Bangalore 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?

Used BIAL 4 times within 2 weeks for 3 domestic flights and one international departure. I found the whole experience very good. Everyone cribs about the distance of the new airport to the city centre. Over time people will forget about the old airport and will factor the distance to the new airport into their overall journey. Once the Namma metro is complete the journey will be even more convenient. At the moment one has to travel either by taxi or take the city bus. The city bus transfer is clearly signposted and very efficient with around 8 different routes into the city departing every 20mins or so. My journey to/from Indiranagar took just over an hour on all occasions. The airport itself is finally the first international standard airport in India (I haven't been to the new airport in HYD) with decent shops the Kingfisher bar cafes lots of immigration and security queus and clean tiolets! My personal overall experience was very positive. The only issue I could see was with the size of the international departure lounge. My BA 747 was full and the 350 passengers took up around half of the available seats in the international departure area. I imagine that at around midnight when AF LH TG SQ and KL all operate 777s or A330s that the departure area will be bursting at its seams. From reading the press I understand this has been recognised and they are already talking about extending the airport which will probably take 4-5 years.

I arrived by Lufthansa at 1205 at BIAL. Baggage took over one hour to come. There were seven baggage belts but each belt area had inadequate space for passengers who were waiting. The air conditioner was switched off. It was hot and humid. To reach one's car with driver one had to walk a long distance since private cars were not allowed near the terminal. Signposting outside the terminal was abysmal with no signs indicating exit and direction. The airport charges Rs 70/ for a coolie with trolley. And of course one pays a tip doubling the cost compared to the old airport. There were many immigration desks and it was quick. Customs was practically non-existant.

Used the new Bangalore Airport to depart on an international flight to Paris. This was about 5 days since the new airport was opened for operations. First - getting there: we drove from the west end of town at approximately 10pm (well past the "rush" hour) so the experience was pleasant. A minor bottleneck (construction) was the only notable thing which I assume will be resolved pretty soon. Second - at the airport - signage for parking drop-off etc was poor and our driver had to make a few circuits to finally get us to the proper drop-off point. Plenty of people in uniform trying to give directions but better signage would have helped. Terminal - nice new feel to it usual check- in lines. You go up a level for passport control and then security. Both went smoothly with minimal waits. You could almost say the airport appeared overstaffed but this was probably due to complaints of teething troubles in the newspapers in the first few days of operation. Gates/Duty-free: well above the previous airport obviously. Good seating lots of glass nice views and a decent duty- free. Not very price-competitive however. Overall a vast improvement. A modern airport if not a very large one.

Whilst it is very old and tired and very Inndian it just about works. Everyone is excited about the new airport due to open Mar/Apr 2008 but expect that to be a worse experience due to major transport problems getting there. Biggest hassle at Bangalore is guy checking the tickets/paperwork at the main entrance door to the international terminal. I travel on E tickets and I dont always print them off so I often only have my passport and an email on my laptop. First time this happened to me a BA clerk was nearby and "rescued" me from this pointless administration. This week I didnt have this help so I wrote the flight details (didnt even have the flight number) on the outside of the envelope I had been given by the hotel with the hotel bill. Guy on the door opened the envelope "read" the hotel bill "checked" my passport and let me through. Amazing India!