Beware of Barcelona (BCN) airport if you need special assistance

For anyone travelling to Barcelona, Special Assistance is non existent in Barcelona airport unless you need a wheelchair.

I booked airport special assistance well over 48 hours before, you know, did everything properly. The special assistance desks were really hard to find - not signposted. The airport website was of some help but the airport is huge and it took me ages to find the desk. When I did find one nobody was there so I found two others which were again unstaffed.

Frustrated, I went upstairs to find the gates myself. I found a special assistance staff member and asked him where I can get assistance. Turns out none of the special assistance staff speak English! 

Going through security alone was extremely uncomfortable for me. I was fortunate the security staff themselves recognised the sunflower lanyard and so treated me amazingly. But had anything gone wrong (as it has done whenever I've gone through security without special assistance, because of my problems with receptive understanding) it would've become a nasty situation.

Thought I'd post to warn people! 

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  • I would recommend learning Catalan rather than Spanish if you're only going to Barcelona/Catalan region - I thought Catalan was only a minor language but to my complete surprise it's used by the locals in preference to regular Spanish! (Like menus, tours and information boards in museums are given in Catalan as preference to Spanish!)

    Hope you have a great time, I had a fantastic time in Barcelona other than my surprise at the airport!