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Original poster

Getting stressed about flights

13 replies

Piggywaspushed · 04/08/2017 13:11

Has anyone just been through Barcelona airport? We are flying on Tuesday and I am getting anxious about all the news about horrendous queues / people missing flights etc.

We have a 2 1/2 hr drive after arrival and could do with being at campsite before dark, especially as their check in ends at 8pm. We are due to land 4 ish . We have to pick up a hire car and stuff. DH is a stress type at the best of times so I always find the car bit of the holiday a bit of a nightmare as it is.

Is it as bad as we have read about?? I may just need sympathy...

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Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 08:14

Anyone? Or are you all stuck in the airport still...?

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superram · 05/08/2017 08:21

I think a lot of it is getting onto planes, not getting off.

juneau · 05/08/2017 08:23

I haven't flown through Barcelona airport recently, but your timescale is pretty tight OP and it might be worth considering booking a hotel for that first night somewhere not too far from the airport. IME just getting out of an airport with DC and luggage takes approx. 45 mins. Add to that all the palaver of collecting your hire car and you can add anything from 30 mins to one-and-a-half hours to that figure. Add that to a 2.5-hr drive and even without any delay at passport control that 8pm deadline seems very stressful to me.

Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 08:31

We were already prepared that 8pm might be pushing it so don't worry too much about that bit for me Juneau. I will phone the camping company today and check that they have contingency for late arrivals.

The 2.5 hr drive is probably overdoing it.

The main thing is my DH's intolerance of unexplained queues and his levels of anxiety around hold ups (he is vvvv bad in motorway traffic jams for example) . Not much I can do about it at this stage other than suck it up, I guess.

Hopefully it is getting on to and not off planes because that would not be so bad in some ways. The irony is we should fly into Girona as it is much closer but the flights cost more, the flight times were less friendly and it was Ryanair. All looks less unattractive now...

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Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 08:36

by overdoing I meant overestimating!

Google maps says the drive is 1 hr 40 minutes.

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youarenotkiddingme · 05/08/2017 08:49

I've read somewhere and there's a thread here too about it that it's been hyped up by the media.

I watched someone talking about it on GMB and they said as far as they know only 1 family has missed a flight.
They are advising those travelling independently allow enough time to get to airport for return as package deals are doing this automatically.

Are you travelling with children? How old are they? If everyone's over 12 and has a biometric passport you can use the scanner.

JigglyTuff · 05/08/2017 08:54

My top tip (for any airport really) is for one person to go and get the car while the rest of you wait for the luggage. Then when the rest of your flight arrives at the car hire place after collecting their luggage, you're already sorted (and have got the best car too)

juneau · 05/08/2017 09:42

Yes, I agree. The bit of car hire that takes the longest is usually standing in the queue behind everyone else getting their car. So if your luggage arrives last off the plane that's you, at the back of the queue. Whoever booked the car hire on his/her card should take all the paperwork and go and stand in line and get started. The rest of the party can join them with the kids and luggage. Standing in a line with DC is hellish anyway and it takes at least 15 mins to go through all the car hire crap once you get to the desk, so best for one adult to do it.

Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 10:40

Can you link to that thread at all? I couldn't find it!

We may all be old enough for the biometric scanner now but I haven't read anything that suggests that is speeding up the queues?

Barcelona is exacerbated by strike action hence my added concern.

My DCs are 16 and 13 so not young.

Our car hire isn't right in the airport itself so that may not work but I hadn't thought of that option. Will see what DH says!

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Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 10:43

22 people definitely missed a flight in Barcelona , so that is more than one family. It did sound a bit like they had not gone straight to security and passport control upon arrival though which is what I always do.

We have a 10.20 flight on the way back so it'll be a nice early start .... I never sleep anyway before going away so chin up I guess. It's annoying though that for once I had managed to book premium flight times for good prices ...

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youarenotkiddingme · 05/08/2017 11:05

Can't link admin phone app. Itsbin chat and called "has anyone travelled to or from Spain recently"

Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 11:59

Ta!

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Original poster
Piggywaspushed · 05/08/2017 12:36

nope , can't find it. Oh well!

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