Our Review of Barcelona Airport

Our Review of Barcelona Airport

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience.

In this Guide,our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and may be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of Barcelona Airport

PROS

Location: Barcelona Airport is conveniently located about 12 km southwest of the city center, making it easily accessible. It serves as a gateway to Catalonia and is well-connected to the city by road and public transport.

Modern and Clean Facilities: The airport is known for its modern facilities, including a wide range of shops, restaurants, and lounges. It caters to both business and leisure travelers with amenities like VIP services and conference rooms.

European Connectivity: It offers a good range of international (european) and domestic flights, being a hub for airlines like Vueling. The airport has direct flights to some major cities around the world.

Efficiency: The airport is known for efficient baggage handling and relatively short waiting times at security checks, when not in peak seasons.

Accessibility: Offers straightforward access from the city center, with a variety of transport options including the metro.

Spacious Design: The design and spacious layout of the airport have been well-received, offering a comfortable and pleasant environment for passengers.

CONS

Capacity Constraints: Despite recent expansions, during peak travel times, the airport can get quite crowded, leading to longer wait times and a potentially stressful experience. The political disagreement between administrations makes a short-term solution not possible.

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 not connected: Passengers should be aware that Terminals 1 and 2 are not interconnected post-security, necessitating the use of shuttle buses for terminal transfers, which may add to transit times.

Public Transport Connectivity: Although various transport services are available, the frequency and convenience of public transport to and from the airport might not meet the expectations set by other major European airports.

Seasonal Overcrowding: The airport experiences substantial congestion during tourist seasons, resulting in longer queues and a more chaotic atmosphere.

Limited Long-Haul Connectivity:Compared to other European airports, Barcelona Airport offers fewer international long-haul destinations and is not as significant a hub for global airlines.

Poor Dining Options in non-Schengen area: The selection of dining options, particularly in the non-Schengen area post-security, has faced criticism for being limited and overpriced.

Immigration Queues: Extended waiting times at immigration have been a significant issue, with some reports of delays lasting several hours.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

- There are two terminals: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. It is not possible to walk between terminals, and sometimes the connection between them is not optimum. Be aware of which terminal your flight departs from.

- Transport to and from Barcelona: Barcelona Airport is connected through metro, train, public bus, taxi, Aerobús, and transfer services. There are many options to go from the airport to the city center, but plan accordingly if you arrive after midnight, as there are fewer connections. One of the most reliable ways is the Aerobús, but a taxi or transfer are great options too.

- Check-in Areas: Check-in areas in Barcelona Airport are located just inside the main buildings at the terminals.
Terminal 1: The check-in area is located on the third level (Departures). It is a very spacious area with all the airlines together. Security control is just at the end of the check-in area.
At Terminal 2, check-in is on the ground floor, entering T2B. Security control is located upstairs.

- You will find the Sky Center in Terminal 1: a plaza with shops and a wide selection of restaurants and cafeterias airside to choose from. From there, you can walk to your gate.

- Barcelona Airport is a family-friendly airport: there are children’s play areas, child seats, lactation areas, and separate family check-in areas in both terminals.

- You can choose your preferred lounge from the 5 different options located throughout the airport. Expect to find food, refreshments, and a nice seating area while waiting for your flight.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Annual Passengers Evolution

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Barcelona Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Barcelona Airport (last month)