Chambery Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 20 reviews
2/10
No Skytrax Rating
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1/10

"woefully undersized and understaffed"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | The debacle caused by under-staffing at this airport continues. Over 3 1/2 hours' delay in getting through Passport (lack of) Control. Only 2 people checking documents at the airport for all UK flights. We were queuing behind all the people from 2 other UK flights and they too had been trying to get through Customs for hours. As you stand in shivering temperatures in a marquee thing they have added to the Customs area, you can't help but notice the Vinici propaganda posters which indicate that a ton of money has been invested in this airport and how much customer satisfaction has been improved. What a joke. This facility is woefully undersized and understaffed. This issue has been going on for years. The facilities are laughable. Another thing to bear in mind is that the airport is situated low down in a valley and suffers with mist and fog regularly. Our return flight was diverted to Grenoble kbecause of the fog) and resulted in a 5 hour delay. Grenoble Airport is no better setup to cope with the volumes of passengers that are forced through these facilities. I will never fly to Chambery for skiing again. In fact, I will never fly to Chanbery, Grenoble or Lyon for skiing again. It will be Geneva or get in the car Save yourself some grief and avoid this airport at all costs.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2022
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
6/10

"there is a lot of queuing"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | The airport is very small so there is a lot of queuing. Check in was fairly smooth once it opened and the check in lady was helpful and efficient. Oversized baggage also taken at the desk which is good when you’ve got ski equipment. There was then a long wait until we were announced to go through security. Waiting area was limited and the food sat in a semi outside area where smoking was allowed. There was a very long windy queue through security. Limited facilities before and after security. There is no lounges available.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitFebruary 2020
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"airport physically cannot cope"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | This airport physically cannot cope with the volumes of footfall that are common, especially during the ski season. Two carousels for arrivals (which is fine if there is only one private planeful of people, anything more than that, then it poses a problem) and then you walk round the corner and literally are out in the car park, with no waiting area available in between. Departing from there is equally irritating with a minuscule check in where the bags are manually transferred from the weigh in to the conveyer belt, a tiny security area which means that you have to wait until your flight is called up in order to pass through. The facilities available are dismally limited, the seating available while you wait is minimal, and food and drink expensive. Security itself is archaic, with one queue (explains why you have to wait to be called up) and small trays that mean you have to utilise five just to fit hand luggage, coat, phone and shoes etc. It wouldn't be so bad if this airport only dealt with fifty or so passengers over a twenty four period, as that is all the organisational abilities are set up to cope with. Unfortunately it is a key airport for ski destinations, which means the quantities experienced are substantial, and beyond what the airport is built for. It ranks up with Geneva as a horrendously mismanaged and inadequate airport, and that is saying something. The sad thing is, it looks like this is on par with Grenoble, which means any skiing to the Alpes requires being subjected to horrific standards of airport torture in order to get to a nice destination.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2020
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Avoid this airport"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Avoid this airport. Our inbound flight was a 4 hour delay and our return flight is currently 3 hours delayed but could be longer. The inbound pilot blamed it on the weather, but this was a lie, and it’s being blamed on a technical issue for our return flight. This is a regular occurrence according to the flight attendant. I will not be travelling here again at any cost.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2020
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"je suis un passager, sortez-moi d'ici"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | Check in reasonably efficient despite several flights being due to depart in a short time frame. Seating availability land side very limited. Several people sitting on the floor and maybe over 100 on the grass outside - not possible if raining. Toilet facilities poor - not adequate for volume of passengers. Limited food options. Temperature in airport very hot. I have visited here several times and this never changes. Not pleasant to board a flight dripping with sweat. Security is appalling. I fully respect the reasons for checks but it is the organisation of this area which could hardly be any worse. They have added extra screening conveyors but it is a single tray collection zone behind a solid wall and door to the screening area. Trays constantly ran out as no system evident to return empties other than the sole officer gesticulating in vain through a window in a locked door. Staff on the other side never seemed to appreciate the need to return trays. Having prepared a tray by removing belt into hand baggage; removing liquids in their clear bag, iPad and kindle from bag into clear view it was only when around the next corner (away from tray collection zone) that a different officer decided that everybody had to remove shoes (contrary to the rolling info film before that showed only someone wearing boots having to remove them). Another tray required. A total of 3 trays needed, as the trays are small and officers wanted everything spread out so distinctly. Unlike in Security at more advanced airports (but bear in mind the French have newly designed and created this Security area) trays have to be "self pushed" along a roller belt until x-ray scanners are close but then the tray roller belt does not go into the scanner. Each person has to lift their own tray and carry it across. Maybe 3 journeys. Whilst shuffling back and forth with trays it might be that other people's trays are interspersed with yours going through the scanner and then unexpectedly although checked already to gain access to this area, your boarding pass is required again, so if you have put it in your bag (to avoid objects in pockets) you have to re-extract it. Only at this point officers decide that not only iPad etc had to be out of bags but every charging cable etc as well. Cue general bag unpacking by all passengers just as trays are about to go into scanner. More possessions mixed up in multiple trays, including passport and boarding card. So once all trays come through you might get one full of cables etc and start trying to repack that but other valuables following maybe 5 trays behind. Only enough repacking area to really handle one or 2 trays - not helpful with say, 5 people all waiting in their socks, with trousers falling down, for 2 or 3 trays each arriving in a random sequence with those of other people. For a panicky minute or 2 I had no idea where my passport and boarding card actually were, which one might think would be exactly the opposite of the definition of "security". Eventually clearing x-ray screening I had then lost my wife who I assumed had somehow got through quicker, so I carried on. Long, very slow passport control queue manned by the sloths from Zootropolis! My wife then re-appeared from the underwired bra interrogation zone. 1 min to shuttle bus boarding closure. Buy water! Tiny stall, manned by 1 person, warm bottles. People rushing through, bootlaces not yet re-tied and cursing the staff... “Je suis un passager, sortez-moi d'ici”
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitApril 2018
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
9/10

"it all worked well"

(Netherlands)

Not Verified | Not so bad! Flew from Amsterdam to Chambery and back to use the airport as the port to the snow. Its obvious that it is a small airport not used to a huge amount of people but it all worked well. They have two belts and they use 1 for skis and 1 for the suitcases of all flights. It all went reasonably fast. Its 10 meters from the belt to the exit. On departure it was funny to see how they checked the luggage in, it took some time. At security they made a little mess by opening the wrong door so schengen and non.schengen almost mixed up. A very friendly lady excused and laughed. Staff very friendly and helpful, clearly not used to big groups of travelers. Behind security a couple of guys tried to sell food and drinks. Realy not a horrible place to be, keep in mind that it is a small airport.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2018
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
1/10

"cannot cope with passenger flow"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | This airport simply cannot cope with passenger flow: Arrival-06 Jan 2018. One luggage carousel for 3 arrivals! Had to wait for each to clear prior to loading the next. Only one toilet cubicle was functioning in the male toilet. Seating is grossly inadequate and there was not enough standing room in the arrivals lounge. In effect, passengers were trapped for over an hour awaiting luggage and unable to buy refreshments, sit, or use toilet facilities. Departure-13 Jan 2018. Check in was fairly efficient, with long queues, but moving fairly rapidly, it was good that skis and bags are taken at the same check in point. The experience rapidly deteriorated from then on. In the departure lounge, once again, only one male and one female toilet cubicle are offered within the same room, there are no more, apart from a single disabled toilet. Shared facilities are unacceptable in a civilised country and the queue was extensive with over 300 passengers struggling to find comfort or refreshment with the single, understaffed and overworked small refreshment kiosk. Vending machines only accepted Euro coins and not cards. The facilities are unacceptable in any civilised country, even Kathmandu Airport has better facilities. On the tarmac, the transfer coach to the airplane had a broken door with a sign that stated ‘This door is doomed’ an understatement of the Chambéry Airport experience. This is, undoubtedly, the worst airport that I have visited for toilet and refreshment facilities and I vow that I shall never use it again, even if offered a free holiday.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2018
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"terminal was very overcrowded"

(United Kingdom)

Travelled here for skiing. My arrival was delayed by about two hours due to fog. When we landed, it was apparent that several other 'planes had recently landed and the terminal was very overcrowded. After a long time queuing to get through passport control (only two officers), I found there were only two luggage belts and the indicator initially designated the wrong one for my flight. This caused consternation for many passengers when luggage did not appear as expected. The error was corrected and I managed to fight my way through the crowds to get my skis and case. Not a pleasant experience. The return journey was an absolute nightmare. Once again, flights were delayed due to fog. Driving the last 15 miles to Chambery was difficult due to the dense fog. Direction signs were few and far between and lacking a Satnav I became concerned I would be unable to locate the airport. The terminal was full to overflowing, people were sitting on the floor, on the stairs, standing wherever there was room. If there had been any sort of security scare I hate to think of the injuries which could have been caused in a stampede to exit the building. The catering business must make a fortune in this airport as there was a massive queue for the whole of the eight and a half hours I was waiting there. Once my flight was called, we were forced to queue in a very small area with tape barriers creating a snake of people waiting to pass the two customs officers. They did their best to move people through, but there was a jam back from the security checking area which is too small with insufficient staff to cope with the volume of passengers. I was becoming concerned I would miss my flight, but I guess they are used to this state of confusion as we were herded directly onto a transfer bus as soon as we cleared security. This airport is just too small for the number of passengers using it. There is no overflow capacity in the event of delays, which I now understand are very common here. Why on Earth build an international airport in an area known to suffer from regular dense fog? Next time (if) I fly to the French Alps, I will go to Lyon. As a matter of interest, if I had chosen to drive to the Alps (as I usually do), I could have made the complete return journey home in less time than it took me by air. Makes you think, doesn't it.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitFebruary 2016
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
8/10

"great little airport"

(United Kingdom)

Chambery is a great little airport, the closest to the major ski resorts like The Three Valleys. It's small and gets crowded at weekends, but has a cosy bar/restaurant on the first floor. In 2014 we were delayed 6 hours here due to bad weather and they couldn't do enough to make our stay more comfortable, drafting in extra sandwiches etc. We were on time this year but still had time to enjoy refreshments/drinks etc. Much better than using Geneva or Lyon
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2016
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
1/10

"not enough seats"

(United Kingdom)

Horrible airport and rude security staff. Hoards of people going through 2 x-ray machines and security were unnecessarily obnoxious and arrogant. They made the situation a lot worse by shouting at people when they weren't doing exactly as told. People have the right to be treated with dignity and these people have obviously forgotten that. Once through security there are not enough seats and people just standing waiting or sitting on the floor for long periods for planes delayed due to the shoddy airport and it's staff.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2016
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
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