London City Airport – if only all airports were like this

Everyone has their favourite airport.  Whether you are travelling for business or leisure there will be something that you particularly like about a certain airport.  It might be the closeness of the car parks, the choice of restaurants in the departure lounge, the fact your favourite airline fly from there or just the location to home or work which makes it convenient.

Whatever it is that you really like there are also bound to be many things you dislike.  maybe the security queues are always long, the departure gates are a long walk, the train route to the airport is not direct, there will be something.

In this post we take a look at London City Airport.  It originally opened in 1988 and has seen some expansion and updates since.  It is primarily used by business passengers, in main due to its proximity to Londons Canary wharf but it has recently seen more ‘leisure’ destinations added, such as Palma de Mallorca, Chambery and more and more ski destinations, including Zurich, Geneva and Milan.

The whole experience here is different.  Its obviously a much smaller airport and fewer flights than the other London airports but its so much more relaxed, friendly and dare it say it, a pleasurable experience.

Getting to the airport is easy; Buses, DLR and road access are simple and right near the terminal.  Exiting the DLR couldn’t be easier; straight up an escalator and you are at the check in desks.  No long corridors and miles of walkways from the public transportation to the terminal.

Check-in and security are straight forward, easy and then in the departure lounge there is just enough to keep you occupied before your flight with a couple of places to eat and drink and a few shops.

The airport operates a ‘no announcement’ policy; screens throughout show the flight status, but the lack of announcements becomes obvious after a while when you realise just how quiet it is.

There is free wifi throughout the airport, which is nice and doesn’t mean you need to sign-up for a particular service, or sit in a specific spot to pick up free access.

Once your flight is called its a short walk on the tarmac to board your flight; couldn’t be simpler.

image “Plane landing at City Airport – geograph.org.uk – 759301” by Barry Harvey. Licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.