Bologna Marconi Airport

✅ Trip Verified | Disagree with one of the previous reviewers about the Marconi Express which I found efficient, uncrowded and easy to board if expensive at 11 euros. No queues at the vending machines which are easy to use. However anything else about this airport is a bit of a disaster. It is basically too small for the amount of passengers it handles. Huge queue at security since out of 9 gates only 4 were working, No fingers to board the planes, indifferent staff at the expensive food outlets. As usual nowadays a lot of terminal space is taken up by expensive retail outlets resulting in people having to sit on the floor. A very bad airport for an otherwise beautiful city.

Not Verified | 3 security checks open out of 9 in a pre-holiday afternoon. Infinite queue at the security checks. Customers are left alone to deal with skipping the queue, generating arguments. Slow boarding time with 20 minutes waiting time on the stairs waiting for the bus transfer to the plane.

✅ Trip Verified | The airport is dysfunctional once you get through security. See attached picture with totally stand-up overcrowded departure hall. Eat outside; there are many great cafe and sandwich places. The food place inside however serves dry sandwiches at 10EUR a piece.

✅ Trip Verified | Where does one start? Most airport experiences begin with arrival at the airport in question and so it is with Bologna Airport. The airport and indeed substantial advertising promote the so-called “Marconi Express” train service from Bologna Central Train station to the airport. This “service” is advertised as running every 7 minutes and supposedly only takes 7 minutes. This is not the case! In the train station there are only 2 small ticket vending machines and one was broken the day I needed to use this “train”. The queue for the machine was horrendous and there were no staff available to help and no ticket kiosk. The “train” is in fact a single track mono rail consisting of three small carriages. On the day I used the service a rail was placed to preventing overcrowding and rather than the very 7 minutes claim of the website and posters one waited 34 minutes. There are NO SEATS at all in the waiting area for this “train” and so elderly people and those who are frail are left to stand. Moreover the charge of of 9 Euros one way is an absolute rip-off. Once inside the Monorail the windows are greened out with advertising and there are few seats so standing room only. There is a considerable walk from the arrivals areas of the Monorail to the departures areas of the airport. I did not see any assistance for disabled people and would imagine that wheelchair users and the frail would find this very difficult to manage. I will add that I did not see any uniformed staff at all. The check-in area on the ground floor of this airport is absolutely fine. The problems begin when one clears immigration for the non-EU flights. The departure area is very small and was clearly designed for a different age such as the 1970s with a smaller volume of traffic. The non-EU departures area is an absolute disgrace. I used this on 29th July 2022 and the area was an absolute health hazard. I had to stand for almost 2 hours in extreme heat with no air conditioning and I noted how the toilets were left in a dirty state. I shall add that the boarding of several flights operated by a range of airlines was poorly managed. Differences in booking class, groupings and no doubt fares paid were not honoured or respected and a general “scrum” seemed to be encouraged. My experience of this airport is very disappointing indeed and I will not use it again in the future. One does not need the hassle and inconvenience at an end of a holiday.

✅ Trip Verified | A poor, stressful experience. This airport has an extreme capacity problem. There's not nearly enough staff to direct travelers or even space to accommodate the number of individuals passing through. Security lines are long, and people cut regularly. Be sure to give yourself extra time or you may very well miss your flight. I would not recommend flying from this airport to anyone

✅ Trip Verified | This airport is one of the worst, especially given the pretensions the city has to a cultural, culinary and engineering heritage. Appallingly filthy floors, seats at gates, toilets. Staff unavailable or uninterested. Security process as bad as ever. I have always tried to avoid BLQ and travelled from here this time only to try to save time. The airport is unacceptably dirty. I shall certainly make every effort to avoid it in future.

Not Verified | The worst airport ever! Unable to process planes on time! Arrived here from different airport and luggage area was literally stocked up with luggages and noone there so you can just go, grab which ever luggage you want and walk out! Disgusting dirty and smelly bathrooms! Not enough charging points. Everywhere people sitting on the floor. No employees to direct you anywhere. Spoke with number of employees (check in desks, gates) and they asked me to write about my experience as it is here like this every day. Disgrace. Avoid if you can!

Not Verified | Encountered the rudest ever airport worker at security. She was rude. Did not listen. Tutted and muttered under her breath. Obviously someone doesn't like working with people. I work in customer services and I understand and have had bad days, but if I reacted like her, I would be spoken to. I'm here for my 50th. What an unfriendly, rubbish, upsetting start.

Not Verified | The worst airport I have ever flown from. There are thousands of passengers but only space for a few hundred. Capacity and facilities do not match at all - it is a tourist trap.

Not Verified | Terrible experience all around. Flew in and waited over 30 mins for baggage carousel to even start. There were no other flights waiting and airport was very quiet. Departing was even worse. Arrived well over 2 hours before flight. Lufthansa had no agents working and the line was already 100 people deep. Finally checked in with 20 mins left before flight was supposed to leave only to find the line at security backed up with literally hundreds of people. Only made flight because it wound up being delayed. And then despite the fact the plane was loaded and doors closed we sat on the ground for another 35 mins and wound up missing the international connection home. Literally nothing about the experience at this airport was good. Had spent the previous week hopping around southern and central Italy. And every flight and airport there were great. No issues. Hard to believe in 2022 an international airport could be this poorly run.