David F.
Google
My first 1-star review ever for this abomination of an airport. From the highway, the roads and signage to the airport are scant and hard to follow. Rental car return areas are very difficult to find, with each provider scattered randomly along the typical Sicilian narrow 'roadways' shared with people walking with luggage, children, strollers, wheelchairs, from randomly located parking lots, rental lots, drop off points, etc. The signage for the rental car return provider has logos too small to see unless you're standing in front of it waiting to get hit by vehicles attempting to navigate, drive and avoid hitting pedestrians. When you finally find the rental car return lot for your company, locating a spot can be challenging. The quick return 'kiosk' (Avis) asks for a QR code, but there's no QR code on your key fob tag. Attendants may or may not be present at the desk. Walking from the rental lot (no shuttle of course) is equally circuitous and dangerous. The route is not marked in any way, requiring a maze of busy street, tiny walkways, steps, curbside, etc. A person with any disability whatsoever would be unlikely to survive this cluster of a route simply to get to Concourse A. Once inside the terminal, a sea of people with waves of movement seemingly without clear intent as to where theyre headed. The check-in desks are in the same general area as the lines for the security checkpoint right smack in the middle of everything else. Once through the single file line through security, one bright spot was there were a good assortment of food vendors adjacent to gates 7-17, although only one with coffee. Our family members at higher number gates reported only a single vendor of any kind at gates 18 and above. The gate areas are very crowded and seats are difficult to find. For the handicapped or anyone that has difficult with stairs, I did not see an elevator anywhere. Even if there was an elevator serving the upper floor, anyone/everyone is likely to encounter stairs at some point, with no other options. Then...lines for the gate are crowded, tight with a lot of pointless gathering of people that could not find seats in the gate areas and have no choice but to stand around while the movement through the general gate areas slinks their way through the masses. Once through the gate check in, down the ramp leads NOT to an airplane, but to 4 flights of stairs to a shuttle that, once crammed with passengers, heads off to your airplane, somewhere on the vast tarmac. When we arrived at the plane, there were more steps up to the plane, however, they kept us IN the shuttlebus for 20 minutes with no explanation, while we sweated our shirts off breathing the diesel exhaust. Then, apparently there was an issue with the plane, but there was no announcement as the shuttle bus turned back around towards the gate, sat below the stairway for 15 minutes then we had to go back up the 4 flights of stairs back up to the ramp where we exited back to the gate area wondering just what the heck is going to happen... An hour passes... departure board indicates the flight has boarded and boarding is closed... another hour passes, no announcement regarding the flight. I wait in a line of people at the desk, all with the same question... no answer except they're still working on the plane. Because they haven't canceled the flight, we can't re-book another flight back to the U.S...an ambiguous holding pattern. Calling the partner airline was no help as the flight is not canceled. No telling whether we're getting out of Catania today. I hope we can at least get to Frankfurt where our chance of getting a flight back to the U.S. are likely greater than this 3rd world airport. Oh, and all of the urinals in the men's bathroom were closed. Update... mass of people move toward the gate, still no announcement about the flight, or boarding. Standing in the cattle maze, no apparent zone boarding order at the moment. No attendants at the desk. Gate sign changes to another destination...
