Expensive for a cheap airport! (Faro International Airport (FAO))

Member Name: a-rdavis

Product:	Faro International Airport (FAO)
Date:	16/10/02 (274 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nothing - Tell me if you find any!!

Disadvantages: Check-in, Prices, Tarmac & Runway

I went to Balaia near Albufeira in April 2002, so unfortunately I had to travel to Faro International Airport..... Not very impressive let me tell you now!

<<<CHECK-IN>>>
Check-in is situated really close to the car parks which is quite useful but there is a long stretch of check-in desks. I will admit ours was quite hard to find on our AIRTOURS INTERNATIONAL flight to Cardiff because it was right at the other end of the check-in area. The system itself isn't really that impressive compared to ours in Wales and I shall say for them it's also not very useful that the check-in assistants turn up half-hour late. Also you have to go straight through to departures which is behind the check-in desks insted of hanging around the main terminal area!!!

<<<DEPARTURES>>>
The departure lounge is really rubbish!!! and that's being honest. There is no area for planespotters to go and watch the planes land and take-off. There is only one restaurant where the queues are huge and a shabby little hot dog would set you back about £3, and a little coke suit for babies about £2.50, it's an utter, total disgrace.
In the duty-free area it's basically split in three parts.... ALCOHOL / TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CIGARETTES / TOBLERONE, and it's a 100% waste of money... for a big airport like Faro which handles millions of holidaymakers each year you'd expect much better facilities!!
If you're delayed in Faro god help you unless your under 4... there's NOTHING for young children over the age of 4, there's nothing for teenagers, there's nothing for adults, and nothing for OAP's. There's a little play area by the restaurant for kids under the age of 4 which basically consisits of a slide and a little thing holding it up!!!

<<<GATES>>>
This is the ONLY thing I could say that's good about Faro airport and that's getting out of there!!! The Gates have seats and you wi
ll be waiting there for approx. 25 minutes so make sure you get there first for a seat!!!

<<<ARRIVALS>>>
Well... the baggage reclaim is of the lowest standard. It took our bags about 40 minutes to get back off the aircraft, and I saw on the next luggage belt that two flights were sharing the same belt for heavens sake!!! Also the stupid baggage carts are situated at the other end of the area where you enter off the aircraft!!!!
The arriavls block is in the same as Departures which means you can get a little mixed up - also the airport have situated the car rental cars at the very rear of the airport... how dull can you get??????

<<<OVERALL>>>
Well, after all this you'd think there couldn't possibly be anything else wrong!! Well there is one last thing - Faro Airport has the worst runway & tarmac on the planet. The tarmac is like going over gravel or speed bumps... and the runway being the smallest in the world for an international airport isn't really usefel.
Take my advice... it may be a good drive from Faro but if your planning on making a journey to the Algarve, use Lisbon, Oporto, Ponta Delgada, or Costa De La Luz (Jerez). I shall certainly NOT be using Faro again until their services improve or unless I really, really have to!!!!

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