Airline Ticket to Poland

Poznań-Ławica Airport – a bus takes passengers to and from the terminal.

So. . . we just bought my ticket to POZ.  Since this will be the 5th time I’ve made this trip, I thought I’d share my thoughts.

I’ve flown the trans-Atlantic leg on many US carriers, but Lufthansa is my favorite airline – the food’s better and they don’t charge for drinks.  I also love the lower level on the Airbus.  The lavs, crew quarters and a small bar with refreshments are downstairs, and there’s enough space to stand and stretch for an extended period of without getting in the way of the flight attendants while they’re working.

When searching for tickets, I check Hotwire, Kayak, and sometimes, I’ve found a good buy at malincho.com, but watch for the layover issue mentioned below.

People often ask how long the trip is, and it all depends on the layovers.  Flying from Arizona is always 3 flights.  We like to have about 2 hours at each stop, and haven’t had a missed connection yet.  (At the first stop in the EU or entering the US, you’ll need time to go through immigration and security or customs.)  Read itineraries carefully; I’ve seen many flights offered that have layovers of 6 – 18 hours. With reasonable layovers, the eastbound flight is about 18 hours and the westbound trip about 21 hours.

The first stop outside the US is always in Germany, either Frankfurt or Munich.  I prefer the latter, better airport layout and more amenities on the gate side of security.  I was very impressed by the duty-free shops on my first stop in Munich; I glanced at the eyeshadow display and the Bobbie Brown staff offered to do my makeup.  I bought 3 shades (duty-free) and love them.  (I never stop for the folks in the mall kiosks offering a sample of hand lotion; this just seemed like more fun and perhaps more necessary on  a long flight.)

The last leg of my trip is always a turboprop into Poznań either on Lufthansa or Lot Polish Airlines (lot is the Polish word for fly).  The flight is between 90 minutes and 2 hours from either German airport.   The European flight attendants are much more serious than many in the US.  I wonder what the reaction would be to a Southwest Airlines crew on a Lot flight? But I must tell you, Lot and Lufthansa flight attendants do a great job and do all of the announcements in three or four languages (including English), and even on this short flight, they serve complementary sandwiches and drinks.

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.