“I arrived in Palma at 12:59 on the 2nd of July 2021, two days after the Balearic Islands made it onto the UK’s green list full of trepidation. Things could only get worse as my experience departing London Heathrow Terminal 5 was near perfect.
Apart from the 15 minute queue at the baggage drop, airport security was a breeze and everyone did their best to maintain a respectable distance.
Mask wearing has become so acceptable it's difficult to imagine life without it.
Boarding was by seat row. Everyone behaved themselves and the flight took off on time.
On arrival the usual scrum was averted, as passengers were asked to remain seated until their row was called and only then could they stand up to retrieve their personal belongings from the overhead lockers and make an orderly exit. After the calm, I was prepared for chaos.
I had heard horrendous stories, an absence of social distancing and unbearably long queues. In truth, it took just 20 minutes from walking off the air bridge to clearing passport control.
Yes there was some queueing but nothing as bad as Heathrow on a busy day.
The COVID entry screening was conducted at the entrance to the baggage hall.
It was a simple barcode check that took all of five minutes.
A further 30 minutes and I had retrieved three suitcases and was clear of the airport.
It’s been 12 months since I was last here.
Many of us on that BA flight from London have second homes on the island and have been denied the right to leave the UK as well as enter Spain.
What’s the point of having a second home if you can’t actually use it?
They say out of sight is out of mind and certainly that’s how I have had to manage my own expectations and I was worried that I might have fallen out of love with Majorca.
Within five minutes of driving along Av de Gabriel Roca and seeing all those wonderful white sailing yachts glistening in the afternoon sun, it felt like I had never been away. Hola Mallorca.”
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A positive note and no one commenting on this? No 'We won't come over this year because you hate us!' or 'Without us Brits the Baleares can't survive so you better be nice to us!' comments? Strange... Well done people of Son Sant Joan Airport, keep up the good work ;-)
Never had a problem with arriving at Palma. Its leaving that is a slow process.