Bratislava Airport

Bratislava Airport most traffic is operated by low-cost airlines. These don't have any connection flights (low cost carriers do not offer transit flights and only some of them offer transfer flights) and one of their rules is that the check-in opens two hours before the scheduled time of departure. Therefore a passenger cannot expect to check-in her/his luggage seven hours prior departure. Condition of the particular airline of this kind should be written at least on website. But in local conditions this is how it works also for passengers of global airlines alliance members Air France Austrian Airlines Czech Airlines Delta Airlines Lufthansa or Spanair codesharing on flights from Bratislava. One of the reasons is also baggage sorting area limits. There is no additional space for luggage waiting to be loaded in seven hours what can cause a loading mistake so the baggage can be loaded incorrectly and "be lost". However baggage sorting area is now under reconstruction (as well as baggage screening system whole check-in area ticketing area or arrival area) and its space should be doubled at least. Bratislava Airport is improving its services according the EU and SR legislation and regulations as it can. To compare annual capacity of the terminal build in late 60s and early 70s and enlarged in mid-90s is 350000 passengers a year. This year BTS expects approximately 1250000 passengers. Left luggage office was closed under new management regulations because of security reasons (no satisfactory baggage screener) in mid-2004. Under this decision it will be according the airport spokesperson closed until a new terminal with relevant security facilities in 2007 will be build. Regarding this interesting is that Main Railway Station as well as Main Bus Station have no satisfactory baggage screeners in their left luggage offices and these offices are opened. By the end of 2005 a name of new investor and future 66% shares owner of Airport Bratislava (BTS) should be announced. Hopefully inverstors main intention will be solving the problems of terminal congestion lack of staff and quality of services.

Last week I used BTS airport arriving from Kosice around 9am and with a connection to Zurich at 5pm. Having planned to spend the day exploring Slovakia's beautiful capital I was rather intrigued to find out that the left luggage office 'had been closed for security reasons'. A friendly employee suggested that I could leave my luggage at the train station (a 20' taxi ride and at some distance from the city centre) which I first took to be a joke. When I then tried to check into my SkyEurope flight a mere seven hours before take-off the attendant said this was impossible because 'in the meantime the luggage might get lost'. For me the outcome of this extremely customer-unfriendly and rather absurd policy was to hit the central bus station (which is only somewhat closer to the centre than the railway station but still a 15' taxi ride if there is no traffic congestion) whereby I lost over an hour of precious Bratislava-time. Conclusion: Transit passengers are something Bratislava Airport may yet improve services for.

Bratislava airport is pretty small but efficient - think Birmingham UK then divide it by four and you have the approximate size. However one caution the business lounge is very small with few facilities other than copious amounts of free vodka and lots of magazines about other airports.

During peak times especially in the summer usually all 11 check-in desks are open. However the terminal should undergo a slight reconstruction in the winter season which should bring some more check-in desks as well as passport check counters. From January 2005 the airport will have its own security service so the checks will be more flexible and brisk. The so far state airport shall be privatized within a year and then a construction of a new passengers terminal is expected.

BTS airport has been revitalised a bit due to increasing traffic by domestic low-cost company (SkyEurope) however its out of limits especially in space for check-in - in peak times there are only two counters open. Accessible by bus No 61 from train station but drivers are sometimes angry and buses not suitable for easy baggage transport. Tickets are sold in machines or news-stands only (no driver sale !!!) so look around for coins. Terminal - absolute lack of seats inside and not visible security precautions. Most vulnerable point that can make you upset is security check - just after passport control you stay in line mixed from few streams and only one from two x-ray gates is open goes very slowly every stuck stops the people behind (executed by state policemen not security service - they don't pull people aside when beeping but stop them all until trouble solved !). A bit late gate/delay display information no arm access to planes (so that all 100 passengers must walk outside or are taken by bus). Baggage unload is quite fast yet. Recommended like low cost alternative to Vienna (60 km) good train (city) or shuttle bus connection.

Bratislava airport has been considerably modernised since my last visit (1986) and is easily accessible by #61 bus which takes a circuitous route via IKEA etc to the central station for SKK18. Unable to visit tax-free shops as flight dep. 07.00!

I visited Bratislava airport in March 2003 the airport itself was very clean small and user friendly. The airport only handles a handful of flights a day and the staff that check you in also take you to your plane. The duty free shop had a good range of items although they were more pricey than at nearby Prague. The airport has a cash machine in the arrivals hall and a couple of bars in the departure area. This airport certainly has potential to handle more flights that it does at present.