Lanzarote airport actual chaos or exaggerated drama

[Halfblindbunny]

So I have booked for us to go to Lanzarote first week of summer holidays. Massive treat for us all and post DS2s GCSEs. We rarely go abroad and haven't even been anywhere in the summer holidays or as far a field as Lanzarote.

But all I've heard since is how horrific the airport is. Ryanair leaving passengers behind because they can't get checked in, through security and through the EES system in the 2 hrs and can't start the process earlier than 2 hrs as bag drop doesn't open until then.

It's really causing me anxiety but I don't know if it's really horrific or not. People are blaming EES but a lot of the queues are before bag drop so nothing to do with EES.

Anyone been recently or knows more about it than me. Do I need to be trying to cram everyone's stuff into hand luggage only so we don't have to do the bag drop part?

Unfortunately going and returning on a Thursday

The queues are the worst on Thursday and Sunday. If you're flying in or out on these days you will most likely be in long queues, waiting anything up to 3 hours to get out. This is due to the number of flights from the UK all landing / departing within a short space of time.
Lots of information available on various FB pages for Lanzarote and Tenerife, where there have also been issues. Tips if you're flying in on those days go to the loo before you leave the plane and have water with you. Sometimes people with children are taken to the front of the queue but it's not guaranteed. My understanding is that currently when departing make sure you do the first scan at the machines at Gate 6, then when your actual departure gate is called you'll have to do it a second time at that gate. If you've not scanned at the earlier gate 6 you'll be sent back, which I understand is why people missed their flight in the chaos. Obviously this could change.
The tourist board is very vocal about the negative impact on tourists but that's not translated into any positive action so far.
I've been going to Lazarote since 1980 and love it but I think I'm done now. It's become increasingly and unpleasantly busy since Covid. The airport can no longer cope and won't be able to until the planned significant upgrades are complete.

@fussychicado you know what you have to do coming home if your passport doesn’t scan because it didn’t work in either machine on the way in and then I had to join a third queue!

I this article in Spanish, it says it can take up to 4 hours to get through passport control.

https://cadenaser.com/canarias/2026/03/16/hasta-4000-personas-en-dos-horas-para-pasar-el-control-fronterizo-en-el-aeropuerto-de-lanzarote-ser-lanzarote/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

keepswimming38 sorry I don't.

Anyone have any up to date knowledge of conditions at Tenerife South Airport? Flying early this week?

I think that because the Canaries are a winter destination, particularly for travellers without children outside term time they are a glimpse of what is to come in the Med over summer.
I suspect the same problems might occur in more northern popular holiday spots from may onwards

I went August school holidays last year. It was a nightmare, the bag drop queue genuinely stretched around the airport. I’ve never seen anything like it. Thankfully I’m a stickler for always allowing extra time at the airport so we did have enough time to queue, but it was tricky keeping the kids entertained for so long. I have a video which I can’t upload. But here’s some screenshots from it (in fact, only one will upload, it’s saying the files are too large to load. This was the back of the queue from where I was stand. And there was a queue the same size of this in front of me. It trailed all around the terminal.

This is helpful. I am 100% only taking hand luggage.

You don’t need to worry about baggage queues anymore. It takes you so long to get through the other multiple checks and lines that your bags will be sitting there. Seriously all this focus on bags is immaterial. Plus if you did somehow manage to get through all the checks before others you will then be sitting on your transfer coach for 2 hours waiting for the people at the back!

I am talking about queues to check in baggage on the way home not collect baggage on arrival. Apart from the fact queuing on arrival will be slightly annoying it doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is missing my flight on the way home with 2 hours not being enough time to queue to check in baggage. Get through security, go to gate 6 to scan passport then go to actual gate too scan passport again. If I miss out the queue to check in baggage but it's surely got to make all the other queuing a bit more achievable in the time allowed

Lanzarote is quite a small island. We never get the coach, just get a taxi from the rank. I wouldn't go on holiday without luggage just because the airport is in such a state. I love Lanzarote but I won't be going back until this is sorted out.

I couldn't care less how long the wait is, we love Lamzarote anpd will keep returning.

Roll on August for our 6th visit! .

Whether you have a bag to check in or not you still need to stand in the same queues at the check in desks.

The.problem is the luggage conveyor belts are old and stop start.

Do I? Why? If I don't have a bag to check in surely I just go straight to security having checked in online?

Anyone flown back in last few days? How was it?

You go straight through to security. Was through in less than 10 mins, straight to gate 6 which took seconds and then free to wander round till gate opened.

Only issue I had last week was gates 10,11 and 12 were all leaving at roughly same time so it was a bit chaotic as people were in wrong queues or hadn’t been to gate 6 first. Didn’t see anyone missing any flights. Enjoy your hols 😎

For anyone having to check in bags is it better to do online check in then do bag drop or just do check in and bag drop at airport.?

I believe it's the same queue so doesn't make a difference at Lanzarote airport as there is no bag drop only facilities but that is hear say rather than first hand info.

It was pretty chaotic on Monday afternoon. Some flights on Sunday had been cancelled due to high winds so that didn’t help. There were quite long queues at check in for those with hold luggage (I just had hand luggage). There wasn’t any queue for registration, but only 2 machines at the gate so it took over an hour for everyone to get through.

I was there a few weeks ago, I went with the opinion it was probably being dramatised but it was awful.
We were about 3 hours to get through passport control & get our luggage.
Ive been to Lanzarote multiple times, but this would put me off going back. We flew on a Thursday.
The queue had no organisation, no staff telling anyone where to go. A bit of organisation with separate queues for EU passport holders, families etc would have helped.
By the time we got through passport control the luggage was off the carousel and no sign on the board and nobody in the airport could tell us where to go. People were starting to argue, someone passed out.
I know its a new system across multiple countries but I believe Lanzarote airport is too small to deal with it with the amount of planes landing at the same time & they just aren't equipped to deal with it.
I felt very much like the staff avoided speaking to people because they knew they would be annoyed & others were downright rude. I understand they have a lot to deal with but honestly it was awful.

I would say make sure you have plenty of snacks & fresh water for the queues and try to be as prepared as you can be & hope for the best. We still had a lovely holiday so try not to let it affect your holiday, but would I go back... unlikely.

Hello, we flew out on Thursday 2nd April 2026 and flew home yesterday, Thursday 9th April, and after having lots of anxiety about the potential for chaos and long queues, I was pleasantly surprised!! Took us about 25 mins on arrival to get through security and on the way home, no issues at all. The main thing is to go straight to gate 6 after check in, where you'll find the machines to scan your passport so you can do the additional security step! I must say, if I hadn't had known about the travel issue beforehand, I'd have had no idea going by my experience at the airport so I worried about nothing - as usual! Enjoy your holiday :)

In case anyone is going to Tenerife, there weren’t huge queues but it added about 20 mi utes to the process. This was pre-Easter.

If you are a passport holder from an EU country is it as difficult to get through Lanzarote airport ?

@deeahgwitchif you are talking about departure then the main hold up was the bag check in and the final boarding gate. For some reason we had to all proceed through an e gate, then get stamp then have passport checked again. It delayed our flight taking off. I can’t see how anyone ( eu passport or not) wouldn’t have been caught in same system tbh.