Barbados Grantley Adams Airport

✅ Trip Verified | Never stepping foot in this airport again. Even if it’s a connecting flight I’ll either do everything in my power to get a straight flight or I will straight-up cancel. I’ve never experienced disrespectful and ill-mannered customer service so consistently before. Every staff member seems to have some kind of chip on their shoulder and their responses are always disgusting. It’s like I’m in the twilight zone.

✅ Trip Verified | I had arrived two weeks ago, had cruises then returned to airport for return to UK. Plane had a technical fault so going nowhere for 30 hrs. The check in, immigration, security, shop staff, cleaners, handling agents were brilliant. So helpful and cheerful, food pretty good as well. All in all an experience that they helped to make easier and I appreciate that very much, thank you Grantley Adams Airport Barbados.

❎ Not Verified | I had an awful experience at this airport. The screening agent was extremely rude and disrespectful. She emptied out the contents of me up bag and toiletries into a dirty bin that is used by thousands of people. My personal hygiene products, everything. I had a wonderful trip in Barbados but this type of experience cast a negative view over my overall trip. I wouldn’t return here because of this. Terrible staff in the airport, not the lasting impression that should be sent on with visitors.

✅ Trip Verified | The arrival process at this airport post passport control is truly, truly awful. I have never encountered such rude, and on one occasion aggressive customs staff - ever. There is no organisation, reason or process as to why people are forced to queue for lengthy periods of time whilst others simply glide through. On one section of the compulsory entry form I was shouted at for not completing the section on how many children were accompanying me. When I said I had none, and that if this was the case the form said to pass on to the next section the customs lady shouted at me and told me to complete it anyway. Residents and visitors alike are treated with equal disdain - unless of course you pay for a porter or private pre-arranged fast track. Perhaps therein lies the reason why lesser mortals are treated in such an abominable fashion.

✅ Trip Verified | This has got to be one of the worst airports I have had the misfortune to pass through. Both arrival and departure were very stressful. I travelled with two people who needed wheelchair assistance. On arrival we had to wait on the plane for about three quarters of an hour because there is only one "cherry picker" (the contraption that lifts the wheelchair folk from the plane to the ground) and this was in use elsewhere (there are no air bridges at this airport). We were lucky, with special assistance we jumped the queues, but it still took an hour. I felt sorry for those in the huge queue for immigration which seemed to move at a snail's pace. Our special assistance lady got us a redcap porter, I'm not sure I would have managed without her as they were thin on the ground. She also took us to the front of the queue for customs clearance, there was also a long queue for this. No walking through a door signed "nothing to declare". She then got us a taxi. Honestly without her I really don't know how we would have managed. The whole place is chaotic. Perhaps they have expanded faster than they can cope with. The return journey was slightly better as we were able to use the club lounge. This is shared between all airlines and is more like an upmarket cafe than a club lounge, but it's a haven from the scrum downstairs. I hope never to have to pass through this airport ever again.

Possibly the slowest airport I have been through. Long queues arriving and departing. They probably arranged for the airport wifi not to work so it would be harder for us to post an immediate poor review! Immigration and security staff could do with a course at a charm school. Strange, because the island and the people we met on the island were great.

✅ Verified Review | This airport has the most ill mannered Customs Staff we have ever had the misfortune to encounter, border control staff represent their country and the visitors they meet are paying their salaries. We queued for over two and a half hours in the arrivals hall area. There were 3 immigration officers on duty the rest of the booths were empty, please review staffing levels. The officer who processed our forms was not friendly but that was acceptable he wasn't rude. Next were the female customs staff, we have never encountered anyone so openly hostile, rude, ill mannered officers at any airport and we are frequent travellers. One officer was marching up and down the line being openly aggressive, while the other one who checked your documents did not speak but pointed and clicked her fingers to communicate with you without eye contact. Meanwhile the redcaps were walking by with passengers and were exempt from this why? We will avoid this airport in the future this is not the face Barbados wants to present to the world, please re train or replace these individuals, meanwhile remind them that we (the visitors) are paying their salaries and treat the people they serve with some respect or at least basic manners.

✅ Verified Review | Its fair to say that the departure experience is better than the arrivals, which is a shame! Our flight arrived just after a Virgin flight that meant a very long and hot queue at immigration. Staff are very pleasant however. Everyone had to go through the red channel and porters with trolleys seemed to have priority and hence kept jumping the queue! The departure experience was much better, check in was quick as was passport control and security, everybody very polite. Shops are very limited, but good local rum only BD$22 a litre!!

This airport is simply amazing comparative to many airports within the Caribbean. I may go as far as to say some of the larger airports elsewhere should follow them. I arrived from Gatwick and was met with smiles and friendliness. Though I had to wait for a little bit within immigration, the officer's smile helped me to forget the little wait. The airport is quite large and spacious comparative to others I've seen in the Caribbean. There is a Concorde exhibit where one of the 7 British Airways Concordes is housed (the other 6 are in USA and UK respectively). It was a really good exhibit. There is airport wide wifi which is excellent and I am told that the airport is undergoing expansions within the next couple years. All in all well done Barbados.

This is the second time I have used this airport. I doubt I will go to Barbados again after our latest experience. Arrivals was a pain. 45 mins to get through passport control, they check your documents and your 'blue' form at passport control. Collect your bags in the Arrival hall. Queue again for 30 mins whilst one, yes one lady checks / collects your 'blue' form again. Then wait 45 mins whilst transfers try to get their act together checking our form three different times. 2 hrs to get onto our transfer bus. Never mind, we're on holiday now. Depature can't be any worse. How wrong can a person be. We were due to fly home at 17.25 with Thomas Cook. Arrived at the airport at 14.20 to a massive queue at the Thomas Cook Check In. Two desks open for Glasgow and utter chaos ensued. They had no idea what they were doing. It took us until 16.00 to check in. Some people were stood in front of the check in desk for over 10 mins whilst they faffed around disappearing into the back room then consulting each other. Queue for passport control and security was the same. After getting air side we had to run to Gate 14 as it was gone 17.30. Utterly pathetic, no customer consideration. The Thomas Cook pilot apologised for the chaos and we all got a free drink and upgraded film package, which was a nice touch. However, I have never experienced such a shoddy, unprofessional, slap dash experience in my 50 years of flying. Get your act together Grantley Adams, your customers have plenty of other islands to fly to in the Caribbean. Our money can easily be spent elsewhere and mine will certainly will not be spent in Barbados again until I hear things have improved.