Bucharest Otopeni Airport

✅ Trip Verified | I fly often in and out of Henri Coanda - Otopeni International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, as it is home for me now. In terms of access to the airport, there is no direct train link yet, but the line is under way and due to be open in 2021 and will be an underground metro link. There are direct buses to and from the airport to Gara De Nord, the main train station in Bucharest. Also many private mini buses and taxis. Advice with taxis is to use the automated ticket booking machines inside the arrival area, take a ticket and then go outside and your taxi will arrive shortly. Taxis outside you run the risk of getting ripped off. Sometimes the machines are so busy they don't work so Uber is a great option as well. Airport is probably classed as small to medium on the scale of things and during the early morning departure rush can be very busy and crowded especially where the budget airline check ins are located directly through the departure terminal entry doors. It will need to be overhauled and expanded in coming years as it is straining under the increased passenger load each year. Despite that though I like it as a nice compact airport, not long commutes, with a decent mix of air-bridges and bus transport to aircraft. For its size it has a good food-court on lower ground level and a good range of cafes spread through the terminal. Security scanning is rigid which is good and thorough and going through customs leaving is easy and painless and the same on arrival. The only let downs are the baggage carousel area and seating directly outside departure gates which is limited. I have waited more than once for over an hour for baggage. Once claimed however nobody really declares anything and you are never really checked, just straight out to the arrivals hall which again is smallish and a little cramped so best to get straight out. I like it though, nice small cozy airport and always functional for me.

Not Verified | As every time you need to wait for at least 45’ for your bag. If you try to find a staff member it’s really hard. If you are lucky to find one they are not very polite and totally unprofessional. Not clean, nor friendly, not an EU airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Very scary for me travelling alone - there is little information to help and it’s so overcrowded that you can’t find what you need to know. Queueing several times for check in, then security, then passport control - takes over 1 hour to get through them then you still have to find your gate! Glad I was very early!

✅ Trip Verified | Possibly the worst capital airport in Europe. This airport is old, inconvenient and quite dirty. In addition it is overcrowded and even if it is not that big, it will request endless walking. Directions are difficult to find, staff are not very friendly in a country where most peiple are nice, business lounge a disaster. WiFi terrible. Baggage carousels are as old as in some minor African airports! To put a sour cherry on the cake, traffic around the airport is absolutly terrible as the roads must have been done for the traffic they had 20 or 30 years ago.

Not Verified | The airport is far to bad to be called "international". It's always dirty, especially the toilets (very bad smell and no toilet paper). Hardly can find a trolley for your cases and some staff are not helping you at all. Need a lot more of work there, more competent and friendly staff. Could be better if they would care.

✅ Trip Verified | Small amount of seating inside the airport. Horrible old busses in which people are crammed inside and have to wait for the full boarding to take place. Chaotic queueing around the gates.

✅ Trip Verified | It is to great regret that I have to announce Bucharest Otopeni Airport as the winner of the award as the worst airport of the year. It’s chaotic, disorganised, over-crowded, no service mindedness whatsoever, unfriendly staff, no air conditioning, no wi-fi that works in the lounge, noisy and just poor in general. I’ve been to airports in the third world with a higher ambition for service, customer care and the airport building.

Not Verified | Sat at Otopini departure now, disgusted there is nowhere to refill water bottle airside. Not only increased plastic use but ridiculous charge (USD2.50) for 500ml of water on sale. Appalling for a supposedly civilised EU nation to deny fellow humans the necessity of water. Bucharest Otopini join the 21st century of less waste.

Not Verified | Worst airport experience ever! The airport was crowded, there were no screens to tell where to go and when I tried to asked the staff, I got no answer or the answer was, check the screens. The waiting line for the security control was unbelievably long and the staff rude. Lastly, going to the airplane they started to complain about the size of my luggage, which in fact was the appropriate size, and nobody told me what to do with it or how to measure the size. Luckily, one other passenger helped me then with it. Romania and Bucharest itself was a nice experience but the experience at the airport was awful. 0/5 stars. If you can avoid visiting the airport, I would recommend that.

Not Verified | After a long search, eventually outside in the pouring rain I found 2 baggage trolleys. Come on, this is an embarrassment to an EU country. Pay to get some trolleys so we don't have to lug heavy baggage all over the terminal. Very poor.