“I’ve been harsh but looks aren’t everything. Airports have to be functional”
Last week, I had occasion to collect a friend from Milan’s Malpensa Airport. For those of you who don’t know, Malpensa has Italy’s newest terminal and a spectacular structure it is. But, did you know there are two terminals at Malpensa?
I certainly didn’t and nor did the woman at Alitalia’s desk in Heathrow who stated there was only one.
I’d never been to Malpensa before and, when I asked friends in Malugnaga how long it would take to drive there, I was told about 90mins. I was then asked which terminal the flight was arriving at because the terminals are three miles apart.
As I didn’t know where AZ237 was due to land, and Alitalia at Heathrow thought there was only one terminal anyway, I set off blindly, expecting signs telling me where Alitalia’s international flights operated from. Needless to say there was no indication at all where I had to go to.
I chose Terminal One and, of course, made the wrong choice. I finally found someone who could tell me that Alitalia international flights used Terminal Two so, off I went.
I then discovered Terminal Two was divided into north and south but with no indication as to which part Alitalia flights from London used.
Luckily, I saw that the south part was for Shengen arrivals/departures -do you know where on earth Shengen is? I had a vague notion that the UK was not part of this passport-free zone and drove to the north part of Terminal Two. The next challenge was figuring out how the parking meter operated. It took me a while and I then had to advise all the Italians around me how to do it too.
Signposting in the terminal is poor as well. There are Zones A and B in arrivals but no indication when you are actually in A and B – and it’s hard to find the lavatories.
The arrivals area is long, narrow and very claustrophobic and passengers can come out of one of two gates which forces those people waiting for them to crowd between the two points. It’s not comfortable. The departures area, by contrast, is beautiful, light and airy but again, poorly signposted.
The food in the restaurants was excellent and the service polite. In the cafes, they still use that annoying system where you have to go to the till, pay for what you want, collect a ticket and then go to the service area to collect your choice. It’s fine if you speak Italian but impossible if you don’t and have to carry your luggage from one side of the cafe to the other.
I suppose it’s designed to stop people handling food and handling the money. It works in cafes in Palermo but not at Malpensa Terminal Two.
I’ve been very harsh, but looks aren’t everything.
These places have to be functional and easy to use. The information desk at Terminal Two was able to tell me that Malpensa Terminal One is used by all charter flights and Egypt Air. So, charter airlines, the Italians must feel there is still the need to segregate your passengers at a time when the distinction between charter and schedule is becoming increasingly blurred.
Still, I’m sure most of the minor niggles I’ve mentioned could easily be corrected.