Faro Airport

✅ Trip Verified | We arrived on the 17th October, the passport experience had been very slow, E Gates were terrible, hardly any working and causing huge delays. The staff were sat doing nothing just watching the E Gates denying people access and going out of service. They were also surly and rude when we eventually got through. We almost missed our coach transfer as a result. Departure was even worse, we queued from the moment we arrived all the way to to plane, no time for anything else. The passport queue was huge and snaked all the way from security to the E Gates. Only 3x Gates working and 3x manned gates no wonder the queue was massive. The very few members who were working were making it worse rather than better. One shut the E Gates when we got to the front and proceeded to put everyone in the queue including us back in to the main queue some way back. All around us we could hear people stressing because they would miss their flight. The staff member shouted angrily at people to cooperate and said "everyone will miss their flight" and walked off. This made no sense as there were 3x E gates that were working so why shut them? This whole process took well above 1hr 30 mins if not more, we didn’t time it as we were just so stressed by the whole thing. We eventually made it through and had to sprint across the airport to our departure gate and made it with seconds to spare. No toilet break, or time for food or drink. Less able bodied people would have missed it. There were empty seats on our flight. Worst airport experience ever.

Not Verified | Toilets are absolutely disgraceful, the smell and mess makes you feel sick. The same arriving and departure. I would rather hold my pee in for 10 hours than use these bathroom facilities again.

Not Verified | Disgusted again at lack of any progress in this absolute dump of an airport. Arrival into usual passport queue and égates still not working . Been traveling through here for years and surely the management ought to have been sacked by now . Arrivals hall had marginally improved. Departure was awful again - overcrowded and absolutely filthy catering area and toilets disgusting. Passport control had 2 égates working out of 8 . 2 Booths closed and queues horrendous. Holding area before flight filthy and gate staff unfriendly as always. Faro - how long must we all suffer this before you look at new leadership for what could be a great airport !!

✅ Trip Verified | Was expecting the worst after the number of negative reviews but was very pleasantly surprised at how quick, efficient and friendly the service was. Traveling in September probably has a substantial bearing on numbers but we were through check-in and passport control in 25 minutes which is much better than most airports we've used in the recent past. Water is available to top up bottles for free or just €1 from a machine as you exit security, far from the exorbitant prices encountered at other airports. The service, selection and seating area at cafe Soho are excellent, assuming our flight is on time (Ryanair 🤔) it's a five star experience.

Not Verified | Poor airport! Departure worse than arrival. Rude staff, not organized in the slightest it's almost like they are shocked when you ask them a question. Asked for a pharmacy and was told there was not one in the airport ... website states there is. Flight delayed, not the fault of the staff at the airport however no information provided at all. Nobody around to speak with until the the gate was finally out up and then it's just a rush to sling you onto the plane. This is my second experience at this airport and honestly I can't think of a reason to come back.

Not Verified | Awful airport. On arrival was very smooth to be fair but the passport control queue was horrendous for those with UK passports and no accessibility and on departure despite wearing the sunflower lanyard and having booked fast track I was declined at fast track and made to queue for security and with my disabilities I struggle with long queuing. The departure hall was very busy and hot with not many places to sit I had a great holiday in the Algarve but it was tarnished by the atrocity that is Faro Airport on a positive note however the toilets were very clean.

Not Verified | The queues for immigration on arrival at 1040 (local) were long and disorganised (no proper queuing system with “snake” line - zig zag - queue organisation. A free-for-all until you reach the short queuing system near the immigration booths, none of the e-gates were working, and no information). The odd staff member looked disinterested and bored. On departure, the queues after security for immigration through B gate were very long (1hour wait) with no organisation or communication (the only staff member was calling for Irish passport holders, who were able to jump the queue as they had EU passports). I understand that the non-EU passport holders will have to pass relatively slowly through this process, but to have 12 gates with 2 (manned) dedicated to EU passport holders and only 4 manned for non-EU passport holders smacks of discrimination against the Brits on a massive scale. There were 19 flights between 0955 and 1140 on the departures board (in full view of us in the queueing line!) all going to UK destinations. I don’t suppose my family’s decision to change our holiday destination to a country that gives us the impression of welcoming us, will change anything, but it is a great shame as the Portuguese people we encountered on holiday were delightful and would be very concerned that the airport authorities are sending out all the wrong messages. If the consensus amongst the people queuing alongside us are typical, it will not be long before the owners of restaurants, bars, cafes, taxis, hotels etc notice a decline that will not be of their making. The beneficiaries will be such businesses in destinations such as Turkey and Greece!

Not Verified | An absolute joke. Standing here in a queue that goes on forever. 3 passport gates open not an airport worker in sight - what a kip. This is the biggest joke of an airport I have ever stood in, and to top it off, there is no AC working. Do they honestly think people will put up with this? Well I will never go through Faro, nor indeed Portugal ever again.

✅ Trip Verified |   Terrible arrival experience. 90 minute queue to get through passport control. No queue discipline. Terrible airport staff. Rude and not doing their job. Stressful. Avoid

Not Verified | Waited almost an hour to get through passport control. Holiday season! One guy for three airplanes. People starting arguing as different planes landed and people were shunted into two lanes by some airport worker in a high vis jacket. Exact same experience for my daughter who arrived the following day. What a poor way to be welcomed to the Algarve. Get your house in order. Not good enough.