Growing up in Barcelona, I’m no stranger to airport controversies. Spain’s economic crisis in the late 2000s and early 2010s saw many airports built in remote locations that barely saw any use—take Huesca’s airport, which reportedly went half a year without a single commercial flight.
Bristol Airport couldn’t be more different. Proudly standing as England’s third-largest regional airport, it welcomed a record-breaking 10 million passengers last year. Ambitiously, it plans to expand capacity to 15 million annually, building on a recent legal victory against campaigners who challenged its previous expansion to 12 million passengers, as reported by BristolLive.
I’m one of those 10 million passengers. Frequently traveling between Bristol and Barcelona to visit family, I also help out friends with airport runs. This makes me fairly familiar with the airport.
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Last week, I experienced Bristol Airport’s new £60 million public transport interchange—an upgrade meant to create a “smoother arrival and departure,” according to the airport’s spokesperson. While level access to the terminal is a positive change, the new layout actually increases the distance between the drop-off and pick-up zones and the terminal entrance.
For passengers with limited mobility, like my mum, the interchange doesn’t offer much benefit. She has always used the express drop-off point, which was already level-accessible. So the promise of universal level access feels redundant in practice.
The new transport hub is undeniably impressive visually, and the addition of a large M&S store is a bonus for shoppers. However, from a practical standpoint, my personal experience didn’t improve. If anything, it took longer as I had to walk further.
I’ve reached the airport by different means over the years—driving and parking when I lived in Wales, accepting lifts from friends, and paying for taxis. Nowadays, I mostly rely on the Airport Flyer bus. Previously, the Flyer dropped passengers right outside the terminal. Now, you must cross a pedestrian bridge to reach the airport, adding an extra step to the journey, as reported by BristolLive.
While some travelers will appreciate the new interchange and how it complements the airport’s broader £400 million transformation programme, it left me underwhelmed. It neither improved nor expedited my journey.
As a single parent traveling with a toddler, I would’ve preferred at least a small portion of the investment to create a more child-friendly environment—perhaps a playground, soft play area, or kids’ room. Perhaps one day.
For now, we have a multi-million-pound transport interchange. At least it was privately funded, so taxpayers didn’t foot the bill.