Santiago De Chile Airport

The airport is great. The only problem is that there is no proper WiFi only that at shops and bars. There is a great variety of stores.

For ground transportation on arrival as you leaver the customs area you see booths for ground transport but they are not the ones for the airport buses to the city centre. The airport buses wait outside in road but there was no signage to say so. I found a double-deck Tur bus waiting outside. Service was both cheap and comfortable. You pay the driver. LAN business class lounge at SCL was fine. Had to wait 30 mins for a shower but it was very good when I got to use it.

Beware leaving the airport there are people in uniform who approach you and try to "help" you onto your connecting flight usually with the line "Are you on the connecting flight to Concepcion?" to which you panic and think there is some problem with your flight. Almost fell for it when he asked for my boarding card and helped me with my bags. They basically want to take you to the third floor (departures) and show you where to go for money. Don't fall for it - just walk out confidently veer left towards the silver lifts and go on up to the third floor. Don't be fooled by a uniform and friendly manner. Unless of course you don't mind tipping them and want the help.

This was our second trip through here this year and both times we chose to stop overnight on arrival from Australia. We found the immigration queues not too bad and this time had carry on baggage only but had to queue for ages to get through quarantine check. On departure this time we got caught by long lines at passport control and nearly missed our flight. It took 30 minutes to check in and over an hour to clear passport check. Thankfully security check was fine and ended up at the gate 10 minutes before departure time. ( we weren't the last to arrive!) our departure was morning and couldn't find anywhere with any sort of breakfast sceptics a very expensive buffet which was too much. Only other alternative seemed to be toasted sandwich or muffin.

I have been through this airport many times in the last few years. Overall I would it fair to good. Arriving international is usually ok as other travellers noted: if you hold a Canadian American Australian or Mexican passport you will have to pay the entry fee in a different line before proceeding to immigration. Lines are generally fast in the morning but can be slow in the afternoon. Immigration and customs officials are usually relaxed with the exception of plant/animal goods. If you are unfamiliar with Santiago I would recommend getting a taxi just before you exit the baggage claim area. Departing can be a little different. Depending on when you depart you can expect to wait. Check-in will be long in the early weekday morning and sometimes in the afternoon. If you are departing internationally you will again have to go through immigration. Again they are quick but it can take 20 min. If you are departing domestic security is lax but can be very long on weekday mornings due to high volume. International gate side has a decent selection of restaurants and shopping although expensive. Domestic side has a few stores and not as many places to eat. Overall the airport is clean and bright. Signage is good and easily visible. You can usually find quiet areas to relax if you have a long layover.

I must echo the traveller who mentioned the problem with immigration line vs tax line. We had exactly same experience we were the first group off our plane holding USA passports in hand and airport employees waved us all into immigration line 20 mins later we noticed the other line for tax payment off to the left with 2 windows open (we knew we had to pay tax so had been looking for where to pay it). Had to leave immigration line spend 25 mins in tax payment line then started over in the immigration line. Spent another 30 mins getting through that line and we were the last of our flight to pick up our baggage. Very bad initial impression. Good news was we noticed the VIP taxi kiosk before we exited and quickly got a taxi paid for and skipped the chaos outside the doors.

Four months after the big earthquake that hit Chile Santiago airport still looks with several works in progress. Although al main functions are OK inside some parts of the terminal looks a bit aged and need to be modernized mainly in the arrival section. Overall the airport remains as one of the best in the region.

Our flight was from Seattle to The Falklands with Santiago being a two day layover. The LAN Chile flight from Santiago to the Falklands was direct and we were a group of tourists scheduled to meet a ship going to Antarctica. Out of our group one passenger's hand luggage and another's suitcase - mine went to Ushiuia Argentina instead the Falklands and we faced a six week polar trip without our important gear. Counting in the check-in and check-out times we went fourteen hours without any significant meal. I was glad I still had a chocolate bar. My advice is to wear everthing you've got even if it means two bras and four underpants. On a second trip the Santiago customs agents confiscated smoked fish and jam from the luggage.

A first class airport with one major exception. The line for paying the airport tax is not clearly marked and 90% of passengers go through the entire immigration line only to find that they have to go to another line first to pay the tax. The tax line usually has only 1 or 2 windows open so it takes forever then you have to do the immigration line all over again! There are airport employees herding people through the immigration line but they do not warn passengers that they have to pay the tax first. I was first off the plane but ended up one of the last to leave the airport.

A modern clean somewhat austere business-oriented airport. Virtually no place so sit in the cavernous check-in hall. There are several kiosks for various airlines though not for all. For some (eg Avianca) you need to ask or know to walk to the 4-story office building next door. Very few dining options outside of security. For any shopping at all you need to wander over to the domestic wing where there are some small stores including a pharmacy. Saw no central location for info on transportation options into Santiago. There are two different companies offering busses but you need to talk with both to get full info on prices and options on where you can go. New Holiday Inn across from the terminal is a bit pricey but nice and offers an alternative if somewhat expensive dining option.