Cork Airport

✅ Trip Verified | I recently passed through Cork Airport, and I must express my profound disappointment and frustration with the airport's security team. The level of rudeness and unprofessionalism I encountered was nothing short of appalling. From the moment I approached the security checkpoint, I was met with curt and condescending attitudes. The staff seemed more interested in exerting their authority than in assisting passengers or ensuring a smooth and respectful security process. Their behavior was unacceptably hostile, making an already stressful process even more unpleasant. I urge Cork Airport to address these issues promptly and ensure that their security staff is trained to treat all passengers with the respect and dignity they deserve. I sincerely hope that future travelers will not have to endure the same negative experience I did.

✅ Trip Verified | Combative and aggressive security staff. Swissport staff were very helpful. My flight was delayed by two hours so I got to the airport later (1 hour before my flight was going to leave). At the top of the security queue - my boarding pass would not scan. The person scanning boarding passes (not sure of his name) immediately said the flight had left (incorrect) and that I had to go down to the Ryanair check in desk to get a boarding pass printed (incorrect). His manner at this time was combative. After I spoke to Ryanair staff who were very helpful they instructed me to return to security where he got more and more combative - coming up extremely close to my face and repeating incorrect information repeatedly. The situation was resolved when a more senior member of security and operational staff instructed him to conduct a manual check on my boarding pass and allow me to pass through security.

Not Verified | The airport is small and easy to find one's way around. One member of staff seemed off hand. She wanted to check my suitcase after xraying so it was opened by her. She picked up items that there souvenirs and held them up to a colleague as though they were something more than souvenirs. This made me feel angry. No explanation was given as to what she was concerned about. I would not travel through Cork Airport again and do not recommend it to others.

Not Verified | My wife was carrying few items which were not allowed due to their oversize (more than 100ml). The officer obviously had to throw them away before she goes through the security. I was very upset to know as these items were medicated and not readily available I called the airport to enquire about the items and was to know, that the items were disposed off in the trash. I again called today and able to talk to the relevant person. He was very helpful and took the pains and advised the supervisor. Within half an hour I was called by the Sergeant who break the news that they found both the items. Obviously I was overjoyed and so grateful to the efforts made by the energetic and helpful staff at the Cork airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Really nice clean small airport in terms of actual experience. On arrival my Aer Lingus flight landed slightly ahead of schedule and I was airside within 10 minutes from leaving aircraft door. Immigration was a breeze and quick, and the person checking passports/IDs was friendly and welcoming. On departure security was fast and efficient and staff were relaxed and friendly. The departure area is small but has couple of food options given the size and there was decent duty-free area - although I think greater part of this could be allocated to local products especially food given some of the really great quality stuff I had during my stay in Cork. Toilets very clean and maintained, and gate areas had plenty of seating. The thing I loved though is they sell bottles of water for 1€, which you can just quickly tap and take from a stand - no price-gouging and they have a refill station centrally located if you need refill it before you take off or if you brought your own bottle, much better than Heathrow T2 when I left! The only thing that lets this airport down and why I have marked it down is poor information on its website before travelling (doesn't look like its been updated since covid) and poor transfers from the airport to the city on arrival. Taxis are expensive to the city at €20 given the distance. Bus to the city is regular service bus, not a dedicated airport shuttle, is only every half an hour in either direction, and you need 'Leap card' or euros, no cards accepted. This is inconvenient as international visitors won't necessarily immediately have the either of the former to hand - I was lucky that a kind stranger on the bus paid for me using their own Leap card as the bus was waiting when I arrived, if I had to go to get cash I would have missed it and had to wait half an hour for the next one. Once on the bus it isn't clear when you arrive in the city, as it is neither announced nor displayed on the electronic board, just random street names and the bus runs with the lights off inside so you travel in the dark and it is all rather disorientating. The stop in the city is also a random bus stop not the bus station which also makes it unclear where to get it from when you need to return to the airport from the city. I'm really perplexed why a city that has a lot of tourism has made it so difficult/inconvenient for visitors in this respect and its a shame as the experience at the airport itself was excellent.

✅ Trip Verified | I was very impressed by the level of care and support I received at the airport. Having a severe reaction to an insect bite and no Antihistamine tablets with me. The local team and Airport police, went out of their way to help (I wish I had noted their names), they looked everywhere and obtained tablets for me while making sure I was comfortable and relaxed. Thank you very much as the level of care and support at a busy airport was very welcome and impressive.

✅ Verified Review | I have to agree with the review below. The security staff at this airport are extremely rude and aggressive. They seem to take it as a personal insult if you show some initiative (such as dare to pick up a tray yourself) to speed up the baggage scanning process. Move into an area of the conveyor belt that has space for three people but is only being used by one, and you can expect a volley of abuse from a staff member. The angry demeanour and lack of basic courtesy is absolutely astounding. I don't expect much from airport security staff, but these guys - or some of them, anyway - fail to meet even minimal standards of acceptable behaviour.

✅ Verified Review | Overall, I don't mind Cork airport in itself. It's the security screening that annoys me every time. I commute from ORK twice per 9 days and I've done this the past 5 years. The problem is the security staff. Rude, distant and talking to you like you're 5 years old. As you're not allowed to pick up trays by yourself, you're always waiting with your hands full of items to screen separately (laptop, liquids, shoes etc). I aways place the items anyway on the counter in front of the security officer. Standing there with my shoes off and on the table and everything laid out before him, he doesn't even look at it but states loudly "do you have any liquids or laptops?". This happens every time. Last week I was asked to remove my shoes. I work in the airport in Oslo so I've purposefully bought a pair of Chelsea boots without metal in them and I ask why. "Because I need to see your ankles". I'm wearing a skirt with tights and don't see the need, but I comply because I know not to argue with security personnel. The two business men behind me were wearing leather shoes and suit pants that could fit an extra pair of legs in them but they don't have to "show their ankles" for anyone. That's Cork airport security staff for you.

As a regular user of Cork Airport, I have always had a excellent opinion of its services. Unfortunately, this morning while dropping a friend off, I experienced the lowest level of customer service I have in a long time. My friend forgot his phone charger at home and after realising this, I drove straight back to Cork Airport. I was unable to contact my friend who had most likely gone through security. On arriving at the airport, with ample amount of time before flight departure, I asked an employee of Aer Lingus, Ryanair and another company I cannot remember, could they please put a call out over the intercom to call my friend to the other side of security so I could pass the charger through. There is apparently no connection between the intercom system on both sides of security. As it was a Ryanair flight, I asked this specific employee could he please contact a Ryanair colleague at the other side of security to make an announcement so my friend could please get his charger. He couldn't do this. Why, he had no reason. I asked was there any other way, I could go about getting the charger to my friend. He said he couldn't do anything, but if I wanted to try asking security, I could. Of course he said, security probably wouldn't be able to do anything for me. I feel that from a customer service perspective, both by Ryanair and by Cork Airport, there is a complete sense of apathy and disregard for giving the highest level of customer service and simply trying to help your customers. I know this is just a minor example, but one would think in the service industry, employees would try their best to help their customers.

Security check personnel in Cork airport - I've never met the kind in any other airport, there appears to be no accountability and buckets of bad attitude. I tried to lodge a complaint today about a rude girl working there after she snapped at me and made a hand gesture to her colleague about me when I asked for her name (but was refused) and was told there was no facility to complain there. 95% of the employees working in security in Cork are nice and a pleasure to deal with but there are a few bad apples and their management should root them out or train some of them to lose the attitude.