Chennai Airport
Lasting Impressions....
"The toilets constipation are inspiring" (Paul)
"I couldn't sleep well because I had doubts of this place regarding thieves and cheaters. " (Nimal)
"There is a callous disregard for any kind of basic hygiene or courtesy. " (Ron K.)
"I would suggest you wear some diapers because the bathrooms are terrible. I went in and ran out due to the unbearable stench." (Ron K.)
"Of all the Indian Airports I have been to, I would give this a thumbs up" (sathya)
"People are EVERYWHERE, standing around, staring at you, asking for money, bribing you, trying to rip you off... Jolly good times, eh? " (Donna Connelly)
"The bathrooms are definitely the most terrifying aspect of this airport. They stink to high heaven, and there is NEVER any toilet paper, paper towels or air freshener." (Donna Connelly)
"anyone who has been to India will know the unimportance of punctuality in this country" (Louise M)
"The toilets near the restaurant are abominable. I found that toilets downstairs at the domestic arrival terminal where good." - DrDave
"Waiting room of International departure lounge needs improvement, all the cushions of the chairs are dirty, it is better to provide PVC seats rather than cushion covered with cloths." cnsajeev
Good times
by badri
I had to catch a really early flight to Frankfurt and so decided to shack up in this airport. After having been in other major airports like Mumbai and Delhi, I have to say this was a welcome relief! They seem to have undertaken some recent expansion and invested some money in upgrading facilities because i could see that things were actually moving along quite efficiently. Though it was crowded like in all airports in india, people weren't jostling each other... However, before check in, the number of seats available is woefully inadequate. After check in, there are enough seats but none good enough to sleep on...though sitting for a few hours is quite ok...
Thankfully they have hired some more people to handle baggage so there wasnt an interminable wait for the luggage! all in all, not up to world class standards yet but taking some steps in the right direction! (toilets were pretty dirty but not nauseatingly so... )
Not a bad place, but not great either
by namche
To enter the departure lounge you need to show your ticket (army guards had little problem with my morning flight, as it was only 10 pm, but I explained I'm concerned about safety).
Go straight to the left, to the second floor (look for signs "Viewing gallery"). In this gallery on the left you can find a little place behind the wall, so you will be seen only if anyone passes just by you. At night the gallery was usually empty, only a couple of airline staff from nearby offices were passing by or using the chairs to sit and chat on the phone. I got only smiles from them, as they saw me on my sleeping pad.
It is impossible to switch off the light though, but relatively silent (only a couple of announcements). I wasn't able to sleep much (I was too concerned to miss my check-in a 4 am). Felt safe all the time.
I also tried to explore long corridors, until I encountered a guard. Fortunately a friendly chap, stopped me and asked what I'm looking for (I understand it, 1 AM, totally empty corridor full of chairs, a strange-looking guy with a backpack :-). So, it seems there is no visible border between restricted corridors ("operations wing" as he called it) and ones open to public, have that in mind.
Um, you may want to rethink sleeping in this place
by Ron
"OMG, what a crappy place. I had to visit India on business and had to take a connection flight from Chennai. I had read so much about India and looking at almost everyday hype about economic development and booming economy and so forth. But what i saw here completely surprised me. It is filthy and polluted. There is a callous disregard for any kind of basic hygiene or courtesy.The Singapore airline flight landed at Chennai at around 10.45pm. My flight was at 7AM next day. I thought I will just relax in the airport. BIG MISTAKE!.The whole place stinks. There is dirt and filth all over. People are extremely rude. The TV is on all the time and was showing some crappy songs in native language. It was loud and irritating. In between there were loud announcements from the airport staff. The seats were terrible. There were all kinds of nut cases hanging out there. People were trying to sell me all kinds of eatables, books and cigarettes and what not. There is no AC and this place is perennially hot and sticky. It was around 80 degrees F . There were 1 or 2 small places to get some food. Looking at all the filth around, I did not want to risk getting some stomach disorders or some strange virus. Oh and ya, I would suggest you wear some diapers because the bathrooms are terrible. I went in and ran out due to the unbearable stench. There is crap and urine all over the place and no one to clean. All in all a terrible place to go. Would never set foot again."
Airport Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the reviews on the next page for the most up-to-date info:
- filthy and polluted
- smelly
- people are rude or crazy
- loud TV and announcements
- terrible and few seats
- bathrooms are grotesque
- fleas
