Queen Beatrix International Airport

If you value your time, nerves, and common sense — stay far away from this airport. It’s an absolute nightmare. The queues are endless, people are herded between terminals under scorching heat, and there’s no real organization whatsoever. The staff seem more interested in trying to extract dollars from you for “fast-track” service than in actually helping passengers. Exiting to the city is a whole separate horror story. Everything is so inconvenient that you start to wonder if anyone actually considered passengers when planning this place. If you want to see what true service in the tourism industry looks like, go to Amsterdam: everything runs perfectly, and the staff are polite and organized. This airport doesn’t even come close. The useless color-coded boarding messages are particularly frustrating — they give the illusion of order but do nothing in practice. And the queues between terminals for boarding are enough to drive anyone crazy. Honestly, this is one of the worst airports I’ve ever encountered. If you value your time and your sanity — avoid it entirely. Neither the airport nor its service is worth your attention. Э

Traveling through Aruba Airport was a smooth and easy experience with no complications. The airport does get quite crowded at times, but there are plenty of food options and seating areas, though some people were still left standing. Overall, it wasn’t a bad experience, especially considering Aruba only has one airport for the entire island.

Beautiful Airport, but Know Before You Go: The US Pre-clearance Factor Most negative reviews for Queen Beatrix International (AUA) come from people who don’t distinguish between the airport itself and the USA preclearance CBP process. Here is the breakdown so you can plan accordingly: Arriving in Aruba: A Breeze Arrival is incredibly efficient. There are plenty of customs officers and lines, the entry process is brief, and luggage usually arrives at the carousel very quickly. A 10/10 experience for getting your vacation started. Signage is very clear, and the car rental return terminal is conveniently close. Departing: Two Very Different Worlds Non-U.S. Travelers: If you are NOT flying to the US, don't worry. Check in online, arrive at the normal time (2–3 hours), and use the dedicated International Departures gate. It’s a standard, smooth process. Direct Flights to the U.S.: This is where the "nightmare" reviews come from. Because Aruba has U.S. Pre-clearance, you do customs here instead of upon arrival in the US. It is essentially an opportunity for USA citizens to experience the long lines and multiple checks the rest of the world faces when entering the US. For this case, arrive at least 4 hours before your flight. If you are checking bags, add an extra hour. The lines are massive and move slowly due to multiple security and passport checkpoints. Skip the Lines: If you have Global Entry, use it! It will save you significant time at the CBP stage. There is also a paid VIP service that allows you to bypass the initial lines. If you have neither, be prepared to stand and wait. The airport itself is beautiful and well-maintained.Great selection of duty-free shops, souvenirs, and decent food courts. There are several comfortable VIP lounges (I tried two) if you manage to get through security with time to spare. I would definitely return to Aruba, but I’ll make sure my return flight is NOT via the U.S. if I can avoid it!

Smooth and stress-free airport experience! ✈️ The staff were kind, friendly, and efficient—made the whole process feel easy. Customs was quick, and everyone was helpful along the way. Great vibes from start to finish!

Small airport. If you go early you get three faster. Not many places to eat. Most don’t open until 10:30 and take 30 minutes for your food. Duty free shops are overpriced. People were helpful and friendly.

The airport experience in Aruba was beyond frustrating and completely disorganized. If I could give less than one star, I would. The entire process from check-in to boarding took over three and a half hours, with endless lines, repeated security checks, and multiple customs inspections that made no sense. From the moment we arrived, there was no clear direction on where to go. There were multiple check-in areas, but they all funneled into the same chaotic system. After finally getting through check-in, we had to go through security lines—not once, but multiple times. Just when we thought we were done, another customs checkpoint appeared, making an already exhausting process even worse. The check in line stretched outside for hours in the brutal heat and sun, with little relief for travelers. People were overheating, including a young child who fainted and there was no medical care or water available for him. There were barely any staff around to provide assistance or manage the flow. The lack of shade and proper organization made the wait unbearable. To make matters worse, there were only outdoor bathrooms, which were inconvenient and added to the frustration. For an international airport, the level of inefficiency was shocking. There was zero communication, no clear signs, and no logic to the way things were handled. Travelers were left wandering in confusion, constantly being given conflicting directions by the few staff members available. This was easily one of the worst airport experiences ever. The process was so unnecessarily long and exhausting that it almost erased the relaxation of the trip. If you’re flying out of Aruba, be prepared for chaos, extreme delays, and no help along the way. Plan for three plus hours to go through from beginning to end.

Worst airport I have ever experienced. Lines were insane waited for about 2 1/2 hours just for customs. I would probably come 3-4 hours early. They have you stand outside for security while the building next to you is completely empty. All while airport employees hover around you to pay $145 per person for “VIP Fast Pass” which gets you to the front of the line. Maybe instead of hiring people to sell a fast pass, they could make the lines more efficient. Not to mention people abusing the wheelchairs to get to the front of the line. One lady used a wheelchair to bypass the lines and I later saw her walking around. The inside of the airport is depressing and lifeless. Customs officials were on TikTok and YouTube while checking passports which did not make efficiency any better. If you had a great stay at Aruba, I guarantee that this airport will ruin it. Aruba is a very beautiful island with lots to offer, it truly is One Happy Island. It’s unfortunate they have One Miserable Airport.

TLDR : Show up very early, security isn't always open (opens between 8:30AM and 9:30AM), get to your gate early and hold a seat. Arrived very early at the US Departures (7:30AM) after I read tons of horror stories of people arriving 3 hours before their departure time and barely making/missing their flight. We ended up beating the staff there, we waited outside till around 8:20 AM when staff let us in. We were able to get through the first security checkpoint without any issues (we were the only ones there) and then we went to the second checkpoint. We had a small wait at the second checkpoint as that's where non US and US departures meet. There was only one line open but they kept people moving very efficiently and we were in and out of it within 10 minutes at most. Then we made it to the US customs past the shops and waited there for about an hour and change. They didn't open it till around 9:35AM. As we were the first ones there and used the CBP MPC app we breezed through the empty ropes and went right through customs. We didn't declare anything but said we had snacks (packaged and sealed) then was "randomly" screened (this could be part of normal protocol I don't know), regardless the gentleman screening our snacks was extremely polite and just double checked the snacks and kept us moving, honestly one of the nicest agents I've ever interacted with. All things considered. Our email from our ED card said not to show up till 10AM (our flight boards at 12:25PM - take off at 1PM) This was far too close for us to stomach so we showed up very early. That being said, this is not like US airports at all, security is not 24/7 nor even running during normal business hours (8AM typically). This should be advertised somewhere or at least mention in the ED Card email. Also the ED card saying not to arrive more than three hours beforehand is actually setting you up for failure. Almost all the flights on this Tuesday were scheduled for the same 12:30PM-2PM window. Quite literally this is a complete logistical failure by upper management. This poor planning is likely why so many people have horror stories about this airport. I couldn't rank this one star as the staff we encountered throughout this process were extremely helpful and kind. Even random workers in the airport let us know that security typically opens at 8am when they were entering the airport as we waited outside. What should be done to improve this process: 1. Have solid structured hours that you stick to. Even if the time is later, having openly communicated hours on when certain security checkpoints open does wonders for travelers. We just ask for communication. 2. Don't ask people to come flooding in at one time before their flight. I understand the idea but it clearly isn't working based on all the feedback I've seen. 3. Have all of your security (US customs included) open at the same time. This is an upper management issue and should be escalated to upper management to fix. 8AM or 9AM sharp should be honored throughout the airport as an opening time. You create ambiguity and angst when you open whenever people feel like it or show up to work it seems. 4. Need more seating at gates, not enough places to sit. 5. Men's bathroom between gate 5 and gate 4 has two stalls that don't close/lock