New route Podgorica
 

Hi, has anyone got any experiences of Podgorica airport, thinking of going on this new route in July? Unfortunately the lounge is TBC. But also any recent experiences with Montenegro airlines in business class as considering this Lgw to Tivat instead ? Tivat is much more convenient and the drive from Podgorica to accommodation will take nearly 2 hours and BA lands late at 19.10. I read somewhere about planes being diverted from Tivat in the evenings does it close then? What about the airports should this have a bearing on my choice? I've also thought about Dubrovnik airport but the horror stories bout the border crossing have put me off somewhat. Thanks

All Border crossings last march were no more than 10 minutes Croatia-Montenegro-Albania -Bosnia , as for Podgorica an excellent little city I spent 2 days in

I believe the summer months the traffic at the borders are quite horrific

We would be going in July so I imagine the crossing would take much longer than in March. What is Podgorica airport like, tiny tourist airport or more like a business airport? Thanks

Airport is small but brand new. Lounge is pathetic - probably the worst in Europe. There is nothing to drink/eat. A waiter from the cofee shop located next door will bring you something to drink. Check-in opens 2 hours prior to departure, but you cannot clear security untill 1 hour before the flight. So do not rush to the airport :p

Both TGD and TIV are small airports which only takes a million passengers a year each, compared to say Newcastle with 5 million, and that is considered a small UK airport. Tivat gets busy in summer with all the Russians that like to holiday there, whereas TGD has a steady flow through the year. TIV suffers a bit from cross winds being close to the sea and a slightly awkward approach, but I'd imagine 99% of flights don't divert. TGD is a modern concrete and glass terminal, 12 years old, similar to many East European airports built recently. TIV is a bit of a mix of buildings, with T2 being new, T1 dating from the 1970s.

See previous discussion here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1411664-ba-lounge-database-europe.html#post32077722

How odd about security. Does that mean you can't go the pathetic lounge until after security then? So you would only have about 20 minutes before boarding then. Don't suppose there's fast track or priority boarding either?

That is the norm at smaller airports! You would actually have about 30 minutes before departure, but no one is going to turn up mega early at these locations, any more than they would at Benbecula or Newquay. Tivat is different due to the holiday peak, they let you in 90 minutes before departure. No fast track at either airport as far as I recall, hardly needed since it will take about 2 minutes. I would say TGD is smaller than BA's Gatwick lounge, there is a flight every 2 hours or so.

i flew into DBV

We went from DBV to Montenegro in August and the wait was only about 30 minutes. There is also a second newer crossing which we used going back northbound with no queue at all but I guess it’s popularity will rise. You can pick out the longer route around the headline on the map - it’s about an extra 15 minutes of driving but you get a nice elevated view of the bay on the MNE side.

Waiter from coffee shop will also bring free food from coffee shop when asked for food.

I crossed from Croatia (coming from Dubrovnik) into Montenegro by land in July 2015. It was about 10AM. It took about two hours. There are no special car lanes for EU passports, not that there could be since it's a two late road. It wasn't super fun. Not sure if it's changed in the past five years.

How much over "almost two hours" was it? Enough to make it over two hours, or was it still only almost two hours? 😊

Last time I crossed that border it took about 20 minutes. Luck of the draw, I guess.

Oof. Edited ;)

Where are you actually staying ? 2 hours drive from Podgorica airport would cover more or less the whole country ( it's not very big ! ) .. are you planning on driving yourself or getting a taxi/transfer ?

The border to Croatia can be painful certainly in my limited experience ..and DBV airport is crap ( though I wouldn't be making any decision based on airport / lounge quality as they're all fairly crap ! )

Hopefully within 2 miles of Kotor, Google maps says it takes 1 hour 45 mins, so by the time we've picked up the hire car that's probably over 2 hours so a very late arrival say about 10pm and driving a hard route in the dark. I just asked about airports and lounges so I knew what to expect. I asked about views on montenegro airlines as they land at Tivat in the afternoon and it's closer.