Planes, Warsaw

Warsaw Okecie (a.k.a. Fryderyk Chopin Airport) is located about 10 km outside of the city centre. The main terminal offers all amenities of a modern airport. Most budget flights use the small Etiuda terminal which is very basic and just 5 min walk from the main terminal.

If you want to avoid being ripped off by Polish taxi drivers, just take the local bus No. 175 which runs directly to the city centre. Tickets can be bought from the RUCH shop in the main airport building or from ticket machines.

We flew to Warsaw from Edinburgh with Central Wings a subsidary of Lot the Polish National Airline. Prices for these flights vary but can be very economical. One thing to bear in mind for payment of the in - flight snacks and drinks - the airline accepts Euros, Zloty but only English Notes, so if flying from Edinburgh check your wallet and make sure you have the required currency. I'm glad I had my camera with me - probably for the last time - to take a picture while standing on the tarmac waiting to board.

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Cheap flights to Warsaw (WAW): here Example fare: 41 GBP R/T with all taxes by WizzAir: London Luton - Warsaw, 24 and 31 May 2006.

Cheap flights to new Lodz airport (LCJ): here (example fare: 52.58 EUR R/T with all taxes Dublin - Warsaw - Dublin; 23 and 30 May, 2006)
Lodz is the second largest city in Poland located 135 km southwest of Warsaw. Lodz Lublinek airport is located some 8 km soutwest of Lodz centre. To get to Warsaw:
1. there are buses run by PKS: airport Lodz - Lodz - airport Warsaw - Warsaw (26 zl = 6.9 euros; over 3 hours) and back at hours correlated with hours of Rhynair flights;
2. taxi to Warsaw: some 2 hours and maybe (?) 200 zl = 53 euros;
3. Public transportation (bus, taxi) to Lodz + bus/train to Warsaw.

General three steps to find a good deal online to Warsaw:
1. Search for low cost airlines covering flights from your area to Europe at LowCostAirlines.org and if there are any check them (try find flights to European airports from which there are cheap flights to Warsaw (WAW) and Lodz (LCJ).
2. Continue searching for low cost flights within Europe at WhichBudget.com and Openjet.com
3. Compare the final price with the ones at:
- SearchLowestFares.com
- Samoloty.onet - only in Polish language although everyone may buy a ticket (mailed abroad or electronic one)
- Virtual Tourist sponsored links and search for flight tool (click on "Flight" above on this page, please).

Another option is to ask your travel agent and/or call and ask your airline (especially if you are a member of frequent flier program).

Have a great flight :-)

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Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW) is located 10 km south of the city center. Now (2006) there is small Terminal 1 and adjacent even smaller the Etiuda terminal which serves routes flown by low-cost carriers. The twice larger Terminal 2, under construction now, is going to be completed by 2007. Airlines in Warsaw here.

NO LINES
I have never been forced to wait in any long lines at check in points or luggage claim area.

CHECK-IN
Passengers of international flights (except the USA and Canada), should check-in at least 60 minutes before departure.
Passengers travelling to the USA and Canada, should check-in at least 120 minutes before departure.
Call your airlines! Sometimes it's 30 min. for flights within EU when they may issue you boarding pass after your call.

DUTY FREE SHOP
While leaving Poland when you may visit shopping mall in passengers waiting area and go to Duty Free Shop (in Terminal 1) and buy... most buy cigarettes and alcohol beverages, some perfumes and gifts. Details in more shopping tips.

BAD FOOD
Warning: food and caffee served in bar/restaurant on the ground floor of terminal 1 is awfull and far over-priced (even 3 times more expensive than I used to pay) ---> skip it.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Currency courses in exchange offices (for those with cash) and transaction fees in ATMs are the same as in the city. Some (few?) taxi drivers don't like to be paid by cards and want cash ---> better prepare some Polish currency. According to law taxi drivers, like every shop/supermarket in Poland, are obliged to accept euros but they don't like Euro :-) (yet?) and either the course in that case is bad for those paying in Euro or rarely they are simply refused (it's against law) to pay by Euro.

TOURIST INFORMATION
In Arrival Hall open: May - September 8.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m. daily; October - April: 8.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. daily.

New airline company launched on 19th May 2004 and operates a fleet of Airbus A320.

Regular fares start from as low as PLN 19 or EUR 4.99 (one way, excluding taxes and charges). The sooner you will book your flight, the lower fare you will get...

Operating routes from/to Warsaw:
Belgium: Brussels-Charleroi
France: Paris-Beauvais
Germany : Frankfurt-Hahn, Dortmund***
Great Britain: Liverpool, London-Luton
Hungary: Budapest***
Lithuania: Kaunas***
Sweden: Malmö, Sockholm-Skavsta

***NEW from 1st December 2005

Norwegian is a low cost airline with good prices to Warsaw (and Krakow) but they only fly once a day from Stockholm-Arlanda, terminal 2 (and here you'll go thru passport control so have your passport and boarding pass handy). In our case, it departed at 8:20pm (as of September 2007) but I see that they've changed their departures to different times (might be either a morning or an afternoon flight).

There's a fee for selecting your seat (and checking in that way) and they have 2 kinds of seats: the ones with normal leg room (for us shorties) and the ones with extra leg room. Those who chose their seat get on board first. If the flight is code shared by another airline then choosing a seat might not be possible.

As of with any low cost airline, you get what you pay for, and although this was my first time flying with this kind of airline I commend their service - it was as good as with the "normal cost" airlines. If you want to eat or drink something then you pay for it either before you get on board (and after the security checks) or while flying. The flight attendants have a menu that they give to those who are interested in buying food.

Warsaw can be easily accessed by plane - is it a surprise to you?

Check:
LOT Polish Airlines, quite expensive
Aerlingus
Air Lithuania
Central Wings, daughter of LOT Polish Airlines
EasyJet
Germanwings
Maersk
Norwegian
Ryanair
Sky Europe
Wizz Air

Take the bus to the center - it's really cheap and easy (the taxi / other choices available at the airport are a rip-off!). Buy a ticket from the kiosk at the airport before getting on the bus (175 will take you to the main railway station which is in the middle of the city). The bus stops have names and there's a list of all the stops in the bus - and there's no way you can miss the train station.

Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport is the biggest airport in Poland. Warsaw Airport is located 10km south-west of the city centre what is quite close to the city centre. You may get there from Warszawa Centralna Railway Station by bus no 175. Taxi service should be about 25 - 30 zloty from the airport to the centre. The airport is rather small and not moder enough. It becomes also over-crowded what, sometimes, is inconvinient for passengers.

Warsaw Airport handles about 70% of the overall air passenger traffic in the country. Departing aircrafts carry passengers to various countries in America, Africa, Asia and Europe. At present, Warsaw Airport operates more than 80 scheduled flights to/from major airports in Poland and worldwide and the number of its charter connections is always increasing. Passengers' favourite destinations are London, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. In terms of domestic traffic, most passengers travel to Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk.

At the end of March 2004, Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport opened a new passenger terminal named "Etiuda". It is situated in the southern part of the airport, behind the exit from the fly-over access road. The Etiuda terminal serves both departing and arriving passengers.

The terminal is very small. Passengers are handled at eight check-in stands equipped with computers and special software for passengers and baggage clearing. Etiuda terminal lacks facilities like bars or restaurants. However, there is a newsagent with sweets and newspapers, Baltona shop and drinks machines have been opened.

Due to the fact that Etiuda offers a custom clearance only for passengers travelling to the European Union countries it does not offer a duty-free zone, hence there is no possibility of doing duty-free shopping.

Most cheap airlines operate from Etiuda Terminal, including easyJet, Germanwings, SkyEurope and WizzAir.