Flying to Bosnia

[jack]

Next month we're flying to Bosnia, but we haven't managed to book tickets yet. It looks like the only sensible flights involve changing at a European airport in the middle.

I've never actually changed planes before. In Europe (Munich, Veinna?) do you normally go straight from arrivals to departures without having to go out, pass customs, and come back in again past security?

There seems to be a choice between 30-45 min and 6 hours... is the shorter time likely to be sufficient?

Comments

[kaberett]

Munich and Vienna are both highly likely to be organised and streamlined. 45 minutes might be a bit tight and therefore stressful, but will probably work, depending on who you're flying with. (If it's Ryanair, grit your teeth and go for six hours. I would furthermore not be saying this if you were pondering transit through Stuttgart.)

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

45 minutes *should* be fine, in a small airport. Check both legs are with one airline, booked as a single flight, so they have some responsibility for getting you all the way.

I've gone to sarajevo via Zagreb and via Belgrade; both are small airports where all the gates are around one central departure lounge. So even if you were delayed (and had alerted people that you had a connection), you could be rushed from one plane to another in a matter of minutes. I don't know about Vienna or Munich.

make sure you get a window seat for the flight into sarajevo; the view is breathtaking. And come say hi to me in sarajevo!

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

and no, you don't go out through customs etc, there will be a 'transfer' route to take you into the departure area. Sometimes you might have to go through a light security check on the way, but mostly you just wave your boarding pass and go through.

[catyak]

Coming in from the UK there will be some degree of queueing to have your passport checked. I'm guessing this will at the first point of entry into the Schengen area. However, it doesn't take that long to process a 737 or A320 load of passengers, unlike the non-citizen line into the US or the non-EU line into Heathrow or Gatwick.

Having said that, we did once manage a 45-minute connection in the US (incoming flight was late, it should have been much longer), although they closed the aircraft door right behind us and the woman a couple of hundred yards behind didn't make it.

D

And come say hi to me in sarajevo!

[jack]

Oh yes, it would be good to see you (and maybe get recommendations from someone living locally :))

My profile has a contact details post if you want to send me an email and arrange something?

[jack]

*hugs* Thank you to everyone, that was really helpful!