Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport is a modern and busy hub that makes traveling in and out of Barcelona smooth and convenient. The terminals are spacious, clean, and filled with plenty of shops, cafés, and restaurants to enjoy while waiting for your flight. Signs are clear, and getting around is easy whether you're arriving, departing, or connecting. The atmosphere is lively yet organized, with helpful staff and good facilities like lounges, charging stations, and transport links into the city. read more

Building looks sleek and modern as you approach but what lies within will likely be your single worst airport check-in experience. For my British Airways flight they would not allow you to check in any earlier than 2 1/2 hours before the flight which is problematic on two fronts. First the port of Barcelona is a major hub for Cruises (that is why we were catching a flight) so arriving first thing with luggage in hand is a typical practice for passengers - so it is baffling that they would not let you access the departure lounge amenities any earlier (at best it's a poor business decision). Secondly the arrivals and check in areas are devoid of any form of said amenities (if you discount a sandwich vending machine and an ATM) and there is minimal seating and only sporadic WiFi connection available to boot. However all of this would have been a mild irritation at the end of a vacation had it not been for the completely unhelpful & rude check-in staff. When they patrolled the check-in line to demand travelers not on the next flight to leave the line I asked if there was anywhere we could go to wait to which the staff member waved a dismissive hand and grumbled "somewhere in the airport). I asked when should I return to the line she said 12:30 (it was 10:50). Given the line was moving at a snails pace we rejoined the line at 11:50, after I returned to the line it took another hour to reach the front of the line (I did get to watch one of the check-in staff rudely argue with a young mother over charging her to check her stroller. The check-in clerk at the desk we were lined up stepped out from behind the desk to announce that you can only check-in 2 1/2 hours before your flight. Following a quick exchange where I attempted to explain we'd been told to come back at 12:30, the Check-in decided it was appropriate to talk to me like a toddler and use her fingers to count back from my flight time of 4:20 and then in a raised voice, as she turned away, told us to leave (we were already in the process of gathering up our luggage). read more

What an outdated and unhelpful airport. Outrageously long lines, no humans in sight, and those who are there are not helpful. Avoid this airport if at all possible. People are missing flights because of the poor service and operations at this airport. We were nearly four hours early and still felt rushed trying to get checked in and through security. Never again. read more

Many airlines operate out of Terminal 1 in the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. My husband and I flew into this Terminal on British Airways, and we flew out on American Airlines. My husband and I had no problems with the baggage claim, check-in counter, or waiting area. The shuttle bus between terminals, though, was very slow one time. We liked the assortment of stores and restaurants. read more

The terminal is huge and spread out, with basically a shopping mall in the middle. This terminal covers multiple floors and has multiple gates. Its busy, crowded and can be challenging if you are not prepared for it. It serves a lot of people daily and offers a wide array of products, services, food, banking, entertainment while traveling through it. I arrived and departed both through terminal 1 and it was an interesting time on both occasions. 3 Stars - its an international airport served its purpose 01062 read more

Unorganized flow for travelers. After initial security check, you have to walk to the 2nd security/passport check. The flow leads you downstairs and more walking, then flow directs you upstairs. That's where the 2nd security check is. At the second security check, it's customs, they check your passport and stamps it. Then you walk to the "gates", the flow leads you downstairs and more walking before you get to the gate that your boarding pass tells you. Then you wait at a few seats by the gate number. Not enough seats at the gates. Then when your boarding turn is up, you line up. Line is slow. Then after they check your boarding pass, they direct you to go downstairs and board a BUS, that will shuttle you to your plane. By the way, no food by the gate waiting area. read more

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Like many major city airports- huge and busy. I am always glad I never drive to airports like these. In 2022, I arrived in early June. Customs was easy and baggage claim a breeze. Everything was well marked. Even the path to take to the Aerobus, which I highly recommend for an inexpensive ride from the airport to the city center. In May 2024, arrive by bus from the cruise terminal. It is a bit of a hike into the terminal and then quite the game to find where your check in counter might be. After a long wait in line due to limited counter staff, I was finally on my was to security. TSA here is duplicated. I had to have my passport checked twice, went through two different security areas- one immediately to enter the area another screening to get to the international departure area. So allow more time than you might usually allow for departure. The immediate duty free mall area was very large, clean and well stocked. I can't vouch much for the restaurants as I headed to a lounge to hang out at. For the most part the international terminal is spacious, lots of room between people. It's the gate areas that are rather crowded. Plenty of flight boards to check gates, times and delays. There's even an outdoor area to relax in on a nice day. read more

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This airport is situated in Barcelona. We had our flight with Vueling, pretty nice airport. The employees are helpful, well situated.

This was our first visit to Spain and Barcelona, which was great. We really enjoted our visit to Spain and Barcelona. Our non-stop United Airlines international flight from Newark, New Jersey arrived at Barcelona's International Terminal 1. There was a long walk through Terminal 1. The non-resident customs clearance and immigration line was one of the longest customs clearance and immigration lines I was ever on. The line was very crowded and moved very slowly. I was disappointed with the long line. During our wait I met some friends from Virginia. After we cleared, we were lucky to locate a large taxi to drive the four us with our four large luggages to our IHG Hotel Indigo Catalunya. More to come regarding our airport taxi to our IHG Hotel Indigo. read more

The scope of my review is limited to just the departures as I didn't fly into this airport or terminal. Terminal 1 consists of a bulk, if not all, of the long-haul international flights. Anywhere to the US or Asia will all fly out from Terminal 1. For this trip, I didn't bother checking a bag in, so I didn't deal with that process. I wonder if United or others utilize the bag drop here. Once you get through security, which wasn't terribly long for me around 9AMish, you get to the main concourse area. Spend all your time here and eat whatever you like. The reason for this is because if you're traveling outside the EU, you'll have to go through passport control which then confines you to sections D and E. Over there, there is nothing except for a small Duty Free, the VIP Miro Lounge, a Burger King, and a couple and Pans & Company sandwich shops. Funny enough, I never mustered trying Pans & Company while in Spain. I probably should've at some point. I spent almost all my time in the lounge, so I never thought twice regretting getting anything in the concourse. But it's worth noting if you're not going to spend time in a lounge. read more

Waiting in line to check baggage for two hours. This sets a negative tone for the rest of our 12 hour flights

My issue with this part of the airport was that I walked the entire of E and D as well looking for the lounge. I never found it in E, went back to D and think I saw more signage for it, but didn't locate it... Ridiculous! They need better signage throughout the lounge! The signs literally kept pointing down in E all the way to the end and then it was a "U turn" looking sign. Makes no sense. read more

If you are flying international to/from the US, this will likely be in this area of the airport. The signage is not too bad, but it is really busy on the entrance area, so make sure you look around very carefully. Make sure you allow time to get through passport control as the lines can get long. The que moves steadily, but it still gets backed up. Make sure to allow extra time if you wish to get a pre flight meal before heading to the departure gates, which are all upstairs. read more

Terrible. Terrible terrible. Maybe the worst TSA system I've ever seen. Employee genius number one moved us 50 yards away to "fast" line around the corner. It was slow, incompetent and swelteringly hot. They Have completely forgotten what security should be focusing on. Every minor metal in a bag inexplicably gets the WHOLE line to stop while you explain that it's a euro or a hair clip or a phone battery or whatever. THE WHOLE LINE!! It's an id iotic process. If u insists on over-frequent stopping, maybe pull these tourist monsters with an iPhone off to the side. Second brainiac saw that I did not set off metal alarm, so he swabbed my hands. Excellent waste of everyone's time. 10 year old boy behind me was tired, bored (20 minutes in this horrific line while every Single person was detained in this pathetic traffic jam) was yelled at about his baseball cap. He started to cry. whoever thinks any of this was a good idea, should be forced to endure it on the way to getting fired. read more

I like this terminal--fresh feeling, newish, and easy to navigate with lots of space and clear signs. Good selection of restaurants and cafes too. Plus, I actually found a water fountain, in Europe, what a find! I didn't waste any time and quickly filled up my empty water bottle! The only negative is the security scanning. No guard telling you to take out your iPad, or take off your shoes, or take off your belt, until you are actually scanned--and then they yell at you. The world's rudest security scanning staff! read more

El-Prat Terminal 1 - Airport Terminals Near Me - El Prat de Llobregat, B

I arrived to the airport really early and was really bored. It was a Monday morning around noon. The security line took about ten minutes. There were armed guards with automatic weapons around security. You did not have to take off your shoes but you did have to separate your liquids. From there I followed the sign that said all passports but was ushered into a different line as I had a US passport. This line had no one in it. Of course this happens when I'm three hours early...not when I'm running through an airport. From passport control I was in the gate area. There were a few charging stations, a Cafe Pans and a Burger King. You cannot go downstairs to all off the shops from this area. Once in the gate area I noticed my assigned gate was boarding a flight to NYC (not my flight). I'm not sure if that's why I was ushered into another line or because there is a separate line for US passport holders. The bathroom was clean and the waiting area was bright and sunny. I originally could not find a water fountain as someone else posted so I bought a bottle of water for 2 Euros. My second trip to the bathroom I saw it next to the bathroom entrance. There is "free WiFi" but you have to agree to let them store cookies on your phone. Overall a pleasant waiting area with not much to do. read more

El-Prat Terminal 1 - Gate E waiting area - Airport Terminals Near Me - El Prat de Llobregat, B

Barcelona Airport is very nice and clean We had a wonderful time there. The restaurants areas are so lovely. We wish we our flight time longer so we can enjoy it more. Definitely going back to Barcelona in near future!!! read more

El-Prat Terminal 1 - Airport Terminals Near Me - El Prat de Llobregat, B

Baggage check is inconsistent from line to line. Some people are able to go through the line without having to remove laptops or shoes. People directing oncoming travelers do not inform individuals what line is doing what. So, if you get in a line and the X-ray reviewer isn't allowing laptops, they want you to remove your laptop from you bag and go back through. There is no plan set in place to not anger those you cut in front of and your other belongings have to remain on the other side where you items have already been checked. This of course leads to your belongings being stolen and nobody is concerned with addressing the issue. read more

Not sure if it was because I was traveling during a busy day or if it's their usual human traffic through the airport. Check-in: took British Airways and check in took 1hr and 30min. There were only 2 people working initially and finally, they started to open more. Got at the airport @ 9 am and finished around 10:30 am. Security: not bad, but be sure to separate your liquids beforehand into Ziploc bags or else you'll have to do it there. Tax Rebate: if you were here from another country and are looking to get your tax refund for something you've purchased while abroad, be sure to arrive REALLY early. I thought I was going to be okay arriving 3 hrs early but I wasn't expecting the check-in and security to take so long, so I didn't end up having enough time to wait in line for the 2nd step of the tax refund process. read more

Not a terrible airport, but not the greatest to run through during the wee hours of the morning or late nights. I of course flew in o' dark thirty followed by a departure of 12:00ish at night or morning, but who's counting. Pretty much everything was either shut down or was in the process of opening. It is not too difficult to navigate, but the layout is sloppy and has you walking in circles it feels like at times. Trust me, there are far worse out there, so I am not complaining, but with limited staff to assist and signage lacking in areas, you are winging it at some points. As for their "TSA", very nice and efficient, much smoother than other countries I have encountered. As for the terminal and gates, they are pretty open, but lack charging ports, which is a huge bummer, but free WiFi! They are stocked with plenty of vending machines, which again makes those late nights or early mornings easier if you are thirsty or hungry. I will say it was pretty darn clean including their bathrooms which I will also say were immaculate! As for the staff who eventually arrived to get us boarded, stone cold and no personality, but hey, no complaints again as boarding was quite efficient. So short review even shorter, the terminals I visited were nice and spacious with lots of shops (That were not open), confusing routes, good security, so I'd toss it a 3/5 on the review. Hopefully I get to experience it again during the daytime to see it running at 'full speed'. read more

The WORST airport on earth when it comes to customer service. Waiting on an international flight and the check-in desk opens 2hrs before the flight?!? ...and the ground crew moves slower than a snail's pace!! ...and when asked for assistance or help; they just brush you off and say "sorry, we didn't make the rules...that's just the website...." The stores are no better. TERRIBLE customer service......all the way thru to the restaurants. Even the coffee shop servers act like they all hate their lives! :( Truly, the worst customer service! And one hour before departure, we still didn't have a GATE assignment ?!? Pathetic coordination!! This airport is beautiful and high-tech BUT their customer service is ZERO and non-existent ....and yes, we are foreigners ....and YES, we spoke Spanish!! It's such a shameful FACT that this modern airport has the customer support of a 3rd-world-ignorant country. :( such a SHAME! It leaves such a bad impression on the whole city. read more

I liked the food options and they had English speaking info desk. It was nice it wasn't crowded I just wish they had more plugs to recharge your phone. read more

El-Prat Terminal 1 - Airport Terminals Near Me - El Prat de Llobregat, B

Honestly I don't think they should continue to allow just the Taxi Company to operate. The trip from the airport to our cruise ship was €34 and that was the estimate provided by the machine in the airport when you check your route. However from the cruise ship to the airport we were charged €50.20 the whole way we thought they were going to charge €39 flare rate which was on the screen. There was no traffic compared to when we arrived so there was no reason for the excessive charge! Terrible scam and if we had the Lyft or Uber options we would know up front what the exact cost would be. None of this scamming and price gouging! I say get rid of these Taxis and bring in some competition. A private car would have cost me €50! read more

Never been to an EU airport need to go through a long line for passport control to fly to another EU country. Line separated by EU passport or all passport, no matter where you are going if your gate is D or E. And line for security is also very long. You might need to prepare at least 30mins to get through all these read more

El Prat is El Shat. 1 hour since flight arrived and about 20 pieces of baggage have come out every 10 minutes the belt turns and nothing comes out Oh and NO AIR-CONDITIONING and it's 90 degrees outside. ¡¡¡A la mierda tu aeropuerto!!!! read more

This bustling terminal, especially the check-in counter area, seems cramped for an airport of a cosmopolitan city. However, smaller airport also means less walking and easier to get around especially with clear English signage. We're told, as business class passengers, we could proceed to "Fast Lane" for expedited processing and the VIP Sala Lounge Joan Miro for refreshments. The lounge atmosphere is more like a bright food court than the quiet, relaxing space at other airports. It serves all major airlines so it's very crowded. Apparently it's undergoing remodeling. Food items this morning included light continental items like cold cuts and cheese, packaged sandwiches, etc. Plenty of alcoholic beverage choices though, in addition to coffee and soft drinks. We found a comfortable sofa near restrooms & departure time/gate announcement board but unfortunately the charging outlets were not working. Then we got an alert that aircraft had arrived early so we hurried to gate E where our US-bound Delta was parked, only to stand in line for at least15 minutes. read more

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The employees here aren't really helpful. If you have to fly from here just come earlier than you'll have to so that you can spend the entire time navigating yourself around and stand in the wrong line. By the time you get to the front desk, they'll tell you that you'll have to be in the line just next to it. But they won't tell you that until you've waited in the wrong line the whole time. I get it, it's not the staffs fault that I am in the wrong line. But I wish there were some kind of guidance. I also do wish they work they they love their job here. read more

Reminds me of a jazzed up version of T4 at JFK. There's really nothing to complain about here as they make the whole 'getting to your gate' thing (which is often the worst part of flying) pretty darn easy. Security lines look long, but move quickly. I was randomly chosen for an extra little pat down and it only took a moment. This happened to me at Heathrow and it was a whole to-do. The food court area is massive, so chances are you can find what you're looking for. Add on several different lounges and we have ourselves a nice time before boarding. Gates are super close to all of the eats lounges as well. A pretty solid experience and the best of Europe for me thus far. Protip: remember to take your liquids out and put them in the provided clear bag read more

Checking in no problem. But navigating through the line for passport control, not good. People were cutting in and merging all over the place...which made us have to wait about 30 minutes to get through to our gate. Also, going through security here I lost my camera that has never turned up... Once through, there is a duty free shop,a small souvenier/supplies shop and a place to eat. However, it is a bit from some of the gates, so you couldn't hear if there was an announcement. I felt it was lacking in some basic features, so hence a 2 star. read more

El prat is nice to look at but has the most unfrendly staff one can imagine. The organisation is poor and there are lendless lines with people queing everywhere. El prat does not seem to use self help machines/bag drop. Boarding the plane is the same poorly organised unfriendly process. shopping is ok though. Make sure to arrive with plenty of time - 2 hours before bording is a minimum. read more

It's an international airport I landed at 4pm on a Tuesday and it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. There were a few people who did speak English but it's really not that necessary because as soon as you land turn your WiFi on. The airport had it open for free them in your maps type in where toy need to go. Signs are posted in English to direct you to buses and taxi's. For $2.25 I caught a 30min bus ride to Barcelona city that boards right outside. I would have given this place a 5 but both bathrooms I tied stink and they don't carry paper towels only air dryers and tissue in the sitting stalls. It is also very limited on food choices so just get a water or coffee send save your appetite for when you leave read more

El-Prat Terminal 1 - Spain time of they let me in... - Airport Terminals Near Me - El Prat de Llobregat, B

This was the airport we left from when going back to New Jersey from our 1 week vacation in Europe, in which Barcelona was the last City we visited. The terminal was easy to navigate . Check in went by super smooth, security line wasn't too long and moved pretty fast. However, one thing that really annoyed me was how a lot of the stores inside the terminal were closed. Our flight was at 6 in the morning and we were there super early. My friends and i didn't have enough time to souvenir shop in Barcelona so we left it for the airport. The DutyFree store wasn't even opened yet. Luckily we found a random store opened in which we were able to buy the souvenirs we wanted to bring back. read more

There are not enough charging stations if you are stuck here in between destinations. You can only clear customs 4 hours before your flight, therefore, you do not have access to the nicer stores until then. You will find a couple of cafeterias, Burger King, and I believe an Italian restaurant prior to TSA. I feel security is good but airlines need more organization so you are not stuck in line with heavy carry on unnecessarily. read more

This modern well laid out airport makes arriving and departing in Barcelona; the crowds can be large and with everything in Spain things are at a more "relaxed" pace. Try not to arrive without enough time and you'll find the airport a pleasant experience. The food choices are decent, lounges nice and the staff helpful and friendly. read more

The Bareclona El-Prat Terminal 1 is decent airport terminal, clean and average-sized. Moved through El-Prat on my way from Barcelona to Madrid in a bit of hurry and made it through security pretty quickly - I probably spent about a total of 8 minutes going through security and got to my gate quickly. Unlike American airports, where a person checks your boarding pass and ID before moving through security, you just scan your boarding pass into an electronic turnstyle and walk to security. For those who don't speak Spanish, it's pretty international-friendly, as most signs are in multiple languages and staff speaks English, at least. Some helpful tips: - Don't take your shoes off at security unless they tell you (that's an American thing) - Take out your iPad and laptops from your bag regardless of your experience elsewhere, they will stop you if you don't - They don't check your passport until you board at your gate, so just have your boarding pass ready when you arrive Other than that, it's an A-OK airport, nothing really special, but it wasn't a bad experience. Average selection of sit-down and fast food restaurants, as well as shops to buy anything you forgot or need for your travels. read more

Check in Took away a star for the teller who directed us to family check in then that teller directed us back where we came to the Madrid check in. That was annoying AF. Security But! Huge kudos to that family boarding teller for letting us know about the special family security screening line! This was totally empty and we got through security so quickly and painlessly! I love that this airport prioritizes families! Ambiance This airport is so clean! And it's like a mall situated in an airport that includes an outdoor space! For those who just need to get a breather or smoke...which looks like many choose the latter option. It even has a playground inside! Yay!! Organization Could use some improvement in this are(see check in story and other yelp reviews). We are still awaiting our gate assignment and our flight takes off in an hour... Context We are just doing a quick domestic flight from Barcelona to Madrid so I can't speak for the international experience. And my frame of reference are U.S airports. Compared to those in the states- this airport is one of the best. Overall Great for families! read more

This is a beautiful airport but from a Operations perspective this place was not on there 'A' game today! It started with American Airlines and ended with passport control, the most stressful 2 hours after cruising. American Airlines was not efficient and was not ready for the influx of cruise ship passengers, after that passport control on had 2-3 people working on our side and I don't know how many on the other. But people where missing their flights left and right. Overall again airport is beautiful though... but on today they get a 3 star rating. read more

You+1 need your Metro ticket to leave the station . When arriving by metro go to departures upstairs. If you don't have checkin baggage use the kiosk. They are slow but will save you time. read more

Airport terminal for international was way way far from the domestic terminal (flew in from Seville that morning) so you definitely need the shuttle. once we got there, if you want the main shopping and dining, you should head there BEFORE crossing the security/customs check for flights leaving the EU, because after that, you get piddly dining and a single tariff-fee store (see my photos) while you can deplorably look down at the rest of the airports delectable food choices and the entire remaining shopping mall with high end fashion stores.... read more

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No complaints about how fast we cruised through checkin and security. The main problem is when you get to your gate and want something to eat. We arrived early to sit down and have a meal. We found out that once past security, you only have two cafe's to choose from. Both serve nasty food. read more