Palma airport

[MinnieMountain]

Has anyone flown from Palma airport recently?

I’m flying on a Sunday in September. Trying to work out if the changes to my flight leave me sufficient time.

Time for what op?

Sorry, I’m on an organised trip which doesn’t include transport, so time from the official end of that.

Not recently but memory serves that it’s a big airport. So leave plenty time

We flew in last Saturday evening and fly back home again this evening. It's a big airport, much larger than I expected it to be and it will take time to negotiate. It was fairly busy too when we arrived at 11pm.

Well it depends on exact figures and what exactly you’ll want to do.

it’s a very vague question OP that’s why you’ve got vague answers like “it’s a big airport”

You mean for example you’re on a cycling holiday and need to get from Port d’Alcudia to Palma airport and are concerned about the time taken to get through the airport to your gate ?

I've been twice in the last year and going again in September.
It's a big airport undergoing extension. All UK flights go from one terminal (A I think) which is a long way from the entrance. Passport checks are slow.

When you arrive it wll take about an hour from landing to exit.
On return allow at least 2 hours, more at busy times. You go though boarding and into the duty free but passport control is a long way further. People miss flights because they get through check in and stop to eat thinking they are a few minutes from the gate, don't be tempted to stop there for food because you have a very long walk and possible queues at passport control before you reach the departure terminal.

Check-in/bag-drop can take between 2 minutes and half an hour. If it's slow and there are people queuing for multiple flights, they will call people forward for the flights that are about to close, at least with Ryanair.

Security is always pretty quick, 10 minutes max and usually less.

Then you head for pier/section "A", which is where the non-Schengen flights leave from. It's a few hundred metres walk but not excessive. Outgoing passport control is generally quicker than incoming, but allow 10 minutes. I agree with PP though, go straight there and eat or drink afterwards. There's less selection but you're next to the gate by then.

Overall, two hours from being dropped off at the terminal entrance to your plane taking off is reasonably safe. You would have to have several worst-case scenarios to miss the plane. 90 minutes is probably doable if needs must.

(Of course, there could be an IT backlog at check-in, a strike at security, and an outbreak of Covid among passport control staff. But these things are always about probabilities.)

Ok, specifically Ryanair flight now leaving at 15:40 on a Sunday. My holiday finishes at the hotel in Cala d’Or at 12:00.

Cala d'or to the airport will be about an hour 15 in a private transfer. So you'd have time if you get a direct taxi or similar, but I wouldn't be going for any group options.

I think that's tight, I doubt it will wrap up bang on 12.

That's absolutely fine. I've done Cala d'or to Palma many times. 1 hour in a taxi, arriving 2 hours before a flight is plenty time. It's not that big an airport (just a fair bit of walking) and I've always got through check in/security quickly and had time for a mooch round the shops/some food.

You'll be fine. The driving time is about an hour in a car, a bit more in a bus.

If you have the choice of where to be set down when you arrive at the airport then choose the "far end" of the terminal as you drive up to it, which is where the Ryanair counters are. That's the left as you are looking at the front of the building.

We flew from Palma last Saturday after a holiday in Cala D'or. Left the hotel at just after 5pm for a flight at 8:50pm. We had plenty of time, and would assume you would get to the airport a bit quicker if you are using a private transfer.