Airlines and Airports...technology 2013

[LAman]

This past trip was my most hectic ever. I know it is mostly my fault because I usually pick for shorter flight times and better pricing.... and I can't stand to be sitting around at airports for hours,  just me!!! The one stop flight is ideal !!!!!
There have been a few times where I had to briskly walk to make flights, especially when I didn't know where I was going ( managing many/different terminals). I even bring map of airport with me to assist but mostly end up looking at signs for direction.
On this trip, I had one bottle neck in each direction, going to...and returning. Two stopovers and 3 different flights. Since I am on the 'left' coast, my aim is to have first leg sraight to Europe ( da long flight) it saves me from 3-4 hours in flight time. Well, I found a discounted flight in mid summertime, when flights are usually over $1500 ( from where I fly from), for a little over $1200.
It was LAX-FRA-KBP-ODS and same on return flight( reversed) Only problem I saw was  the layover in KBP where I had to go through customs/pick up luggage, it was 2 hours and 30 minutes and I knew I had to get to domestic terminal. Though this was my first time in Borispol for a connecting flight. Everything was fine landing in Franfurt with Lufthansa, although I was reminded of the 'tour' of FRA every time you land at that airport, takes around 20-25 minutes to finally reach gate. My luggage was ticketed to KBP, so no worries with that. My next flights were both on UIA, no problem, same airline, huh? Well in FRA, the UIA flight was delayed, #@$$& & I  thought, as time went on...20 minutes..........half hour.....my worries started.....what will happen in KBP....I had not yet went through hassles of connecting to another flight before......finally at 42 minutes( etched in my mind ) we started to board. Whew...I thought.....we quickly boarded, maybe others also needed to get flight off  asap. Again.....tour of FRA before taking off. Hopefully, we can gain some time back.... as we all know airlines have been know to fly a little 'faster' when needed!!!
  Okay....we land in KBP, didn't make up much time but I had over 1.5 hours....close but doable... NO !!
We landed in Terminal F with 2 buses waiting. As Murphy's law suggests, some people just could not get their luggage situated properly. I missed the first bus because I was toward the back. So I waited in bus......till we all got off plane. Now for the 'tour' of KBP.......going all the way around airport....going by B......then round a runway ( that we landed on) originally, to finally getting to Terminal D..... the 'all' international arrivals terminal!!!! Finally I thought...rush in and find shortest line for immigration....hummmm.. jeez, 9 Ukrainian citizen lines and only 3 non citizens lanes, do I dare get into a citizen lane???? No.....I waited in a long line that didn't seem to move much. I see some people trying to cut in toward front, by now little over 1 hour........wait and wait...finally I am at booth..... a quick stare at each other...boom I am off......40 minutes.....wait I need to get luggage, darn. Find carousel....don't see luggage yet.....aha.....see my luggage, great!!!!
Let's see around 35 minutes...need to hustle now....go outside and just need transport bus back to terminal B, not that far.....do I walk run it? With this big luggage piece and carry on bag??? I debate for a sec...naw...I wait for bus....as I think, shoulda ran!!!!! Where is the #@$$& bus. Again, I think Murphy's law!!!! I look over, a pretty girl from plane that I spoke with, she asks if I am waiting for terminal bus...I say yes. She is running late also but not like I am!!
Finally, the BUS.....great, I am looking at my watch every minute, tick, tick , tick. Bolt out of bus to check in desk...bypassing board with check in numbers.....frantically go back to look at board for checkin in line.....good still a couple in line, I am not the last one...several are late also. It is 20 minutes now as I go upstairs....shit darn, another line...for x rays. I'm jumpin around like I got to pee...hurry up....hurry up I think. Tick, tick, tick....I hear a commotion behind me, a girl is yelling to let a man through to front of line, his flight is leaving in couple minutes, I think...me too....I cut to front saying I late too...in good English and bad russian!!!!!At front, man asks for boarding pass and passport...I tell him, I am late, plane is leaving in 10 MINUTES.....he looks at me and says don' t worry. I get through x ray area....run down to gate......huffing and puffing......and look dejected at sign......Flight to Odessa.... DELAYED!!!!!! more to come....

[GQBlues]

That sux. At least you didn't miss the flight.

Same thing happened to me when the Beslan episode happened in Russia, except I missed my flight altogether. It was a madhouse at SVO that morning and they barred the main entrance causing almost a thousand people trying to cram through the front gate.

[cc3]

This past trip was my most hectic ever. I know it is mostly my fault because I usually pick for shorter flight times and better pricing.... and I can't stand to be sitting around at airports for hours,  just me!!! The one stop flight is ideal !!!!!
There have been a few times where I had to briskly walk to make flights, especially when I didn't know where I was going ( managing many/different terminals). I even bring map of airport with me to assist but mostly end up looking at signs for direction.
On this trip, I had one bottle neck in each direction, going to...and returning. Two stopovers and 3 different flights. Since I am on the 'left' coast, my aim is to have first leg sraight to Europe ( da long flight) it saves me from 3-4 hours in flight time. Well, I found a discounted flight in mid summertime, when flights are usually over $1500 ( from where I fly from), for a little over $1200.
It was LAX-FRA-KBP-ODS and same on return flight( reversed) Only problem I saw was  the layover in KBP where I had to go through customs/pick up luggage, it was 2 hours and 30 minutes and I knew I had to get to domestic terminal. Though this was my first time in Borispol for a connecting flight. Everything was fine landing in Franfurt with Lufthansa, although I was reminded of the 'tour' of FRA every time you land at that airport, takes around 20-25 minutes to finally reach gate. My luggage was ticketed to KBP, so no worries with that. My next flights were both on UIA, no problem, same airline, huh? Well in FRA, the UIA flight was delayed, #@$$& & I  thought, as time went on...20 minutes..........half hour.....my worries started.....what will happen in KBP....I had not yet went through hassles of connecting to another flight before......finally at 42 minutes( etched in my mind ) we started to board. Whew...I thought.....we quickly boarded, maybe others also needed to get flight off  asap. Again.....tour of FRA before taking off. Hopefully, we can gain some time back.... as we all know airlines have been know to fly a little 'faster' when needed!!!
  Okay....we land in KBP, didn't make up much time but I had over 1.5 hours....close but doable... NO !!
We landed in Terminal F with 2 buses waiting. As Murphy's law suggests, some people just could not get their luggage situated properly. I missed the first bus because I was toward the back. So I waited in bus......till we all got off plane. Now for the 'tour' of KBP.......going all the way around airport....going by B......then round a runway ( that we landed on) originally, to finally getting to Terminal D..... the 'all' international arrivals terminal!!!! Finally I thought...rush in and find shortest line for immigration....hummmm.. jeez, 9 Ukrainian citizen lines and only 3 non citizens lanes, do I dare get into a citizen lane???? No.....I waited in a long line that didn't seem to move much. I see some people trying to cut in toward front, by now little over 1 hour........wait and wait...finally I am at booth..... a quick stare at each other...boom I am off......40 minutes.....wait I need to get luggage, darn. Find carousel....don't see luggage yet.....aha.....see my luggage, great!!!!
Let's see around 35 minutes...need to hustle now....go outside and just need transport bus back to terminal B, not that far.....do I walk run it? With this big luggage piece and carry on bag??? I debate for a sec...naw...I wait for bus....as I think, shoulda ran!!!!! Where is the #@$$& bus. Again, I think Murphy's law!!!! I look over, a pretty girl from plane that I spoke with, she asks if I am waiting for terminal bus...I say yes. She is running late also but not like I am!!
Finally, the BUS.....great, I am looking at my watch every minute, tick, tick , tick. Bolt out of bus to check in desk...bypassing board with check in numbers.....frantically go back to look at board for checkin in line.....good still a couple in line, I am not the last one...several are late also. It is 20 minutes now as I go upstairs....shit darn, another line...for x rays. I'm jumpin around like I got to pee...hurry up....hurry up I think. Tick, tick, tick....I hear a commotion behind me, a girl is yelling to let a man through to front of line, his flight is leaving in couple minutes, I think...me too....I cut to front saying I late too...in good English and bad russian!!!!!At front, man asks for boarding pass and passport...I tell him, I am late, plane is leaving in 10 MINUTES.....he looks at me and says don' t worry. I get through x ray area....run down to gate......huffing and puffing......and look dejected at sign......Flight to Odessa.... DELAYED!!!!!! more to come....

You could have flown Lufthansa nonstop LAX-MUC, then MUC-ODS. You would have had to spend the night at MUC, but the airport hotels are relatively cheap, and you would have arrived in ODS the next day rested and composed. Or UAL via ORD, EWR or IAD to MUC, connecting directly in MUC to the nonstop to ODS. After 10 trips to Ukraine, I have learned to avoid Borispil at all costs, unless my final destination is Kyiv. The hassle you have described is worth a few hundred dollars more airfare to avoid.