My partner and I decided to have a nice weekend break down to Newquay this weekend. The Cornish coast itself was wonderful but I was shocked at the gulag that is Newquay airport.

After arriving from the National Car rental just down the road (18 quid though!) we came inside to see a huge line at what I thought was the parking payment machines. Fighting through to get to the check-in counter, I was greeted by an agent who was ruthless in enforcing the 7kg (!!) weight limit on any carry on bags. Fortunately, I was able to put on a jacket and come in at 6.9. The agent seemed very disappointed I was able to work around him, but he grudgingly let us pass. But wait - you have to spend 5 quid on an airport development tax - queue up at the machines!

So we next went to the machines I thought were for parking payment. They were the exit fee machines. There are only two, so the queue there was a solid 7-8 minutes as everyone paid their fiver for the permission to fly through this mess.

Next the security line. The security queue was at least 20 minutes and had a surplus of the airport staff checking each and every bag in the sizers. Again, they were clearly gleeful in finding anyone even marginally close and truly reminded me of the yellow-shirted monsters at Gatwick, making it their true goal to inconvenience as many people as possible.

After having my passport checked SIX times now since setting foot into the airport, we finally made it to the gates, where of course there was a general herd of people with a line snaking around the inadequate seating area. We stood the final 15 minutes before boarding. They also checked our passports once more for good measure.

All in, I'd say we spent 45-50 minutes getting to the gate from setting foot in the airport. That's remarkable for such a small airport.

I can say rather confidently this was the worst UK airport experience I've had yet to date. All my prior domestic experiences (NCL, EDI, GLA) had been relatively painless. Newquay really has outdone itself in its heavy-handedness and lack of any regard for traveler comfort. Next time, I think I'll just skip the southwest, or try Penzance.