Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport — Local services in Maia

Just had (actually, still having) the most terrible experience at this airport. Despite arriving 2 hours before our flight we missed it- how? Well, Passport control sucks beyond all measure at this airport. Firstly, the passport control isn’t as you go through customs but at your gate. Which is weird, right? We spent AN HOUR messing around duty free assuming we had passed all required documentation checks when in fact the most important one was still ahead of us.

Not a problem, surely, as we went to our gate 45 minutes before the flight time, right? No. The airport has only two passport desks open for 3 gates, all of which had flights leaving at or around the same time. The backlog was massive and it took 35 minutes to get through passport control. During that time, there were no calls for our flight, or any last minute announcements of our names. As we were concerned about missing the flight we spoke to several members of airport staff, all of whom gave a practised shrug and told us there was nothing they could do.

We arrive at the desk 10 minutes before the flight was due to take off but were informed it was too late and the flight had already taken off.

Up to this point I’m sure you are thinking it’s entirely our fault but in total 14 people missed our flight. 14. Such a high number suggests a systemic issue in how the airport is run and not down to individual error. It also suggests this happens often, especially as the gentleman at our gate said ‘everybody has been complaining about it (how passport control was run) but nothing is ever done’.

Our airline successfully hid behind it being the airports fault, naturally.

Matters have been compounded by the fact there are only 2 flights per week to my home destination meaning we have to fly into another UK airport, stay the night, and finally make it back home tomorrow.

This debacle has cost us well in excess of £600 (so far) and has completely destroyed all the good our week in this lovely city did to our mental and physical health.

Just a truly horrible experience of being treated like cattle. Porto is great but not worth the hassle of...

Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is the second biggest airport in Portugal and it is located in Porto. The airport is quite busy for domestic and international flights. I have been several time here and the experience is always good. Nothing to complain about.

Pros Airport transport integration You can reach the airport in several ways, for example the public transportation of bus and metro, taxi, and uber.

If you come with your own car, there are several paid parking companies near the airport that you can pay per day. The company will take you to the airport with the van.

If you do not want to pay the parking, you need to park you car a little bit far from the airport. It will take you 10 minutes to walk back to the airport after parking.

If you want to take public transportation, you can take metro with E line from Trindade metro station in Porto. The color is purple. It costs around 3 euros. UBER from airport to Vila Nova de Gaia costs us around 10 euros which is still affordable when you are more than 2 people. There is a bus too that stops in the airport. You do not need to be worried.

There are many shops inside the airport while waiting for your flight.

There are some cafes, money changers, CTT, ATM machines, and a tourism office as well.

The airport security check is quite strict about liquids. You need to pay more attention about your liquid package.

The restroom is quite clean.

Many rental car companies if you want to rent a car during your visit in Porto.

The free WIFI is accessible inside the airport and easy to connect.

If you want to pick up someone, you can get free parking for 10 minutes. It is quite useful for us. We just need to enter when our friends or family are already in front of the airport.

The decorations are quite good and interesting. I like the design of the airport from outside.

Entrance accessible for wheelchair.

There are some hotels near the airport that can be reached by...

The airport itself is small, extremely chaotic and insane. When we got off our plane at the airport, you could easily walk for what seemed miles before finding a restroom that stank of feces and lacked toilet paper (surprise!) There were no stores or shops to get drinkable water or food until about another mile of walking through the endless tunnel.

Staff were staggeringly rude. When we got to luggage, we put our bags onto a cart to leave. As we got near the exit a security guard came out, stood in front of my cart blocking it as if he wanted to fight me. I was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted and hungry after a very long grueling flight where my wife and I were harassed repeatedly by TAP Portugal Airlines flight over bag placement over and over again. The security guy wouldn't move and just stood there staring at me with a smirk on his face for several minutes until my wife finally arrived, also exhausted and barely able to push her own cart. The guard refused to help or move or speak. After several minutes he pointed mutely to a section to the side of the corridor where I had to assume we had to go to be searched and questioned.

Once in the area we stood for several minutes before a woman came over and asked what language we spoke in different languages. When I finally said English she spoke very basic limited English and said something like "we take bags search, you like wait." So we waited there, exhausted and starving while they searched through our bags, tossing through things and moving items around, occassionally scoffing at our items.

Finally, I heard a new person say to the woman "Everything from Amazon!!" and they laughed to each other and finally waved us through, refusing to help us close up our bags or put them back on the carts or even step aside out of our way.

Being Portugal, it was of course raining and cold as soon as the doors opened. But at least...