Looking for info about Barcelona Airport Terminal 1? Here we look at the facilities.
When you arrive at T1 you’ll need to make your way to the third floor for check-in desks and security. If you’ve been dropped off by car, taxi or shuttle bus then you’re likely to be on the right level, otherwise just follow the signs.
Inside terminal 1 at Barcelona Airport. Photo by David Leigh
Not what you’re looking for about Barcelona Airport? Check the main page on Barcelona Airport here or find out about Terminal 2.
Check-in
Most people tend to check in online these days, in which case you can go straight to the queue for security. Otherwise you’ll need to find the check-in desk for your airline.
In total there are six double rows of check-ins. Apparently there are a total of 258 and finding the right one can be tricky given the scale of the terminal coupled with often confusing signage. There are self check-in points too, although these aren’t as user friendly as you might hope.
Airline information desks are also on floor 3, although Iberia has a second desk on the first floor.
Security
The last couple of times I’ve flown from Barcelona I was through security in around ten minutes, but in the summer of 2017 there were reports of two hour delays due to passenger numbers and lack of staff. Take that into account if you’re flying during peak weekends in particular.
If you’re travelling with children you’ll be fast tracked through security if you use family checkpoints. Otherwise you can buy a VIP Fast Lane ticket (€4 in July 2018) to skip the main queues.
Passport control
After security you’ll go through passport control if you’re flying to a country outside the Schengen area. Simply put that means anywhere outside Europe, although there are some exceptions.
- If you’re flying to the UK, Ireland, USA, or another non-Schengen country then you’ll need to show your passport. After than you’ll go through to the first floor departure lounge.
- If you’re flying within the Schengen area (most of Europe plus a handful of other destinations) you’ll go down to the departure lounge on level 1.
Departure lounge
As a major international airport, Barcelona has pretty much what you’d expect.
The Duty Free shop in T1. Photo by David Leigh
Shops include plenty of brand name stores selling designer clothes and everything from electronics, travel goods, magazines and books to sportswear and Spanish produce.
Food and drink is available from a number of places. Nothing is particularly inspirational and rather overpriced, as you’d expect at an airport. But it is at least available.
As well as restaurants serving tapas, pizza and Mediterranean dishes there are also cafes where you can buy sandwiches, salads and other snacks. Finally, there are quite a number of vending machines dotted around the terminal.
Charging points are available for your mobile phone or other device. There are a number of work areas and some of the restaurants have charging points available.
If you look near the gates you can also find vacant electrical sockets. Some are used for powering TVs and other devices, but there are usually available ones close by.
Smokers will be happy that there is a large outdoor terrace accessed from the departure lounge on level 1 for Schengen flights (gates A, B and C).
You can smoke on the terraces in T1. Photo by David Leigh
However, if you’re flying to a non-Schengen destination from level 3 (gates D and E) you can’t smoke after clearing passport control. Instead you can go down to level 1 for your final cigarette, before going back up to the third floor and passport control.
VIP lounges are also available to passengers travelling from T1. There are three:
- Colomer is for the Barcelona-Madrid air shuttle and located on the first floor.
- Joan Miró is for passengers travelling to non-Schengen destinations and on the second floor.
- Pau Casals is also on the second floor and for passengers flying within the Schengen area.
Departure gates
Keep and eye out for when your flight is allocated a gate on the displays dotted around the departure lounge. Most departure gates are in a looooong spur that extends from the departure lounge. Even when the moving walkways are all in working order it takes a while to get to gates furthest from the departure lounge.
T1 departure gates. Photo by David Leigh
One major thing Terminal 1 lacks at the gates is adequate seating. While many are located within the long section that extends from the main terminal building, the queues to board aircraft block the way.
It’s almost as if the architects never considered there might actually be people using the terminal. What a novel thought!
That’s it about Barcelona Airport’s facilities at Terminal 1.
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