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?
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?
2 comments:
Hi! Stumbled upon your blog and was really intrigued by the title and want to know more about your experiences adjusting to this country. I'm a Chinese-Filipino working in China and also blogged about my frustrations working as a teacher in that country or sometimes just the culture shock.
We've got one teeny airport in my city where 2 hours before check-in no one was absolutely around. They only open 40 minutes before departure. Jakarta international airport also sucks. I've been to Singapore airport a couple of times and it never fails to impress me.
Hello Kate! Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Hm.. I really wonder how it's like to be a teacher sometimes. I could never have the patience.
You can read my Croatian experiences in all the old posts right here on this blog! :)
Yes, we are really proud of our Singapore Changi airport. Ask any Singaporeans!
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