|
|
| City Guide - Milan - Air | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Air Milan Malpensa (MXP) Tel: (02) 748 5220. Fax: (02) 74 85 40 10. Web site: www.malpensa-airport.com Malpensa is 48km (30 miles) northwest of Milan, and is the city's biggest airport handling transcontinental and other international flights. Work to increase annual capacity to 30 million passengers ended when terminal one opened in 1998. In general, most European and all transcontinental flights arrive at terminal one while charters use terminal two. Major airlines: Alitalia, Italy's national carrier (tel: (02) 24991 or 1478 65643 for flight enquiries in Milan), flies to 130 foreign and Italian cities from Malpensa, its most important hub after Rome. In addition, over 80 other airlines, including major European and US services, operate to Malpensa. Some confusion still exists after the government moved many airlines from Linate airport to Malpensa airport in 1999, so visitors should double check which airport they will be flying to at the time of booking. Airport facilities: Departure facilities include banks, bureaux de change, newsagents, coffee bars and restaurants. After check-in, there are electrical goods, clothes and fashion outlets, as well as the usual duty-free shops. Tourist information, a post office and car hire operators, including Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Maggiore are available at Arrivals. Business facilities: The dedicated business centre, run by Eurochange (tel: (02) 58 58 10 74; fax: (02) 58 58 91 19), offers business travellers workstations, fax, photocopier, personal computer and mobile phone rental. Conference rooms, with facilities for a maximum of 14 people should be booked in advance. Transport to the city: The most hassle-free way to travel to the city centre is by rail. The new Malpensa Express (tel: (02) 27763, recorded information (English and Italian) or 84 47 75 00) runs to Stazione Cadorna just north of the historic centre. Trains depart every 30 minutes 0745-2145 (journey time - 40 minutes), and stop at Milano Bovisa Politecnico and Saronno Centro. Tickets cost L15,000 at the terminal but increase to L20,000 if bought on the train. During major trade fairs, trains stop at Milano Bolona for the Fiera district. Alternatively, a shuttle connects terminals with the station at Gallarate where there is a choice of trains to Stazione Centrale or Stazione Porta Garibaldi. Fares cost L7400, but note that there are more departures to Porta Garibaldi. Coach services, operated by Air Pullman (tel: (02) 58 58 31 85, recorded information in English and Italian; web site: www.airpullman.com), depart for Stazione Centrale, Milan Fiera, Milan Lampugnano and Piazza Castello. The shuttle to and from Stazione Centrale is the most frequent, departing every 20 minutes 0520-2100 and then every half hour until 0015 (journey time - one hour); tickets cost L13,000. The same company operates the coach shuttle linking Malpensa with Linate (journey time - 1 hour 15 minutes), which costs L18,000. There are ten services daily. Malpensa Taxis based at the airport (tel: (02) 40 09 90 29) offer considerably more expensive rides to the centre, starting from L120,000. Milan Linate (LIN) Tel: (02) 74 85 22 00. Fax: (02) 74 85 20 10. Web site: www.sea-aeroportimilano.it Milan Linate is seven kilometres (four miles) east of the centre and provides easy access to and from the city. Enlarged in 1993, Linate appeals to Italian and European business travellers eager to get into the city. Despite the transfer of many European airlines, including British Airways to Malpensa airport in 1998, Linate continues to handle seven million passengers a year. Major airlines: Meridiana, Virgin Express, Air France, KLM, SAS and Sabena all provide regular services to major European cities. Alitalia links the city with the south of Italy, including Rome, Bari, Catania, Naples and Palermo. Low-cost airline Buzz has direct flights to Linate from Stansted airport in the UK. Airport facilities: Tourist information, banking and exchange facilities are available during office hours, and there is an on-site restaurant and snack bar. Hertz and Maggiore can provide car hire facilities. Business facilities: The airport group SEA manage Linate and provide three Club Lounges: Piermarini, Piranesi and Bramante, located in the international and domestic departures as well as the arrivals hall. There is no dedicated business centre. Transport to the city: A coach and local bus service operate from the airport to the centre. The smarter shuttle service run by STAM (tel: (02) 717 106) departs every 20 minutes (0500-2100) for Stazione Centrale and takes 15-30 minutes. Tickets cost L5000 and can be bought on-board. The cheaper alternative, the local ATM bus 73, runs to Piazza San Babila every 15 minutes (0530-0050). Tickets cost L1500 and can be bought at the airport bar in the departures terminal. Taxis (tel: (02) 6767 or 8585) to the centre cost approximately L25,000 and take up to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Approximate flight times to Milan: From London is 2 hours; from New York is 9 hours (plus transfer); from Los Angeles is 12 hours and 25 minutes (plus transfer); from Toronto is 9 hours and 20 minutes (plus transfer); and from Sydney is 20 hours and 5 minutes (plus transfers). Arrival/departure tax: None. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
