This must be one of the easiest airports to get in and out of. Security is a breeze never a line. Limited food options once you're in the departure lounge but par for the size. read more

The date is 23rd July and we're are at Cardiff airport waiting for our flight to Malaga with Tui airways lots to do in the restaurant loved the runway view from the window loved it boarding our flight on time and departured on time read more

Cardiff Airport - Boarding our B737 - Airports Near Me - Barry, CRF

A small but friendly airport - fast to get through security, and friendly staff working there. Compared to larger British airports there's not much to see and do once you get here (though this is common in airports in mainland Europe). Located outside the city (the other side of Barry Island) there are regular buses to catch into town read more

Cardiff Airport - Airports Near Me - Barry, CRF

Ironically named Cardiff International Airport when it's nowhere near Cardiff and is actually a £30 taxi ride from the city, I don't actually mind that it's a small airport and I can't judge it too harshly. Cardiff doesn't get a lot of foot traffic from travellers so there's really no reason to make it huge or load up on the amenities. All of that is completely understandable. ~ CONS: The big reason why I take issue with Cardiff Airport is its lack of transport services to and from Cardiff... you know, where you initially intend to go. They have their own taxi services and today I paid £30 for a trip to the city, which is a lot of freaking money. I've heard there was an occasional bus, but it might as well be completely mythical because it comes so little and combined with the fact that you don't really control what time you land, you're pretty much stuck with the taxi unless you get lucky. The only other option is taking a shorter journey to Barry and then taking the train to Cardiff. However, I'd wager that if you're pooped like me after flying you don't have the strength for a less-than-easy option. For £30 I might as well take the National Express to freaking London. ~ PROS: + The customer service is good. I've had no issues with the service as other reviewers seem to have pointed out. But then again, I'm a lady so that might factor into it as combined with my short stature I'm probably the least threatening looking person you'll ever come across. + Because it's a smaller airport, queues do not get long. Check-in and security was an absolute breeze. + Although they have limited food and shopping options, it is available and they are open at good hours. I came in the morning around 5-6 AM and the bar was already open for customers who have to catch and early flight, which makes for a nice place to sit and relax. --- 3 stars because it is a decent airport and is one of the better smaller airports that I've been to. However, 2 stars off because the lack of decent transportation to and from Cardiff is outrageous. read more

This is a lovely little airport that has just the right mix between facilities and how busy it is. By this I mean that you'll get the best of both worlds when you fly in or out of Cardiff International Airport (the CIA, ha!). There is a good selection of food outlets, with healthy options right beside Burger King, just to please all the people you're flying with. Importantly, the food outlets are open early in the morning ready for the first flights out, which is nice to see in a smaller airport. There are several shopping opportunities, if you're into that kind of thing, and you'll be able to get all the duty free vodka and giant toblerones that your heart might desire/customs allows. This is a small enough airport to not lose yourself in. I once got a free upgrade to spend time before the flight in a gold lounge (although, I've been to so many of these with different names now, I'm not sure what Cardiff calls it, you know what I mean though!). This was a lovely little space which was more lounge area than airport, and, if you're waiting a while, I would say is worth the price of the upgrade, if you're not already travelling business class. Cardiff International Airport is a good place to travel from, but loses a 5 star review because of its distance from Cardiff itself, though it's still pretty easy to get out to. read more

Cardiff Airport - http://www.tbicardiffairport.com/en/#183 - Airports Near Me - Barry, CRF

Check-in took a long time for our Thomson flight but this is not the fault of the airport itself. When you go upstairs to go through to airside there are only 2 gates which I can imagine get quite congested during busy times. The airport is modern, clean and has fairly recently (since I visited last) had a re-fit upstairs and looks very nice indeed. Even though the airport is quite small there is a range of places to eat and drink, as well as a place to get snacks, sweets, drinks, magazines & books, travel essentials and more... Going through to your gate is a short trip with the inevitable wait before actually getting on the plane. There are toilets nearby if you needed them. Staff are friendly and helpful and there is someone around to assist you should you need it. read more

Cardiff Airport Arrivals hall is one of the strangest paint jobs I've ever seen, they've gone for a bright orange , sort of sparkling Glamour job which surely must of been committed by someone who was aiming for FABULOUS and ended up sat in their own sick wondering how life could of gone so wrong and be so cruel. I studied art when I was in infant school, I can safely say a lot of the pieces my contemporaries did mostly in the finger painting medium, far out stripped the artistic merits on display here. Once you've been mentally assaulted by the walls, you can then enjoy a thorough inspection by the passport control ninjas who are obviously of the elite Welsh special forces regiment of I'm not legally allowed to drive as I cannot comprehend there is in fact a second and third dimension in which Homo Sapiens reside and are indeed going to approach my passport control desk expecting some sort of interaction with me, typically in the form of promptly and professionally checking my passport, instead I will use my training and just fool the traveler into believing I have in fact been subjected to a lobotomy and some cruel joker has dressed me and propped me up at this desk. I can only make the juxtaposition that they don't see many non domestic passports and as such are fearful of either the different colored identity documents or perhaps simply cannot read which leads to an excessive amount of questioning. On the bright side when departing Cardiff "International" (you fly to Canada, sometimes) Airport, the security team are all but guaranteed to grab yo' Junk and without even so much as kissing you on the lips, to start the proceedings. I can only assume Wales is harboring some of the most dangerous people in the known universe and as a duty of care to the rest of the world well, a spray of EU destinations and sometimes Canada, they take the role of Airport departure security extremely seriously. That or they just love putting me through the pat, grab, blow and Body Scanner. Two stars as W H Smiths sell Nik Nak grab bags read more

If you're flying into Cardiff International Airport please please please don't judge the rest of Wales on this sad excuse for an "International" airport. For one its not in Cardiff - secondly it has that temporary under construction feel the only problem is it's finished. It only has 2 places to eat both of which are overpriced and below quality. Last time I went there I ate at the pub beyond check out and I thought half the light bulbs were out as it was dark and dingy but on looking up they just seemed dirty and worn out. Quite an accurate summary for the rest of the airport. If you have the option of going from Bristol and don't mind an extra half hour journey then go for it. The best thing about Cardiff airport is that you only have to go there to leave it. read more

I find airports harder to review as it depends on what they are offering. I feel Edinburgh Airport should have more as its a 'capital' airport and maybe I should judge Cardiff by the same merits but its hard to. Cardiff Airport is small. It doesn't get as much traffic as many of the other capital or regional airports - many people from the area opt to use Bristol Airport which is fairly decent. There aren't many facilities - the usual Boots, WH Smith but if you are travelling with kids then eat BEFORE you go through security. Once through security, there is only a coffee place offering sandwiches, etc and a bar so options (and seating) is pretty limited in the area. I did find Cardiff easy to use and security is well organised as you can sort your belongings into trays well before you get to the scanners. This seems to make things go faster. To get to the airport. I took a taxi from Cardiff - a private hire cost £23 from the Angel Hotel so its worth finding a local number. From the airport, there is a hut outside who order taxi's but is quite expensive in comparison (£32 to Cardiff from the airport) so a decent private higher would save you some money! read more

Hmmmmmmm, there is much to do here. The airport is small and for a capital city has a poor choice if routes and facilities. It is incomparable with Edinburgh which in contrast is busy, bristling and full of amenity. The check-in hall is functional but that is it. The security area has recently been upgraded and now feels modern and up to the job. The only issue is the size ... If passenger numbers increase the two scanners and small holding pen will be woefully inadequate. Once through security there isn't much to do. Dave for wait for your flight. A W H Smith, a gambling area, a small duty free and a bar/cafe. On the up side, your flight is bound to be showing in the screen as there are so few flights departing .... This gets a two star as they are upgrading the facilities and increasing routes but there is a long way to go before this place is a credible international airport for a capital city .... read more

I'd like to think of myself as an internalional Jet-Setter but there is nothing farther from the truth. I do however have to travel to our Wales office for work fairly regularly so I get to wander the quiet corridors of Cardiff International Airport. I think - and this is being pretty kind - that this might be the most depressing airport I've ever been in. Between the overly expensive food, the tiny duty-free and the arcade which bleats out overly-loud annoying tunes. However, they have done a recent overhaul of the security process after the summit which was there last year and it's pretty quick to get through - I've never experienced any delays and as an airport, it does the trick. It's just not the most fun place to spend 4 hours after a long work week. read more

I usually fly from Heathrow or Gatwick as I prefer long haul destinations but this year we decided to have a sneaky beaky break to Lanzorote and flew from Cardiff. It is like a different world of airports. Heathrow and Gatwick are so busy... everybody usually stops right in your path and you cannot get a seat in the waiting lounge for love nor money. Things at Cardiff seem to be different though. It is very relaxed. Although it is quite a small airport, it actually caters for alot of airlines and has a huge list of destinations it flys to. Check in was quick and easy and once I got through security there were pleanty of seats to sit back and relax in. I cant think of any negatives about this airport and I would recommend it to everybody! read more

The first thing to say about this airport is that it is actually quite a way (about 12 miles) outside of Cardiff - in the village of Rhoose in the Vale of Glamorgan. Iit's easily accessible from the M4 by road, however, although parking is quite expensive. Alternatively, there are regular rail services from both Cardiff Central and Bridgend. Trains run every hour from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays. There are also buses available from the city centre: bus number X91 goes from central station to the airport every two hours during the day, taking about 35 minutes. If you have a bit more cash to splash, it's about £26 for a taxi between the airport and Cardiff city centre (with Checker Cars - the official airport taxi operator). Once you get there, the airport is pretty good. The check-in process is usually far faster than I've ever experienced at a London airport, and there's pretty much all the facilities you need for a short time spent there (snack bars and cafés, newsagents and other shops). read more

The worst airport I have ever used. The staff are rude, unhelpful and their very little bit of authority has gone to their heads. The toiltes are upstairs and not clean. Very little choice for food, and often closed. Check in and ground staff unhelpful and rude and as for the car parking attendents well words fail me. The arrivals lounge has been 'refurbished', I use that word loosely. Avoid at all costs, drive to/from Bristol instead. Nowhere near Cardiff and with no main access routes to it. read more

Cardiff airport is an exact replica as London Standard as far as I'm concerned. No bad thing, just an observation. Our football team was going to Czech Republic in the freezing cold. We signed in so quickly it was untrue, I couldn't believe the efficiency here. There's plenty of duty free shops to go and spend your time prior to you flying off. The staff were great on board swell and had a cracking sense of humour, they probably had to as they had a football team and a rugby tour going on the same plane. Fair play to them. read more

CIA is a cute little airport that seems strikingly familiar because my mum and I use it so much. As a Barry resident I often call it 'my airport' and get angsty when I know I have to fly from anywhere else. It's so nice to get off a plane and nearly be home. Facilities here are good, and it's a decent size without being confusing and overwhelming. If you're traveling on your own for the first time I strongly recommend flying from here because it's really very straightforward. The only real bad point is the parking/drive up to the airport. I think they're building something but it really is a pain in the backside when dropping off/picking up. Difficult to really put into words, but if you drive then you'll see what I mean. It seems intentionally annoying and frustrating. It's also (as you'd expect) expensive to park there. read more

This is a great local airport that can fly to a fair few places around such as to Egypt and China and many, many more. It is a massive place and takes quite a bit of a journey to get there. But never do fret for there are special organised bus trips that arranged locally around Cardiff. It is a wonderfully and a very busy airport as you would expect. The staff are friendly and helpful when it is not too busy, however it does not get half as busy as the London airports do. The prices seem reasonable enough for what you are getting out of the ticket, flight prices. I recommend this airport to everyone; just check the website out first to see if the airport has flights suitable for the locations that you want to fly too, for it has a limited amount of places where the planes do land. read more

Cardiff airport seems very small on arriving, as you're sent through two rather empty halls. On the flight back though, I was greeted with the usual comforts of any airport - shopping and dining possibilities, and even a small gambling hall for those who'd rather be in Vegas. The prices in the stores are airport average and the personnel was usually polite. Only downside is no free wi-fi! read more

Cardiff International Airport is a small medium size airport which is let down by poor transport infrastructure. It is a minimum of thirty minutes driving time, depending on traffic. Unfortunately we do not have a rail service between the airport and the city centre. Cardiff Airport is far away from Cardiff itself, but is more comparable to London Stansted, which proves an airport like Cardiff can be made a success. While some other reviewers have commented that staff are unfriendly at the airport, I have never found that to be the case. Welsh people in general are friendlier than in England, and I have always found Cardiff Airport to be a good example of this. Shopping facilities are modest, one general duty free shop, an electronic shop, a handbag shop and currency exchange facilities. There's also a general Food Court and a Burger King. Overall, a small and effective airport if you live in S Wales and travel to it by car, but otherwise difficult to use. read more

Much improved following renovations, updated security and arrivals routing. New routes from FlyBe make it much more international. KLM's connect to anywhere via Schipol very efficient. Transport links from City via T9 bus are OK but it suffers from poor rail access and longish distance from M4 motorway. However, as a "smaller" gateway, everything is much quicker and cleaner than many other airports, so it's worth accepting the small negatives. read more

if you have a foriegn passport and your traveling for a holiday or vacation avoid this airport at all costs. Its very small and they dont get alot of traffic like bigger airports such as heathrow so the immigration officers will ask you way too many question and treat you like a criminal. The officers really take their job too seriously at this airport. With that being said I will never fly into this airport again. read more

The worst airport we've ever used in so many ways. It's also a very long way from Cardiff which makes it expensive to travel on by taxi. Although the buildings are small and therefore easy to get around, there is a complete absence of service and courtesy. The toilets are often dirty, the cafe is small with few choices, and staff in the cafe and other shops seem unable to smile. Car parking is frighteningly expensive and sometimes you can't find a space. Although a few flights by low-cost carriers are available, the majority of flights are very expensive - it is cheaper to travel from outside Wales even considering the extra journey costs. Wake up Wales - this is your gateway for tourists and should be an advert for this beautiful country, not an embarrassment. read more

Cardiff International Airport perhaps is a slightly misleading term for this airport. Its certainly international and each year sends thousands of Welsh holidaymakers off on package flights, and also its home to the cheap airline, BMI baby which has some really good deals if you book early enough. The problem is that its actually miles away from Cardiff and the transport links to get there are not very good. There is a bus which runs but it stops at around 7 or 8 in the evening, and given that lots of flights arrive after this, its really inconvenient when you return. The taxi ride to the centre of Cardiff is fairly expensive - it will cost you around twenty five pounds, so at fifty pounds for a return trip this could potentially cost you more than your flight! read more

great small airport! Just cannot get more easy to get around!

This is one of the many regional airports to be found in the UK. I prefer to fly from here rather than one of the busier London airports. The long stay parking is very reasonably priced especially if booked ahead online. There are regular flights to the main European capitals as well as charter flights to the Caribbean and the Costas. For further afield, flights go from Cardiff to Amsterdam which acts as a hub for onward destinations. read more

My husband and I recently flew from Cardiff Airport and it was a very easy experience compared to other airports I have used. The local bus took us to the door and we were able to check in right away. We were served by very friendly staff in restaurant , plenty of places to sit and when we went through security plenty of staff on duty and most important flight was on time! Would certainly make a point of flying from Cardiff Airport in future. The only downside is the distance from Cardiff - it certainly is not in, or even very near Cardiff - perhaps it should be renamed Rhoose Airport? read more

Cardiff Airporthum, well I'm actually quite impressed. Perhaps it's because I wasn't really expecting much from it. It's in Barry afterall! Although small, it has everything you need while waiting for your flight which let's face it, isn't a great deal. It has the usual coffee shop, bar, boots, WHS store. What more do you really need? Because it's small if you drive there it means you can park close enough to feel like you have parked at the airport and not in a completely different postcode. Parking costs are reasonable as airport parking goes (which I have to say is most certainly NOT reasnable) at about £20 for 3 days if you pre-pay. If you don'r drive however, getting there isn't so easy. There is a bus but no train. When you think about it though, how many small airports have a train service to them? More and more budget airports are flying from cardiff these days including Flybe, BMI baby and Easyjet so I think it can only get better. read more

Just through Cardiff airport duty free store and had the kindest cashier, named Annette. Very nice way to end the trip and now leaving Wales on a high note!! Very impressed read more

Cardiff airport has lost a lot of passengers in the last three years and now I find that I can hardly get a flight to where I want to go. The airport urgently needs a major investment and a new business plan. Good luck to new Ops Director, Deb Barber. Please do your best to attract the investment and to persuade Abertis that the business is a key factor to the economic success of Wales. read more

Until recently, I was still travelling all the way to London for flights but have recently been travelling a lot more from Cardiff. The choice of shops is somewhat limited compared to it's London counterparts, but it's still enough for wha t you need, just don't plan to buy too much as you'll be dissapointed. For ease of getting there and not having to travel to London it's well worth it. read more

I have been meaning for some weeks now to share my recent experience at Cardiff airport. I missed a flight to Dublin (Aer Lingus) and was lucky to encounter Phil at Swissport who turned a potential nightmare (next flight was in 12 hours and I had my two children with me and no other adult) into a manageable inconvenience. Phil went above and beyond in assisting me with contacting Aer Lingus and re-booking out of Bristol. He then checked us in, printed boarding passes, researched fastest cheapest way to Bristol, printed directions to shuttle and train, and helped me leave a message for my mum at the hotel in Dublin. Thank you, Phil!!!! Most amazing customer service experience of my life! Overall, the airport itself seemed ok. There did not appear to be many shops or places to get food or snacks. Seemed almost desolate for a capital city's main airport. But the staff are great, especially at the Swissport counter. Two of Phil's colleagues were also very sympathetic and helpful. Low cost and convenient bus transportation into the city too. read more

It may be small but has everthing i required from an airport. Excellent facilities,quick check in and friendly staff. Security was good. Transport links need to be updated with better road and rail connections. The rush hour traffic was heavy but we allowed for that. Car parking was nice and close and easy to walk to the terminal. Good start to our holiday read more