Kiev Borispol Airport

Arrived mid-afternoon from Moscow - bus from plane to terminal. Immigration had fairly long queues for each counter and it's all a question of luck as to whether or not you pick a quick one but I followed the tip from my seat neighbour and joined the Diplomatic queue (on the right as you look towards the counters). Processing was fairly quick although the officer was chewing gum looked bored and didn't say anything! Why don't they do what other airports do and just have one queue? Luggage was already on the conveyor. Changed money before leaving the airport at what turned out to be quite reasonable rates. Return flight two weeks later at same time of day - long queues for Security but moved reasonably quickly and staff all seemed cheerful (good English skills). The emigration queues snaked all round the room - again it would be so much easier with just one queue. I didn't use any terminal facilities other than the toilets which were clean.

The passport control section of this airport is a very bad introduction to Ukraine. Lack of staff at peak times and insufficient supervision of the queues (at first glance the room looks like a giant rugby scrum) make for an unpleasant experience. Avoid the queues which curve round the columns with customs forms in the middle of the room and join a queue which you can see leading directly to an immigration officer. These queues are less vulnerable to queue jumpers and appear to move faster. The queues for EU passport holders (who do not require a visa) are slower than the queues for people requiring a visa.

The facility now is on the edge of its capacity so no reason to expect a nice experience. There are some pluses: check-in is fast immigration rarely takes more than 15 minutes boarding areas not terribly overcrowded. Everything else is like it used to be: smelly toilets slow and non-professional security rip-off prices terrible food choices long wait for baggage taxi scam ridiculous English signage. Third world facility. On domestic flight you use Terminal A which is basic and offers almost nothing to do. Two new terminals are under construction so some time must pass to make this airport more or less passable.

I have visited 4 times in the last 15 months and seen some improvements. The infrastructure is being improved. The toilets are not too bad and have likely been improved since earlier comments. The food and drinks is more expensive than outside airport but is typical of all airports and train stations-I have paid 5 euros for beer in Amsterdam and Prague Airport. The departure terminal has recently undergone upgrade and is looking better - they have also installed a glass smoking area just before the passport control exit barriers. My experiences of baggage reclaim support other comments - theres still much work to be done here. On entry also queues can be frustrating and slow. What the airport lacks-Ukraine makes up for in many other ways prices for cigarettes alcohol and other things more than compensate for the airport experience. Where else could you take a bus from the airport to the city centre for around £2.50 ?

This is a semi-Soviet style airport with non-smiling faces and soldiers instead of civil airport security officers. I had a connecting flight here and had to wait in the b terminal for slightly more than 7 hours. There are several things you should know before going through this airport. Don't expect to have your boarding-pass right away since there is rarely someone in the check-in desk and for all your questions you will get the very same answer: "I don't know. You have to wait". No electrical outlets so don't bring your laptops without full battery. There is a wireless internet service but you cannot use it! The service only works with prepaid cards and they're not sold in the terminal. Business lounge is ok but don't expect to see smiling faces as staff working here tend to be very rude and unwelcoming. Overall this airport is slightly better than Sheremetyevo in Moscow but its standards are far below compared to other international airports.

Things have improved in both A and B terminals. It has been expanded but there have been several re-organizations over the years the current one is terrible. Apart the queues at the immigration desk (it is the same in other countries too) with the exception that in Ukraine they use a mixture of ex-soviet and western methods so one can imagine the chaos. I agree that in the arrival/departure entrance there are too many people and I would suggest for anyone that has valaubles to put them in the hand luggage and make sure that you hold it tight with all the pockets closed. Ukraine is a poor country and still developing and it has a long way to go. Airport charges are lower than others. and you cannot do anything about it. Smile and they will smile back.

Visited in August 2009 from London. Expect to be bussed to the terminal in extremely overcrowded conditions. Once arriving grab a couple of the customs declarations forms and join a queue. Don't start filling in the forms first ... you will have plenty of time in the queue! The right-most side was for Ukrainian citizens and was indicated as such by a ceiling sign. I had to queue for 1h 25m however others on the same day were claiming 2 hours and I believe them. I wasnt sure if I needed Ukrainian money for a taxi so used the airport bureau de change which was probably an error as the rate was poor. I then stepped outside looking for an official cab which was a second mistake as I should have retraced my steps and used one of the Taxi desks. I was then hassled by an unofficial cab-driver (who spoke excellent English) while I wandered around cluelessly. Luckily about 100m from the terminal to your right when you exit I found a little wooden cabin with Taxi written on it and they sorted me out immediately for 250 UAH which was written on a receipt for me to give to the driver (although I gave him a tip too). I certainly recommend these guys but Im sure the Taxi desks inside the terminal are fine too. I wouldnt use the unofficial taxis unless you like negotiating a bargain and can speak Russian. I was quoted the same price from Kiev back to the airport so it seems fairly standard and works out to about £20 or $30 and seems fine for the distance. Returning home the experience was better with only a 30 min or so queue at passport control. The duty-free shop inside the departures lounge area was well-stocked and although the prices were in Euros you could in fact get rid of all your Ukrainian money when paying and make up the difference in Euros.

Ukraine should be ashamed of the capital´s international airport. There are constant thefts from all travellers luggage and despite loads of attention from media private individuals and the business and diplomatic community nobody is doing anything about it. I have had four locks on bags broken and nowadays I leave the bags open and carry everything of the slightest value in my hand luggage. Shame also to the airlines who do not act more efficiently to this problem.

I will try my best to avoid this airport in the future! On arrival (from PRG) I spent 1 hour queuing for the immigration control. On the return you are only allowed to enter the check-in area once your check-in begins. This however means that you are forced to wait in a crowded area with very pushy travelers that do not hesitate to harm you (e. with their luggage) as to jump the queue. Once finally checked-in I passed security control: however the employees were not particularly concerned by people setting off the X-ray machines. Moreover the airport lacks a proper seating area with available seats (at least during peak hours) and should improve the toilets! In general a horrible experience not providing travelers with any pleasure and comfort.

Immigration was quick and easy. Crowded luggage pick up lots of taxi men in the hall - avoid them (the price of a ride to Kiev is approx 15 euro so dont overpay). Taking into account it was a regional airport before and is being reconstructed I give Borispol a credit.