A beautiful Greek island which is actually popular with British tourists has been named among the least stressful to fly from
A stressful airport experience can easily taint the start of a hard-earned holiday.
Some of the worst culprits behind a less-than-stellar airport visit are long queues, expensive parking, extensive delays and almost dormant terminals that provide nothing to do or eat. Any of these unpleasant factors can cause even the most excited holiday-goer to question why they’ve booked to go away in the first place. Similarly, they can make the process of going home long and arduous.
Car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com (who have probably seen more than their fair share of disgruntled travellers) have compiled a list of the most relaxing airports across Europe. Booking a flight to or from any of these will put in the best chance of a carefree – and fun – journey. In order to create their airport ranking, they looked at key stress-causing factors, including the price of parking, the distance from the nearest city, the total number of passengers per year and the selection of restaurants. To top it off, they also looked at customer rankings from the travel site Flightradar24.
The CEO of StreeFreeCarRental.com, John Charnock, revealed that he hoped the ranking would help passengers have a more stress-free flying experience. He said: “We’ve tried to give passengers seeking the easy life a better understanding of what makes airports stressful and which ones across Europe will allow them to sit back and relax.”
So, which airport was crowned the winner? The rental company revealed that it was none other than Corfu Airport in Greece. Its high rating was due to its free parking (a massive plus) and its low yearly passenger count of just 3.1 million – making it one of the quietest airports in Europe.
Just an hour-long ferry from the Greek mainland, Corfu is frequently praised as one of the country’s most beautiful islands, replete with secluded coves, clear waters, and old Venetian fortresses. The only area in which its airport fell down was in its relatively low customer rating of 68% – however, this can be forgiven due to its gorgeous setting and proximity to the nearest city, which is just 3 kilometres away.
Other airports that ranked highly on the list were Billund Airport in Denmark, which was rated second, and Menorca Airport in Spain, which came in third. Both airports also boasted a low yearly passenger count, making them ideal for those looking for a quieter flying experience.
If you’re tempted by a getaway to Europe’s most relaxing airport, the cheapest month to fly to Corfu from the UK is April, with easyJet offering direct flights from London Luton and London Gatwick for as little as £43.