Will I make my Warsaw connection 🛫😬

Arriving early for my flight I grabbed a late lunch at the only cafe before check in opened. It was a quick check in process even with only one staff member working the counter. Much less hectic than the Ryanair check in a few rows down. Once past security the downstairs area of the terminal was packed with Wizz Air having flights to Malaga, Madrid and Brussels and Ryanair to Milan.

Upstairs was the lounge where I tried my luck. Alas I was met with “No contract LOT, sorry no English”. That was fair as my flight was in economy but my connection is business so thought I’d try my luck. Also upstairs was my gate and immigration. No need for immigration as România is now in the Schengen zone (for air travel only).

An interesting airport layout with the area in front of the terminal filled with busses and all the planes being over there *points* 👉. I take up a seat by the window and wait for my Embraer 190 to arrive from Warsaw - which is delayed. The Ryanair flight begins to ‘board’ about 10mins before their plane lands 😂 in typical Ryanair fashion.

“Status unknown”. My plane has been changed a couple of times in Warsaw, and despite the boarding time passing my plane is yet to leave Warsaw. I did have 2hrs connection time but that is slowly being eaten away. Normally I wouldn’t care if it was late (aiming for that EU compensation cash), but I have a tour at Airbus in the morning that I don’t want to miss. None of my apps seem to have an estimate yet, but at least FlightRadar24 is showing me the tail number so I can see that something is happening.

At the time my flight was supposed to depart from here in Cluj-Napoca, it left the gate and was taxiing in Warsaw to get here. With all the current estimates, unless they hold my flight to Hamburg, I’ll arrive 20mins after my connection departs. Looks like I’ll be €250 richer, but one Airbus factory visit poorer.

We boarded 2hrs late via a bus gate (as above, everything seems to be bus gates here). Once those bus doors opened it was a mad scramble onboard and we were boarded super fast… until I realise that a second bus was yet to come and they were much slower to get onboard - and seemed to have all the large bags.

The Embraer 190 is 5 years old having first flown in 2019. In. 2-2 configuration I’m in 5A by the window. I’m seated next to an unaccompanied minor and was asked by the crew to assist him if the event of an emergency “if the oxygen mask drop etc”. Doors close at 8pm and at 8:13 I lift off to Warsaw. Assuming no taxi time, I’d have 7mins before my next flight leaves.

There is a cute German couple (assumption on nationality) who obviously don’t love each other enough to pay to sit together. One is seated a row ahead on the opposite aisle which is nice eye candy for the flight. The kid next to me gets a colouring book and we all get sanitising wipes.

“Would you like a bun? Blueberry or Tomato”. Tomato bun? How weird. It’s offered with tea, coffee or water. I opt for the blueberry cause I’m not weird and a water. The bun is nice, although I’m pretty sure I preordered a meat sandwich with my booking. Oh well - nice to see an airline in europe giving away snacks to passengers in economy. I’m guessing with the delay out of Warsaw and plane swaps my meal is on another flight.

By this stage in the flight we are detouring through Hungary and Slovakia to avoid the southwest corner of Ukraine (for obvious reasons). It’s a lovely view out the unaligned window (a quirk with Embraer’s) with the low sun reflecting off patching clouds below. I browse the inflight magazine as the only entertainment onboard and note the transfer guide for Warsaw. My next flight departs from gate 23, which I notice on the map is the bus gate. I find it more unlikely that my connection will be made today.

As we begin our decent the kid next to me is looking for something under the seat. I try and help him but as I don’t speak Polish and he doesn’t speak English, I don’t know what I’m looking for. With the help of the crew we establish it’s his phone case. We find it and with some gymnastics from me, we get it.

An announcement is made with several destinations being told to go to the service desk - also know as, you missed your connection. From my flight I’m told to go direct to gate 23. I run between gates and make my connecting flight! I wonder if my bag was as lucky?Leer más