Airport review: Geneva International Airport, GVA

Geneva International: Expect a very ordinary experience.Credit: iStock

THE AIRPORT

Geneva International Airport, GVA

THE FLIGHT

Qatar Airways QR104 from Geneva to Doha (DOH).

THE ARRIVAL

My parents live in Geneva, and I'm usually deposited at the efficient Kiss & Fly. On this occasion, I'm wafted on a train from Montreux. The airport's greatest asset is its integration into the Swiss rail network; for those staying in town, the airport is a seven-minute train ride from Geneva city centre. The station is spacious and uncrowded, unlike the more cramped airport terminal, and has food outlets and a bakery with snacks at regular rather than airport prices.

THE LOOK

The airport's utilitarian 1960s terminal has no retro glamour and little natural light. You'll look in vain for architectural whimsy or artistic adornment. Instead, illuminated panels advertising private banks and watches line endless corridors like stained-glass windows to the religion of money worship. A newish terminal extension, used by long-haul flights, is airier and eco-friendlier but no more amusing to the eye. Be prepared for long walks between terminal and departure gates.

CHECK-IN

The terminal was designed for five million annual passengers and now gets three times that number, sometimes seemingly all crammed simultaneously into the check-in concourse – especially during the charter-flight ski season. Arrive early if you're on a budget airline, or departing early morning when business flights head to London, Paris and Zurich. My long-haul check-in zone is calmer and relatively speedy since my Qatar Airways flight leaves at lunch time.

SECURITY

Tedious and cramped, with no chance of social distancing. Geneva sees many business travellers lugging laptops, phones and camel-hair coats, so it can take a while. You'll also have to tackle immigration, even more sluggish since hordes of Brits were added to the non-EU queue. If you have a European Union passport use it, especially when arriving.

FOOD + DRINK

If you've invested wisely in a software start-up, Geneva airport has good dining options beyond security, including a caviar bar and Montreux Jazz Cafe with bistro food for about $45 for a modest plate. Among ample takeaway choices, Il Forno is probably best. My one indulgence is always a strong coffee and croissant at the gate; Swiss croissants are small and delightfully crispy.

RETAIL THERAPY

Shops are the only indication you're in Switzerland in this bland airport, and for a suitcase of francs you can bag posh Caran d'Ache crayons, Mont Blanc pens or Omega watches. My relatively affordable (but still pricey) indulgence is a box of chocolates from one of several Sprungli chocolate stands.

PASSING TIME

Wander the grim corridors and pretend you're in a Kafka novel, or gaze out at planes landing against a backdrop of Jura Mountains. Otherwise, bring a book or use the free Wi-Fi because, queues being a lottery, you might find yourself with time on your hands.

THE VERDICT

Expect a very ordinary experience, leavened only by the airport's outstanding rail connections. You won't want to hang around, but you'll probably have to.

OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE

★★★

The writer was a guest of Switzerland Tourism.