[pelagicAustral]

If you think you had it bad all these years, you should come and visit the Falkland Islands. I will be brief, but I will explain what going through the Mount Pleasant Airport (MPN) feel like for the average visitor.

For added context: Only one flight by a commercial airline a week on Saturday, comes in around 1300, departs around 1500. You miss it, you wait another week.

- The terminal is extremely small, the plane that comes around can probably fit around 180 pax, you could not fit that many people on the check-in lounge, which means a lot of times people have to queue outside, even in the winter.

- Check in is sluggish, with the Airline representatives in the Falklands calling for check in 4 hours in advance when a flight is full.

- After getting your ticket, security will check your bags and you will be asked to wait an undetermined amount of time, to see if a "random" check need to take place, again, the terminal is tiny, people often crowds waiting forever for their name the be shouted by some security person.

- If you manage to get passed this part, you are still not safe, security can still call your name when passing through or after immigration. Even if you are already in the wait lounge. Someone might still show up and shout your name.

- Immigration will scan your passport and charge you £40 for leaving the country.

- Now you are actually commit to the security checkpoint (these are the same guys that scan the bags on check-in). At any given time there is at least 10 in a 5m2 area. You are forced to take your shoes, no liquids are allowed, no toothpaste, take all electronics out of your bag, take jacket off.

- You are randomly tested for drug and explosive traces (GOING OFF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS)

- You may be patted

- All your belongings might be checked at this point as well.

All in all, you could be looking at a 2-hour ordeal from start to finish.

Do yourself a favor. Go to Maldives instead.

[CGMthrowaway]

Mount Pleasant Complex is primarily a military base, not a normal civilian airport. That explains almost everything you’re experiencing. Civilian flights are effectively guests on a military base

[pelagicAustral]

MoD flights are managed by the Military on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They use a larger aircraft where check in can take 10 minutes in the same process described for the Saturday flight. 190 people can easily be processed in about 60 minutes with none of the friction that is added by the private company managing the security.

[stirlo]

Tiny airport, on island with tiny population, thats not a major tourist destination, thats subject to competing territorial claims, that had a major war fought over it in living memory, has extra security requirements and a poor terminal...

I'm flabbergasted, this is absolutely shocking and outrageous!!!

I would much rather see the penguins in the maldives!!!

[sterwill]

I flew to Belfast in the mid-2000s. I don't remember the security screening as being that unusual (for an American), but the terminal architecture was interesting.

[gsck]

Hearing some of these stories of Belfast its hard to believe. Flew out of both Belfast International and Belfast City airports last year and they are by far the best airports I have ever had the luxury of travelling through.

Out of Belfast I flew into both Heathrow and Stanstead both are fucking miserable ordeals.

[IshKebab]

Apart from a lack of space a lot of that is very normal, and it's hardly surprising things are a bit janky if they only have one flight a week.

[NL807]

Dudes must be really bored there

[secondcoming]

That's crazy.