Delhi Airport

Visited the airport twice in Feb 2012. If you are transferring from Dehli to any other airport in India - don't. We had a 2 hour wait in Delhi Terminal 3 which was taken up by rushing from corner of the airport to the other. There were security checks baggage which had to be checked in again more security checks and long queues and disinterested and unhelpful staff. We managed to board our connecting flight just in time. On the way back from Amritsar to Dehli to London Heathrow. Same story long queues followed by security checks and more checks. For all the new facilities and modern airport Dehli knows nothing about customer service and providing a good experience.

This Airport is extremely regimental. Six Security checks! Security check to get in to Departures At the desk Immigration Border control at the gate and before entering the plane. X-ray staff had a chat whilst ignoring my rucksack that was sitting making me wait. No signage. Duty free staff are disinterested and was greeted with a sour serious face of have a nice flight.

I visited India after about two years and used the new T-3 terminal for the first time. I have to say I was impressed with the facility. But obviously because of its size one has to walk a lot although there are moving walkways. I just wish they had chosen a different color carpet it seems so tacky and old fashioned. Most importantly the queues seemed shorter and staff more helpful. The food a bit overpriced. What remains to be seen is that how long can they maintain the high standards.

Visited Delhi after 3 years and noted a lot of improvements. Clean passageways a bit of a long walk to arrival area perhaps because of its size clean toilets with staff to help immigration and customs was a breeze without any problems. After disembarking I was out of the main gate in just 25 mins. There is room for more cleanliness and maintenance otherwise in a few years it will be just the same as before.

From LHR by Air India. Queues longer than expected. A lot of the airport staff were rude I guess it really is luck what kind of person you get at the kiosks. Airport was clean and there was a good range of duty free shops at reasonable prices. There were plenty of signs making it impossible to get lost. Check-in and baggage claim were easy but immigration took ages. Toilets were nice. Lots of screens updating you on your flight at all times. Overall Terminal 3 was so much better than Terminal 4 at Heathrow.

I have experience of Domestic Terminal 1D. The design was good and we never felt it was the clichéd substandard Indian Airport. The baggage was at the belt within 5 minutes of arrival. The help desk was large and other signage pretty clear. On the city side there are good food and beverage outlets within and in the area outside the terminal. Access to ATM's and Taxi booths were good. However a better signage and guidance system ought to be put in place to avoid confusion to Non Locals. Most Important it was wheelchair friendly. The placement of baggage belts were too close for my comfort. The use of LCD screens could be better with more efficient information. Wifi was weak wen I visited.

I used the airport to transit from international to domestic. The queues on international arrivals are not long and check out was quick but luggage collection took bit longer. On return trip the international airport had big immigration queues. If passengers want to do shopping then check in at least 5 hrs before departure time as it takes longer to get all the formalities done and gates are at very far distance from immigration. The airport is full of all sorts of shops but no point if you are checking in just 3 hours before the flight time. There is no sign of small transportation vehicles to take the able bodied passengers to gates. The passengers were just rushing to their gates in order to catch their flights after security check. The seating area near the gate are clean and coffee shops are around each gate. The toilets were clean in line with international standards. The ground staff of airport is more helpful than the other airports and to my surprise no money was demanded from travellers as we needed the wheelchair at last minute.

Delhi-Singapore-Delhi this week and discovered that Terminal 3 was very impressive - equipped with all modern facilities - clean good ceiling height and friendly immigration staff. But there are areas where it can improve - properly trained and professional staff. Let us not have CISF people - most of them are rude. It will be good to have a force specially trained for Airport security - who can be friendly and strict at the same time. There are many good shops - mostly international brands. The toilets were clean - but could be cleaner.

Dubai-Delhi-Dubai. Arrival in to Delhi at Terminal 3 was a pleasant surprise it was clean and spacious and looked quite modern. It took 10 mins to reach immigration and I went to get my visa on arrival at the desk which was deserted. It took two approaches to the immigration officials to get someone to come to the desk and process my request and took a further hour for me to obtain my visa. It took approximately 1.5 hrs to finally reach the exit which could have been faster had the visa arrival desk been manned. Beyond this everything else was very good. Return from Delhi to Dubai travelling with an elderly passenger. I had made arrangements with airline for a wheelchair I would recommend avoiding the paid porter service unless it is required. The steward who accompanied us with the wheelchair was helpful and stayed with us right till boarding. Overall it was a pleasant experience and I was impressed with Terminal 3.

Facilities in Departure Lounges - both domestic and international - excellent but the system of making transit pax sit in the "visitors lounge" until the security guard chooses to allow you through to check-in might mean you don't have a lot of time to appreciate them. The Visitors Lounges themselves are awful - they don't even have toilets. I was stuck in one for over 12 hrs and was not impressed.