Malaga airport arrivals and departures

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Pamela1
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Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Pamela1 » Tue Sep 07, 2021 11:03 am

Just to let people know who may be travelling that there are long queues when arriving in Malaga and when departing. I would allow at least 3 hrs for departing. I know some people have missed their flights. Ryanair had 5 flights all checking in at the same time in one massive queue, it took us an hour to get through it, then there is the queue at passport control which i admit wasn't so bad on this occasion but it was a nightmare on our previous visit. You just never know how mad or easy it will be until you hit the airport.

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Wicksey
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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Wicksey » Tue Sep 07, 2021 12:12 pm

If you only have hand luggage (and you've paid to have it on board with you) presumably you don't need to check in, but go straight to security. Sounds like another reason not to go to the UK! I see there were huge delays at Heathrow again at the weekend too. All seems very disorganised as you'd think they'd want to process and get people through asap rather than have them all jammed together in a small area.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Pamela1 » Tue Sep 07, 2021 1:20 pm

Some people who had hand luggage went straight through security, their paper work was checked at the boarding gate holdiing up boarding.I also noticed some were doing their passenger locator forms as they stood in the check in queue, why can't people get themselves organised!.
When i did my antigen test at the airport 2 days before i was due to leave i noticed the queue wasn't half as bad as it was at the beginning of July, so that was a plus and i was in and out within 30mins as was the rest of my family.I think many people are now buying a test which you can do in your accomodation, i think you have to use your phone and take a video or photo (not sure) then submit the result.Young people are comfortable with that method and just get on with it which saves them time having to find a test centre.
It's amazing how unorganised or how uninformed some people are though, one man didn't even know he needed a test, he missed his flight and asked me if he got a test done there and then if he would be able to fly later that day..I told him to get in the test queue and he would get the result within 30mins, he had no idea about anything.
It's a palava with one thing and another and i long for the day without all the extra hassel but it won't stop me from travelling, it's either that or stay at home.

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Wicksey
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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Wicksey » Tue Sep 07, 2021 1:43 pm

I think I would get the test done locally before travelling. If we ever get to the Canaries I know of a local chemist that is open 7 days a week and quickly and cheaply does it. At least with an internal flight there's only security to contend with then the gates are just to the right without having to go through passport control which saves so much time. Vueling say they will check vaccine/test papers when boarding.

To think that we used to moan about the extra security and all the palava with little bottles of stuff (when you only have hand luggage), but now it seems like chaos and madness. Perhaps outside the main school holidays it may be a bit quieter.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby olive » Tue Sep 07, 2021 2:01 pm

Dropped our visitor off on Sunday evening at Malaga. Dropped off at Express parking then out and round to the longer term parking next to Express. Round and down past car hire paaking. Noticed the gap in the fence between that road andthe taxis / and arrivals had been repaired and reinforced! No more nipping through and getting into a waiting car on the yellows!

Had intended to have a coffee with our departing visitor but no non travellers allowed inside.Another Covid change for the worse. Ideal jaja

No hold ups for our visitor going through security.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby katy » Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:05 pm

According to UK news today there was a 5 hour wait at Malaga for arrivals Sunday. Spanish passengers caught up in it too. Photo in Express.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Free at Last » Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:47 am

We flew out of Malaga to Rome on 9th September and back to Malaga from Pisa yesterday evening. Our outbound flight was a morning one, Malaga was not really busy and of course ours was a Schengen area flight so no passport control involved, and we only had cabin luggage so went straight to security where there was no queue at all, we were through security within 15 minutes of getting out of our taxi and walking through Departures. Our EU digital Covid certificates and Italian PLFs were not checked by staff at the Ryanair boarding gate, although we did have them to hand, they only looked at our boarding passes and passports for ID. At Rome Fiumicino there was no-one to check the Covid certificates or PLFs we just walked straight through (exactly the same thing happened last year at Amsterdam Schiphol).

I thought Pisa airport might be quieter on the return leg, being a smaller airport, but no such luck. It is certainly smaller than Malaga, but it was really busy. There was a bit of a queue for security but didn't take too long to get through. There was nowhere near enough seating in the departure gates area for all the passengers though, especially with a percentage blocked off for social distancing (a lot of flights departing within a short time of each other) and there was a 50 minute delay on our flight which didn't help. This time staff at the Ryanair departure gate did check that we had our EU Covid certificates and Spanish PLFs and on arrival in Malaga there were staff just before the exit who checked everyone's PLFs and Covid forms, there was no queue for that and it was very quick. We both received an email immediately afterwards saying Welcome to Spain and giving information about what to do if we should experience any Covid symptoms in the next few days.

Both flights were almost full and there was no shortage of tourists in either Rome or Florence although it wasn't as crowded as it would have been in normal times but that was no bad thing as far as we were concerned. Our Green Pass was scanned on the train journey between Rome and Florence but not on the shorter rail journeys we took, and the certificates were also scanned if we wanted to eat inside a restaurant. They were pretty strict about mask wearing and many times we saw staff in shops telling customers to put one on if they forgot and tried to enter without one, as did the police at railway stations. Like Spain, we didn't have to wear them outside unless in a very crowded area.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:51 am

I wonder if anyone can offer advise on this.
Arrived Malaga Airport yesterday for 11.50 flight at just after 9am
Joined Easyjet queue for checked in bag that had items that cannot pass security.
By around 10am am it was clear if i stayed in queue the flight be missed as still security and passport checks.
I got a friend to call and keep the offending bag for a later time...

Should i complain and to who... have the airlines no duty when it comes to time if we do not go priority...
The priority was also slow so i expect people on both may have missed flights...

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Manchesteral » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:19 am

I think it will be a while (some years) before people finally understand that the airline companies are not friends of the consumer. They do not care how long you wait in a queue or if miss your flight. They already have your money because you paid up front so in a word NO they don't have a duty to you or anyone else.
Until the airline industry is decimated and a new travel model created this will continue, if people are prepared to be treated this way then they deserve it (this is the view of Michael Ryan and the rest of the airline companies) do yourselves a favour and forget about travelling unless locally by bus and buy yourself some nice new things (you can get a nice Saville row suit for 2500/300)
If you do decide to travel by air i would offer 2 suggestions (1) be prepared to be ripped off and generally disrespected by the people who have taken your money, (20) don't moan about it because you've already been told beforehand, what will happen !!

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:29 am

I am not moaning, i am saying what happened and asking for opinion... I am reasonably happy with the way things are and wanted people who had experience of this to advise if i should do anything or just leave it...

I get the impression from your post you have never being at an Airport or in an Aeroplane so i cannot understand why you rant on about something you seem to know nothing about...

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Manchesteral » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:48 am

Cadiz, in response to your post I will say, I am now approaching 71 years of age, during the last 40/45 years I have travelled very extensively, often 5/7 times per year and often long haul.
I know for sure that I Have travelled much more than the average air traveller so I can assure you that I am very aware of what goes on there !

My tongue in cheek post (which you failed to spot) was highlighting the fact that almost everyone in the world is now aware of what can or is likely to happen when travelling by air, so why do it then complain afterwards when one already knows what can happen!

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:54 am

SORRY i did not pick up on that... i will head out for the suit...

Best regards me....

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:45 am

Cadiz,i can understand your frustration, it used to be that they had separate check-in desks for each flight, now they just bunch them all into one, there lies the problem and it's not like they don't know it...At least they used to prioritise and call passengers forward to the front who were going out on the very next flight but i noticed on my last two trips that they don't even bother to do that now.....It's chaos and disorganised, not just at check in but also at border control where we also felt we could miss our flight,the queue was horrendous,there was only one border control desk in operation...The loudspeaker was calling out about social distancing and there we all were bunched up in a queue, exactly the same when it came to boarding. It's a farce.
Most of us just moan and leave it, probably because in the end we are glad we just got home and most people have come to learn that no matter what, covid will be used as an excuse for the situation.
Airlines need to tread carefully, they don't need bad press on top of the past 18months and the media could easily add to their problems and dig their teeth in to an already decimated travel industry..however i guess until people stop accepting the covid excuses and start throwing in their complaints they have very little reason to change.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:53 am

Thanks for comments.
I will likely make a complaint to both Malaga Airport and to EasyJet in the coming days... I just wanted to sound-out the views here in advance of this....

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby elusive » Sat Sep 18, 2021 2:27 pm

Easy jet will now how many passengers they have therefore how many check ins need opening at a given time. If there was a lack of open checkins then i would complain to easy jet. Probably prefer to keep staff furloughed or not re hire .

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:17 pm

Know what you are saying Elusive but Ryanair had 4 check in desks open...what happened to the common sense of separate queues for lets say Manchester , Birmingham etc as they used to be, this problem started before covid but has become worse because of checking the covid extra information at the desks and when everyone is bunched into the same queue no wonder they are missing flights.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:39 pm

elusive wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 2:27 pm Easy jet will now how many passengers they have therefore how many check ins need opening at a given time. If there was a lack of open checkins then i would complain to easy jet. Probably prefer to keep staff furloughed or not re hire .
Personally i think this is more a matter for Airport management as all Airlines need to fulfill whatever i assume when they are given landing slots.
I will ask what is considered an appropriate time for baggage drop and see what they say.
My understanding is that the advise in the past was be at the Airport 2 hours before departure for Europe, 3 hours other flights. I will ask to confirm what the current time.
I think the Airport should be in a position to give this information and ask the Air carriers to comply. If enough people make Airports aware of this it will be fixed.
If EasyJet and other airlines have not enough people the Airport management need to be made aware of this...

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:50 pm

Pamela1 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:17 pm Know what you are saying Elusive but Ryanair had 4 check in desks open...what happened to the common sense of separate queues for lets say Manchester , Birmingham etc as they used to be, this problem started before covid but has become worse because of checking the covid extra information at the desks and when everyone is bunched into the same queue no wonder they are missing flights.
I just wonder if people have missed flights because of this as if this is the case Malaga Airport management need to be made aware of this.

I read an article recently where people missed flights because of delays at security (Dublin) I read The Airport management company needed to buy flights because it was their fault....

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:20 pm

Yes i know personaly of 3 people who missed their flights because of the queue at check in and also at border control..They were people who had attended my sons wedding in Granada, paid for a taxi the next morning to take them from Granada direct to Malaga airport.They got there 3hrs before departure, they had to pay for a later flight, they have lodged a complaint and it is ongoing.

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Re: Malaga airport arrivals and departures

Postby Cádiz » Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:45 pm

I assume they making complaint on E261... The airlines usually kick these to touch if they can... if the flight was not delayed they need to be at gate in time...
i think Airport management should be made aware of this and also they may help in confirming the check-in delay on the given day...


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