Terminal T1

Most international flights at ACE run through Terminal T1

Terminal T1 handles almost all international traffic at César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, including Ryanair, Jet2.com, Vueling, Iberia, and Air Europa across 17 gates. It is the busier of the two terminals and holds nearly all the airport’s shops, cafés, and services, so if your boarding pass says T1, plan to spend your time here rather than wandering over to T2.

Check-in desks for T1 airlines line the main hall on the ground floor, with security one level up and departures concentrated in a single pier. The building is small and clear enough that most gates are under a 5–7 minute walk from security, but the gate pens for UK and Germany flights can feel packed when several departures leave within 30 minutes of each other.

Burger King sits airside near the main departures seating area and usually has the longest food queue in T1, especially before late-morning flights around 10:00–12:00. For quicker options, Pans and Company and Upper Crust serve sandwiches and baguettes at prices that typically sit in the €6–€9 range, while Cafetería Medas and Cafe Terraza handle coffee and pastries from around 06:00.

For drinks, Cerveza Reina Bar and La Tropical both sit in the airside food cluster close to the Schengen gates, with draft beer and simple tapas-style plates that run roughly €3–€5 per item. Food Garden adds another mixed-offer counter further along the concourse, useful if the tables in front of Burger King are already fully taken during afternoon UK departures.

Sala VIP Guacimeta is the only lounge in T1 and sits airside near the central departures area, a short walk from most gates. The lounge typically opens early in the morning to cover the first wave of European departures and offers basic snacks, soft drinks, and some alcohol, making it a calmer option than standing in the crowd near a 180-seat Ryanair gate.

Duty free in T1 is split between Canariensis Duty Free and Aldeasa Duty Free, both positioned after security so you walk through at least one store on the way to the gates. Prices on local spirits and aloe products often undercut resort shops by a few euros, and you can also pick up standard tobacco allowances and mid-range cosmetics before boarding.

Beyond duty free, T1 has small standalone shops like Relay and Hudson News for magazines and bottled water, and Parfois and Intimmis for accessories and underwear. Souvenir and island-focused options include Canary Store, The Ocean Company, La Casa de los Volcanes, Divers, Pure Natural, and Sunglass Hut, giving you one last shot at flip-flops or reef-safe sunscreen before a beach holiday flight home.

Landside and airside seating is limited relative to the number of passengers, and Mapy.com reviewers call out “relatively few seats available” at peak times, especially when multiple UK flights line up within an hour. Regulars advise camping out in the central airside food and shopping zone, then walking to the actual gate about 15–20 minutes before boarding to avoid standing in a crowded pen for an extra half hour.

Left-luggage service does not exist at ACE, and several Mapy.com reviews flag baggage storage as “fundamentally missing,” which catches people with late flights and early accommodation checkouts. Some frequent visitors mention on local Facebook groups that they pre-book a rental car from T1 arrivals and use the car as day storage while they head to places like Playa Blanca or Costa Teguise.

Arrivals for T1 sit on the lower level, with drivers and transfer reps waiting directly in the public arrivals hall, something Viator transfer reviews confirm as working smoothly. If you have a pre-booked shuttle or taxi, head straight through the sliding doors after baggage reclaim; the quicker you exit, the sooner you escape the narrow corridor where groups tend to bunch up around tour buses.

One last tip: build the buffer. Aim to be back at T1 at least 2 hours before departure in high season, grab any hot food or drinks near the central concourse, and only then move to your gate so you are not the one standing on the carpet for 45 minutes before boarding even starts.