Wetherspoon Express - Liverpool

A small airport, sized more like a bus station, with friendly staff and quick check ins. Especially valuable when compared to it's nightmare of a neighbor, Manchester airport. Also, really nice that it was named for an artist and not a politician.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport may not be the biggest of airports but for a small city like Liverpool, locals should consider themselves lucky to have domestic airlines that fly to common tourist hotspots within Europe. There's even the convenience of flying around the UK, for those of you who don't want to travel on wheels! In terms of services and facilities in general, you should expect it to be quite average, as this is not really an airport for VIP. There isn't much to do while you wait for your flight, apart from a few cafes and common shops to explore. Whilst I'm here, I will share a tip for football fans flying into the airport (to attend an Everton or Liverpool match). That is, if you catch the 501 bus to Liverpool South Parkway station, then take a Northern Line train to Sandhills, you can further connect with the Soccerbus service for just £1. Hardly VIP, but you couldn't ask for more!

I agree with the review before mine on many accounts, including the fact that it's called John Lennon Airport. Where would Liverpool be if the football teams wer relegated to the Championship or League 1, and if the Beatles were actually from down South. Anyway, getting to the point, there really isn't a lot at this airport in terms of amusement while you're waiting for your flight. I am quick to criticise the airport for it's lack of entertainment, however it is a very small aiport with only six airlines flying out of there. Manchester International Airport is only around 20 miles down the motorway, so it's not really necessary for a huge airport. In terms of parking, it will cost you an arm and a leg for short stay car park as only the first 20 minutes are free. I must say that although I have criticised the airport quite a lot, I have never had a bad experience any time I have ever flown from or to there. Flights have always been on time with no hitches.

Good old John Lennon Airport. It's as though we can't survive in Liverpool without naming something after a Beatle. As airports go, this one is pretty naff. There isn't exactly a huge amount to do before you go through security, as there are many open plan cafes but none that you are allowed to sit at if you've brought your own packed lunch. Even if you're just sitting and minding your own business, you feel quite uncomfortable. Before security, you have Dorothy Perkins, Boots, Superdrug, a Liverpool shop and a shoe shop, as well as the obligatory pub and slot machines. However, the airport is currently undergoing a bit of a revamp, so apparently it is going to look a lot better in coming months. After security, there are a few more decent shops, including one in which everything is £10. Then again, it may not be there after this revamp.... There's not a lot else going on at the airport unfortunately. It's not very big, so you can't exactly wander around while you wait for your flight to be called, and the lack of decent shops means that if you're early or your flight gets delayed, you will likely be heading to the bookshop pronto, even if you can't read!!

The worst airport experience of my life and there have been some pretty bad ones (Read my review of Frankfurt airport). Liverpool John Lennon airport. Where to begin? Maybe with the drop off and pick up area. You are forced to take a ticket and use the carpark area. Admittedly this is free for the first 10 minutes, but it's still annoying. Once inside, I went to drop my bag off (I did web check in). The Easyjet bag drop off point, although it looked open, had no staff. The check in queue looked like it'd take about an hour, and as I was in a rush I went to the premium (or whatever they call it) desk. The girl was very nice and took my luggage. So far so good. I had been warned that the security queue was slow and long, however with checked in luggage I felt safe that they wouldn't want to take off without me, so I thought I'd try the standard system. They do have an express queue that you can use for £3, so the terrible normal experience is a cynical ploy. As I got to the queueing area, looking at the amount of people and the speed of the queue I estimated 15 minutes. I also noticed that they were calling forward people whose flights were leaving shortly. Happily after 10 minutes my flight was called. I made my way past about 20 people, went around the corner and joined the back of another huge queue. Ah... Here there was another queue at least as long as the first one and another opportunity to buy yourself into the fast lane. 15 minutes later we reach a third turn and some stairs. Here I took a photo to illustrate. It took a further 15 20 minutes from this point. For this whole stupid process alone I have to give Liverpool John Lennon airport the worst possible rating. I seriously cannot understand the thinking behind the policy. Yes, they earn the odd £3 from people who hate queueing, but they annoy thousands of others. In the end they probably also lose out financially too. Just think: Of 100 people wasting 1 hour each in a queue, how many would spend money in the air side shops? Probably quite a lot. However, after the 1 hour queue, most people have to run straight to board their planes and can spend no time in the shops. I personally went straight from security to my gate and arrived there 5 minutes after the stated closing time... Stupid, annoying, stupid policy. After all that, we had to walk outside and queue in the freezing rain to board our plane. Great. Avoid Liverpool John Lennon airport if at all possible. It just isn't worth it.