Faro Airport

❎ Unverified | Shockingly bad, overcrowded, dirty with nowhere to sit. I have been in many airports all over the world and this was disgusting. Staff looked overworked and miserable. Started at the check in when three of the staff were having an argument for about ten minutes. Ignoring people waiting to check in and finished in costa filthy dirty with rubbish everywhere.

✅ Verified Review | Awful. 6 security scanners serving 100's of people in queues! Member of airport staff shouting in faces "Don't stop!" even children. Totally unnecessary. Duty free - 3 tills open! More queues of roughly 20 mins. Not enough chairs in departure lounge people sitting on floors. Very unclean smell in toilets, lack of toilet paper.

❎ Unverified | After a wonderful holiday in Alvor and was seriously considering rebooking for next year until we encountered the hell hole called Faro airport departures. It took us nearly 2 hours to get through check in, passport control and security check only to be met by an absolutely crammed packed departure lounge. There was not a seat to be had anywhere plus a good part of this lounge was locked off and so unavailable to use. It was nearly impossible to get a drink because of the long queues. In over 40 plus years going abroad twice and occasionally 3 times a years this is without doubt the worst experience we have encountered. Plus we were late taking off due to the captain telling us there was a shortage of buses to take us to the plane. We will not now be going back to this airport again because in the back of our minds will be our trip home and we don't want that stress.

✅ Verified Review | The negative reviews on here had worried me a bit but my recent experiences at Faro airport weren’t bad at all. Arriving there late in the morning of Sunday 10th September there was a queue of about 5 minutes for passport control and then a wait of no more than ten minutes for our two suitcases to appear. When we departed from Faro airport on the 24th we arrived at the airport three hours before our afternoon flight to Gatwick. Our check-in was not open yet but there were plenty of seats and we sat reading while we waited. When we did notice that they had opened we strolled over to the speedy boarding queue and were dealt with straight away. In the security checking area we joined the rather convoluted queue marked out by tapes and followed the instructions we were given by the cheerful helpers. It took no more than ten minutes to get through security to the departures area. The departure area was crowded but there were plenty of seats. There was a long queue for the coffee shop so we didn’t go there but bought ourselves drinks in one of the other shops. When our departure gate was announced we just followed the signs and sat there and waited to board our flight. From my experience there was really nothing to complain about.

✅ Verified Review | I had the worst experience that I've ever had at any airport Saturday 23rd getting through security. It was chaotic and totally disorganised. All families with young children were forced into one queue which did not move. If that wasn't bad enough, the staff kept opening the barrier halfway down the queue to let more families in, therefore pushing those already there further back. It took over an hour and by the time we got through, our boarding gate had closed! The gate was one of the furthest away and we had to run with a buggy and two infants. We made it by the skin of our teeth and were the last people to board. It was ironic, as I had paid for speedy boarding! We had arrived in plenty of time but didn't even get a chance to get a drink for the children. The Faro authorities need to seriously sort this out. The whole experience was so stressful, I'm reluctant to visit again, which is a shame because I loved my first visit the Algarve.

✅ Verified Review | A very disappointing visit to this airport. Arrivals - Arrived at about 9am on a Monday morning, the ladies toilets already smelt strongly of urine, we had to cover our mouths as it was so strong. Went through Passport control and baggage smoothly but the signage was not very clear. Departure - Once again signage not very clear as you entered the busy airport, unable to easily find the ladies toilets due to confusing signs - men were also having the same problem. Check in was excellent, very professional. Passport control was horrendously busy with people being herded like sheep in all directions - no plastic bags for liquids, luckily mine was already in a bag. Now the fun begins - Departure Lounge Monday morning, Duty Free was so busy, long queues waited 20 minutes to be served. No air conditioning so very hot, also too many people in too small an area if someone fell over it would cause a big problem as there was absolutely no place to move. Could only find one information board which was crowded with people waiting to find their boarding gate. Finally to get to your boarding gate you had to all walk through a small gangway. In all a very stressful ending to what was a lovely holiday in a beautiful country.

✅ Verified Review | The facilities at this airport are poor during a period of extensive alterations, although on this occasion the security checking was very efficient, with a minimum period of queuing. The signage is very bad and, following security checks, you are directed to Border Control and the Gates with no indication that the airport lounge becomes inaccessible, if you proceed as directed, which is extremely unsatisfactory. The facilities outside this lounge are most unsatisfactory, with inadequate seating and long queues for pricy and only average refreshments etc being the order of the day. In all, a most unsatisfactory experience, apart from the efficiency of the security teams, which should be applauded.

❎ Unverified | Awful! Not enough seats and very small. Queue for food was shameful and staff lacking in customer service skills. I was pregnant and was lucky someone gave me a seat as saw how much I was struggling. Was roasting as well! Awful.

❎ Unverified | I had heard about problems with queues and delays and read reviews on this site. Not had problems ourselves at Faro during 12 visits in the last 3 years but thought we should play it safe due to complaints I'd read. So we arrived at 9.30am for a 12.00 departure only to find our flight was delayed and so rescheduled for 14.00. Flybe check in went ahead normally and took 10 minutes. Sent upstairs to security and went straight through entry and then down stairs to X-ray security, again went straight through without delay. All the Portuguese staff were very friendly and efficient. The airport is still undergoing extensive works but I would say it is better than before and they are managing the temporary parts well. The food area was very crowded at first and there was very limited seating, but you can see this is due to the ongoing works. Once they'd named our departure gate we went through to departures. There was plenty of seating and it was well air conditioned. Admittedly, this was a Thursday, so I assume it will be more pressured at the weekend, but the 5 hours I spent there today was not unbearable. When the works are finished I think the place will be good, but I think this will require patience and understanding. Probably best to steer clear of the food outlets after security for the moment.

❎ Unverified | Still being refurbished but I have never gone through this airport faster in the eight years I have been traveling. Check in was a few minutes. Security maximum 10 minutes. Passport check 2 minutes. Ok not enough seats once through but hopefully by the time I go again next summer this won't be an issue. After other reviews I was dreading it but very surprised and pleased.