Just returned home from a great fortnight in PB.

The only downside of the entire holiday was the Thomas Cook check-in at the airport - what a disgrace! I do hope someone from the company and the airport authority monitor this site.

It must be the only airport other than third world countries where the check-in is a free-for-all cattle market - two lines merging into one etc and everyone getting angry with everyone else!

The TCX staff are completely disinterested and do nothing to help. Why on earth is it not possible to organise a single queueing system as at most civilised airports? 90 minutes to get from the back of the hall to the front is quite unacceptable and I'm afraid this is an island we'll be giving a wide berth to unless it's sorted out.

I totally agree with you. Te place is a bl&&dy nightmare.

It can take a bit of the good away from your holiday when you are herded together in motionless queues with no one explaining what is going on (and wrong as it inevitably does at Arrecife. ) And Thomas Cook Excel themselves.. (At least that is one less airline to bog us all down in the mire.)

I think it is one of the very worst airports for checkin although once you get through to the other side things do pick up quite a lot as there are plety of duty free shops and eateries/wineries.

But, t'was ever thus so now when I go to Lanza I try to expect the very worst when I arrive back at the airport so the chaos of broken down conveyor belts, power surges/cuts etc etc. will not impinge on my calm and happy mood. If things go smoothly - well that is a major bonus!

I also agree.
Worst Airport Staff i have come across. Charge for every gram your over weight. I have thrown stuff out at the Airport before rather than give them the satisfaction of getting my money.
The check in is a joke but cant blame all on the staff if some people skip/push the que
But they could have someone keeping an eye on it.
Now I just arrive an hour before take, stroll up to the small que, happy days

Achh the old airport was worse.

Much worse!

The airport is much worse than it used to be,, the last 3 times I've waited 1 1/2 hours in the queue to check in,, it never used to take that long..

The last time, after waiting all that time, I was told I was 3 kilos over!!! 3 kilos!! I asked him what his point was?? I ended up taking a bottle of wine out!

I haven't been through it since last July and to be honest it didn't seem any different from any other airport for checking in, I can't remember how long I waited but it couldn't have been long or I would have remembered. But once you check in the facilities are far superior to what the old airport had. It didn't even have aircon.

I travelled through the airport on Thursday. It took me all of 5 mins to check in with TCX. Mind you I was being escorted by 5 security guards and an armed policeman. Think they wanted me out of the country asap.

Truthfully, it did only take 5 mins, both bags were underweight and the security was reasonably quick and painless. The only delays I have suffered were when I arrived at the airport too early for the check in desks to be open.

Obviously its not busy everyday,, I'm sure everyone on the island wishes it was! I was there on the busiest day of the year, according to a rep,, the Thursday after New Year!

But I do think they should be more prepared for it by having more desks open and more security on, as we were lucky not to miss the flight and had to run for it when we were finally through, so the facilities didn't matter much to us lol

Escorted out of the country what was that about Cye

Think Helga had returned to the Island with a quad bike for revenge!!!!

I just tagged onto some guardia Civil lads, the check in desks were mainly empty. I´d just been over for a short break, may return again shortly too, can´t have Spenders closing due to lack of my cider drinking.

Dob't worry cy business is picking up again now that you are gone

The problem with TC check in is that they try to check in all their flights at the same desks which works ok in the UK but they forgot it is the Canarians/Spanish who do it here and we all know there multi-task skills are in abundance

Overhere, hopefully I may be misreading your comments but if I was Spanish I would be offended by your post. However I know from reading your previous posts that you only had humourous intent
Have not much experience of Thomas Cook,but the First Choice check in system seems to work very smoothly and it is operated by
Spanish/Canarian workers.

I currently mainly use Monarch, and mostly travel out of the school holidays. At present I have no complaints about Lanzarote airport.

That said, I have been seriously unhappy with Thompson at Lanzarote airport on one occasion. I queued, got to check-in, and was told that my printed off confirmation was not acceptable and was sent to find the Thompson desk to get a hand written ticket and then to requeue; by which time 2/3 coaches had turned up. I did write a complaint -but I don't seem to remember a reply. After all - I'm not their only customer.

I also had to queue for over an hour an Birmingham while flying with Excel.

I don't think it's an airport problem, it's more to do with the operator, peaks in travel and sometimes just bad luck.

As for the excess luggage - that really irritates me when they get uppity about a kilo or 2 - but the Lazarote operators are not as bad as Ryan Air. I have held the queue up as I have moved luggage between our 3 cases to get them all under the limit - they didn't care that the 3 together were fine.

I have now bought 2 luggage weighers (balanzza, about £15). I keep one in the UK and the other in Lanza. It does help take the stress out of the situation.

Correct lasno

Think it may have been because you were using Thomas Cook. As stated on a previous post, we were royally mucked around by this company with a day flight changed to night flight at the last minute, with no intention of ever honouring the day flight times, severe delays going and leaving, but only Thomas Cook, other flights at the same times had no delays, non existant service, and a voucher for the princely sum of £7.00 to compensate! Wouldn't trust them to organise a p**s up in a brewery, and will never use them again if I can help it.