Airport Name: Glasgow Airport
Airport Code: GLA
Telephone: +44 (0)44 (0)141 887 1111

Glasgow Airport,
Abbotsinch,
Paisley,
Renfrewshire,
PA3 2ST

Glasgow airport lies 8 miles west of Glasgow city centre an is within easy reach of the rest of Scotland. The airport was orginally used as an overspill for the RAF base at Renfew. BAA purchased the airport from Glasgow corporation in 1975 and began immediate development, expanding the terminal building and raising the capacity to 3.5 million. BAA continued to develop during the eighties with a £ 55 million expansion increasing the capacity by 70% to 6 million. Today Glasgow airport is the buisiest of Scotland's three main international airports, with over 8 million passengers passing through each year.

Getting there by Car / Taxi

Glasgow Airport lies eight miles to the west of Glasgow city and is within easy reach of the rest of Scotland. Principal access is off junction 28 of the M8 motorway. Take Junction 28 off the M8, about 20 minutes drive from Glasgow City Centre or two minutes from Paisley, the nearest town. The taxi rank is located at the front of the terminal building, a short walk from UK arrivals. Taxis are available 24 hours a day to any destination.

The taxi fare to Glasgow city centre is approximately £16.50. Longer journeys may be negotiated with the driver. Taxis are metered but a list of charges is available at the taxi booking office next to the taxi rank. For assistance telephone Cab Fly.

Getting there by Bus / Coach

All public buses depart from the front of the terminal building. Charter coaches pick up and drop off passengers at the short stay coach park on Bute Road, adjacent to international arrivals. There are frequent services to Glasgow city centre operated by Citylink and Fairline as a combined service 905.

All services have drop off points at various locations in the city including close to Glasgow Central and Queen Street railway stations and at Buchanan bus station. Single fare to the city centre is £3.30 and £5.00 return. Approximate guide to journey time from airport to city centre by bus is 25 minutes. The city centre bus stops have an airport logo on them. For further details contact Traveline Scotland or CityLink.

Getting there by Train

Paisley's Gilmour Street railway station is the nearest to the airport. It is only two miles from the terminal and can be reached by taxi or by regular bus services. There are direct rail services from Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central, Ayr and Clyde Coast destinations. There are eight trains per hour (Monday-Saturday) and five per hour (Sunday) from Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central. If you need to transfer from Central station to either Queen Street station or Buchanan bus station, you can use bus service 398 which runs every 10 minutes between 07:00 and 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 and 22:00 Sunday.

This service is free on production of a valid rail ticket, or 50p to other users. Tickets to Glasgow central station from Glasgow airport can be purchased at the SPT travel centre on the ground floor of the terminal. For onward travel give your ticket in at the Gilmour Street booking office and you will obtain a discount equal to the value of the bus ticket from the cost of a rail ticket to any station in Scotland. Tickets to Glasgow Airport from any station in Scotland are valid on the bus service from Paisley Gilmour to the airport. Train times are available by contacting National Rail.

Services

• Bureau de change - located in international arrivals, check-in, main concourse and international departures.
  
• Cash dispensers are located throughout the terminal building.
  
• There are several payphones located both before and after security.
  
• There is a post office in the main concourse.
  
• Multi-faith places of worship - one located next to Garfunkels on the second floor.
  

Shopping

• A wide selection of shops available, including newsagents, health and beauty, gifts and accessories.
  
• After security there are a number of duty and tax free shops, selling alcohol, perfume, cigarettes and gifts.
  

Eating

• There is a Café Nero in the international arrivals area and a Starbucks in the main check in area
  
• A wide selection of restaurants can be found at Food Village. There are also several cafes and coffee shops and bars can be found in the departure piers.
  
• There is also a Garfunkels restaurant on the second floor.
  

Disabled

• Two reserved seating areas in the airport providing low level flight information screens, Induction loop and mini-loop, arm rests on seats, space for wheelchair users and a Help Phone
  
• Accessible toilet facilities available throughout the airport and most toilet blocks include a unisex accessible toilet nearby
  
• Help Points located in car parks, outside and inside terminal
  
• Induction loops in several locations particularly in reserved seating areas and at information desks.
  
• Pay phones and credit card telephones which are adapted for hearing aids are available in all parts of the airport
  
• There is a text pay phone on the first floor next to the W H Smith retail outlet.
  
• Clear black on yellow signage throughout airport to providing optimum contrast for visually impaired.
  
• Low level flight information screens in reserved seating areas aim to provide
  
• Free wheelchair assistance and provision is available on request.
  

Children

• Babycare facilities are available in the following areas: The first floor main concourse, the international departures lounge, the international departures pier and the international baggage reclaim hall. Many of the toilet facilities also have baby changing units.
  
• There is a Game Grid in the international departure lounge and the main concourse next to the play area. There is a T V lounge next to Dorothy Perkins
  
• Children's play areas are located on the first floor main concourse, in the International departures lounge and by gate 50 in the international departures pier. Puzzle tables can also be found at various locations throughout the terminal building.
  
• Food Village offers a wide choice of food and plenty of seating areas. There are several other takeaway and snack options throughout the terminal. Any of the catering outlets will be pleased to provide hot water on request for the heating of baby food/milk.
  
• " Zero 2 seven sells gifts and toys for children. There is not a great choice of children's shops so it would be wise to bring activities, books and other quiet toys to keep them entertained.

There are several parking options at Glasgow airport. Choose from either:

• Airpark Ltd (min stay 1 day)
  
• CPS Personal Parking (mn stay 3 days)
  
• Flying Scot (min stay 3 days)
  
• NCP Flightpath (min stay 8 days)
  
• On Airport Parking (min stay 5 days)
  
• Parksafe Parking (min stay 1 day)
  
• Security Parking (min stay 1 day)
  

Short Stay

Short stay parking is ideal if you want to park for a few hours when meeting passengers from a flight or dropping them off. The short stay car parks are located a short walking distance from the terminal.

• Prices start at £1.40 forup to 30 minutes.
  
• Fast track parking in car park 2, level 2 starts at £7 for 3 hours.
  

Long Stay

Long stay parking is ideal for holiday parking. The long stay car park is loacted a short distance from the terminal. A free coach shuttle service operates between the terminal and the car park. The coach journey takes approximately five minutes.

Parking can be booked on the day, however, it is advisable to pre-book parking as this will guarantee you a parking space and is usually more economical.

• Glasgow airport began its life back in 1932 at Abbotsinch as an overspill for the RAF base at Renfrew. The airfield then beacame known as HMS Sanderling in 1943 when the Royal Navy took over and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force 602 was based there.
  
• Six years after the announcement that Abbotssinch would replace Renfew as and airport serving Glasgow, Glasgow airport was officially opened in May 1966. It didn't take long for business to boom, with over 1 million customers recorded by December that year.
  
• 1973 marked the next major development as the runway was extended to cater for larger jets. In 1975 BAA purchased the airport from Glasgow Corporation and began immediate development, expanding the terminal building with a £2million extension and raising the capacity to 3.5 million by 1986.
  
• Expansion continued during the late eighties with a £55 million expansion, increasing the terminal size by 70% to now cater for 6 million passengers a year.
  
• Another major change took place in 1990 as Prestwick airport lost its monopoly on transatlantic flights and many airlines could move across to Glasgow's runway. By 1994 building work was completed and international traffic was able to move to the newly developed pier with 7 air bridges and able to handle any aircraft.
  
• Both international and domestic passenger numbers continued to rise steadily, helped by the increased number of gates, remote parking areas and expansion from low coast operators.
  
• Today Glasgow airport is the busiest of Scotland's three main international airports with record numbers of passengers passing through the terminal each month. Over 8 million passengers pass through the airport each year with over 86,000 air movements recorded. Over 40 airlines currently use its two runways flying to over 80 destinations but further expansion is planned to increase annual passenger numbers to 16 million.