Bratislava Airport (BTS), Slovakia

...minutes away from Vienna airport, Bratislava airport has never really established itself as an airport – the airport is very small and seldom flown to by any of the major airlines – most fly into Vienna and offer a shuttle service to Bratislava. The only reason I have ever flown to and from Bratislava is because it is the hub for SkyEurope, the first Central European budget airline, which uses Ivanka (the name of Bratislava’s airport) and Budapest ...
...tech goods, you can forget Bratislava airport – although the shopping centre nearby might allow you to claim the VAT back on your purchases which could make a difference with regard to prices. It should be noted that since you are flying from outside of the EU into the EU you should also allow a bit more time for check-in - a minimum of 90 minutes is recommended - unlike the 30 minutes or so I tend to leave when flying from Vienna to another EU destination!
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Being only about 40 minutes away from Vienna airport, Bratislava airport has never really established itself as an airport – the airport is very small and seldom flown to by any of the major airlines – most fly into Vienna and offer a shuttle service to Bratislava. The only reason I have ever flown to and from Bratislava is because it is the hub for SkyEurope, the first Central European budget airline, which uses Ivanka (the name of Bratislava’s airport) and Budapest as its main departure points. Most of the airlines flying in and out of Ivanka are budget airlines, since the landing fees demanded in Vienna have long been so prohibitive that it has not been possible for the airlines to offer such cheap fares and fly to Schwechat in Vienna.

The airport is refreshingly compact – a single terminal building with little more than a handful of gates (“numbered” A-G) with a similar quantity of check-in desks. The airport’s official website, which contains up-to-date information on flight arrivals and departures, at www.letiskobratislava.sk – which is in English and Slovak, also reports that the airport can handle a maximum of 720 passengers per hour – the equivalent of approximately two jumbos full – so you can quickly see that this is not a massive airport!

Hire car options are very limited – partially due to the fact that with its proximity to the EU border (at the moment – it will be different from May onwards!) it is very difficult to permit hire cars – there is EU legislation in force which requires hefty premiums to be paid if you intend to take the hire car outside the EU – similarly the prospect of theft of hire cars so close to the border makes them unviably expensive for many Slovaks. Being currently outside the EU means that flights into EU countries allow passengers to purchase duty free – the selection is pretty much limited to a few perfumes, cigarettes, alcohol and a tacky assortment of gifts – for tax free shopping for hi tech goods, you can forget Bratislava airport – although the shopping centre nearby might allow you to claim the VAT back on your purchases which could make a difference with regard to prices. It should be noted that since you are flying from outside of the EU into the EU you should also allow a bit more time for check-in - a minimum of 90 minutes is recommended - unlike the 30 minutes or so I tend to leave when flying from Vienna to another EU destination!

Whenever I have been there, there has been only one café open – which has a small restaurant with it, but which I can’t imagine ever gets very packed. The prices are expensive in Slovak terms but a coffee still struggles to come to more than about SKK45 (just over EUR 1), with a beer costing a similar amount – which is a handsome saving on what you have to shell out at any other airport within the EU – notably Paris-Orly – a sandwich and a drink cost about EUR 9 – daylight shrubbery if ever I have heard of it! This café also forms a viewing gallery – ideal if you have children with you when picking someone up from the airport. There are further places selling refreshments by the departure gates – the prices are equally reasonable.

The baggage reclaim hall is a similarly small affair – two carousels, and then you walk through to customs, having gone through immigration prior to reaching the baggage return carousels. I have never had any problems with baggage at Bratislava (touch wood that it continues this way!) although wouldn’t like to say what the complaints desk is like – or even if there is one, or whether baggage is delivered onwards to Vienna in the event of lost baggage!

As far as transport connections go, I tend to either get the train from Vienna (Südbahnhof) to the main station (Hlavná stanica) which costs about EUR 10 one way and then the bus (see below) or take the SkyEurope shuttlebus (leaves from Erdberg on the U3 in Vienna and goes direct to the terminal at Ivanka), although the latter is only possible if you are flying with SkyEurope. There are frequent buses from the city centre to Vienna Schwechat (airport).

From the city centre you can expect to pay SKK 200 (approx EUR 5) to the airport – approx EUR 1 per km, although if the driver detects your accent as being non-Slovak you might well find your fare is substantially higher – I have been charged SKK500 before now – not that bad a rip off considering the fact that it translates to only a fraction of an hour’s salary for me… If you want a taxi to Vienna city centre, then you can usually expect to pay about SKK2000 (approx. EUR 50) which is not out of the way considering that I would normally pay EUR 35 from the City Centre in Vienna to Schwechat.

Otherwise you can take the bus to the main station, which costs SKK16 (EUR 0.40) one way. The No. 61 bus, which leaves from in front of the main station, and goes every 15 minutes during the day and at least once per half-hour in the evening goes directly to the front door of the terminal. It is the last stop on the line, and is called Letisko (that’s Slovak for airport). Do not be disconcerted if prior to the airport you appear to be going through a retail park – you will go past Ikea too on your way! If you have a lot of excess luggage then you will probably have to buy a special ticket from the bus driver – this costs SKK35, although with one case you should have no problems. Don’t bother fare-dodging – SKK1400 (EUR 35) is a pretty heavy fine to pay for not paying EUR0.40 in the first place!!!

All in all Bratislava is a perfectly adequate airport, although perhaps not the best equipped, although since it only offers short haul flights, it should provide customers with an adequate service. I have never had any problems with Bratislava airport and can therefore only give it a positive rating. All in all Ivanka is not too bad an airport – albeit small and relatively infrequently served. Perhaps if all goes well with SkyEurope then Ivanka might soon become a bustling hub in Central Europe!
 

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