12 November 2008

International airports

Well.. coming from a country that boasts one of the world's best airport, I always have pretty high expectations of any airport that is ranked an "international airport". Sad to say, the Zagreb Pleso Airport which is located on the outskirts of Zagreb (Velika Gorica) is closer to that of Pula airport that serves low budget airlines than one that hosts international flights in and out of Croatia.

First of all, the route to the airport is badly marked. We were driving around Zagreb centar looking for the sign of a plane. We had to ask around and after 20 minutes of driving out of ZG did we see an sign of airplanes.

Next, the airport charges exhorbitant prices for parking..15 kn (approx. 1,30 GBP) for one hour. Rip off!

There were only a few small planes at the airport. One departure and arrival gate were designated for international flights. And only One check-in counter for international flight was opened. What's next? Really rude customs officers. And a Bombardier?! What on earth is a Bombardier... well.. look outside your flight window and you can see the propeller! Something new for me! Not to mention half the flight was empty. Repeated announcements in Croatian concerning the usage of mobile phones (with emphasis on Blackberry!?). Though I have to point out the service crew were pretty commendable. I did get catch a few eye-rolling from the stewardess and steward when I attempted my limited Croatian but they did try to squeeze a smile. *Applause*

I do hope this airport gets a little more touch ups. Who says small airports are all bad?