The idea of flying with kids, especially babies, can be daunting. However, if you’re well prepared to go to Newquay airport with kids, it can be great fun!
I travelled from Newquay to Leeds with a 5-month-old baby in January 2020 to go on a city break to Edinburgh.
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Newquay Airport Location
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Newquay airport is in St Mawgan, just outside of Newquay, Cornwall (TR8 4RQ). The airport is on the North coast of Cornwall, UK.
Distance to nearby major destinations:
- St Ives – 39 miles
- Portreath – 28 miles
- Falmouth – 30 miles
- Perranporth – 13 miles
- Truro – 18 miles
- St Mawes – 27 miles
- Plymouth – 47 miles
- Sennen – 51 miles
- Looe – 35 miles
- Bodmin – 18 miles
- St Agnes – 22 miles
Where can you fly from Newquay Airport?
You can fly to a wide range of destinations from Newquay airport, most within the UK. Some flights operate to other European countries, especially in peak season. Check here for the latest destinations. In the summertime, more flights available.
How to get to Newquay Airport
Driving to Newquay Airport
We arrived by car. A free 30-minute drop-off zone was very useful for getting all our baby gear out. The drop-off zone is very close to the main entrance of the airport. The postcode for the SatNav is TR8 4RQ.
Parking at Cornwall airport Newquay
There are 3 car parks at Newquay Airport, all within easy walking distance of the terminal. The East car park is the closest (3-5 minutes walking), West Car park (5-7 minutes), and St Mawgan House Long stay (7-10 minutes walking).
Parking can be paid for on the day but it gets extremely busy, so I would advise booking online. The cutoff point for online bookings is 24 hours before arrival, but I would recommend booking way in advance.
Tip: Parking can be expensive, especially if you’re away for a long period of time. I recommend parking in a nearby town. JustPark is a useful tool to find spaces nearby the airport for the lowest price. Simply type in your arrival and departure time and dates to get nearby spaces pinned on a map. JustPark can also be used to find cheap parking nearby your destination in Cornwall and beyond.
Car hire at Newquay Airport
You can compare the latest car hire deals on Travel Supermarket here.
Reaching Newquay Airport By Bus
First Kernow operates most busses in Cornwall. The A5 route covers Newquay airport. On this bus route you can enjoy the amazing scenery as the bus winds its way up the West coast of Cornwall.
There are wheelchair spaces available, but pushchairs will need to be folded in the event of a wheelchair boarding. From Newquay bus station, the journey is 35 minutes.
The bus route also runs to Padstow in the other direction with a journey time of 59 minutes. Bus times change by season, so check the First Kernow website here for more details.
By Train
The nearest railway station is in Newquay. However, this is a 16-minute drive so you would have to utilize another form of transport to get there. I suggest getting a taxi.
Once at the station, a smaller train takes 48 minutes to reach the mainline.
Branchline Stops include Quintrell Downs, St Columb Road, Roche, Bugle, Luxulyan and Par.
By Taxi
The main taxi company serving Newquay airport is Coastline Travel. There’s a desk at the airport served by Coastline travel. Pre-booked taxis are eligible for a discount. Taxi shares are also offered in a bid to reduce price and offset the carbon footprint.
If your coming as a family of larger group this can be accommodated as the taxis are vans. This option is the least time consuming.
Cornish transport can be busy and unpredictable with lots of places extremely hard to reach. Make sure you check if car-seats are provided if you haven’t brought one with you.
Other Taxi companies serving Newquay Airport:
Newquay Airport Taxis
123 Taxis Newquay
A2B Newquay
My Experience of Newquay Airport With Kids
Check-in
The check-in area is very small, with around 6 desks. There’s also a café (Coffee republic) and a small seating area.
The queue was minimal and moved very fast. I was worried about my 2 piece pushchair, but this turned out to be fine. I was even asked whether the pushchair was one piece or 2 pieces.
Security
Security was also a small area, and there was no waiting time. I was allowed to bring ready-made cow and gate formula through. They just need to scan it in a machine first. You walk through the security gate holding baby. After security, there are booths to repack your belongings.
Departure Lounge
The departure lounge consisted of one big room with lots of seating. There was also a shop selling food and Cornish souvenirs. I saw Cornish wines and spirits and local souvenirs including many edible souvenirs such as Cornish salt.
There’s another cafe identical to the one in the check-in area (Coffee Republic) and a special assistance/family room. There’s also an executive room but it’s not suitable for under 12’s.
There are toilets at each end of the room with baby changing being in the disabled toilet. It’s possible to wheel the pushchair in and go to the toilet at the same time which is a bonus!
Boarding
The boarding gates are all straight in front of the seating area with level access to the outside. We walked straight from the seating area onto the plane. Flybe let young children board the plane first, which was handy.
Where to stay near Cornwall airport Newquay
If you’re already staying in Newquay, I would recommend staying in your accommodation and travelling to the airport by taxi or bus in time for your flight. If you have an awkwardly timed flight then I would recommend getting accommodation near the airport. There’s no official airport hotel but the smugglers Inn is very close proximity:
Closest to the airport – The Smugglers Inn (TR8 4EQ)
- Free private parking
- Family rooms
- Games room
- Kids meals
- Garden
- Welcomes children of any age
For more help on planning the perfect trip to Cornwall with kids, visit our Cornwall travel planning guide.
