Belfast Airport

Terrible dirty outdated airport! This airport needs a serious upgrade failing that it need demolished and rebuilt! There are hardly any air bridges for planes to dock so we had to walk around 300 meters in the winter wind and rain to get inside to airport arrivals area. I felt sorry for elderly people on board our flight who got soaked! The baggage reclaim area is dirty and for an international airport only has 2 baggage carousels! Toilets are dirty and outdated! One other thing about this airport I really noticed around the terminal entrance was the sheer amount of discarded chewing gum that was caked into the pavement directly outside this is absolutely disgusting and not a good impression for first time visitors. The road to the airport from Belfast is terrible which takes you in single lane traffic from the motorway to the airport which means getting stuck behind slow moving commercial vehicles once again I have seen better airport roads in the third world! No train link at airport even though there is a station pretty much beside it! No under cover car parking at airport so be prepared for another soaking!

Like other reviewers I was told my plastic bag was too large after it had passed through the x-ray machine though it had been acceptable at Gatwick. I had to leave my liquids with security because I wasn't prepared to participate in the plastic bag scam. A very unpleasant experience. I will avoid flying out of Aldergrove again if I can.

Security staff at this airport are horrendous. Have a stoma passport but official refused to even consider looking at it. This contains information regarding my condition and what can be done in public and when there should be a private 'frisking'. Have never been treated like this at any other airport. And as for the search this too was far too personal. No one got through without being searched whether the machine bleeped or not. Officials were surly and very aggressive and do not give Belfast airport a good recommendation. It spoilt what was a great visit to a beautiful city.

My wife and I have used this dreadful airport twice in the last month. Fortunately we will never have to again. The security staff are not only aggressive and rude they are ignorant of even the most basic hygiene. I had liquids in a sealable plastic sandwich bag which I have used to go through airports on several continents including Belfast but on the last occasion the woman at security decided after it had been through the scanner that it was too big and would have to buy two smaller ones from their machine. She wouldn't allow me to put my goods in the new bags and tried to do it herself. When I objected to her handling it her boss snarled at me and insisted on doing it himself with bare hands. I then put it back in my original bag while he watched and said nothing. In other airports security staff are not only reasonably pleasant but wear gloves to handle personal possessions. They also provide plastic socks for people who have been required to remove their footwear. At Belfast they just assert that the floor is clean despite have been walked on by hundreds of pairs of outdoor shoes!

I thought I was the only one who had complaints about Belfast International airport. The normal staff were helpful but the security staff were atrocious ignorant and nasty. Two experiences I had: My elderly mother was asked to remove a gold chain from her neck the chain was put carefully in the tray went through the x-ray machine but did not appear the other side. It was taken to the notice of security staff who basically said the necklace was not put on in the first place and there was nothing could be done. I refused to move until they got a member of management and the necklace turned up under the machine. Secondly an antique pocket watch was swab tested even though the watch passed through the x-ray machine without a problem. From one security extreme to another. Arriving from Amsterdam late one night there was a telephone on the "goods to declare desk" along with a notice saying that there was a staff shortage and if anyone had anything to declare please lift the phone and advise a staff member. One final complaint the smell of urine from a toilet behind the first restaurant as you go in was very strong one urinal bowl was leaking from the outlet and had a bucket under it. When I got back from holiday I emailed the airport and was told it would be taken care of. 2 months later I was back at the airport and the same bucket was still in place. Visitors must think they are entering a 3rd world country.

Unfortunately I have to travel out and into this abysmal airport for business purposes ever other week. I have read a lot of comments here and I now see in the news that it has been voted 4th worst airport in the UK. I'm surprised that it is not first. The staff at the security are ignorant! The queues are always long and totally mismanaged. Even if you clear the security scanner ready for the wander round the shops they will take a part of your luggage ie your phone and do a swab on it. Don't expect any early morning newspapers either as they wont pay the staff to come in to put them out. Get them before you go through security if you are lucky. I travel over 100 times per year out of various airports. I detest going through this one. Perhaps its a good thing that the security is so slow. Means you dont have to spend as much money at their shops if they are even open!

I have used this airport both inbound and outbound about 6 times November last year. Perhaps I have been lucky as when I've passed the airport it has been very quiet no long queues for check in or and everybody has been polite and pleasant. Facilities are a little limited but adequate. The seating areas at the are uncomfortable and sometimes cramped but overall it's a friendly airport and staff are pleasant helpful.

I flew from Alicante to Belfast at short notice on account of a family funeral. Disembarkation was frosty on account of the very surly and rude immigration and security staff. The transport links to Belfast are expensive. Facilities at the airport are functional. I was frisked by their security people and asked questions about my destination and purpose of visit. I was insulted as I am an EU citizen. This airport does not give a very good impression of Belfast.

Every time I have used this airport over the last 20 years security staff have been rude and overbearing. On my most recent trip this weekend I was frisked despite not setting off any alarms it is a pain but no big deal. This time however they decided to stand my 10 year old son to one side to wait in line with grown men to be frisked I was informed by a right battle-axe to step away from the boy. Meanwhile all our bags have been opened and the security man speaking to my wife asked about wrapped gifts in one of the bags. My wife explained they were presents for the children. Unfortunately for me and my family it's the only airport we can use for the journey we do and I'd love to know what staff training has been provided over the 20 years I've been using it as nothing has changed.

Rude overbearing and overly jobsworth security staff! The plastic bag used to fly out of Gatwick airport was now 2" too long for the return flight. Staff treated passengers like criminals and in the short time we were there saw more than 10 people treated very rudely. Will never use again!