Mumbai Airport

My wife and I had the great misfortune to fly from Delhi to Mumbai arriving in the Domestic Terminal transferring to the International Terminal. Fortunately we had 4 hours between flights and had our luggage checked through to London - we just made it to the connecting flight. In the Domestic Terminal you wait in long lines for busses then it ambles around the airport. I have seen many airports around the world and this was hands down the worst!

Experience at this airport depends very much on when your flight gets there. At peak times its a nightmare compared to other international airports. Attitude of security staff is improving but still far from an acceptable standard. Prices in the terminal are very high. They used to have a public phone to make a free local call but that has now been withdrawn. The wi-fi didn't work. At busy times the narrow exit from the airport gets blocked by a very long queue to what appears to be the sole counter for pre-paid taxis. I could just about cope with this airport but it doesn't do justice to the international city it serves - that said eagerly looking forward to the 'new' terminal being built.

Getting better. The international terminal has undergone extensive reservation. When arriving at 22.30 (before most other international flights arrive) there were no queues and immigration took less than 5 mins. Baggage took another 20 mins to arrive. They have removed all touts and sellers from the outside area which is now much more convenient and empty. Hotel car awaited me just outside the terminal with only a short walk to the garage. Similar experience on departure. No big crowds and efficient check-in passport and security check. BOM now has some shopping facilities and restaurant worthy of an international airport. With all these changes it is now a much more pleasant airport to travel through.

Horrible experience on way to BKK from LHR and again on return journey. I flew with Jet Airways. Transfer passengers have to go through security checks again however the whole operation seems to be being run by a group of cub scouts. Different queues for gender and airline however they seem to constantly be closing and opening certain metal detectors and no one working who seems to know what is going on. You can think you are next to go through and then a whole group either push in front of you or are pushed in front of you by staff. Passengers have to leave hand luggage unattended for long periods of time after reaching the baggage inspector while they join a second queue for the metal detectors and a stern frisk. Jet staff not helpful in explaining what was going on. Duty free staff sit in huddles lazily gossiping while your transaction takes even longer. Once at the gate up to 4 different people stop you in the same corridor to inspect boarding pass. Suppose it keeps people in jobs. Not a single set of manners between anyone we encountered.

The Arrival was alright. We got out pretty fast it was surprising to have to check luggage at X-ray before leaving the airport. The departure was a mess for everything: for showing ID to get inside the building while queuing at check-in at immigration passing first security check at boarding gate and again scanning luggage between boarding gate and plane. The fact that the airport has no single ATM after immigration service is a problem it is impossible to buy anything as non-Indians cannot pay with Indian Rupees in the terminal - not to mention that Duty Free seems more expensive than buying things outside the Airport. BOM was a very bad experience.

This airport is a complete disaster. Unorganized uncoordinated. Have used this airport at least a dozen times and each time it is getting worse. On arrival you spend an hour for immigration and then a couple of hours before you find your luggage. In my most recent trip the luggage belt tripped 10 times. The luggage belts are very small probably good for the number of passengers coming out of a plane smaller than 737. But still for 747s and 777s they are using the same small luggage belts. Air conditioning is at its worst. For departing passengers the long lines start outside the building. You will spend around 3 to 4 hours in different lines before you are able to arrive at the boarding area again to find that there is no space to sit until boarding announcement is made. It seems that most of the airlines' ground staff do not know a system of organized boarding for travellers with infants or old people and business / first class. In short you spend a lot of time and energy on both arrival and before departure.

The airport itself and its staff are awful. The security is arcane and unfriendly all bags are thoroughly searched even though I was coming from Heathrow and going on to Bangkok. They still give out tags for all bags for no reason any of us can fathom. The smoking section is at the back of a restaurant and the staff there try to bully you into buying over-priced drinks. The WiFi didn't work the seats were uncomfortable the staff in the shops knowingly and very obviously over-charged in currencies other than rupees. An airport I'll try to avoid at all costs in the future.

Transiting through Mumbai from Heathrow to Hong Kong and back was a horrible experience. Extensive screening by abrupt staff no communication as to what was happening. Three times my carry on bag was put through the scanner with no explanation as to why. Waiting times were bad with seemingly no rhyme or reason to the organised chaos. I would never go via Mumbai again.

Mumbai Airport was the worst experience in any Airport. They split us up into male and female for security then throw everyones stuff together in one tray (they only had one tray). I could have taken anyone's personal belongings at the other side they were out of sight for over 5 mins. They kept hold of one of our bags and made us wait with a crying 2 year old for 20 mins and refused to tell us what the problem was. Turned out there was a lighter in my bag! Airport is dirty the buses are dirty.

Arrived in Mumbai recently from Bangkok on my way to Ahmedabad immigration was quick as was luggage off the belt. Went through customs without any hassel however that's when everything went bad. Went to the transfer area to get to the domestic terminal (was flying on with Air India) waited 45 minutes for the bus it was filthy and already full. Arrived at the domestic terminal went to find the Air India check in desks only to find them deserted. I found an Air India office where a very helpful gentleman told me that my particular flight departed from the International terminal. The man actually came with me as the security people did not want to let me re-transfer. Got on the dirty crowded bus again after a security check-then on to the International Terminal. Eventually checked in and being a domestic flight was able to by-pass Immigration and customs but not security so I had my 5th security check of the day. Got to the gate and they called the flight and guess what? we were put on a bus where we were taken to a plane at the domestic airport-what an absolute debacle!