Getting There By Air
El Prat de Llobregat (BCN)
Tel: (93) 298 3838. Fax: (93) 298 3737.
E-mail: bcninfofi@aena.es
Website: www.aena.es
The airport is located 12km (seven miles) southwest of the city centre and has three terminals (A, B and C). There are daily direct flights between Barcelona and more than 30 international destinations – several further destinations are served by less frequent direct flights. In 1998, the airport was voted Europe’s best. The airport had 21 million passengers passing through in 2002, compared with just ten million in 1992, the year of the Barcelona Olympics. A third runway and a new offloading area have been planned for 2006, to cater for the increasing volume of air traffic.
Major airlines: Foreign airlines mostly use terminal A. International flights run by Iberia (IB), the national airline, usually use terminal B. Information on Iberia is available from Info-Iberia (tel: (902) 400 500; e-mail: infoib@iberia.com; website: www.iberia.com) or the travel office in Plaza d’Espanya (tel: (93) 325 7358). Other major domestic and international carriers include Air France, American Airlines, BMI Baby, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta, EasyJet, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Spanair and Virgin Airlines
Approximate flight times to Barcelona: From London is 2 hours; from New York is 7 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 13 hours 5 minutes; from Toronto is 14 hours 10 minutes; and from Sydney is 25 hours 15 minutes.
Airport facilities: Banco Exterior de Espana and La Caixa (terminals A and B) are open daily 0700–2300. Bureaux de change (terminals A and B) are open 0700–2300. Car hire services are available from Atesa, Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz. Other facilities include tourist information desks, open daily 0900–2100 (tel: (93) 478 4704), a hotel information desk (terminals A and B), duty-free shopping (terminals A and B), left luggage (terminal B), post office (terminal C – open mornings only), shops, restaurants and bars. Terminal B has a chemist and 24-hour medical facilities.
Business facilities: There is no business centre at the airport but Air France, British Airways, Iberia and Spanair all provide VIP lounges.
Arrival/departure tax: Included in the price of the ticket.
Transport to the city: A RENFE (tel: (902) 240 202; website: www.renfe.es) train leaves the airport for the city centre every 30 minutes daily 0600–2200, stopping at Central-Sants (journey time – 15 minutes), Plaça de Catalunya (journey time – 20–25 minutes) and Arc de Triomf and Clot-Aragó for connections to the metro. The fare is €2.30.
An Aerobús service (tel: (93) 223 5151; e-mail: info@emt-amb.com; website: www.emt-amb.com) runs to Plaça de Catalunya via Gran Via every 15 minutes weekdays 0600–2400 and every 30 minutes weekends 0630–2400 (journey time – 15–30 minutes). The fare is €3.45, payable by credit card.
Taxis to and from the airport charge a minimum of €10. The ride to a downtown hotel will cost approximately €20, including a €2 airport supplement. Taxi ranks are located outside the terminal buildings.
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