless you need to go to Wien-Mitte. As a local I know this train and use it most times fortunately many foreign visitors know this reasonably priced alternative too.

The people who designed this airport never put themselves in passengers' shoes! To get your luggage is a 1km walk and moving sidewalks are completely unknown. At least as you walk a long time waiting for the luggage is shortened by the walking time. Then follow whatever signs you have and try to avoid getting lost in the labyrinth to go to rental cars office. The lady at the rental car office forgot to give me a ticket to get out of the car- park (did not know I needed one it's rental car after all) and got blocked at the gate. When you fly back experience is no better. Whoever put signs in place (I would not use the word "design" or think about") has never flown from this airport. The signs outside tell you the directions to gates such and such and this is an information that you can only find inside! Of course had bad luck and had to take unfriendly stairs with luggage to get at the right place. It seems all care has been taken to create shops and forget about these nuisance called passengers.

Security check is required in VIE after arrival from EU but non-Schengen countries. For transit passengers there is no priority security control. Airport staff had major problems to direct passengers to check points. Security procedure was much better in the old terminal with appropriate lines for C class and Star Alliance Gold passengers. Passengers services employees in the security area very unfriendly.