Conscious that I’m once again getting behind with this blog, I had better make some progress, as they say in the House of Commons. I’ll hopefully return to more of the Warsaw trip, but for now it’s time to wave goodbye to what I consider one of the world’s greatest cities.
I’ve still never quite lost the excitement of seeing these seats when arriving in Warsaw and the slight sadness when leaving it. The seats have images of Warsaw on them, I know I’ve arrived when I see them.
Warsaw Chopin airport felt relatively quiet and there was virtually no line for security which was handy. There was some excitement as the passenger in front of me was having to empty out all of her belongings. She was asking why and the security guard, who was speaking in Polish so I didn’t capture a lot of the detail, was saying there was a problem. A little distressed, she asked her husband to come over and then the penny dropped. He had a coat that had a knife in it, which is sub-optimal. I’m guessing that it was just an error and the knife was immediately confiscated and more questions asked, but I had to leave at that point as I was already deliberately taking overly long to put my belt back on so I could watch the drama. I left reassured at the careful nature of Polish security.
Mine was the 16:15 Wizz Air flight to Malta. The reason I was going via Malta is that my flight there was £8.99 and there was a £14.99 flight the next morning from Malta to Norwich Airport. This is an ideal set-up as I don’t have to faff about getting back from Luton Airport, which isn’t always the quickest.
The Preludium Lounge is getting ever busier and although I’ve never had a problem getting access, there are relatively few seats available.
The hot food option was chicken strips. To be honest, I’ve had worse news in my life.
Indeed, I embraced the chicken strips and had more, but paired them with some salad the second time. Apologies for the Heineken, it was the only beer at the time and I sometimes need to lower my average Untappd score. Fortunately, some Polish beer was brought out soon afterwards. I also fuelled up on chocolates and coffee for the flight, as it’s important to have a balanced diet.
They were a bit heavy on the bag checks again, but mine was waved through as usual. The boarding process was all well managed and, as usual, it was clear where to go.
It was a bus gate and, far be it for me to criticise, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people leave backpacks on and nearly knock people over when they turn. Her travelling partner suggested she take it off. There is some sanity in the world, although I sometimes think it’s in limited supply when flying.
The seating Gods had given me a middle seat, but it transpired not to be too problematic and the journey was peaceful and quiet once again.
The aircraft was 9H-WBF, one that I hadn’t been on before. The Polish crew were efficient and suitably intolerant of passengers faffing about in the aisle when boarding. I always appreciate it when they’re like that. I’m conscious that I often write very little about these flights, but a combination of Wizz Air efficiency and my falling asleep usually ensures there’s not much to report, so I might as well focus on the chicken strips.
And safely into Malta, where I’ve spent many happy weeks in the past. My plan was to visit Valletta for the evening, then get the night bus back and wait at the airport until my early morning flight. I seem to be making a habit of staying up at airports, it’s both thrifty and oddly exciting. I should probably get out more.