New York - Amsterdam - Berlin - Kharkiv transit
This little trip wouldn't be so "exciting" if it weren't for the current situation. We traveled in early July when the Netherlands and Germany were still closed to tourism. Until the last moment and already during the trip, it was not clear whether we would get to the destination. There was little information on the forums and it was found that some were denied boarding. The information on the IATA and KLM website was somewhat contradictory. A whole bunch of ifs: you can from this country, but not from another; residents of such countries can, but not others, and a whole bunch of conditions that did not always coincide in the two countries. From the support of the Amsterdam airport, they answered that everything is OK, you can fly, but Berlin was silent. Somewhere a test antigen was also allowed, and somewhere only PCR. We did PCR for free, where the result was promised within 3 days, or faster, but from $ 180, so they did it free of charge, and on the day of departure they booked the antigen, and saved it, where you can do it quickly for money and without an appointment . A friend flew a couple of months before us, said that they didn’t ask the test anywhere at all.
Maybe something has changed, maybe a different airline, but I couldn't even check in for 2 flights. An invitation has come, but the system rejects it - contact the airline employee. At KLM, support answers once a day only in instant messengers and doesn’t really know anything. We don’t know what documents are needed, but we won’t let you on board without them. In short, anxiety. And without a check-in, confirmation does not come, of course, and guess for yourself in which terminal it will be. Through simple searches about previous departures, we found the terminal. The employee checked us in, gave us boarding passes for the first segment. And the next one - by myself! Because suddenly the time of the PCR done will change or its result. What a stupid system! Well, what is it worth just downloading this test online in the office and that's it?
I was worried that there was a short connection, and the airport was the third largest in Europe, as Google told me)) But even at a large airport, magic signs will help us: WC, Transit, Gate, etc. ) Everything is intuitive, the airport is ordinary (in Fiumicino it was a little more stressful, because time was running out, you had to go by train and there was absolutely no one to ask). But it’s great again - online check-in kiosks were hanging and refusing to register, no one was visible from the staff either, so we ran further. We found the same kiosks with live people from KLM and again the same process. They also pressed and sent to the KLM check-in counter. And of course, again it was in the test. Having safely received new boarding passes, we went shopping. At the passport control again asked the test. Well, to be sure.
Then everything was calm - a short flight to Berlin, duty free was more hospitable than in Amsterdam, and there was more choice. The docking was 4 hours, so we went around everything twice. Wizzair boarding pass had to be printed in advance, because in Berlin, it does not support online boarding, and there are no counters in the transit zone. It was quite stressful to fit all this mass of information in my head and not miss anything. Therefore, they flew without luggage, but only with hand luggage. I read that someone flew away without a suitcase, because they had to leave the transit zone, but they were not allowed to.
On the first plane, we were fed, given a bottle of water, and a couple of times they brought tea, coffee, and juices. In the second they gave coconut cookies and the same drinks. Everyone was given headphones (forever), blankets (for a while, each was written - the property of the KLM company) and the child was given a set of a young KLM-man - a passport cover, an address pendant for a suitcase, etc. A trifle, but nice. On the first segment, you could choose seats for free right away, on the second segment, on the eve of departure, you sat alone, the third seat as a bonus. But people went to sleep in empty seats at the tail of the plane. Well, Wizzair was full and didn't even let me choose seats before the flight. When there are several connections, there is always a concern that either a flight will be canceled or a flight will take off late. But all three were right on time.
The third flight was almost imperceptible. Tired of the road and all these nuances and experiences, and I just wanted to relax. In Kharkiv, the airport is tiny and yet - this is the first time we went from the plane on foot to the terminal! Usually by bus or through the "sleeve". Some people there also have some mishaps - for foreigners, they needed insurance and the address at which they were going to live here. But, judging by the confused faces, it was not for everyone. I don’t know how it ended, but no one was taken back to the plane. The toilet greeted the square with a smell of provincial charm.
