September 2023. Oriol and I are flying to Toulouse for a road trip in Occitania and (French) Catalonia. We include the Principality of Andorra, which I can finally tick off the bucket list, and Llívia, Spain‘s exclave in France. Besides Toulouse we visit Mont-Louis, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Perpignan and Carcassonne. 

We flew to Toulouse. Our little road trip was six days and it would have too expensive for Oriol to go by train. Brussels Airlines brought us in some 1.5 hours from Brussels Airport (BRU) in Zaventem to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) The Brussels Airlines short-haul experience is no-thrills. Nothing is included, but it’s all all right. 

Toulouse-Blagnac Airport has a peculiar architectural style. It somewhat reminds me of the camembert of Paris-Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and the South European ambition to keep heat out as Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD).

ID check upon arrival

Upon arrival, we had to go through an identity check, which is unusual for an intra-Schengen flight. But a little research afterwards told us why.

“New terrorist threats, increasing risk of terrorist organisations present on national territory targeting the Rugby World Cup taking place in September and October 2023, increase in irregular entry flows at the external borders (from the Central Mediterranean and the Western Balkans); internal borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain”, the Migration and Home Affairs of the European Union says, or rather said, on its website. 

Anyway, we got through

Car pick-up

We booked a rental car through Sunny Cars. Sunny Cars is an intermediary. Our rental company was Alamo. We booked a car for 5 PM and we were there around 4.10 PM. That was too early, we were told by a rather grumpy attendant. So we had to wait. 

At 5 PM we were helped by someone else, who was much nicer. We could choose from a Peugeot 208 or Citroën C3. I chose the C3. And then we could choose the colour: grey or some ugly bleu. Obviously I went for the bleu. Rental cars should be ‘ugly’. 

Departure

Fast-forward to the end of the trip. Dropping off the car was straightforward. So was dropping off Oriol’s bag. 

Security wasn’t. Since September 2018 I have an ICD implanted, an internal defibrillator for my heart. Although not really dangerous, I like to avoid the metal detectors. So I say I have a pacemaker because in my experience, security personnel don’t know what an ICD is. 

They made quite a fuzz about it. Do I have papers to show I have a pacemaker? I don’t. I do have a card from my hospital telling which device I have. But it’s in Dutch. The French don’t speak Dutch. 

The guy who padded me down also actively searched for my device. It’s the first time ever in five years security was so peculiar about it.

Gates without seats

For ‘only’ being a regional airport, Toulouse-Blagnac feels large. Probably the proximity of aerospace companies ATR and Airbus help making Toulouse-Blagnac Airport being quite unmissable. 

In the departure hall, one characteristic stood out: the gates don’t have seats. There are some benches in the hall and some food and beverages options, but no expected seating at the gate.

So?

My experience at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport was unusual and unexpected. It looks stylish. But staff were strict and perhaps nervous.