Milan Malpensa Airport

Seems that after Alitalia left the airport is working better. Train connections have greatly improved still not enough shops open but still a great improvement since the old days.

I spent two weeks in northern Italy (Lake Como Venice Milan Turin and then Florence) and arrived to MXP. The airport is quite good the new common lounge has wonderful couches and the check-in during the return to France was fast. I used the rail link to Milan and the train was clean but it takes 40 minutes it should be improved. MXP is quite small so you don't have to walk a lot such as in other airports and it's really easy to navigate.

The airport is poorly connected with the city. The Malpensa Express leaves every 30 minutes and only does so from Terminal 1. On my way in I arrived on the platform as the doors were closing so I was sitting around for 30 minutes - on my way out I missed my train and had for fork out EUR85 for a taxi. Obviously the next time around I would take the bus but compared to other major international airports like JFK LHR etc the connections are sparse and the penalty for missing a train or bus can be quite costly.

Arriving from and departing to Shengen destinations you can avoid the immigration desks. However the airport is - despite its relative youth - quite dated in architecture and layout. For instance if you drive up and stop in front of the door identified by the LH logo you have to walk back 100 metres before you can find the LH check in area. Security check queues are unnecessarily long - how about opening a few more x-ray lanes (there are always four or five machines not in use). Next: the apron buses. You get called for boarding and spend (on my last trip) 20 minutes on board the bus before a driver appears and somewhat haphazardly drives you to your plane.

My wife and I arrived at Malpensa Terminal 1 on Singapore Airlines at 0630 hours. Our first overall impression of the arrival area was that this was hardly befitting the entryway to an international city. It looked old dated and most unwelcoming. Baggage arrival and security processing was quick although the young man at passport control carried out his duties in a surly peremptory manner. As we had time to kill before the Alibus journey to Stresa we seated ourselves in the main arrivals concourse until we noticed a gaping hole in the roof above us and what looked like timber planks overlapping it slightly so we moved. Later when the Alibus Office opened we asked for directions to the bus departure point. We were told to go to the Information booth nearby. The woman there excused herself saying that she was going for her morning coffee; this was okay by us. When she returned however she brusquely pointed to a nearby door and said that the buses were to be found through there. Normally we could have worked this out for ourselves but being tired and jetlagged we thought it better to ask for help. What upset us more was the offhand manner that these people displayed to two intelligent elderly people who were also polite and reasonable in their requests. The Alibus driver was similarly brusque and unhelpful in manner. However on arrival in Stresa and later throughout Italy we experienced much goodwill and as a consequence thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The lesson to be learned is that it costs nothing for frontline staff at an international airport to be polite and helpful despite the petty annoyances that foreign travellers may bring in their wake. Unfortunately first impressions are often lasting ones. It also makes good economic sense to treat individual travellers well rather than the "who cares there are many more to follow' kind of attitude.

The airport is user-friendly quite efficient good staff at security and it was also fast. It's spacious and fortunately it's not one of those horrible shopping mall I booked my trip with Lufthansa Italia and the girl helping passengers was very kind. MXP is a good airport for short connections because it's not so large as many other airports.

I commute between London and Milan each week. Malpensa is pretty bad. Everything about it is provincial. The buses from the airplanes to the terminals are a joke. When the doors of the buses open there is always a mad scramble to get to the two guys checking passports (when two planes land that's two guys checking passports for 300 people so one dodgy passport and it can take an hour). Once through the bags come through in an average amount of time. The exit hall is the fun bit though - there are many illegal cab drivers who crowd the exit asking you if you want a taxi and gently barring the way to the proper taxi rank. This is done with the active support of airport security. The first time I landed I thought these were the only taxis available and when I said I was looking for the bus stand they told me the last bus had gone (a lie) so I took the cab. Anyway 80 euros later I arrived in central Milan having witnessed the breaking of every traffic law on Earth. Still the illegal cab drivers are the only people in the airport who speak English. Even the bureau de change struggle - as far as I can see can only say 'no Euros left' in English (seriously I've tried them four times and on three occasions they have claimed to have no Euros left!) The Malpensa express is very reliable but only runs from terminal 1. You will need at least half an hour to get from terminal 2 to terminal 1 (by one unreliable bus) so beware of that. The train is slow but metronomic and reasonably comfortable. Make sure you stamp your ticket before getting on otherwise you risk a fine.

Arriving bags arrived fast for these historically bad airport for baggage handling. Checkin and security fast and good. Improved massively since AZ left and lets hope before any other big airline swoops into MXP that MXP airport expands in it's infrastructure within the airport. Let down was the new construction of short term parking and the new part of the terminal which has out short term parking in an awkward place. And the toilets! Get them sorted out - a disgrace!

I have used Terminal one 5-6 times in the past as others have said it has its shortcomings but I never felt it was too bad. Recently went to Terminal 2 for the first time: arrival not bad though getting on a bus when the terminal building was about 20 metres from the front of the aircraft is a bit frustrating. Departing was considerably worse: security was quick though that was where the efficiency ended. Not enough seats and limited food facilities. Worse followed though: we knew the flight was delayed by '45 minutes' (not the airport's fault it was foggy). We were then called to the gate about 30 minutes before 'departure' by a message on the screens ; after about 20 minutes we were told that we were at the wrong gate (and treated as if it was our fault) so we all went to the right gate where we stood for another 30 minutes before the aircraft arrived. We were then cleared to stand for a further 20 minutes before being allowed to board the aircraft it eventually left the stand 90 minutes after the scheduled time. I am not complaining about the delay bad weather in January is a hazard of flying but the airport must have known it was going to be much more than 45 minutes late a couple of hours in advance why did they not inform us? Also why did they have 100 people just standing around for well over an hour again they must have known - we could have shared the sparse seating. When will airport managers treat passengers as understanding human beings rather than units to be processed in ignorance whenever a problem arises?

After Paris CDG Malpensa is the worst big airport in Europe and it's slightly better than CDG only because since Alitalia's demise it has become relatively quiet which makes life more bearable. But this does not take away anything from the fact that this airport is badly designed badly constructed and even worse maintained. I am a KLM Elite customer and I speak fluently Italian so I usually get good service but every time I'm there I see how most 'common' and foreign people are treated like cattle (unfortunately typical of Northern Italy in general). One positive note: the Alitalia business lounge in the 'A' area has hardly any customers any more but still has a real Italian coffee bar so if you're on a Skyteam flight go there (the AF/KLM lounge is an embarrassment).