I'm flying VIE -> WAW and then WAW -> ORD on LOT with only 40 minutes between arriving and departing. Does this sound remotely doable? Or should I do my best to get on an earlier flight out of VIE?

I have the opposite scenario on the way in as I'm looking at a 5 hour+ layover in Krakow. Can one kill this much time effectively in that airport between the shops and business lounge, or should I try to have lunch in town?

Any information would be most appreciated. Be kind to this first time poster!

dbrunk - Welcome to FlyerTalk.

Hmm I havent taken much notice of connect times from WAW so will let others with more experience chime in.

As for Krakow and 5 hours - that is way too much time for that airport. Get a taxi into the square and take a look around, grab a quick bite before heading back to the airport. KRK is a small airport with not many shops and nothing really around it. What day/time are u arriving?

E

I think your bigger problem is flying with LOT. While they seem decent enough to get you there in one piece, their on-time record, in mine and many others experience, is less than stellar. You can almost depend on them running late. So a tight connection with them is always a bad idea. Give yourself some time because they also don't seem like the type to be anxious to bend over backwards to get you on another flight. Their customer service is also a little lacking. But the price is fantastic, I'll say that.

That is too long in the Krakow airport, but also bear in mind that Krakow city center is not particularly near the airport. We were just there last month, it seemed like it was what, maybe half and hour, depending on traffic? So there's at least an hour there, but still it would be worth it I think. Have a great time, Warsaw and Krakow are both fantastic.

erenner,

Many thanks for the info on Krakow. I'm travelling on a Sunday with a scheduled arrival time of 9:45 am and a departure time of 3:15 pm. If there is anything of even mild interest close enough to the airport I'd love to be able to investigate. Even an hour or so at the "town square" and lunch sounds preferable to an interminable layover.

I would not recommend risking a 40 minute layover at ANY airport, and that goes double for international travel. In the best case scenario, you're just bringing undue stress onto yourself.

Go with the Krakow option. It's much less apt to run into issues and Krakow is an incredible city to visit. Take a taxi to the town square and enjoy the food and atmosphere.

40 minutes is cutting it very close in WAW. I don't know if their new terminal is up-and-running yet (it wasn't when I was last there a few months ago), but if you need to get bussed from your original flight and go through security once you enter the transit area you can add at least 15 minutes to your journey.

If everything is on schedule you should be fine, yet rushed. Any delay will spell trouble.

I'm looking at getting an earlier flight out of VIE so the WAW turnaround won't be quite so tight. I'm also looking at a quick excursion in Krakow for the long layover on the way in. Thanks for all of your input!