Terminal
Fourteen airline partners share Newcastle’s single terminal, led by Jet2.com, TUI, easyJet and Ryanair, with British Airways one of the longest-standing operators on the schedule and Emirates flying daily to Dubai. What sets the building apart is what runs directly underneath it: the Tyne and Wear Metro has its own station here, feeding the North East’s only light-rail network straight into the check-in hall.
Airlines set their own desk-opening times, but the airport itself asks passengers not to arrive more than three hours before departure: three hours for a charter, two for a scheduled flight. Jet2.com and TUI both run evening-before twilight bag drop for early departures — Jet2.com from 16:30 to 21:00, TUI (flights with a TOM or BY number, before midday) from 16:00 to 21:00.
Newcastle has already switched on next-generation CT scanners, so laptops, liquids and other electricals can stay zipped inside hand luggage while it goes through the machine. Don’t mistake the new hardware for a new liquids allowance, though: bottles and gels still top out at 100ml a container here, so anyone assuming the scanner upgrade brought the bigger 2-litre limit will be caught out. A paid Fast Track lane can be pre-booked for a quicker run through the search area.
The Metro station sits beneath the terminal, on the green line: journey time to Newcastle Central Station, Haymarket or Monument runs about 25 minutes, with TransPennine Express selling a combined rail-and-Metro ticket at over 50% off from as far out as Edinburgh, York and Leeds. Arriving Metro passengers should follow the signs down from the concourse to board a train heading for the airport.
A Changing Places toilet sits in the check-in area, ahead of security, and a 24-hour multi-faith prayer room with prayer mats and religious texts is built into the terminal near the security entrance — communal Friday prayers are held there at 12:35pm. Passengers should register assistance needs with their airline at least 36 hours before travel; accessible parking bays and help points sit in five of the car parks, and the Metro station itself is step-free from the terminal.