Gran Canaria (LPA) airport (also known locally as "Gando") and until 2014 Las Palmas Airport - Telephone (+34) 928 579130. The airport is located in the middle of the east coast of Gran Canaria, about 20 minutes up the motorway to the city of Las Palmas and 30 minutes down the motorway to the south / Maspalomas, 40 minutes to Puerto Rico & Amadores and around an hour to Taurito and Mogan. If you wanted to know something specific about the airport itself I don't have too much information here as there is a fantastic portal on the Internet where you should be able to find out everything. The Spanish airports are controlled by a company called Aena who in turn rent out various services (baggage handling, catering ...) to different companies.

The Aena website lists all the Spanish airports and offers a wealth of information and facilities about each on their website. You can even track flights in and out of spain and find out what time they took off and are scheduled to land or will actually land if ahead of schedule or delayed. At the top right you can change the language.

Travelling to/from the airport

Tour operators
On arrival if you're travelling on a tour-operator flight or as part of a package you may have coach transfers included from the airport to your accommodation.If you have this booked as part of your holiday, once you have your bags and pass through into the arrivals hall, one of the first things you'll see is a group of holiday reps in different uniforms, holding clip-boards with their company's logo. So, head for the one that looks like yours, let them know the name your booking was made in and where you are staying and they will tell you where the coach is waiting for you.

As you leave the arrivals hall, there are 8 coach bays, A1 being to the right, then A2, A3.... to A8 at the far left. The holiday rep will tell you which bay to go to and once there, which coach is yours. As there may be up to 8 buses in a bay, each has a large letter or number in the front window.

Once you get to the coach, the driver may ask you again where you are staying so he can load the bags on the convenient side of the coach. Give him your bags and get on-board! All coaches are non-smoking so if the coach isn't full when you get there, you usually have time for a cigarette whilst you're waiting. There's also a no food or drink rule on the coaches so don't open a can as you get on!

Usually, each coach has around 50 people, sometimes all going to the same 1 or 2 apartment complexes but often heading to around 10 different complexes or more. The stops may be split between Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas and/or Puerto Rico so expect a total transfer time lasting from 1 to 2 hours or more from collecting your bags to getting to your accommodation.

Airport transfer agents
As well as being able to book your flight and hotels independently, you can also book your airport transfers that way too wether it be on a coach with everyone else or a private bus for your group or a private car with driver. Again, when you come out with your bags you'll have been given instructions what to look for when you booked, either the name of the agent or your own name held up by the rep/driver.

Check out our own, established airport transfer service or CanaryLimousine service for extra luxury

Car Hire
Often, people book their car hire when booking their holiday with the travel agent and arrange to pick it up at the airport on arrival. If your flight arrives during the day/evening, the place to head once you're in the arrivals hall is to your right. At the far end you'll see a lounge area. If you're car's booked through "Orlando", sit in the lounge and every time their bookings are due to land, they check the lounge area every 20 minutes or so. Again, a rep from the company will come, often in uniform but always carrying a clip-board with the company logo. If you're booking is with Avis, Hertz or another major company, they have their own office a few meters past the lounge area but it closes late in the evening so night arrivals should also wait in the lounge area. Most companies now include a basic accident insurance but offer a "super colision waiver" - without the "SCW" you are liable for around the first 500 euros if the car is damaged and you don't have written confirmation and insurance details from another driver that it was their fault. (It's advisable to take out the SCW insurance).

Be sure to have your car hire booking receipt, passport and driving licence handy and keep your passport and driving licence with you whenever you are driving for the rest of your holiday. Once you're in the car and driving, follow the blue signs "Sur" (the road is the GC1) and that will take you to San Agustin, Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas and Puerto Rico amongst other places. If you have the newer European driving license card with photo then you don't need to keep your passport with you.

(Read more about car hire)

Public Bus
The main bus stops are just outside the departures hall on the top/street/motorway level, inbetween the airport terminal and the motorway. Las Palmas city service is every 20 minutes during the day, once an hour after 10pm. Playa del Ingles buses (no 66 service) leave from there at quarter past the hour from 07:15 to 22:15.

The service for Puerto Rico is once an hour from 06:30 and then each '30 until 20:45. The one good thing is it's an express service stopping only at Playa del Ingles so the journey time is less than an hour once you're on.

(read more about the bus service)

Taxi
There's a rank of licensed taxi cabs just outside the main arrivals hall of Las Palmas airport, as you leave the building, it's to your right. Depending on how many people have landed without transportation, you may find the wait in the queue to be anything from 5 minutes to 30 or more minutes. All the cabs there are metered but expect the fare to Puerto Rico to be around 55 euros by day and to Playa del Ingles or Maspalomas, around 35 euros by day. There's a 20% increase on that price daily for trips between 21:00 and 07:00, Sundays and holidays. Make sure the driver knows the apartments that you're going to before you set off, otherwise catch the cab behind. Taking a note of the cab number as you get in is always a good idea in case your drop/leave anything inside the cab after the journey which can be the case when first getting here. Tipping is around €5 for the journey but depends on how efficient you found the driver to be.