Basel Mulhouse Airport

I have used four times now. A most excellent airport. Do take care to know if you want France or Swiss areas! Cheap transport to Basel every 20 min costs 3.80 CHF on bus No 50. Get ticket at baggage reclaim or machine outside at bus stop if you have swiss coins .A swiss taxi costs about £25! Then catch a number 30 bus every 71/2 min to Basel Bad (Germany)and buy a "day rover" lander ticket which will take up to five people after 09:00 anywhere in Baden Wuttermburg. Easyjet check in painless and quick .security quick and polite. Waiting facilities excellent air conditioned reasonably priced food clean toilets.

Short ways quick check-in but horrible inefficient security checks. Long queues were the result in the early morning hours of this Saturday. Obviously the authorities didn't expect that many people which is strange to me since the schedules of the airlines are no secret.

This is small a modern airport that is easy to get to and through. On arrival from Liverpool we were off the plane within one or two minutes of the plane coming to a halt. Similar efficiency on the way back. Very quiet today (a Sunday) with many of the shops and catering facilities shut. Check-in was fast and painless thanks to EasyJet's new (to me at least) arrangement of checking in all flights at all counters (in other words join any queue). Duty Free shops are plentiful and well stocked!

For it's small size a difficult airport to navigate due to the EU / non-EU (Swiss) division. Arrived and exited through French side for Germany bus; no Forex counter so had to re-enter Baggage Claim "unofficially" to get Forex since the only Forex counter upon arrival is in Baggage Claim. Exiting baggage claim caused a problem since the "computer" showed my passport as having been scanned a few minutes back. Upon departure entered on French side (came from Germany) had to exit France and enter Switzerland because British Airways check-in counter is *only* on the Swiss side. After check-in had to exit Switzerland and enter France since BA gate is on the French side. And yes my US passport is scrutizined and scanned for each of these exits and entries. In the gate area upstairs there is an interesting collection of "beach sands of the world". About fifty or so each specimen is on a saucer the whole thing looks like someone's private hobby. Fun nonetheless. P.S. There is no "smoking area" by the French gates but there is one by the Swiss gates; however you cannot cross to the Swiss side from the gate area.

A little almost tiny airport bordering on cosy yet quite modern and unassuming. Access via bus and individual car parking are both very convenient. French and Swiss sections are strictly divided and policed (it's a EU-nonEU border after all). All the ways are very short and the small bar was decent (sandwiches above average). The airport is situated very conveniently but could use more traffic.

I have used this airport 3 times over the past few months and found it to be a very pleasant experience on all occasions. Staff spoke good english everywhere is clearly signposted. Facilities are also good and baggage reclaim is efficient - just have to make sure you choose the right door on exiting or you might end up in Switzerland when you want to be in France or vice versa!

It is a sad fact of modern economics that after having spent a fortune upgrading the capacity and facilities of BSL (Euroairport) that Swiss has decided to leave the airport from the end of March 2004 leaving many slots to the UK and within Europe unused and with no obvious competitor waiting in the wings to pass them on. There are very few scheduled airlines using the airport and it seems that the main users will be holiday charters and freight. What a pity - if only one could bring back Crossair (or a new 'post-Swiss takeover' reincarnation) which was an airline with honest fares a reliable fleet run by efficient and caring crew and well- used and appreciated by the flying public.