Belfast City Airport

Recent air-side expansion has added about 60% more retail space yet there appears to be an amazing lack of seating. Clearly the management consider shopping is a better air-side experience for passengers that sitting! The "expanded security area" sees the addition of 1 additional x-ray machine (now 4) with two shut down as before. Despite the new more spacious security area not an ounce of pleasantry from security staff could be heard. Seems they have had total transplants of both charisma and common manners. A pleasant "good morning" from myself was greeted with a surly "take off belt and shoes". Not a "please" or "thank you" to be heard. Toilets in the arrivals hall are drastically in need of a total upgrade and are reminiscent of a remote third world airport. What a pity as BHD once a pleasant rapidly traversed facility seemingly has totally lost direction with management seemingly out of touch with the comfort needs of the modern air traveller. As we all know a smile "please" or "thank you" costs nothing.

I was impressed by the newness but mystified by the lack of seating. I wonder how it will fare if there happen to be delays or extra services attracted to it. The walk to the car park in the rain was long and cold and there was no shuttle bus to be seen. The exit from the car park was hampered by two of the three ticket machines being out of service. I remain to be convinced it could cope with its ambitious expansion plans.

This was my first time through the new BHD terminal and I was quite impressed. Security queues even at a busy time seemed fine. Airside is much better than before with an imaginative design plenty of seats and a view over the runway. Better than I had expected.

Very mixed experience at this airport recently. Pros - transit time from aircraft to exit and vice versa is excellent compared to DUB for example. Cons - unacceptable wait times at security checkpoint. Surly unhelpful staff. Dirty smelly toilets. Very limited food and drink options landside better airside but many closed! Having to wait at gate for boarding to commence in sub zero temperatures for nearly 50 mins. This place has the potential to do much better - look at London City Airport if you want a model for improvement!

The lacks space. If you are arriving from the UK you fly through like a breeze. It took me 5 minutes to get to the bus from the plane. (No lugage) Security times are dreadful. Once airside its hard to find a seat and at peak times hard to hear the announcements. Its not a very nice experience flying through BHD. If there were fewer flights BHD would be a nice place. The Airport flyer bus is good value and quick.

Poor old Belfast City Airport! What was once a wonderful example of a friendly local airport seems to be turning into a soul less experience? I stepped into the terminal to find alarms going off and a symphony of building work noise. In fairness to the airport it was only the third day of the new departure lounge and I am sure there were some teething problems. But staff I saw all seemed to be very harassed and grumpy. Going through security no-one smiled at all. I try to be helpful and have my jacket off belt off and have everything ready to put in the boxes. The chap behind the conveyor belt leant over and barked "shoes"™ at me. Not "please could you take your shoes off" or anything polite like that. Just a barked word. The worst part of a Ryanair flight out of this airport is the call to the departure gate about 50 minutes before the flight departs! True to fashion the flight was called to gate 6 in the long unheated cold corridor where Ryanair passengers are herded in line. Here a female regimental sergeant major of Aviance the ground handling agent stood and barked at us all to get into line. As I lined up people were passing by me on the right. The RSM barked at them to join the queue for the Stansted flight. I hadn't heard a tone of voice like that since a teacher in my primary school told me to pay attention! The trouble was these were passengers arriving of another flight heading for the arrivals zone. An Asian family of four stopped and looked confused and another foreign gentleman stopped behind me. What a welcome to Northern Ireland! I had to patiently explain to the gentleman he did not have to queue with me as the arrivals area was just through the doors to the right ahead. This must be one of the few airports where arriving and departing passengers are not strictly separated. Quite why Ryanair force their passengers into a queue for thirty minutes before letting them board at this airport beats me. I am surprised the airport allows them since it means passengers are not in the terminal spending money! One cannot return to the good old days but I cannot help but nostalgically look back to when Belfast City was a great wee airport where the staff seemed happy in their jobs knew the regulars and smiled. Horrid though working hours and wages probably are now at airports a smile costs nothing. Most of us understand we have to be processed herded contained and controlled but it would be nice to have it done in a polite and civil way.

This once pleasant regional airport is now way beyond its reasonable planned capacity yet the ever greedy management keep just keep "cramming them in" without any apparent concern for passenger comfort. Passing through a few days ago the queue for departures security checking had over 100 passengers waiting and stretched outside the terminal to the "arrivals" taxi queue! "Upgrading" the security area is currently causing regular 40/50 minute delays-after check-in. Airside insufficient seating had passengers standing and blocking walk ways whilst awaiting their flight departures-and this was mid-afternoon in November as opposed to a peak high season departure time. The arrival of Ryanair and the proposed January arrival of Easyjet (from BFS-Belfast International) has added to the considerable strain this facility was under over 3 years ago yet there are no signs of the expansion of passenger facilities. The "passenger collection point" was once a tin cabin in a far off point in the car park has dissapeared and has been replaced with an open plastic covered "wind tunnel". Add to this the proposed extension of the single runway to accept bigger longer range aircraft and total chaos will surely ensue unless passenger areas are at least DOUBLED in size and facilities. Perhaps the smooth spin-talking management should have to catch a flight from their own airport as "ordinary passengers" to experience just what their "customers" have to suffer. If this airport was a retail outlet it would have closed down years ago through its atrocious customer services and lack of management concern for those who pay their wages. By comparison this airport makes passing through London Heathrow a pleasant experience!

Extremely convenient for transit into the city (12 minutes after getting into the taxi). I had no luggage to collect and as I was arriving from another UK airport no immigration so no comment on those. On return I was troubled by the poor layout for the airport security system. The man checking ID and boarding cards kept shouting to ask people to keep moving. No one could because the two security lines open were working flat out and the ergonomics of the area left no room for manouver. It was almost as if security screening was an afterthought and jammed into the only space inadequate though it was. The airside shopping consisted two outlets for food and drink at the usual overinflated "we have got you now so we will charge what we like" prices and two retail outlets. There are four gates AB and C in one area and D all on its own. It was not overcrowded when we were there early afternoon but I can imagine it could be very claustrophobic at peak times. Pleasant staff and clean.

This airport is going through a "reconfiguaration" and we are promised more seats more retail airside and quicker security. However what they don't need is EasyJet switching its LTN-BFS service to BHD from January 2010 with a promise of more services on the route and additional routes. I was none too amused today when a male member of staff wished to perform a random security check on my wife's handbag I felt she should have requested or should have been offered a female member of staff for this.

It only seems a couple of years ago that this new terminal was opened and now it's being rebuilt and extended - seems some bad planning. Arrival not too bad - luckily we were the only plane landing - but still took 15 mins for luggage. Departure currently a sham - as others say new drop off point a long walk from the terminal including crossing the main airport road. Into the terminal and prior to airside only a costa coffee - and many flights on this day check in opened only 60 mins prior to departure so a bit crowded and chaotic. Security queues painfully slow and airside overcrowded and uncomfortable. On ground level just a WHS small duty free and 2 cafes. Only 4 doors to gates and as budget airlines using airport watching the scum to get to plane reminds you of a third world airport. Only 2 small sets of toilets - the ladies was out of order at one and gents dirty. There is a cafe upstairs now that was a bit quieter - but very expensive - £1.75 for a small water. Belfast City airport used to be a joy to use - it's now reminds me of Luton and the other budget scrum airports but without the facilities.