Malaga airport "improvements"

I know it is still a work in progress, but from what I saw the other day, the so-called improvements taking place at Malaga airport are anything but that.

Used to be that I could turn up pretty much any time, any day, and park in the car park directly opposite the terminal building with little difficulty. Now that they have built a new multi-story next to it (literally tacked on to the side of the old one) both the old and new sections are chocka, and it felt like I was almost back inTorremolinos before I found a space. How's that happened? Then, to access the terminal building, I had to walk to the far side of the new car park (the opposite side to that closest to the terminal) to take a lift down a level, then walk back across the car park towards the terminal. There are pedestrian lanes marked out for this purpose, but I then had to cross the same bridge I had passed over in the car back to the old car park, and continue to walk amongst the traffic where there are no pedestrain lanes, and drivers are distracted trying to figure out why there's nowhere to park anymore. How long before there's an accident?

I know there is a new terminal still under construction, but the existing one is poor, to say the least. And I know from experience at Palma airport, that when the new terminal is open, it will probably be the exclusive domain of Spanair, Iberia, Europa etc. The likes of easyJet will still have to use the old one, and it will almost certainly be exactly the same as it is now.

It would be interesting to how others have found the "improvements" to be?

Have been  to Malaga airport twice in the last couple of weeks. Parked in departures without too much trouble on both occasions. Once mid morning and once late evening.

The new terminal puts the old one to shame and I like the addition of shops and restaurants in the area between both terminals.

What drives me mad is the length of the queues at check in and the chaos around the taxi rank outside Arrivals in what is now Terminal 2. That certainly hasn't improved.

The new terminal is open? Everything looked exactly as it has done for the last five years that I've been here. Did I miss something?

As for the taxis at arrivals, don't even get me started. The moronic drivers queue for hours for a fare, and then when you tell them you are going to Torremolinos, they get p*ssed off because it's only €15! And they can get to Torremolinos from the airport in about 3 minutes - faster than Fernando Alonso when he's got Hamilton looming in his mirrors.

 Quote Roberto

It would be interesting to how others have found the "improvements" to be?

Roberto, you described Malaga Airport perfectly.!

I had to walk to the far side of the new car park (the opposite side to that closest to the terminal) to take a lift down a level, then walk back across the car park towards the terminal. There are pedestrian lanes marked out for this purpose, but I then had to cross the same bridge I had passed over in the car back to the old car park, and continue to walk amongst the traffic where there are no pedestrain lanes, and drivers are distracted trying to figure out why there's nowhere to park anymore.

My husband and I had two trolleys( they have a mind of there own at the best of times!) with four large cases + hand baggage  (3 adults + 1 baby) trying to negotiate the traffic.  Someone appears to have forgotten to put low levels in the kirbs to allow trolleys/ wheelchairs/ pushchairs to get on and off the pavements!! 

People were going up and down in the lifts and round and round the car park, looking for the departures terminal. Hopefully, it can only improve!

Either it's open or I dreamt it all  - three times!

If you go straight down from the far end of the new extension to the Departures car park you will see it in front of you. It is joined onto but set a little back from the original building. It is now Terminal 1 and the original terminal is Terminal 2. As you enter the main doors Arrivals is to your right and Check In to your left. There are escalators, lifts and staircases which take you up to the area that links Terminal 1 and Check In for Terminal2. Between the two terminals there are  shops and at least one restaurant .

We were there for the first time on the 7th and I believe it had opened a week or so earlier. We saw it had opened either in Sur or the Costa del Sol News and did a dry run prior to meeting a friend on the 14th,in case we needed to familiarise ourselves with the new set up.The British low cost carriers remain in the old terminal.As yet there don't seem to be many carriers using the new terminal.

It looks like the "improvements" are likely to go on until 2010 with new and longer runways and modifications to the station in order to allow the AVE to stop at the airport.

Now I'm even more confused. As far as I know, Terminal 1 is the older, smaller terminal. 99% of flights go from Terminal 2, which is opposite the old car park. There is a third terminal under construction, which is due to open in 2008. So either I'm going mad, or The Bantam is dreaming! Either way, it's a complete mess. When the new airport in Palma opened, it was rumoured that the design was originally for Miami, but got thrown out because it was unworkable. I wonder where the design for Malaga came from ?

Can anyone add to this?

 We didn't see any of what Bantam described  We went from the usual terminal..but there was no clear signs to follow. We had to go to the car  rentals returns so maybe that made a difference.

OK as its friday, Im blonde and so I thought I would throw in my pennies worth to REALLY confuse youall!

Terminal 2 (why do thay call it that, its scary enough when flying!) was and is the original general one for easyjet etc. Terminal one which has always been there is to the left as you walk in and now has flights from Eirelingus (or however they spell it!) which used to be T2 going from there, so they've just opened it up a bit. I think it used to be more longhaul flights or freight and I do know that when guests arrived for my rental business, sometimes they would be diverted to there as opposed to T2 - great at midnight when youre trying to sort them out and they cant find where the car hire is etc etc etc.....................!

Terminal 3 is the new one being built to be opened but not yet opened as far as Im aware, but then I try to avoid the place like the plague anyway - if relatives DARE to come over then I send a driver to collect them (not a limo or anything) as I cant be arsed to go there myself, too far and costs too much and anyway I work hard so the little leisure time I have I want to spend it doing something I want to do!

Yes the parking is a total nightmare and my fav parking peeps had their place razed to the ground so anyone left to look after the car is flipping expensive!

I cant work out the parking either as its a nightmare at the best of times and where one used to get int hre relatively easily, now if you get in the wrong lane your stuffed and have to return via Malaga centre!

Best thing to do is stay at home, here in Sunny Spain and not go anywhere - more fun that way - and wait until its all finished before oohing and ahhing at the new building and runway!

Now - wheres my tinto, its friday afternoon and the sun is past the yardarm...........

ps - all the above waffle is all my own thoughts and not meant for general consumption!

Yup...understand all of that !! It's always different depending on what day of the week it is. !!

 Hopefully by next summer it will be more organised, but I'll not hold my breath!

Spoke to someone who works at the airport today who said word on the inside is that the new terminal won't be operational until 2010 - and that's presumably dependent on whether it gets it's LFO .

Yes, Bantam, the "old" Terminal 1 has had a bit of a face lift, but from what I can gather, it's not likely to win any awards in the near future.

Rixy, please - don't insult us Irish - its AER LINGUS !!!!!!!!

Helen

Not sure which terminal is which but when we came back from Malaga in September it was fab to be able to sit on the new sun terrace whilst waiting for the flights.  It was a lovely day and one we'd wasted 45 minutes checking in we just went and sat outside until ready to go through security and board.  I have asthma and waiting in the 'No' smoking general area has always been a nightmare for me. Didn't check whether no smoking regulations are enforced yet inside but they didn't used to be.

Must admit it was a nightmare returning the hire car as we were forced to drive around the car park in the opposite direction to the arrows, one little person directing at the entrance then no-one in the main body of the car park, lots of tourists all lost trying to get either in or out.

Hi Sonia,

Yes smoking restrictions are in force although they do have one at each gate down the far end, closed off with extraction (nowhere in the UK has this)

I don't understand where all the cars came from, before the new part opened I could always find a parking spot. Now I am nearly back home before I get one. The sunterrace is very popular with us smokers as is the bar cos you can take your glass out and have a cig at the same time!!!