Bogota Airport

Bogota wants to attract more international traffic without improving the bottlenecks that are causing a lot of congestion. As of 31st of October LH is going to be back in BOG with departure and arrival times precisely at the peak hours late evening and arrival around 8pm- ish. More chaos programmed! Premium passengers will be shocked to see no fast track lane waiting for at least 30 minutes at immigration. As I live in BOG I do not have to change from El Dorado to Puente Aereo but I always can see upon arrival that it is a horror for those who have to. The saving grace are the fast track immigration lines for families with children and the good shops once passing emigration process. As far as Avianca check-in for premium passengers is concerned there are long lines too especially when leaving at the before mentioned peak hours. Same refers to the Avianca lounge it is unbearable between 7:30pm and 9:30pm only around mid-day it is worth spending time there. But it is true F&B offer is ridiculous the few snacks available have to be put on napkins as there are not even plates!

BOG is turning into a total disaster under the twin pressures of increasing passenger loads and a long overdue incredibly slow renovation. Inbound immigration is often understaffed and the wait can be upwards of an hour. Domestic connections on the main local airline Avianca require another long wait for a long ride to their domestic terminal. Because the buses don't run frequently enough they are always packed and uncomfortable. Outbound if you are a premium passenger check in at Avianca is efficient. If you are just a normal person count an hour to get to the check in desk. Security and outbound immigration have improved and are now mostly quick. Avianca's international lounge renovated only two years ago is already run down with minimum food and beverage offerings but blaring TV sets all over the place. The second security check on US bound flights is a free for all. Surprisingly Avianca the main carrier at the airport has except for check in no fast track for premium passengers so regardless of how much you pay for your ticket or what elite status you have you stand in line with everybody else. Very democratic certainly but not very effective if the carrier wants to position Bogota as a hub for business travel into South America.

Landing at this airport is chaotic and getting a taxi can be trying. I flew Jet Blue and we existed on the tarmac and then walked outside then into the airport for immigration baggage and customs. After existing you need to go upstairs in order to find an ATM as there are none on the level where you exit. There is only one money exchange place which is a rip off. Departing: The lines at this airport are extensive. I flew Jet Blue to Orlando and would recommend getting there at least 3 hours early. You have to pay your departure tax at one line get in line for jet blue where they ask you about your trip and check the size of your carry-on baggage then you get in line to get your boarding pass and check your bags then you get in line for security then you get in line for immigration then you get in line at the departure gate where they hand search every single passenger's luggage and you get a pat down then you are allowed to board. There are few food options but a few places to buy souvenirs. It's nothing fancy but the lines are ridiculous. I understand that the airport is undergoing massive construction which is necessary everything is very outdated.

Since Delta's flight from ATL was early we hoped everything was going to be pretty well throughout. Very first line was long but it was fair fast staff provided us information about customs-forms and connecting flights (not good signs at all). Immigration was Ok baggage was awkward and a little messy as there were about eight flights claiming and rebooking luggage for connections. Finally a Customs-check where there's a huge line for passing through a redlight/greenlight device. It seemed every people who get redlight must stay for a final baggage-checkpoint. Departing was far messier than arrival. Prepare to pass through 4 security checkpoints. staff seemed to do it as best as they could; is a very small airport for handling all those pax specially in the morning.

The airport is clean and tidy. It takes a long time to get through if you are travelling international flights. The Bag searches are done all the way upto the plane which can feel a bit over the top but for all the right reasons! Allow 3 hours at least! Staff are nice and polite. You can get out of paying for the tax if you smile and ask nicely! check in staff can wave the fee if they want too!

Allow 2.5 to 3 hours for international travel. Departing pax are selected for extensive baggage search I was one of them polite but thorough. If connecting with a domestic flight the domestic airport is about a 10 minute ride from the main airport use either a taxi or free bus service supplied by Avianca. Only buy immediate currency needs at the airport better rates are in town using ATM's. First time travelers using taxi service should go to the little office at the exit from customs to the right of the exit and get a suggested taxi rate to your destination in the city on a ticket supplied by this office. No wonder US Customs never bothers you on your return as I believe this is the most cautious airport that I have ever traveled thru. All airport personnel were polite. They are proactive not like us reactive.

I travelled to Bogotá from Miami (AA) and Madrid (IB). The airport has improved enormously and is being extended. Immigration is still slow on arrival but it is better. Nice that the officers now smile and welcome visitors to the country. On departure allow an extra 30 minutes if travelling in the early mornings or mid-afternoons. To avoid queuing on the day of travel to get exemption from paying the extra tax get the stamp on arrival at the desk located next to the toilet in the baggage hall (sadly very rarely there is someone there; very strange; even at 2-7 pm when most flights arrive from Europe and the Americas). You cannot take baggage trolleys outside the terminal but there are plenty of porters to help. Apparently this is a way to help them. No problem with that except that they are always in a hurry and will leave you for another customer if your baggage do not arrive quickly.

I used this airport flying Iberia to/from Madrid. The arrival service was fast efficient and pleasant - no queues baggage delivered quickly and the immigration officer even welcomed me to Colombia! Departure was another matter. At about 3pm when most of the flights to Europe are checking in the departure hall was so full it was almost impossible to move. When I checked in with Iberia they explained that I had already paid the airport tax on my ticket but I'd have to get an exemption stamp from the airport tax office. This meant another queue for at least 30 minutes; but if I was willing to pay the tax for a second time I could have done so immediately. This just seemed to be a way of extracting extra cash from people willing to pay not to stand in another long queue! Once I had finally checked in things improved and there was little queue at immigration or security. However shopping and catering options are limited and be warned that once through security there are hardly any shops or cafes.

Eldorado international terminal too crowded in the morning and afternoon hours and the check-in area is too small to handle passenger numbers. Parking in front of the terminal: more than 100 meters away is a tragedy when you travel with lots of bags. You find security everywhere what is good but which reflects the dangerous situation of this beautiful country. In the second floor you get some good snack bars and coffee shops. Immigration officers unfriendly terrible and lots of hand baggage and personal security checks. Hard to breath at the gate area - too low ceiling. Its 1970s facilities need urgent updates.

The airport is clean security everywhere but my experience leaving the country to get back the USA was terrible. I went through 4 baggage searches within yards of each other. While sitting waiting to board a worker comes up to me and no one else and demands to take my carry on baggage away because he claimed it would not fit in the overhead. I argued with him and did not let him take my baggage (everyone staring at this time). He finally backed off and left. Went to no one else questioned no one else attempted to take no one else's bag. He was an employee. I believe he was trying to take and steal my bag. In talking to others it may have been he was trying to do that. I loved the country but the airport experience was not pleasant!