Florence Airport

Florence airport has recently moved the ground floor check-in desks to the first floor which is completely revamped. Some good leather seating is provided in nice airy surroundings. However the 3 check-in monitors are very small and concentrated along one small area thus meaning passengers must walk up to view them. The disadvantage of these monitors (at the time we were there) is they only show the major airlines desk numbers several scheduled flights remained without desk numbers including our Vueling flight. It was only when we asked an employee that we discovered the desks for our flight. Even after we had checked in no desk numbers were shown on the screens. Security was quick and trouble-free. Prices in the duty free area were just outrageous higher than in the city. Plenty of seating at the departure gates.

A compact and efficient airport but very with very unpleasant security. Was departing for Paris with a ceramic bowl in my hand luggage. Air France confirmed it was within weight and size limits to take onboard but very unpleasant security staff regarded it as a safety risk ('One could hit someone with it'). Had to make quite a scene (still embarrassed for it) to finally have the Security Officer to check with the AF pilot that did not think it was any security issue. Totally ridiculous argument from the Florence Security team claiming ceramic articles are forbidden in hand luggage everywhere but guess it also involved a certain degree of Italian pride.

Very small regional airport which is undergoing an expansion program so be prepared for building works. Check in chaotic no priority for frequent travellers. Limited amount of shops but well stocked. Our flight was delayed but ground staff did their best keeping us informed about the flight status.

A small airport with limited facilities but not unpleasant. The landside arrivals area is tiny and with shops just a couple of metres away from the barrier guarding the door from baggage reclaim it can get very congested. Baggage reclaim is reasonably swift. The departures area is adequate in size and our check-in experience has always been pretty efficient. The first floor duty-free shopping area has recently seen several new outlets opened and the selection of downstairs duty-free shops also seems to have improved over recent months - the shop selling sweaters and shirts is particularly reasonable price-wise although you have to buy a batch of shirts ('4 for 100 Euros') rather than individually. Airside snackbar reasonably priced with a good view over the apron. Gate areas are rather cramped but no more so than many regional airports. My wife and I have used the airport three times in the past year and the experience has always been fairly painless.

Aeroporto di Firenze is a very compact. The first thing you notice is how clean & bright it is. The airport has recently undergone a slight expansion. The original check in on the left-hand side has about 10 desks and there are a further 4/5 check in desks on the first floor. The cafés on the ground and first floor are reasonably priced clean and you get a good view of the airport & aircraft from the panoramic windows on the upper one. The departure lounge is fairly small but with plenty of seating. It is a very quiet unhurried environment - most pleasant. The only slight drawback is the TV monitors which show a very limited list of arrivals/departures. Also do be careful with the duty free shop on the first floor it's a very expensive with a small range of items. There is a much better one on the departure ground floor.

Flight delayed due to apparently strong cross winds. No information on TV screens about this - just a lot of talk and very upset passengers. Airport opened at 1830hours for flights so was able to catch my flight and only 1 hour late. Security a joke. Was travelling with a poster but had the poster container taken off me due to being on a London flight! Other people I was travelling with had posters and tube of the exact same size but they were allowed to go through without an problems. Florence is a small airport - don't expect much. They use buses to transport passengers from the terminal to the plane.

FLR is a very small airport- I believe the smallest I have ever been to. The LH check in was nice and relatively helpful especially as I had changed my ticket although they refused to check me in for my flight to O'hare. The bar was reasonably priced but a pain to use. The departures lounge was tiny with 5 gates for Schengen flights and one for International flights. They made us take a bus to the plane despite the fact that you could see it from the airport - it would have been quicker and better exercise to just walk to the plane. All in all an iffy airport.

Amerigo Vespucci airport (FLR) is an inadequate facility. The first thing you'll notice about this airport is the landing. The runway(s) is short and a steep hill to the north of it greatly influences air traffic. Every time the wind allows it runway 5 is used for landing but when runway 23 is used the approach is complicated and forces a tight base leg (to avoid the hill): plenty of "go arounds" occur. The preferred takeoff runway is 23. The main problem though is the inadequacy of taxiways: no taxiway is present on the northern end of the runway (23 side) so all plains landing on 5 and taking off on 23 are forced to reach the distant end and perform a "backtrack". As a consequence aircraft take a long time to clear the runway after landing on 5; and have to occupy the runway for a while on takeoff from 23. At peak hours this is a cause for delays. The terminals (departure and arrivals) are both small. Most flights are bound to and from major European hubs for connections (CDG FRA MUC BRU) and tend to all leave and arrive at the same time. The terminals are therefore often crowded and inadequate. Little shopping can be done the only food you can get is a very expensive bar in the departure terminal (2nd floor) and a lousy restaurant in the arrivals terminal. Because most flights are connecting from hubs luggage loss is a common case: the Lost Luggage Service Window is understaffed. Expect delays. Customs aren't a major issue. A pair of police officers stand at the exit from the baggage claim area and stop passengers arriving from outside the EU (identified by the luggage slip). Those passangers have already cleared customs at the European hub they have connected in and these officers only ask for things to declare. They rarely ask/want anything beyond that.