I have travelled to this airport several time over the last few years and must say there has been very little improvement. The airport is very old and needs a facelift.
Arrival: If lucky and the airport is not crowded on your arrival you can zip through immigration very fast. If crowded be prepared to spend at least 1 hr just to get through immigration. Baggage claim is also crazy and very slow for the bags to make their way to the baggage belt. There are a lot of money changers as you exit, all have the same rate so no need to shop around. Also, you are best to get a prepaid taxi and not take your chance going by the meter. The drivers may not be too honest when on the meter. Despite taking a pre-paid car the driver will still request that you pay the highway toll. A hotel car will cost about LKR 5,000 and higher, the pre-paid taxi will cost about LKR2,000 including the highway toll. Departure: They follow a very old system of having you x-ray your bags as you enter the airport, a sticker that is very hard to remove is then applied across the latches of your bag, what a pain!. Check-in is OK but the staff are really poorly trained and ask questions that they really do not need to be. Once through immigration you are in a departure area that has really nothing to do and very little place to sit. There are shops but the prices in the shops are seriously inflated. I saw prices of 30-50% higher than what is available in town and definitely far higher than you can buy in your home city. Nothing really worth buying in the airport. The lounge is pathetic and not worth stepping into. One hour before your flight you can then pass through security and make your way to your gate. Just a holding area, no toilets, just four walls. At least you are only at the gate for 30 minutes and then they start the boarding process. One good thing is there is free WiFi in the airport. ztraveller rating: 3/10
0 Comments
Koh Samui airport was a pleasant surprise. A very small one-runway airport, hut style terminal. The immigration is very easy and smooth, one belt for the baggage and very quick to be processed and out. Word of advise is to plan for your ground transportation in advance or on arrival at the transport counter. You will not be easy to get a taxi at the airport itself. On departure the process is as easy and quick. One international departure gate, duty free is good with lower than normal pricing. at the gate there is very little to do or eat. Best to do your shopping prior to check-in or even before getting to the airport.
ztraveller rating: 8/10 Flew from SIN to Wuhan, China on 9 April. Direct flight with SilkAir. Arrived in heavy rain and thought I hope the aircraft parks right at the gate! Unfortunately, no luck. We parked out ion the tarmac and had to walk down the ladder to a waiting bus. We were all completely soaked. No cover on the ladder, no cover for the walk to the bus. It is very hard to believe in this day we still have airports like this.
What was good? Well I was surprised to find that the immigration process was so quick and smooth. Given that it is a small airport, it was very efficient. There is only two baggage carrousels and the bags were already on the belt by the time I came out of immigration. Much faster than I expected. I hope the departure on the 13th will be as smooth. ztraveller rating: 6/10. Only this low because I was soaked. Landed at Changi on my return from Tokyo. Things at Changi Airport are almost always efficient. Yet, on the rare times that something goes wrong it seems it turns the entire system into chaos. Once I got of the aircraft and made my way to the immigration hall I was greeted with such a crowd that it right away lets you know that something in the system must be slowing down passenger processing. I went through the automated gates and the system seemed to be rejecting every third or fourth passenger. The line up to get through was long and the gate staff assisting looked overwhelmed and actually not at all responsive to assist those that found themselves stuck at the gate unable to get through and also unable to move back.
Baggage also took a lot longer to get out which is very rare. Waited almost 20 minutes, which for other airports would be super but for Changi is extremely slow. The taxi queue was also a mess, seriously long and not enough taxis coming. So when one thing goes wrong it seems to start a snowball effect at Changi. ztraveller rating: 5/10 I flew into and out of HND on my recent visit to Tokyo. For many years I would always fly into Narita until about two years ago. From the time I started flying through HND I have tried my best to always do so. HND is smaller and much closer to Tokyo which makes it very convenient. Easier and faster to get through immigration and customs both on arrival and departure. Plus it is so much closer to Tokyo, it takes only 30 minutes on the monorail and much cheaper too.
The ANA lounge is excellent. Very spacious, clean and the food is plenty. More than enough room for everyone to find a seat and the noise level is perfect. Duty free shopping at HND is also very good and the prices are better than other airports. Of course it depends on what you are looking for. ztraveller rating: 8/10 Airport is decent, on the small size. Check-in is smooth and efficient. The ASIANA lounge is OK but small and very limited options for food and drink. The toilet is in the same space and there is a very bad odor coming into the lounge area as a result. Security and immigration is very easy and no problem. Duty free selection is limited, so not the place to shop.
ztraveller rating: 5/10 This was the fastest I have ever been able to get through immigration at ICN. After almost 12 years of traveling to Seoul I have never had it better. From the time the aircraft doors opened till I was out and through customs was 40 min. Unbelievable! No line up at immigration and bags came out very quick.
Only negative was once I was out and had to take the bus. The ticket counter was empty and yet not even a smile or a hello from the ticket agent. OK, got my ticket and waited in line for the bus. As soon as the bus arrived forget the line it was free for all to get on. Baggage handler and driver also not even a smile or a hello. This is what the first impression is of the city and the people. ztraveller rating: airport 7/10 ztraveller rating: bus 4/10 Arrived into Taoyuan International Airport. Although a great airport, they need to improve how passengers are channeled through security and immigration both for arrival and departure, it can be a nightmare. Long queues for security and immigration, unbelievable! took 1 hr on arrival to clear immigration and took 45 min on departure to get through security and immigration.
Once inside the departure hall, things get better and better. Airport is well planned, shopping is great but on the expensive side. Duty free not such a cost savings. The airport has a tone of great restaurants for all budgets. Free internet is available in the airport with no limit on the time or usage. The EVA Lounge is wonderful. Very friendly and helpful staff. Lots of space to sit and the food and drinks selection excellent. What could be better is if there was a separate quiet area, as at times it can get very noisy in the lounge. Ztraveller rating: 8/10 |
My experiences traveling through various different airports. Lounges, immigration and customs, plus much much more.
|