Heraklion Airport

Heraklion airport has been a busy international airport for over 25 years and apart from increasing in size it has not been updated at all. It is expensive the hire car parks are almost impossible to find unless you have been given strict instruction and dangerously situated across a busy road. The rest rooms have not been updated in over 25 years when I was a rep for a UK holiday company making the job of the hygiene staff difficult and often quite impossible. It is very disappointing when one realises how many people pass through its doors annually leaving large amounts of money not to even install new toilets that flush!! Is that too much to ask in the 21st century? However I have to give credit to the check in staff even under huge pressure and a sea of people they are quite efficient. As a hotelier on the island I hear comments about the two airports and neither are flattering. Food for thought for the powers to be maybe?

Heraklion is the worst airport I have been to! Arrival was ok luggage belts a mess but finally we got our things. Departure was the horror! Besides the temperature the airport was packed with people with literally not a centimeter space between each other and their luggage to walk trough. To get from one counter to the other we had to leave the airport building at one exit to enter it at another! There were no proper signs nobody to ask! Finally other passengers told us where the x-ray for the luggage is. That's a scandal I am sorry! A passenger has really to queue 4 times minimum until reaching the plane. First you queue at the check in (if you are lucky: in the building) then you queue at the x-ray (so you finally have found it and could get rid of your bags) then you queue at the passport control and then you queue at the security check. Then you reach a completely overcrowded waiting area with one duty free (where we bought some wine and oil and the cashier graciously handed us a plastic bag - not even thinking about making any extra effort to put the goods into the bag - I had to do it on my own - that's real service congratulations). We found two really friendly people helping us the rest was either arrogant bored annoyed or overstrained. This airport is a service desert! Crete was nice but our holiday mood was gone that moment entering this airport. Improving this fully underdimensioned airport would cost a fortune - true but I don't see any will for change at all reading the comments dating back to 2004. There is not enough space for everything but clear and correct signs are not expensive. More and competent personnel should also be no miracle to find as so many are working in the tourism industry.

Had no problems at all with arrivals baggage came quickly However departure was a disaster. We had my partners parents with us who are both in there eighties. Check in was bad enough but it then took 2.5 hours to get through security control. The main system keeps calling your flight but there were a couple of hundred people in front of you trying to get through passport controls. We managed to find seats for my partners parents thanks to the kindness of other passengers. This is the worst airport we have ever flown from which is a shame because Crete is lovely. Would not return until they sort it out

Having read other reviews on Heraklion Airport it was with some worry that we approached the arrivals area. No need to worry at all - the luggage arrived quickly and on the belt designated. Departure went smoothly a week later but the public address system is not efficient or loud enough to be helpful.

Arriving from London our luggage did not arrive at the carousel but was in another hall on the wrong belt. Departure was bedlam - no order queues going all over the place and security a joke. Chania airport is far more pleasant but has less flights to and from the UK. The fairly new Athens Airport is (in my experience) excellent. Why can the Greeks not improve Heraklion which is used as a gateway into the truly wonderful island of Crete.

Without a doubt the worst airport I have been to. Once through security (which is a bit of a joke given the number of people all jostling to get through) you come out into what can only be described as a huge bus terminal-style waiting room. There is one yes ONE departures screen way up high and absolutely NO airport staff available to answer questions if your flight is not shown. The facilities are dirty and food and drink is unbelievably expensive. I went into the gents and then turned around and walked out again deciding to 'hold it' until we got on the plane. Crete is a wonderful holiday destination but Heraklion airport really lets it down. It is the pits.

On arrival the carousel has luggage from several flights it's a free for all. Heraklion is the dirtiest airport I have been to - toilets are horrid and smelly cafe is alongside the smoking area so nicotine is in abundance with your snack! Going home you queue to check in your luggage and get boarding passes you then have to queue again in another area with your suitcase and put it through the x-ray security after that they finally take the hold luggage off you. Then you have to queue again in another area to go through security with your hand luggage and go through passport control. Crete is a beautiful island but Heraklion airport is something else it desperately needs replacing with something 21st century. I felt sorry for the aged and disabled trying to get through this dire airport.

It is more user friendly when arriving/departing on internal flights - travel off season and the airport is a dream! The restaurant if very overpriced and the food is poor. If you have the misfortune to get delayed in the 'package' departure hall you can pass away the odd hour watching people negotiate the bottom step coming down from the duty free! Interesting to note that if you look like a rep (carry a clip board and where a name badge) you get 20% discount at the cafe bar!

Horrible airport. Arrival was OK we did not wait too long for baggage claim. Departure was just a nightmare. Queuing all over the airport in lines you could not identify counters used by staff that was unable to speak a single word English or German (flight went to CGN) and had to use a travel assistant to translate everything we said. Airport was horribly overcrowded. There was no space not a centimeter left. After we thought our baggage was checked in we were told to take it back go to another counter and have it x-rayed there. This never happened to me before and I have been flying quite frequently in my life. What a stupid organization. People around you were quite rushy. The security check is just a joke. I left all my jewelry and belt on had liquids in my bag but they just did not care. No one was interested we could have easily taken anything into security area. The "gates" are funny too. It is unbelievable how easily people manage to get out (for a walk?!) on the runway they probably search for their airplanes themselves. Flight was delayed we were not informed. There were two monitors in the whole hall one suddenly went out of order. The hall was overcrowded no place to sit very uncomfortable light no facilities to go to except for a duty free shop and a sandwich store and there was just not a single person feeling responsible for telling us something about our flight. It was not even orally announced delayed when it would have been time for boarding already. The staff controlling the tickets and letting the people walk outside the terminal to the planes seemed extremely swamped several planes were delayed by many hours there was one flight that had a delay of far more than ten hours. They were just unable (or unwillling?) to control who went outside the building. Most of the time staff was busy giving final calls for noshow passengers calling them again and again... and again. Up to ten times. TAfter all this chaos we found it quite surprising our baggage arrived with us in CGN we did not really expect them to manage this in HER.

Worst airport I've seen in Europe. Cramped badly designed half the size it needs to be for the number of departing passengers. Smoky to boot (airport staff standing next to the food counter checkout smoking).