Aberdeen Airport

✅ Verified Review | I am very disappointed with customer service at Aberdeen airport. We had to fly with family to Aberdeen. Which is in fact a very nice city. Unfortunately the airport is not. We had problems with the baby food to get through security check, which is in principle allowed to all security regulations (EU and local). Staff were not only unfriendly but very rude. And when asking for their ID numbers, they refused and turned around the ID cards so that I cannot read them. Unfortunately, we were left with a crying and hungry baby. We sent a complaint about airport security staff and a few weeks later we got a letter of excuse. Poor service. I will avoid Aberdeen airport at any cost and will fly via Edinburgh.

I'm unlucky to have this as my local airport and have travelled through it hundreds of times over the last 30 years. It is without doubt one of the worst airports anywhere - nothing about it is good and it winds me up every time I use it. Despite the city having been one of the most prosperous places in the UK over the decades, the airport is an absolute disgrace and embarrassment. From the crazy £2 dropoff charge or £28 per day car parking, the tiny check-in area, stupidly designed security area promoting maximum queues, very small departures area with inevitable long queues for food and drink, lack of airbridges and having to walk across the runway to board in all weathers - and on arrival, a ridiculous revolving door for only 3 people at a time ensuring maximum inconvenience to passengers, the laughable baggage reclaim area and slow baggage delivery, the whole place is awful. It's currently being 'done up' but that probably means taking 12 months to fit a new vending machine. Dreadful in every way.

Aberdeen airport is an huge shambles and an embarrassment to the city. My wife and I arrived on Sunday 25th Sept and it took. 45 minutes for the cases to start traveling on the dead end road to knowhere transport belt then after finally collecting our cases we found out that we were locked into the exit area and could not move because of a locked exit door. 15 minutes later the door was opened and while we were exiting I asked the gentleman at the door what the hold up was and he said what do you mean? I said we have just waited 45 minutes for our bags and 15 minutes for the door to be opened. His reply was "nothing to do with me and you need to take that up with Swissport!" I have travelled on business through ABZ for the last 40 years and the experience has got worse and worse, the place is a total shambles. Then onto the taxi rank which has moved across the road, very lucky for us the weather was dry but if it had been raining then - welcome to Aberdeen. It's a terrible experience and trust me I have been to many many places in the world and I'm ashamed of this place as it's my home town.

I was very disappointed by my experience at Aberdeen airport today. There was a 40 minute queue to get through security. There seemed to be 2 queues with some people allowed into a smaller queue for no particular reason. There was no one involved in instructing passengers and no organisation through bag security and therefore ridiculously slow and chaotic. It was one of the most inefficient security systems I have passed through. Not enough seating in the departure lounge for everyone and the seats that are there look shabby. Pretty poor.

Travelling weekly (like a large number of people that use Aberdeen Airport), one is continually depressed by the poor facilities, poor rate of security checking given the numbers, and depressingly poor punctuality of flights. The number of flights from Aberdeen continues to reduce, this despite all flights I have been on in the last 6 months (except Icelandair) being full plane loads. While other airports such as Edinburgh, Newcastle and other regional airports throughout the UK and international flight numbers have mushroomed in the last 20 years, Aberdeen has failed, in all areas, (only attracting Icelandair and Lufthansa). Many people living south of Aberdeen now prefer to travel to Edinburgh to fly. One questions how much longer easyJet will fly to Aberdeen given they are dropping mid week flights and only generally fly in evening with typical lateness of over 1 hour in last 3 months on Luton route.

First time at Airport since December 2013. Very disappointed. The building was extremely busy. The departure lounge is terrible. The café was very poor. Customer service non existent. The terminal is not fit for purpose. I am aware that renovations are underway. On our return we entered the terminal walked along a corridor then outside again before re-entering a portacabin. The weather was dry but if raining then very poor experience for passengers arriving. The baggage reclaim is woeful. Not a positive experience for passengers arriving in Scotland for the first time. We were travelling to Norway so this was the least expensive option to fly but in future I will choose an alternative airport.

I use this airport weekly and the security is abysmal, every visit their 'rules' and requests are different, not much wonder the queues are so long when what was good last Monday is different on Sunday. When I asked why I was told because it was metal and would set the alarm off and I would be searched. On mentioning it has never set an alarm off and if I did and had to be searched it was not a problem my trays were rudely dumped at the side and I was told I could try the other queue. People try to prepare to get through as smoothly as possible to get off the wall additional requests at a whim causes delays with no real improvement in safety. I was reliably told they like to do it so that people don't know what they will check and as a result they get the 'best marks' in the UK. Interesting having been on a recent flight seeing someone with several lighters full of lighter fluid, also breaking another of their rules with no sealed plastic bag in sight? More likely they weren't prepared to back down.

Travelling from Aberdeen to South Africa with Air France via Paris. Flight to Paris cancelled. Airport staff didn't have a clue what to do. One person trying to sort out rebooking so stood there for hours before I eventually went home and sorted it out myself. Not enough seating even if one small flight is cancelled. On return the international arrivals set up up is like something you'd expect in a third world country. Antiquated baggage handling facilities and disgusting toilets in a portacabin. Use Edinburgh or Glasgow. This is a terrible airport, in Europe's oil capital. Who is kidding who?

Of all the airports I have travelled through, Aberdeen Airport has to be the worst. I returned from Turkey and, unfortunately there were two other flights arriving at the same time - chaos at the baggage reclaim - which is usual and to add to the misery it was pouring rain and all the suitcases were coming off the baggage reclaim soaking wet. When I asked a member of staff why the luggage was so wet (as I thought they were supposed to cover it with a tarpaulin), she merely said "It is raining! I have travelled from Edinburgh on a number of occasions and it is a much better airport, but we should not have to travel there to get much better flights and destinations and service at the airport. Aberdeen Airport really needs to do something to improve their status.

Aberdeen Airport is my local airport and I have traveled through it many times. On this occasion I was travelling British Airways to Heathrow. Before proceeding through Security there are a couple of coffee shops and a WHSmith. After Security there is a very small Duty Free shop, WHSmith, Boots and Dixons. When you proceed to the gate area there are a number of seats located throughout gates 1-5, however if you proceed to gates 6-12 there is a limited supply of anything. You should only use Aberdeen Airport if you are wanting to travel quickly and don't arrive too far in advance as there is not a lot to see and do. If you want to look at planes they are covered by the gates so don't expect to see anything until you are boarding. Aberdeen Airport uses the Stairs to board planes so make sure you have a jacket or jumper when it's cold.