A very pleasant experience (Bristol International Airport (BRS))

Member Name: lyndsey1989

Product:	Bristol International Airport (BRS)
Date:	01/08/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Staff

Disadvantages: Lack of shops

Recently booking a holiday to Italy we discovered we could infact fly from Bristol which is much closer to our home than Gatwick where we had previously flown from. I was a little wary to start with simply because it is a rather small airport but I was very impressed with the airport itself.

The airport is situated just 8.6 miles outside of the centre of Bristol and therefore takes around 15 minutes by car. There is a bus service from the centre of Bristol which runs every 15 minutes and costs just £9.00 return. We drove because we live about an hour away from Bristol.

The airport offers secure car parking which is of a reasonable price when compared to other airports. Currently there is an online offer of 8 days car parking for just £29. We paid around £35 for 8 days car parking in July. You pay before arrival and must ensure you take your credit or debit card that you used to pay with you to the airport. Upon arrival, you insert your card and then the barrier will open and let you in. The car park is rather large and you pick your own space. The sections of the car park are clearly labelled so it is easy to find your car when arriving home. There is a free bus service which runs to the entrance of the airport every 10 or 15 minutes, this is clean and of a high quality standard.

Dependent upon your flight you will need to arrive either 2 or 3 hours before departure in order to check in for your flight. The check in desks are easy to navigate and the lines for flights were moving quickly. I found the staff to be very polite and helpful.

Once checked in you need to go through security with your hand luggage and then you are free to look around the shops or get something to eat until you need to board your flight.

The airport is relatively small so there is not a great deal to offer and please do bear in mind the time of your flight as overnight the majority of shops close. There are at least 3 different places to eat including a Burger King and a bar which all sell food at reasonable prices. Shops at the airport include WH Smith, Superdrug, Fashion Gallery and Claires.

When it is time to board your flight you will be either taken by bus to your plane or asked to walk, depending on the distance. This was a very easy process and all staff were kind, polite and helpful.

Upon arrival back into the UK, our passports were checked very quickly as we only had to wait around 2 minutes, the suitcases took less than 5 minutes to collect and we were quickly on our way again.

I found Bristol airport to be pleasantly suprising. It was very clean and all fixtures were of a very high standard. All staff were well presented, polite, friendly and eager to help regardless of the time of day. The variety of shops was a little disappointing but with only a couple of hours to burn it was sufficient.

I would certainly fly from Bristol again due to the easiness of it.

Summary: Great local airport