I had something like nine hours between my flight from Zadar landing in Warsaw Chopin Airport and my flight to Kutaisi departing. It didn’t really seem worth getting a hotel for the night, especially as they were relatively expensive, and so I thought that it would be easier, once again, to just stay awake at the airport.
At this time of the morning, it’s bright, open and quiet as an airport with sufficient power outlets dotted around to ensure there’s no panic of running out of phone battery. The departure board offered its usual collection of destinations designed to interfere with my future travel plans. Incidentally, the no photography sign on the right relates to the security area, I wasn’t being rebellious. I’m not suggesting that the airport terminal is entirely comfortable, but it’s spacious and there are 24 hour food options available landside.
The security checkpoints open early and that meant I was able to get through quickly before the bulk of passengers arrived. I’m not sure if they’re building a new lounge at the airport given this signage that was up.
The last couple of times I’ve flown from Warsaw there have been some delays due to the Entry/Exit System and going through earlier in the morning meant that the process was rather quicker and took just minutes.
By this point the airport was beginning to wake up, although there was still plenty of space and none of the usual competition for seats. I had survived the least sociable hours of the morning without falling asleep or losing possession of any electronic devices, which represented a satisfactory and optimal outcome for me.
I had made good time and arrived at the lounge shortly before it opened, joining the small queue while considering how many coffees I could reasonably justify after remaining awake all night.
I also didn’t have any problems finding a seat in the Etiuda lounge. I’ve always liked this non-Schengen lounge in Warsaw as it’s not too busy, there are plenty of power outlets and the food choice is decent.
The breakfast of champions and all that. This was very much the sort of breakfast I like, with espresso, yoghurt, cheese, fruit juice, chocolate and enough salad to create a superficial impression of nutritional responsibility. The lounge was a comfortable conclusion to a surprisingly painless night at the airport and I could look forward to a little nap on the flight although I was aware that the seating gods had given me a middle seat.