Bangalore Airport

Customer Reviews

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Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 117 reviews
5/10
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4/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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3/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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4/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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3/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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!
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3/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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1/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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3/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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4/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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2/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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!
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1/10

Bangalore Airport customer review

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.
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