Polish Airports and Air industry are pathetic

Well, in my opinion Polish airports are pathetic, just look at Warsaw International airport, its run-down and looks like a barn when compared to airports like Frankfurt IA. The airport is the first thing a visitor to a country sees and I bet he wouldn't be impressed with Polish airports' sorry state. With the Euro 2012 coming up, and the influx of visitors, its a shame that many might enter Poland with the impression that its still a poor, communist country. The Polish airline, LOT doesn't seem to be gaining popularity. However, I haven't been in Poland for a while so I wonder if things have or are going to change and I hope to hear your views on these matters.

Matt, did you know they are re-building Warsaw airport, putting an extension on.

Yea I heard about that but somehow I feel an extension won't be enough. Are they going to completely rebuilt/redesign the airport as well?

So you think that we should spend billions to make foreign visitors feel better ? Airports will be improved sooner or later, but when we need that, not "visitors".

Oh come on guys, Warsaw airport is not that bad. For the best part of fifteen years San Francisco airport was a tip as the city authorities fought over the funding of its redevelopment. I haven't been there for four or five years so it may still be a tip.

Warsaw is moving in the right direction, just give it some time.

Wroclaw airport have also been approved to build a new terminal, so soon things will be changing.

Well its nice to hear things will be changing

Well, impressing visitors will mean more tourism, foreign investors etc. so more money for the country as well. But I agree that it shouldn't be done solely as a publicity stunt.

If they have to make the airports as pleasant as the cities I've visited then I don't envy whoever is charged with that task;-)
Must confess, an airport never really makes that much impression on me unless I'm stranded there for hours.

I like small airports.
Poland should not follow the western airport shopping mall mentality, just cut the queues and move passengers to and from planes without fuss.
Krakow is my kind of airport - small and convenient. I don't need the planes to park close enough for bendy walkways to lock on, buses and staircases are good enough as long as both me and my luggage are on the same plane.
I look forward to trying the new Bournemouth/Katowice route.

I agree - it's a shame of Poland. In Krakow you have to stay in a line of 200 meters sometimes (and some people have to stay in line outdoors - in rain, frost) as there's not enough place inside.

oh G... missing the point again i see...

Yes, with all due respect, I think G is missing the point. Polish airports are based in POLAND and whatever improvements you do will stay in Poland and will be enjoyed by the Polish people mostly (who travel a lot too).

It's like you said "I won't clean my backyard this month because a German tourist stays for a month at my neighbour's house - and I don't want him to enjoy a nice view."

Hey hold on folkes, it wasnt long ago that you went through a porta cabin at Liverpool airport when you got off the flight

Has anyone ever flown into Bradford? which is rubbish

Blackpool - shocking

lets think about the state of some of our own airports before we start slinging mud

slowly slowly thing will change in Poland Im sure - I can honestly say its not really bothered me, less places to spend money :) unlike Manchester.

But in my opinion Lot has the worst customer service of any airline I have flown.

Even worse that Easyjet? Remind me never to fly with Lot then;-)

All airlines have their bad points, I have flown with (actually all that fly from the M/c & L/pool) most cheapo airlines and not had a problem - you are never going to please everyone - Ive always got where I need to be!

No way that Lot could be worse than United or US Airways. I mean - how often do you hear of a Lot crash? :^S

Speaking of bad airports - LaGuardia (New York) used to be a total dump. JFK wasn't much better. Flying into Newark instead was like flying into a palace, comparatively. And Logan (Boston) in the '80's? Yech. We have some real prize-winners in the States. I'm sure Polish airports are just now starting to get to where they need to be in the post-communist era, or making their plans.


I'll second that, getting delayed in Pittsburgh is a nightmare now because each concourse is actually a real mall (it's called the "Airmall") - the "shopping mall mentality" taken to its logical extreme. Don't do it, Poland! If you must - a newsagent, bookseller, maybe a tourist gift stand and absolutely a cafe with yummy, affordable food but NOTHING ELSE!!!

3 weeks ago I flew to Krakow and the airport was OK. I had nothing to complain about. Even the restaurant upstairs was good (for airport food). My Polish friend there told me they were to build a new airport, 3 times bigger than the current one, to digest the growing flow of tourists.

Come on, if you are really pleased to visit Poland, it's worth a little effort to accept the highs and lows of what is only a transit place, after all.

I didn't really notice, but lets be honest, standstead airport in the UK is an absolute dump.

I agree with clunkshift. If I had to choose between an airport the size of Manchester and Gatwick or Liverpool and Gdansk then I'd choose the latter every time.

I find it less stressful being able to park my car directly in front of the terminal building rather than getting lost in one of the enormous multi storey car parks that the larger airports offer.

Check in is straight forward and a few steps away and I'm at passport control and then the departure lounge....easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I agree the airports can be overcrowded at times but this is more down to the massive increase in the number of Poles flying rather than poor airport design. As someone said before Poland will gradually improve it's airports it just takes time.

Comparing Polish airports to Frankfurt airport is like comparing apples and pears. Frankfurt is one of the world's major airport hubs !

arent there plans to do major work on polish airports...

gdansk is undergoing work atm and there are plans to build a new airport in gdynia near where they hold the open er festival

chopina airport is not bad at all especially for that pretty purple color !!!! :)))

i have never seen another airport with such a nice color anywhere else ....

i agree !! wawa airport is not so bad ... the real nightmare is etiuda !!!

At Warsaw International I think we actually did 5 laps around the airfield before arriving at check in :P

Totally agree with Clunkshift - hope they dont make Gdansk too big, sharing the load with Gdynia would be a good move.

hihihi purple color :)))

i also think its very very nice :))))

Some US airports are lousy as well, especially NY.

I agree on that one.

I know this grl that went to Poland in the winter,
and she said they were guys using shovels to clear the runway,

true its like flying into a toilet