Landing at Milan Linate Airport

What LIN is like

Linate is an airport for people who work rather than people on a first trip, serving mostly European and domestic routes. The building is small, the corridors are short, and with hand luggage only you are outside quickly. Its advantage is simply how close it is to the city; its limit is that far fewer long-haul routes reach it. Travellers arriving from Asia rarely land here, but they often meet it on the way out to another European city.

On arrival

Because the building is small you reach the exit sooner than you brace for, so switch the line on while you are still in your seat rather than standing in a doorway that everyone is walking through. Many intra-European arrivals here skip passport control entirely, which puts you at the kerb within minutes of the aircraft door. There are only a few baggage belts, easy to find but quick to crowd when two flights land back to back. A metro line now connects the airport to the city, and the signs inside the terminal point you down to it clearly.

How far the airport Wi-Fi gets you

Wi-Fi here performs reasonably well because the hall is small and holds far fewer people than Malpensa, though it still puts a registration page in the way. The real problem is how briefly you are inside the building: some people spend longer getting connected than they spend walking out. The moment you are underground on the metro or sitting in a taxi, that connection is behind you. A mobile line that is already running removes the step entirely.

Getting into town

Linate's whole point is distance: the centre of Milan is near enough to reach quickly by metro, bus or car. The metro is the most predictable at rush hour, but it runs underground, so save the hotel address before you go down the escalator. If you order a car, the pick-up is in front of the terminal and reading the actual sign beats trying to describe where you are standing to a driver. A hop this short costs very little data, possibly under 50MB. The catch is that a short trip gives you no sitting time in which to fix a line that never came up in the first place.

What people ask about this airport

• Set up in your seat — The hall is small and you are outside fast. Fiddling with settings in the exit doorway blocks other people and costs you the time you were saving.
• The metro is the predictable one — At rush hour a car is the unpredictable choice. If you are due somewhere at a fixed time, take the option that traffic cannot lengthen.
• Onward hops start here — Many people use Linate to hop on to another European city. A plan written for the whole region beats buying a fresh one for each country you touch.