Bangalore Airport

I have traveled many a time through Bangalore airport. Most of the findings are true and the facilities are poor. However it may not be correct to directly relate the conditions at airport to the name "silicon valley of India". The airport is a very old one and had not foreseen the growth in international traffic. As many of you may know the new international Airport at Bangalore is almost ready with latest facilities which hopefully will satisfy requirements of international passengers. Whereas the rush crowd and zoo like ambience (as described by some) is concerned it may not change much as we have large cross section of travelers (Indians and foreigners) with different background and culture.

I have been travelling through Bangalore airport regularly over the last few years and it never ceases to amaze me how strange and annoying the place is. The facilities are the worst of any airport I have ever been to and checking in is like being in a zoo. Even though some of the airlines try to board their passengers by row this is just not happening. As soon as the first boarding announcement is made expect a stampede. It is almost like they think the plane will leave without them if they don't get on first. The (unofficial) smoking area is in the toilet! Even though carrying matches or lighters onto the plane is not allowed the entrepreneurial toilet attendant will happily light your cigarette for you and steer you to one of the two cubicles. A few rupee tip is expected for this service. Bring your own toilet paper if you need to use the toilet as the airport supply is haphazard to say the least. Make sure you eat before you get there as the single coffee shop is next to hopeless and very much more expensive for the rubbish served than anywhere else in town. The departure area is awful. The seats are filthy and the flight information screen of virtually no use as it is normally several hours behind or showing information on arrivals or domestic departures which go from a different hall. The current airport is however very conveniently located with most places no more than twenty to thirty minutes away. The new airport under construction is going to mean trips of up to two hours for lots of travellers as Bangalores traffic is a disaster all of the time and worse if it rains. After immigration on arrival delays getting to baggage reclaim are caused by your carry on bag being x-rayed and you going through a metal detector. Quite why this is needed when you have just finished your flight is beyond me. Baggage reclaim is slow. Watch out for the farm tractor pulling trolleys of suitcases. When you arrive and walk outside expect to be approached by a multitude of hopefuls wanting to carry your luggage or be your taxi. You can also expect to be quoted outrageous figures for your transport. You know you are being ripped off when you see a cloth placed over the meter. Very few places justify a fee of above 200 Rupees for a taxi or 100 for an autorickshaw. If you are being picked up you will probably have to brave the crowd outside to find them as there is a fee to come inside to meet you and most drivers just won't pay it.

While there may not be much shopping in the conventional sense there is an excellent and serious bookshop better than I've seen in any airport. It is well worth a browse through - you're sure to find a treasure or two.

Agree with other comments that while Bangalore airport is not Changi it's not the abyss described by many. Having experience explosive growth in the region with a new airport on the way it's amazing that this little military airport holds up under the pressure. There's a special charm about this airport - and while taxed by the increasing number of passengers coming through this tiny facility I think that the airport administration has done a pretty good job. Arriving from Paris at 1 AM I was through customs picked up luggage (after having to wake up the porters who were sleeping on the belt!) and into my car in 30 minutes. On the way out on a mid-afternoon flight from BLR to BOM I was checked in and through security in 10 minutes. While there was no lounge service just sitting in the main waiting area is quite an experience. One does not always have to shop to make an airport experience something to rave about to friends.

Having arrived through Kolkata left India through Bangalore airport. Yes it is old and tired with few facilities but found none of the problems described by people below. No porters trying to get money from you when you arrived (which was around midnight for the 01h55 LH departure). There was only one X-ray machine for hold baggage prior to check-in but no queue when we were there. Check-in itself was run by Lufthansa and superb able to check us through to the final destination. No wait for security and had our luggage tags stamped to show we had been checked. The departure lounge is tiny and the international terminal has only two gates but one is closed so flights board one at a time. Toilets were clean. No lounges of any sort but also no mosquitoes or flies to be seen. This airport will close soon in any case and be replaced by the new BIA in 2008 so I did not expect new features!

Bangalore for a so-called IT-Capital has an appaling airport. There is basically nothing to do at the airport for the 2-3 hours you wait in order to board your flight. Security check is a pain as the uniformed staff simply insist on checking the same luggage over and over again (I had my laptop bag poked and prodded and checked 4 times over the course of 5 minutes). Also they seem to be paranoid about getting your luggage tags 'stamped'. I had to go through security again because I had not gotten my tags 'stamped' - what a joke. There is no first or business class lounge and the entire departure lounge was filled with pax waiting for the 4 flights to CDG FRA BKK and SIN. There is only one departure gate for international flights and as you can imagine it was a mess when it was time to board. There is no priority boarding for first and business or Star Alliance pax (even though the lady was trying in vain to make the announcement that boarding at that time was only for first and Star Alliance gold card pax). The building is not airconditioned instead there are huge fans blasting air right on top of the people's heads. There is a Coffe Day coffee shop but the prices are crazy (US$5 for a cup of coffee!) and they have a few cookies and bottled water. I suggest not buying anything there. Overall the airport is very shabby and not at all to any international standards - they really need to fix it up soon.

I arrived with Jetstar at 3 in the morning. Disappointed to find an international airport that really needs repainting and change of floor tiles. I was lucky that the toilet had running clear water. Got my bags scanned but no officer was watching the screen. Many people slept on the turned-off conveyor belts on the table on the floor everywhere. Prepaid taxi service was ok. Actually they also have airport threecycle taxi but when I tried it they conned me by asking double the meter because it was before 6am. My Indian friend later told me that the rate was 1.5 times the meter between 10pm - 6am. The airport was small and located inside the city so actually it was also rather nicely located. Unlike gigantic airport like Changi or Cengkareng you can actually reach the city on foot.

It helps to have realistic expectations when travelling through Bangalore airport. Yes it is the so-called IT-capital of India but you are not in Delhi or Mumbai. Allow about an hour to get through all the security checkpoints check-in ticket control etc. Things take longer not all airport staff speak English - some can and will not bother to. Rest bathroom shopping facilities will be limited. But if asked nicely people are helpful. Especially if you are a woman traveller with laptop document bag etc. in addition to your luggage there will invariably be someone who helps with your luggage as it goes in and out of numerous security checks. And where goodwill fails Rs. 20 goes a long way. Try to have some small bills with you there are plenty of porters and "handlers" who will get you through the check-points fairly smoothly.

Bangalore Airport is as other Indian airports not a place to relax. At night they have a few international flights eg. to BKK FRA and CDG but only one departure gate which means that the small waiting hall is completely overcrowded. Business Class lounges are not existing. You have to pass the usual uncountable check points for everything to keep the huge amount of uniformed staff working. The newest idea of the airport authorities seems to be that they strictly allow now only one piece of hand baggage. So even when Air France accepted my two pieces (Laptop bag and small briefcase) I faced a unpleasant discussion at the security check point together with nearly all other passengers who had two pieces. (Even cameras and hand bags were counted as one piece). Not really that what you might be expect from the worlds IT-capital.

Several porters who will get the luggage wherever you are at the conveyor belt at the car at the check in when standing in line. Don’t use them. If you are keep in mind that a salary for a person working as a teacher is rps 3000 a waiter in a restaurant is rps 2000. There is nothing to do at this airport. There is no lounge. For domestic departure the process is as smooth as it can get in India. For international departures you have to wait 500-600m outside the terminal to get past the first security check (it started raining when I stood there) many checks and x-ray and checks again. Finally inside all shops except 1 where closed although there where 5 international planes departing at the same time. There where roughly 1200 people waiting in the same departure lounge at the same time.