Glasgow International Airport (Glasgow International Airport (GLA))

Member Name: el_del

Product:	Glasgow International Airport (GLA)
Date:	23/06/02 (1362 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Transatlantic gateway to Scotland, Efficient, Clean

Disadvantages: Little European service

Glasgow International Airport is the largest airport in Scotland, and the gateway for transatlantic scheduled flights. It is run by the Scottish Airports offshoot of the British Airports Authority (who also run Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports).

The terminal was vastly extended in the early 1990's to provide an enlarged check-in area and a new international departure lounge and pier. Current work at the airport includes a new multi-storey car park with a covered link to the terminal building.


The airport is situated nine miles west of Glasgow City Centre. Access is via the M8 Motorway, junctions 28 or 29. There are short-stay car parks around the terminal building, and a long-stay car park half a mile away (connected by a courtesy coach). Car parks are operated by NCP.

There are bus services to the airport from Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow and from Edinburgh, and there is a taxi rank. At the moment, there is no rail service to Glasgow Airport (although the Scottish Executive and SPT plan to rectify this in the next decade), and so rail passengers must alight at Paisley Gilmour Street station and take a courtesy bus. The station is served by direct trains from Glasgow, Greenock and Ayr.

When arriving at the airport, there are two check-in locations. Passengers travelling with Airtours and Go should check-in at the St. Andrews Building (a glorified Portakabin) at the east end of the terminal complex. All other airlines check in in the main terminal building.

The check-in desks are directly opposite the entrance, in a pleasantly airy hall. This area can get quite busy when several flights go out at once, especially at the British Airways and Easyjet desks. Generally, though, check-in is a painless experience.

Once checked in, passengers must go upstairs to get to departures. The upper level is in two parts. If you go up the stairs near the entrance, you reach a waiting area with an amusement arcade and a
food court. (The car park bridge is going to make landfall here, and so this area is likely to change soon.) This is connected by a ramp to the other part of the upper level.

The other area is part of the old airport, and feels like it. This area houses the landside shops (WH Smith, Boots, a music shop, Tie Rack, a book shop, and various shortbread emporia), a McDonalds restaurant (the smell of which filters through the check-in hall), a Garfunkels bar/restaurant and a Costa Coffee outlet. There is also an information desk, and a chapel.

The airport has three departure (airside) areas, which are separate from each other. From the point of view of the Information Desk, Gates 1-4 are to the right, the domestic pier is straight ahead, and the modern international pier is to the left. I shall take each of these in turn:

Gates 1-4:
This is the departure point for flights to the Channel Isles, Ireland, and with Easyjet and Go. It is the smallest of the piers, and has virtually no facilities. There is only one metal detector and x-ray machine, so queues build to quite some length.

There are no airbridges on this pier, so all access to aeroplanes is by foot. This is especially confusing when two flights for the same airline (eg Go) leave at the same time through the same door.

Domestic Pier:
All other UK flights leave from this pier. The main airlines here are British Airways and bmi British Midland. This pier is better served, having two shops (a WH Smiths kiosk and a cut-down "duty free" shop) and a snack outlet. The best place to go is at the end of the pier, where the British Airways departure lounge is, because the facilities are concentrated here.

Most gates on this pier have airbridges, so you don't need to worry about your hair getting wet. The British Airways and bmi British Midland lounges are a little confusing, as they have multiple aircraft at the same numbered gate. Access to the aero
planes is via different doors.

International Pier:
As its name suggests, all international flights (except Easyjet flights to Amsterdam) depart from this pier. The most important thing to bear in mind when travelling from here is that the walking distances are surprisingly long (for a relatively small airport), and it may take you longer to get between the departure lounge and the gate than you would expect.

Although there are few international scheduled flights from Glasgow, and only one daily, year-round intercontinental flight (Continental Airlines to Newark), this area can get very busy. The busiest times come when several charter flights leave at once, even though this can be in the middle of the night.

The departure lounge is not filled with shops (as with the London airports), but the "duty free" provision is similar to the size of that in a large American airport. There is one "duty free" shop of moderate size, a small WH Smiths and a pub. If you want to buy a magazine, therefore, buy it before security.

Access to the aircraft is by a long walkway, and travelators are thoughtfully provided. Some gates have airbridges and some do not. Whether they are used depends on the airline. (For example, I have found that Britannia do not use the airbridges, even when they are available.)


Arriving at the airport is a very simple affair if you are coming from somewhere in the UK. You simply walk back down the pier where your aircraft has parked, down an escalator by Boots, and turn left to get to the baggage reclaim area. If the origin of your journey was outside the UK, but you have arrived in Glasgow in a connecting flight, your baggage will arrive on carousel 3, through the automatic doors. It is your responsibility to summon Customs officers in this case if you have anything to declare, as there are no Customs channels.

Arriving from an overseas origin is, naturally, a longer-winded af
fair. There is a wide, never-ending corridor, with (as I remember) no travelators, so if you're coming off an overnight transatlantic flight, it's a bit of a hike. (Easyjet passengers from Amsterdam have an even longer wait. Because that flight departs from Gate 3, and that pier has no immigration facilities, passengers must disembark onto the apron, and wait for a bus to take them to this point.)

The rest of the international arrivals procedure is fairly standard. There's a small immigration hall, in which I've only ever seen one lane open: the large non-European queuing area is distinctly underused. From here, it's through to baggage reclaim, which is dealt with speedily, then proper customs, and out into the real world.

Leaving the airport is much the same as arriving at it. You can catch a bus, which should have you in the city centre in 20 minutes, or you can get a taxi. Notably at the airport, you can only hire a private-hire "white" taxi. These can vary greatly in quality, and you may want to telephone for a Black cab. These are not allowed to stop at the airport taxi rank, so, when leaving the airport, you must cross the lane of traffic for drop-off, and wait on the traffic island. The precise location is mentioned when ordering the taxi.

If you want to stay at the airport, there are many hotels to suit your needs. The best hotel on-site, and closest to the terminal, is the Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport. This 1960's hotel was originally a Forte Excelsior, then a Forte Crest, and finally a Forte Posthouse, before its current incarnation. One can only expect that they have modernised and downgraded the interior accordingly.

Further from the terminal, though still within walking distance, are the Travel Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels. These were built a few years apart in the late 1990's, and provide cheap, comfortable accommodation.


Major airlines and some destinations: <
br>British Airways - Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Scottish islands
bmi British Midland - Heathrow, Copenhagen
Easyjet - Luton, Belfast, Amsterdam
Go - Stansted, Bristol, Belfast
American Airlines - Chicago (Summer only)
Contintental Airlines - Newark
Canadian - Toronto (on alternate days non-stop or via Manchester)


On the whole, I like Glasgow Airport. It is a good, but small airport, and it is mostly modern and clean. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the range of European services that Edinburgh has, and its transatlantic services have been cut in recent years. Nevertheless, if I had the opportunity to, I would always fly from here.

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