Travellers warned to avoid getting stuck in European airport named ‘most boring’

A major European airport has been named the worst to get stuck in in the Continent.

Going on holiday or travelling is normally always exciting, but when travellers get to their airport usually a few hours before their flight, a lot of boredom can kick in. Picture this – you just got to the airport and it is 4am. All you are dreaming of is a good coffee to take the edge off your tiredness. But instead of being greeted by fast wait times and a cosy café, you see a lengthy security queue and no sign of a coffee shop.

To try and help reduce airport dismay this summer, the travel experts at eurochange have revealed the airports with the best and worst pre-flight experiences in Europe. Analysing the 40 busiest airports across Europe, airports were scored for their number of flight delays, average security wait times, array of restaurants and shops, the cost of an airport lounge ticket, and even the presence of unique attractions.

Henri Coandă, Bucharest

At the bottom of the pile is Henri Coandă in Bucharest. The Romanian airport has been ranked as the most ‘boring’ airport on the Continent, it doesn’t get better when it comes to prices around the airport. An airport lounge ticket will set travellers back £40 per person making it the second most expensive in Europe for airport lounge tickets, behind Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

On review website Skytrax the airport has been awarded a meagre 3/10 from more than 100 reviews. One unhappy customer wrote: “This is the worst airport. There are no sitting areas at all. People sit on the floors, on rails, stairs. I had a business class ticket but because I arrived too early to the airport I couldn’t use the business class lounge Because the check in for my baggage was an hour before the flight! Shame on you! Total disappointment.”

Another joined in the kicking, adding: “I recently had an extremely disappointing experience. The airport was eerily empty, creating a rather unwelcoming atmosphere. But the real frustration began with the inefficiency in handling our luggage. It took them over an hour to offload our bags from the plane.

“This caused us to miss our connecting flight. Their lack of urgency and disregard for passengers’ schedules was appalling. The entire ordeal was not only time-consuming but also added unnecessary stress to our journey. I strongly advise travellers to consider other options if possible.”

A third wrote: “Horrible experience, long queuing times especially at security, and rude, unprofessional staff. Flying is already a stressful experience, every time I am at this airport it makes it an absolutely horrible experience. Would definitely not recommend, and a shame for anyone visiting Bucharest to have this as a first point of contact.”

Other travel airports named among the worst were Porto Airport in Portugal, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France and Warsaw Chopin airport in Poland. Bristol airport came 38th out of the 40 airports assessed, scoring zero for both kids attractions and unique attractions.