Bangalore Airport

Used the BLR airport 4 times in the last 3 weeks - arriving on Lufthansa flying to Delhi and back on Indigo and flying to Mumbai on Kingfisher. Overall experience has been as good or better than when I last used the airport in mid 2009. The relatively compact size of the terminal sometimes makes it appear inadequate but didn't actually encounter a situation of overcrowding - either in the waiting area or elsewhere. Don't think the use of buses for embarking/disembarking is always directly related to any lack of availability of overbridges. Low cost airlines avoid airbridges to save on their usage charges. Airbridges were used on Lufthansa and Kingfisher but not Indigo. Immigration baggage and customs on arrival were very quick. Security lines were on the longer side but not a cause for concern if you arrive about 75 minutes prior to domestic departure. In general baggage handling appears to be pretty efficient. Porter service continues to be helpful and useful. There seem to be more food options within the terminal and outside in the waiting/parking area. Public transportation to the airport seems better and the time taken to city centre in peak traffic seems to average about 90 minutes.

While a big improvement over the old airport for a new 21st century airport it is quite bad. There should have 10 times as many gates - most domestic flights still require a bus to get to the aircraft. The business class lounge for international i always full between 1-3 AM when most international flights leave. Why did they build such a small lounge for a new airport? If you are flying business class check in an hour before your flight and board the flight - forget the awful lounges. Immigration lines in arrival can be very long - again pathetic for a new airport.

BLR is very modern clean and efficient - quite unusual for Indian Airports. Facilities are great and for the most part the staff are helpful and friendly. I'd definitely recommend it.

Arrived from DEL at 2030. Aerobridge for getting off not the usual ladder and bus. Terminal very spacious airy and clean. About 5 min walk to the baggage carousel. Bags were out shortly after reaching the carousel. Baggage carts were available in plenty. Less than 5 min walk to the taxi stand. Departure to DEL at 0615. Since early morning flight check-in and security took only 15 min. Toilets were clean. However the number of seats at the Gate are very limited. One would not be able to get a seat if two international flights are departing at around the same time. Short bus ride from the Gate to the aircraft. Overall a vast improvement from the previous HAL airport.

First time flying though the new Bangalore airport and I have to say it's not bad. Baggage service was remarkably quick - bags had started appearing on the belts less than two minutes after we walked into the terminal. Much better than the airport in HYD which was built by the same company. On departure there's not much to write home about outside of security. All I could find was a Cafe Coffee Day which served their products at double the price you can get elsewhere in the city. Also beware that you now have to pay a departure fee of Rs. 285 per person which isn't automatically included in the cost of most tickets. Security is efficient and there's a large number of shops up at gate level. The inline security system is also nice as you don't have to put your checked bags through an X-ray machine before going to the counter. Biggest problem with the new airport as is the case with most new "greenfield" airports in India is distance to the city center. It's almost 40 km which can mean up to a 2 1/2 hour drive in rush hour traffic.

Flew in and out of BLR on domestic and international sectors in the last month. Was very impressed with immigration and baggage service. Was out of the airport within 1/2 hour each time. A vast improvement over the old HAL airport.

It is a vast improvement on its pathetic predecessor. Low cost airlines appear to avoid using the airbridges so arrival into the terminal building was on a bus. Arrival was pleasant: toilets clean and adequate luggage was out in a jiffy and getting ground transportation was hassle free. Departure also pleasant though I suspect this was at least partially because of the 10.25 am departure when few other intl flights leave. The check in area is large and has an international look and feel. Not having to screen bags through Xray before check-in (normal practice in most Indian airports) is a big help. Porter service is efficient professional and reasonable priced (Rs 70 per cart - which is less than $2). Immigration and security check were a breeze because our flight was the only intl one around that time. Immigration staff well turned out and looked more professional. The departure area is not that large and it will I suspect be inadequate if 3-4 flights are bunched together. Announcements were clear and audible.

The tax free shop should inform travellers to Europe better. On May 9 I bought a bottle of whiskey in Bangalore which was confiscated in Frankfurt on my way to Amsterdam. All transfer passengers have again to go through security check at Frankfurt and authorities there only accept sealed bags from European airports. There had been no problem if my journey had ended in Frankfurt.

I have used the new Bangalore airport half a dozen times for domestic commutes. No international travel so far. Enjoyed every single visit. Entry to the airport is via a six-lane road which branches off from the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway. Smooth drive all the way to the curb-side drop off. No congestion at all. Check-in was a breeze with plenty of space and no crowding. The very high ceiling gives a feeling of spaciousness and feels really good. Security check was also very quick with no hold-ups. Departure lounge feels crowded with all the retail outlets taking up lions share of the available space. I wish the planners had given an additional fifty feet "depth" (i.e. distance from security check to departure gates) to the departure area - that would have eliminated the congestion. Aircon worked well all the time. Announcements were soft but audible. Flight information displays were hard to spot. I spotted them only on my second trip! Departure lounge cafe was excellent for early morning (Indian) breakfast. All my flights departed on time. Boarding was always smooth even when using the bus to get to the aircraft (which happens often given the small number of aero-bridges available). Arrival experience has been superior. Most time I do not check- in any bags and hence I could just walk out. The one time I did check-in a suitcase it came out on the belt just as I reached the belt! Another time a colleague had to pickup his suitcase - less than five minutes wait at the belt. Very clean and well maintained airport (inside and out). I give this one high marks.

Arrived at 1.30am. First impression is that of a modern airport. Move on and you will realize that they have simply moved the inefficient overcrowded immigration area from the old airport to the new one; immigration officers in rag-tag outfits no uniforms and some with woolly hats pulled down over their heads. Baggage took more than an hour to make it onto the belt - you don't need a new airport for that. We had a four-hour wait for a domestic connection and were refused entry to the departure hall when we showed our e-tickets on our Blackberry screens. Instead we had to go outside get the domestic airline to print out tickets and then re-enter (welcome to Bangalore India's IT capital!). Only coffee outlets open - even the "Time Out Bar" in the domestic departure area is not a bar but a mere coffee counter. All in all: why put up a new airport when basic issues such as immigration baggage delivery movement from international to domestic and catering are not addressed properly?