The French Airport You'll Want To Avoid At All Costs

It's a surprise to no one that airports can be frustrating. While you may be lucky enough to live near one that is always rated well, you could be flying into another that is a traveler's nightmare. While Paris' Charles de Gaulle is often called the worst international airport, there is another one in France that you want to avoid at all costs. 

Though it didn't make Reddit's roundup of the worst airports, the Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) has gotten some terrible reviews. In fact, on airlinequality.com, it got an overall customer review score of 2 out of 10. It was ranked one out of five for terminal seating and food/beverages, and a two out of five for cleanliness, signage, time spent in line, and airport staff. Not only that, but in May 2024, discount airline Ryanair announced it would pull its three planes and 90 employees out of Bordeaux-Mérignac by November of the same year due to disagreements about finances. 

One verified customer on airlinequality.com said in August 2024: "This airport is beyond belief. No clear signs to security. It is hidden away behind an escalator! Nobody to ask. Wasted 20 minutes to be directed. Passed through security to find a queue a mile long for border control. Another 30 minutes wait and actually missed my flight! Unbelievable. Never seen such a chaotic setup. After missing my flight the queue disappeared. Advise anyone to turn up at least two hours before a flight. Or try another airport!" 

One part of the airport that is complained about in reviews is the Billi terminal (the one for less expensive airlines like Ryanair and easyJet), which was mentioned in a published letter to the editor in The Connexion. The writer said, "Perhaps they should start to think rather more about facilities (especially the cattle pen that is the appalling Billi terminal) and the effective delivery of safe take-offs and landings." As it turns out, they are. In the middle of 2024, the airport announced a new area being built between terminals Hall A and Hall B, costing around $75 million. While that's great, construction will begin in early 2026, meaning it's another issue you'll have to deal with for a while. 

The booking portal Holidu.co.uk analyzed Google Maps data to rank airports in Europe for 2024. While Istanbul Airport in Türkiye nabbed the top spot, Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport landed as the second to worst, moving up from the bottom spot which it took in 2023, based on 12,603 reviews. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said of Bordeaux-Mérignac: "I'm at Bordeaux airport waiting for a flight. We were told to arrive at least 3 hours ahead. Easy through security and fast, then nothing, a sandwich bar with a giant queue, that's it, nothing past passport control. No drinks no shops no food no AC ....what a dump. There's a place to eat your sandwich with 22 seats all have someone already."

There is an alternative to flying to Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, and that's taking the train. In 2023, the French government passed a law that says flights in the country that could be taken by train in under 2.5 hours would be discontinued. The Train Line has standard tickets for a high speed train from Paris to Bordeaux, with the ride taking two to three hours. You could also choose to travel by train from Orly, about four hours away. 

If you want to make stops along the way, you could also rent a car and travel from Paris to Bordeaux. It's about a six-hour drive, so it might be worth splitting it up and visiting the cities of Orléans, Blois, Poitiers, and/or Saintes on the way. It might be more work to plan around landing at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, but with complaints about long lines, rude staff, an amenities desert, and terrible signage – another verified reviewer on airlinequality.com said flying through this airport was a "utterly horrible experience" — it may be worth it for you.