Zakynthos Airport

Dont go in the toilets, they r dirty and smelly.. and u might just brake ur leg going down those stairs!

It wasnt that bad when i went a few weeks ago because there was only the one flight cheaking in. We had to wait at least half an hour to get our bags when we arrived there which was not nice as you are all cramped in this tiny room with only one tiny convaour belt and there are lots of flies. When we were coming home though we had to que outside [in the shade] but it was still blazing hot! Then when we got in we had to wait in a hot cramped lounmge we were lucky we got a seat! But DON'T let the airport put you off your holiday because Zante is such a lovley island with lovley friendly people!

I have been all over the world and Zante airport must be the worst.As long as you prepare yourself-hat,shades and a bottle of water there is nothing to do to make it more pleasant.I have been to Zante 4 times this year and am going again on 24.08.03 so it cant be that bad.If you can overlook the airport Zante is a wonderful place to go[it now feels like home to me].The people are wonderful,caring and generally genuine.

OH... MY... GOD!!!
Is Zakynthos airport real?
ARRIVALS:
Had to wait upwards of 2 hours for my luggage because there is one carousel and hundreds of hot unimpressed people cramped together also waiting for their stuff!!

what a great start to your relaxing holiday in Zante

DEPARTURE:
arrive at airport and get herded into your flight queue to check in baggage (1 hour) blistering heat no shade, put baggage through x-ray only to find baggage security is looking at the girl outside.. pointless!! queue at little longer at the check in desk and finally you have the bags sorted. PHEW! BUT OH NO... its not over yet! go to the back of the 200 yard queue for passport control (2 hours) blistering heat little shade, eventually go through passport control only to find your passport isnt even looked at and your hand luggage isnt checked either.. pointless!! by this time the flight is delayed a further hour!

2 cans of coke: 6 euros
2 cheese pastys: 6 euros (although there appeared to be no cheese)
countless flies and other biting things

the reps they work hard but the only way things can be improved is by not being there in the first place. alternatively build an airport and sell the garden shed and employ more than ten people!

what a great end to your relaxing holiday in zante

I liked zante.. no really it was nice.. but will never return purely because it has the worst airport... EVER!! I cant tell you enough how annoyed I am that these people make alot of money out of this place with airport taxes extortionately priced food and only employing a dozen people when there are upto (apparently) 50 flights in and out
per day in peak.

try to avoid!!

or try to find some other way in!!

Well yes it is o.k. but there is plenty of room for improvement. Toilets are very smelly and rundown. When you are waiting around for your luggage to come off the carousel along with hundreds of other travellers in a very hot crowded atmosphere! Waiting around with hundreds of other travellers to check in at 3.00 a.m in the morning and having to wait outside with nowhere to sit and being bitten by mosquitos has always spoiled my holiday. So please do something about this now if anyone out there is reading this. When I travelled independently from Manchester to Athens and then Athens to Zante last October, the airport was very quiet and so waiting around wasn't a problem. However when you travel as part of your package deal you can expect horrendous crowds of irate fellow travellers whose flights are all the same time as yours! Crazy! The airport is just too small to cope.

The rating below is not really true , we managed it ok .

Came to Zante in Sept. 2001 . Amazed at the small airport . But as long as you are prepared for it , it's not to bad. Does depend on the timing of your flight unfortunately. There is only one carousel and it can take forever for your luggage to come through. But don't panic the rep will not leave without you ....I hope! At departure the reps do work very hard to ensure you can get through as quickly as possible and will usually explain the crack before you get there. On departure we froze drinks the day before so they would stay cool for some time, also snacks are a must. If you get a seat in departure lounge then erect barbwire fence around it 'cause it will get taken if you lift your backside just a few inches! Families with young kids i feel sorry for , it can be very telling on the little ones. Keep a tight hold on your little kids as they can get swept away in the crowd, especially on arrivals, without you realising. As for the toilets, well I quite agree with the comments on here, best take some antiseptic wipes with you for hands and also your own tissue as there is usually shortage of that! We are due out in 2 weeks time again and not really bothered about the airport. We had a fantastic time before and looking forward to another great time. Just the first hurdle to get past then ENJOY !

Oh dear....I'm finding it hard to put into words what a hell hole Zante airport is, so I may as well start at the beginning.

When we arrived in Zante it wasn't too bad, we were the only flight in and got our luggage pretty much straight away. I remember looking through to the departure lounge and being glad I wasn't in there though.....

On the day departure we were picked up 4 - yes 4! hours before departure for the 20 minute transfer to the airport. When we got there we found that there was 2 other flights all waiting to get checked in so we had to stand in the blazing sun for half an hour before we got moved into the shade but still outside with the flies.

When we finally got into departures this is the point where words fail me, so I will try and express myself in a few bullet points.

- Flies
- Cheese and ham sandwich (inedible) and sausage roll (inedible) = 10€
- Even more flies
- Boiling hot
- Nowhere to sit
- Toilets that should have been condemmed, simply for the number of flies in and around the toilet bowls.
- Surly staff.

I think that about covers it apart from to say that we had an aftershock from an earthquake that morning and I think more than a few people were a bit worried being stuck in there (I certainly was)

As other people have said though Zante is lovely and the airport shouldn't put you off. I would go back, but my girlfriend is not too keen simply because of the airport.

Useful hint though if you want to avoid the queues, simply get a taxi in (7€ from Kalamaki) and you can go straight in and not have to stand in the sun!

it is a really bad airport and you will que for at least three hours in total but zante is a really beautiful island and i wouldn't let it put you off, you just have to be prepared. sun hat, sun cream lots of water and plenty to eat is my advise!
the only good thing is that it takes so long to get to the departure lounge that by the time you get there you flight is called so you don't have to sit there for too long!
marcella

It is a terrible airport but its really worth it. It is such a beautiful island surely its worth a few hours of hell for 2 weeks of heaven.

You just need to chill out and not rush

Like you've been framed..except it's even less funny. Have a night/ early AM flight and you too will probably end up sitting on the floor with your kids for 3 hours with sooo many others. Animal rights activists moan like buggery when sheep are treated like this. For god sake take your own food and drinks cos the prices are outrageous. Ever been mugged? Ask the smug bint at the bar for a roll and a packet of crisps and for £8 you will be. A real kick in the guts to end the holiday.

DIRTY,SMELLY,CRAMPED,UNORGANISED,RIP-OFF PRICED,SMALL-POXY-CRAP-HOLE,BUILD A FEW OF THESE IN THE U.K.AND WE WONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ASYLUM SEEKERS!!!!!BUT SAYING ALL THIS YOU DONT SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY IN THE (AIRPORT).ZANTE IS A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND!!

Hello. We have just come back. Yes have read the other comments and it was pretty bad. I noticed that there are some shelters about now to give us some shade while waiting in the queues. Holiday reps seemed organised and tried to do what they could. The Airport experience lasted from about 9 am till about 12.30 noon. Basically we waited under a tunnel, then into the building to check in and get rid of luggage. Then !!!!!!! outside again into a queue (but not sheltered. Finally, into the building again for Passport Control. Wanted to tell the lady what I thought of it all but decided to shut my mouth. My face must have said it all. Thank God our flight was called as we entered the Departure Lounge. People squashed everywhere. It was like a concentration camp - standing, sitting, lying down. People even sat on the steps going up to the Duty Free shop. Everyone looked so hot and powerless. I laughed when I saw two cleaners marrooned in the middle of the "lounge". There was no way they were going to be able to clean! Thank God none of my family needed the toilets. I would not go back to Zaky again because of the airport. The only way the Greek Govt will take notice is if we all boycott Zaky and dont take holidays there again until they expand the airport lounges, and increase the number of conveyor belts. The Greeks don't deserve to have our custom if they treat the tourists in this way. Finally, if you can blank out the airport bit, well the holiday resort we stayed at was lovely (Alikanas Beach Apartments) and the holiday very relaxing. Kalo Taxithi!

THINK OF THE WORST 3 OR 4 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE AND THIS WILL COMPARE,ITS ACTUALLY WORSE THAN WHAT PEOPLE HAVE DESCRIBED ON HERE,BUT A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL ISLAND

It is pretty cak. I went last year so this year when I visited again I made sure I was prepared! I took a towel to sit on, crisps and drinks and made sure all of my mates done the same! Luckily our flight into Zante only clashed with one other flight so I just put my elbows to work and wormed my way to the conveyorbelt to grab my luggage! On the return flight (bang smack in the middle of the day!) we were made to queue in the heat with no shelter provided. After two weeks of gaining a nice even tan my friend managed to get the dreaded strap marks! We were almost dying from heatstroke (ok I exaggerate slightly!). Our flight left early and we were all pretty chuffed to get out of the departure lounge (if that's what you can call it. It isn't worthy of being called a lounge.) The towels were used to sit on as there weren't any chairs free and most of the food went too. Luckily they have added a smoking room (ok it may have been there last year but I was just too short sighted to see it!) so no more 3 hour waits then 3 hour flights without a ciggie! Toilets are still a mess. No locks on doors, no toilet seats (who in God's name would nick a toilet seat?!), no paper towels or (working) hand dryers to dry your hands and the stench of... well I will leave that to your imagination! While we were out there, I am sure they were expanding it, there was definitely some work going on. And for the person who said Kos airport was worse, I have to disagree! I have never been to a worse airport than this!

We really enjoyed our holiday but this airport would make me think twice about going back. We waited in the toilets for our plane to board because there was nowhere else to go. There was a queue to get back up the stairs into the lounge were you couldn't even sit down because there wasnt enough room. Really dirty place with loads of flies.

The airport is as bad as everybody says. It’s basically the same airport as when we visited the island 15 years ago. Then it was acceptable there were only a few flights a week then. Now on Sunday into Monday there are probably twice as many people a day as there was for the week. If it was not for the reps doing a sterling job at keeping people informed in the heat and stupidity of this airport there would be real trouble. Is it not about time the major tour operators were putting pressure on the airport authorities to sort it out. It’s a shame that everyone’s last memory of a brilliant Island with loads of great resorts is of this HOLE.

YES ITS A NIGHTMARE BUT IT WON'T CHANGE FOR THE NEAR FUTURE SO JUST BE PREPARED..TAKE PLENTY OF WATER WITH YOU AND SOMETHING TO EAT. IF YOURS IS A DAYTIME FLIGHT WEAR A HAT AND SOME COOL CLOTHING AS YOU MAY BE WAITING OUTSIDE FOR SOMETIME AND THERE IS LITTLE SHADE.

WE MUST HAVE BEEN LUCKY!!
OUR DEPARTURE TIME WAS 12.15PM ON A WEDNESDAY, ALTHOUGH WE HAD TO WAIT A WHILE TO CHECK IN, I THOUGHT IT WAS WELL ORGANISED BY THE REPS AND THE TIME WE HAD A LOOK AROUND THE DUTY FREE SHOP IT WAS TIME TO DEPART (15 MINS EARLY).
ALL I CAN SAY TO YOU IS THAT THERE IS HOPE YET!!!

The airport is a nightmare - arrivals was a joke with 4 flights all arriving within minutes of each other and all the luggage on one belt! Departures even worse - we arrived at the airport at 8.30 for a 12.35 flight!!! Just queued endlessly in the sun. One woman overcome by the heat and had to be rushed inside! BUT having said all that, Zakynthos is a lovely Island and we had one of the best holidays we have ever had there. So grit your teeth and just tell yourself that it is a small price to payu for such great holiday!!

u av to que outside bring sum food c9os a sandwich is €6! duty free is ok but dnt get excited.

Nnoooooo!!!
Worst airport I've ever been to - You queue outside for an hour to check your bags, then queue outside again for half an hour (or longer) for passport control. Once you get into the airport, you can't move. We were there at 4am, there was only 3 flights waiting and you couldn't move! I'd HATE to be there during the day when there are more flights
This is the last place you want to be when all you want to do is go home

DON'T GO TO THE TOILET!!!!!

Its an interesting experience! Make sure to take some cards or something they like u 2 b there 3 hours b4 u'r flight goes so theres a lot of waitin around in cramped conditions. If u see a seat grab it!

business over the years has taken me into airports in some weird and wonderful places around africa, even nigeria, but i'd go as far as say that most of those airports are bliss compared the s**t-hole that is zakynthos airport. we were lucky, ours was the 1st flight in (returning, the 1st out also), but there was not enough room for everybody at all 3 gates (230 passengers?). we still waited 2 hours for the one guy to load the luggage onto the conveyor on the way in, and check in took about the same.
pricewise, yes it is the biggest rip-off on zante, buy at the tax-free shop, not the kiosks.
dear greeks, you have some beautiful places in you country, this is not one of them!!!! for god's sake sort it out and meet the 21st century.

What an absolute nightmare!!! We were delayed by an hour leaving Gatwick because of other planes flying to Zakynthos. We were not told about this until after we got on the plane - so we had to sit like sardines for an extra hour!!. When we got to Zakynthos we couldn't land straight away because 2 other flights were landing. We then had to stand in a blistering hot, crowded room for two hours waiting to collect our luggage because there was only one conveyer belt and only one bloke putting all the lugagge on it!! Two flights landed just before us and three flights landed just after us and we were all waiting to collect out luggage at the same time. The crowd around the conveyer belt was at least 4 people thick, which didn't make it particularly easy to get your luggage off! The worst thing was that people who arrived on flights after ours, got their luggage first - they could at least make it fair!!! On the return trip we had to stand outside in the blistering heat waiting to check in. After we had checked in, we then had to stand outside in the blistering heat
again for what seemed like an eternity waiting to go through passport control. We were told to make sure we were in the departure lounge 45 minutes before our flight, but we were still stood in the queue outside at this point!! The really annoying thing was that there were people stood in front of us in the queue on later flights. We then had to stand in a crowded departure lounge where a disgusting stale sandwich cost me 5 euros!! We then nearly missed our flight because although we were regularly checking the screens they never bothered to update them. It was only when my friend saw people that she recognised walking through one of the departure gates that we heard the 'this is the last call for flight bla de bla' message on the tannoy!!! I was glad to get home!!

DON'T LET THESE COMMENTS ABOUT THE AIRPORT PUT YOU OF YOUR HOLIDAY IN ZAKYNTHOS, EVEN THOUGH THEY ALL ARE PRETTY ACCURATE. IF YOUR READING THIS BEFORE YOU EVEN BOOK A STAY ON THIS ISLAND, BE PREPARED,TRY AND STAY CALM BECAUSE THIS ISLAND IS WORTH AN HOUR OR SO OF QUEING. LETS FACE IT HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND QUEING IN OUR SUPERMARKETS AND IN TRAFFIC HERE IN GOOD UK! ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WE DID

on arrival two planes landed more or less together and it took about a hour for my luggage to come.on arriving at airport to go home no queing outside went straight in sorted pretty quick. duty free ok no delays. been to alot worse airports eg kos for a start

well.... where do i start, on arrival 6 flights all arrived in Zante within 10 minutes of each other, and all had to share 1 convayer belt, so as you can imagine alot of baggage and standing around for 2 hours in the stuffy little room, and as for the toilets!!!! OMG! i have neva smelt wee like i smelt it at this airport, it is an absolute discrase and god knows why they don't employ cleaners!! no loo roll and nothing to dry your hands on. The greeks working at the aiport were not much help either, and when it was finally time to leave the aiport to get on the coachs it was a ridiculous little exit and with three or four cases, to drag through all the crowds it was a nightmare.
Once meeting our reps and getting on the coach it was a relief for all of us, and we throughly enjoyed this amazing week in the resort of laganas. Zante it'z self was wicked, but the airport definatly lets it down!!!! so beware!!!

A very well bombed German airfield at the end of the 2nd world war looked better than this place. If you think arrivals is bad then make sure you bring your camp bed for departures (as long as you place it on top of 5 other squashed escapees). If you can find any laughter here then have a look at the security guard on the only x-ray machine in departures. I certified him as being clinically brain dead. Good look - you'll need it.

This would stop us going to Zante again. It is far too small for even 2 flights. You can wait 2 hours to collect your bags when you arrive, and when you are leaving it is a case of queue in the sun, check in slow, go back outside and wait to see how long you are delayed.
We heard that this is the only island who do not put anything back in to it. Pity. It would not take too much for the visitors to feel appreciated instead of being herded like cattle.

Its true what they say here in all respects - ESPECIALLY being ripped off. If you do get hungry or thirsty don't buy anything in the little bar and go and buy some nuts/crisps and 6 cans of Mythos beer from the Duty Free Shop---much much cheaper.
What I did think was funny was the 'Comments & Complaints' letter box on the right hand side of the stairs going up to the Duty Free shop - You will need extra long arms to reach it.....mmmmmmmm very cunning !!!

The worst airport i've ever been to. No we don't want a massive airport on a small island but friendly staff, cleanliness and a bit of space isn't too much to ask for, is it?

It is ridiculously expensive, £7 (10 euros) for 2 cans of coke and a bag of crisps. Filthy, smelly (thats just the departure lounge!) and the toilets are full of flies! take some food for the stray dogs(honestly!) and pretend you're at the zoo!

After hearing all the complaints about the airport I was dreading this part. My boyfriend who had been before tried to assure me that it wasn't that bad! He was right. Ok it's small, and its not Gatwick but we are in Greece. I had to laugh more than anything when I saw the conveyor belt there on it's own!! We arrived and departed late evening so maybe that was better. The Reps handled the queuing very well in my opinion, 4 flights departing within the hour and we all made it!! Plus in 38 degrees I'm happy to wait outside but if you have a day flight the suggestion below would be good for a hat, shades and suncream. I wouldn't want to get delayed there for more than a few hours though. Would agree, take your food and drink with you as it is a tight fit in there on the way back!! Duty Free shopping is limited. At the end of the day you are only there for a few hours at the most (hopefully, delays allowing) and its a small price to pay to visit a beautiful country, and have a great holiday.

it's a hot tiny chicken shed, but its a hot tiny chicken shed on a beautiful island surrounded by clear blue sea with golden sandy beaches, and lets face it you only have to go there twice, and its worth it, I promise, we are loved it so much we are going back thic year (2 weeks to go)

This must be one of the worst airports in the world!

Considering the amount they charge in airport tax on every single tourist it is a disgrace to be treated like cattle.

No shelter, little information, very little seating.

On the way in, we waited for an hour and a half for our luggage to catch us up.

On the way back, we had to queue up outside waiting to be called in. Then when we had booked in our luggage we had to queue back up outside to get through passport control.

Thank goodness we did not have to wait in the lounge!!!!!

Come on, this is an EU country, not the third world.

Dont rush for your bags when you land, chill out, take your time, your on holiday, and so are the staff. When you depart take food and drink with you to the airport we did and boy were we glad. The food and drink are mega expensive (really you have been warned). The best bits are the down stairs toilets which house the complete fly population of zante, but dont worry they are very friendly and will come and greet you. The duty free shop is actual not bad. We are going back this year, we enjoyed the airport and the rest of the island that much.

Came back on the 25/5/03. rained at the airport out side for 1 hour. some thing needs to be done very quickly or people will stop going to Zakynthos.

airport is pants! i agree, upto 4 planes arrive at once,and you all have to wait at one conveyor belt, other than that it is the same as all the airports on greek islands, not that bad or we would not keep going back.

The Airport was ok. Lets face it without an airport we wouldn't be able to land there in the first place. Yes it does get very busy but it serves its purpose getting us on holiday.

Lets face it, why would such a small island have a big, all singing, all dancing airport, we dont go on holiday just for the airport's do we?, i think it adds to the character of an island which i love and have, so far, returned to 4 times.

is it really that bad, we are going on the 9th may (only 6 working days left......woohoo)
get out the ouzo coz were on our way !!!!!

Zante airport is not the worst i have seen.The best airport is Skiathos because the departure lounge is the taverna opposite...what a good idea!!

ok i agree the airport is pants, very tiny but has been extended! but then this all adds to the holiday ups and downs, the pushing your was past people to get to the belt, the sweaty people (its hot in there), being hit or hitting people with your luggage, listening to people moaning! but just think this, very soon your bound to be relaxing by the pool or sipping a cocktail! trust me, it will all turn out good,.....until you have to leave..

Great Holiday but the Airport is PANTS!!!
The runway is about a foot long!
One conveyor belt for all flights.
On the way home- by the time your through all the queues its time to get on the plane!!!!
Going back this year, NOT looking forward to the airport!

This airport is brilliant when you arrive.. ..
OK so its like landing in "BEIRUT" very basic.. .. you
walk down the steps from the plane onto the runway..
your feet have touched the island.. home for one or two
weeks.. if your lucky the whole season.. then onto the
"bus" to go to the terminal.. and wait for your luggage to
catch you up and meet up with your reps.. there is a
duty free shop here..

And the depressing bit.. .. you have to go home
sometime.. ..