Fort Lauderdale Airport

I had a bad experience at the Fort Lauderdale airport (in the US Air terminal E) this morning. It would be nice to be treated nicely at their shops. At one shop I purchased something and because there was no register display and because the shop employee mumbled I asked her to repeat the price. She did but in a very rude tone of voice. Similarly I went to "Key West Coffee" to get a cup of coffee and the employee did not say a word to me. When I told her the coffee run was empty she also didn't utter a word. It would be nice to be treated with a slight bit of respect. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth about the Lauderdale airport and in particular the US Airways wing.

It was cheaper to fly here than Miami so I chose it. Leaving after arriving was easy. The "in terminal" car rentals are all actually a bus ride away. I should have chosen the off site cheaper rental which would have been the same hassle to get to. The return was when I noticed how much I don't like the airport. There is the car rental return and then bus ride to the terminals. They are not interconnected. This was a problem for the club. I arrived far too early (to account for the car return) and expected to spend my time in the UA club however my flight was out of a terminal with no clubs and it is not possible to go to another terminal since you're only allowed in with a flight coupon for that terminal. I ended up waiting 3+ hours in a crowded loud old airport with minimal to no amenities. The bathrooms are tiny with lines there is one small bar/restaurant with only self service and mostly stand up tables. There are some snack vendors. There are not enough outlets for all that need to plug in. I would go to Miami next time even if my destination was closer to FLL. I am glad to see they are renovating and remodelling the airport. Perhaps that will help.

This airport is dirty over crowded. The biggest problem to me was the total absence of family bathrooms after we went through security. We had a long wait as we had left a cruise ship. I travel in a wheelchair and sometimes need help in the restroom if the floor is wet or it is poorly arranged. Luckily a nice traveler overheard my husband ask for a female staff to help me and she offered to go with me with the staff person never showed up. Many people were in this airport in wheelchairs or with small children. There is remodelling in process so hopefully this problem is being addressed.

This airport needs a lot of upgrades. I flew here from Houston in the summer of 2012 on United and was disappointed. We came 2 hours before our flight and ended up sitting for 1.5 hours in the dull cramped up concourse with absolutely nothing to do. There is about 4 food options in the concourse in terminal 1. I would not recommend this airport for many reasons. It is very dull and crowded with nothing to do.

This international airport is growing fast and is very crowded and under construction. The lines at US customs are very long. Our party had 1.5 hrs to make a 7.05 am. connection but missed it due to the slow customs process which had only 3 officers for US citizens. One other employee seemed to enjoy telling passengers who asked if anything could be done to help them make their connections 'Probably not'. Finally he called out 2 or 3 connecting flights but only a handful got to the front of the line. The current state of affairs makes a strong case for an upgrade to Global Entry expedited clearance. If you don't travel often enough to justify the premium avoid this point of entry.

Spirit gates are old dirty congested and lack any comfort. Customs/immigration is a "keystone cop" operation. Security is cramped outdated and lacks customer service.

I've never been in such a dirty airport with very little facilities. The air was thick and things didn't seem to circulate properly. The ceilings are very low for a place where hundreds of people are breathing walking and causing friction in the pathways. The gate we stayed at had minimal facilities between convenient store/food areas. I would absolutely not recommend this for transit and am actually recommending people not to go here if they can help it.

I have traveled all over the world and come into the US in almost every entry point and never have I had to wait over 2 hours to go though customs. What an embarrassment that they can not get US citizens in to their own country with competence. The line for visitors was less than an hour. There we're children screaming and crying. Not a single announcement about delays or the time it was taking.

Terminal 3 arrival and departure. Easy enough to get to consolidated car rental facility. Easy return as well as well marked for each car company. Security a breeze (late afternoon departure) with many open lanes. Be warned there is little in the concourse (US Air/American) so bring anything you need. Seating areas were fine but limited eating and areas with snacks and only 1 bathroom for the entire concourse.

Arrival is painless but departing is the complete opposite. Very cramped check-in area and security is an absolute disaster. If you arrive before 10.00 am they only have two security desks open despite the hundreds of people lined up to get to their departure gates. Air side there are very few amenities. Overall not a great experience.