Delhi Airport
- India Ghandi -
Past Worst Airport Winner
Lasting Impressions....
"Had to change in the toilet which made the one in Trainspotting look like the Ritz." (Moray)
"special effort appeared to be made to make sure that no trace of toilet paper could be found." (Pawel)
"we survived on water and cookies" (Joe Goozey)
"The airport itself was a bit of a shock on the first time, especially the toilets, but after travelling around India, i can tell: the airport is one of the safest and cleanest places there. " (sani)
"dirty, with all all pervasive smell of sweet over powering phenyl which they use for disinfecting. The departure lounge has this odour mixed with that of cigarettes." (Amit Mathur)
"the business lounges are a real disgrace. Even when I get to fly business I do not hang out there, it is better in the main hallway." (?)
Good times
by samFromLA
I am a frequent visitor to India for various business trips and know some of major airports in India like (Delhi, Hyderabad, Bombay, Bangalore). But I wanna tell you I am real surprised by looking at Delhi IGI airport this time in Dec 2008. They have improved a lot, completely new look in everything, from entrance to toilets. And the security guys are very helpful, will explain you the process multiple times and best thing we all know about India, very well with English, so no problem at all. Fast food joints are also good and inexpensive as well, in terms of USD, just nothing. A must visit now.
Not a bad place, but not great either
by oilrig
Delhi has been undergoing an upgrade for the past (10?) years and is slowly becoming more representative of its claim to be an international hub. The new transit lounge is just about finished and is a great improvement. There are a mixture of different soft seats - bucket ones and half-lying ones. The toilets are clean and new too (who knows how long that will last?). There are usually quite a lot of people in the lounge too. If you have access to about 30 you can also access the business class lounge upstairs. There are now 2 small cafes that sell the smallest coffees and a range of half-stale samosas etc for around .5-1 each. The worst thing about the airport is the very loud and very regular announcements (when i was there a week ago, they called last boarding for Koreans six times at least). Word of warning - don't go through security until you have to - the post-security chairs are not as nice. I would suggest that anyone staying over 5 hours and wishing to sleep brings sleeping-mask and earplugs!
Um, you may want to rethink sleeping in this place
by too_damn_Desi
International Arrival: Due to delays at my transfer in shanghai (fog at delhi) , i reached delhi around 9 in the morning, around 10 hours later than my scheduled arrival time. So missed my pre-arranged bus connection. Immigration line-up was crazy. While the line moved slower than a slug in the rain, i made my way to the washroom on the left. Halfway to, met with a pungent smell of something, phenyl and ammonia mix and god knows what. i dared to take a few more steps and met with a pool of water covering the entrance to the men's room. I trotted back to the line. Was thinking of spending some time at the airport until i could figure out my transportation, but that made me think otherwise. While in the baggage area waiting for my bags, the power goes off and the whole hall goes pitch dark. My first reaction: grab my wallet and other valuables and keep them in my inner coat pocket. You can never be too careful. Departure is a complete joke and felt like India's way of punching you in the face and saying goodbye, ruined my otherwise excellent trip. Obviously i was not let into the departure area as i arrived 5 hours before my departure time. Told to wait in the lounge across the road, where i sat and watched my flight get delayed..and more delayed..and then some more, for a total of 9 hours. It was unbearable. Finally, screen showed flight not delayed anymore and i made my way in only to find out that almost all the other passengers were let in around the time i tried to get in and the airline provided them with a hotel to relax, food etc, while i starved out in the lounge because of those ignorant security pricks. The x-ray machine helpers insisted on carrying my bag and putting it on my trolley and i thought it was very unusual for employees to be that helpful, until he asked me for money and i laughed at him. Definitely would not shut my eye for a split second at this place.
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
- crowded
- no seats
- mosquitoes
- dirty bathrooms
- birds inside the terminal leave a poopy mess everywhere
- toilets on the second floor are almost clean
- friendly security
- poor signage
- cold
- bribery
- book taxis in advance or use a pre-paid service
- frequent announcements in Hindi and English that increase at night
