Hamburg Airport Reviews 

I agree with all of the bad reviews, especially those about the security staff. Rude is a too smooth word to describe their behaviour and how they carry out their job. Racist attitude towards non-German passengers, bad will in fulfilling elementary tasks, bullying of families with kids, etc. To be honest, this security service really requires a serious investigation by local and/or German authorities, as it's a shame for Hamburg and for Germany.

The staff is extremely rude. The security check was too handsy, it was so uncomfortable. They live in a stone age.

When we arrived for our holiday we queued for nearly an hour to get through Passport control, the queue went down slowly, only 2 people on the desk, eventually another staff member arrived.
Returning home was much worse, got through security smoothly but the queue to get through Passport control was ridiculous, no organisation or streamlined queue so lots of queue jumping leading to fractious passengers, hundreds of people all trying to get to desks, only 2 open, eventually 3. Honestly I will avoid this airport in the future, they really need to get their act together.

The airport staff were extremely rude straight off the bat. They were unhelpful and rude, and especially stand-offish when we asked some basic questions. It was as if they didn't have the time of day for us and they wanted to make it clear that they couldn't have cared less.

Then there were the constant racist remarks made to my partner on several different occasions by different members of staff as we were trying to resolve an issue resolving her not being allowed to board a flight due to the fact she had the, quote, 'incorrect documents' - which is a lie. I will not detail the racist comments here but the airport will soon receive a full breakdown of everything that happened. My partner was trying to board the plane with perfectly legally binding documents according to current UK and EU laws. I suggest you brush your staff up on some basic laws regarding Britain's departure from the EU, since they seem to be lacking any knowledge on the subject at all. While you're at it, have them undergo some sort of basic customer service training as well. When we asked for a manager, the rude gentleman at the check-in desk claimed he was the manager, and he refused to give us his name so we could file a complaint. Is this standard procedure at your airport?

The staff at the airport thought they knew better and just seemed hellbent on making our lives miserable and would not listen to our polite objections, shaking their hands at us and shouting 'NO, NO, NO, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT' and straight up telling us we were wrong to our faces. I politely warned the gentleman not to shake his fist at my partner who was visibly shaken and distraught at being treated so abhorrently and ignorantly.

After being denied on one flight and subsequently missing it - we managed to rebook with a far better and more understanding airline that eventually came to terms with the fact we were correct regarding the laws on travelling back to the UK with specific documents, although it took a while to explain the situation to them also.

The staff on security were also next to useless and were not communicating at all, which was clearly the reason why the queue for security had backed up beyond the airport entrance. I have never seen anything like this at an airport in my life. Only in Hamburg.

As soon as my turn came to go through security, the woman in charge of the body scanner didn't direct me to come through or when to leave, and spent the entire time chatting to her colleague - clearly whatever they were gossiping about was more important than something as trivial as airport security. I had no idea whether or not I'd passed security successfully because I seemed to be able to just saunter past everyone without any issues or indications.

Funnily enough, as soon as we got to border control, they didn't question our travel documents whatsoever. So it shows you how ignorant the airport staff really are. You seriously need to get a grip, and you've severely tainted the reputation of your city for me. Shame on you.

I don't think...it seems they enjoy if you miss your flight. I 've never seen an airport in these conditions. Staff extremely unfriendly, incompetent and disorganized. I arrived at the airport three hours before my flight but I had to wait in a huge queue. My flight departed one hour later because a lot of passengers had to wait in an endless queue. If you are in a trouble they don't help you. Is this german organization? Congratulations!

Worst airport ever. I don’t understand how this security staff can keep its job given its rudeness and lack of organization. We waited for 60 min at the security for finally being hold responsible for the mess as we tried to go through faster to get our flight - which we almost missed. Airports are supposed to be at the cutting edge of operational efficiency but this is the opposite that’s happening in Hamburg.

We arrived 2.5 hours early for a flight from Hamburg to Kos and we still missed our flight!
This airport is a real shame for this city and for Germany . The rudeness of the staff at the Security check will ruin your day! Terrible experience!!

The police makes No effort whatsoever to assist with crowd control , they ignore you and say they can't help you! they are responsible for security check and all this chaos!

I haven't seen anything like this in all Europe and I don't understand how it is allowed to happen! These authorities must be sued collectively and obtain compensation!

For all who are going through something like this, don't forget!! write down the names of those you talk to or what is written on their badges, including the names of the policemen you ask to help you, take pictures of yourself with the clocks in the airport, pictures of the waiting line, contacts from witnesses…as much evidence as possible!

Awful airport.
Useless signs - I didn’t even see signs for connecting flight airside - if they were there.
Staff gave me wrong information. They told me to go through security and go landside and go upstairs to re-check in for my connecting flight and I was met with a 1 1/2 hour + queue to get through security only to miss my flight. Other airline staff said I should have stayed airside!
The airline sold me the ticket saying there was time to connect (1 hr 10) but they knew there were major problems at Hamburg.
So I missed my flight as was told by the airline I had to purchase a new flight for the next day as it was the security police’ fault and that they needed to reimburse me!!!
The security queue was literally the length of the airport! They have a fast track security booking system but it had no availability when I tried to book a slot for my flight the next morning.
Local hotels were €250 unless I ventured into town only to be back for a 3am checkin.
All in all a dreadful experience and I will try to never go via Hamburg again.

Even one star is too much for this airport. I confirm that most of the staff is unfriendly, rude, disrespectful and quite racist with people who are not German native. I speak quite well German but they were rude to me too because I’m Swiss Italian mother tongue. The only one that was helping and friendly was the man of Red Cross that helped my mother with rolling chair to reach the gate. Unacceptable nowadays when we always speak about equality and no discrimination within all race and cultures!

This morning, Hamburg Airport was just one great big queue. Like many others, I missed a flight due to the chaos of this airport.
I arrived earlier for this flight than I have for any other. I spent 1/2 hour queuing just for baggage drop off. Then it was 90+ minutes in the world's slowest fast lane for security. Overall, the worst airport experience I've ever had!

>2 hour security queue. No open restaurants in the gate. No water fountains.

Security queue was more than 1 hour, total chaos. Flights got delayed as a consequence

After having traveled all over the world over the past 34 years, and experienced a bit of everything, it is wildly strange to experience such poor service in Hamburg parking, which you obviously had to experience in connection with the return from an Easter holiday!
Experiencing an unmannerly arrogant person in the parking facility's customer service who even simply fails to answer, and waiting to get the barrier replaced in the parking facility - it turns out while we are checking out that the time has been exceeded by approx. 10 minutes, but the processing of the case takes at least another 30-40 minutes, and if we then pay the extra 10 euros for the offence, this does not make it through the parking garage's system, and we therefore end up having to try to pay an additional 10 euros, all the while again and again absolutely no service and response from customer service – we go home and write to customer service if it can't be right, we have to pay the now 2 extra payments!! But you simply ignore various inquiries, and do not consider the evidence for both settlements, including one that has taken place illegally, and you have delayed our return home!
There is NO SERVICE - so dear travellers, be careful not to disclose anything about flight departures - it does not cost extra to spend several hours on departure and return times, in contrast to the harassment you are exposed to by having to pay both extra fines and missing updates, of their systems including paying again and again, and most of all experience they delay one for something that shouldn't happen.

I have travelled in most part of Europe and abroad, but I have never met anyone so arrogant and incompetent as the people at the Security Check at Fuhlsbuttel! Shouting in German to people who declared not to speak german, making nasty comments to foreign people. Masters of vexation. 3/4 of them deserve to be fired. In the future I will try to avoid stop-overs in this airport.

This is a dirty airport with unfriendly, unqualified stuff. I was treated like an employee and not like a customer. Toilets are stinking and you can wait hours for your luggage. Incredible!!!

The people working in the control are very rude and very arrogant. They expect that people speak german even though it's an international Airport and there are flights from all over the world. Their behavior gives a very bad image of the airport in total.

I read a lot and I agree. The staff has a problem with non German speakers. I think is national racism . In check in I was charged for a cabin luggage as a normal luggage . The lady ignored us showing her the details from the luggage site and measured it with “the eye”. The control staff really rood, I felt I was in Cold War II “move it” “ take it out” do it like him “ and other instructions which made me “ill” . I really not feel like visiting this airport again .

I have travelled through Hamburg airport frequently and recently it has become a less enjoyable experience. My most recent journey began by trying to find a member of staff that actually worked there, after 10 minutes we managed to do so. Then, we had the highlight of the experience where we encountered two very miserable and aggressive passport control staff who were shouting and screaming at people for standing too close to a line then shouting at myself for standing in the wrong line, even though there was only one line. Zero communication from them apart from the banshee screams and angry finger jabbing. It was like being treated like criminals coming out of prison. I hope they can receive some support or anger management classes at least before more travellers are having to admit themselves for PTSD therapy to overcome the experience of meeting them. This was at gate B. May the lord help you if you travel through there. Just try not to make eye contact as that seems to rile them more. Overall, not great.

I am 50 year old and a life-long business traveller. The Security at Hamburg is by far the worst I have encountered in Europe. The fact that are unsmiling and generally impolite is fine by me. But I don't like to be shoved and rudely till to "move" when I pick up my bag after security. My wife was treated very poorly for not speaking German, given instructions not to remove shoes and then told off for not removing them by the next rude person. A disgrace for Germany and airports in general. Never thought I could get so upset at security as to write a review like this. All the rude people were women by the way.

Worst security check ever. Crazy waiting times at the security check and staff doesn't give any impression they try to reduce it. On the contrary. Losing time everywhere such as not returning the plastic boxes to the entrance of the line