I probably hate travel more than your average travel blogger. Don’t get me wrong. I love discovering new cities and countries and cultures. But I hate getting there. I find air travel particularly obnoxious, because the long process of getting to an airport, going through security and flying is exhausting. But if I have to do it, at least I get to do it from the wonderful, efficient, and peaceful Prague airport.
Getting to and from the airport
Despite the fact that I’m not a huge fan of bus travel or connecting too many times on the way into a city, Prague’s public transportation to the airport is so easy because it’s always there. If I’m coming back from a particularly long flight, I always think to myself that I’ll take an Uber if the bus isn’t outside. But the bus is always there. The trusty 119 runs continuously from the airport to the A (green) metro line, which connects you to anywhere in the city.
It’s honestly easier than ordering an Uber, because drivers sometimes take long to find you. In the time you’re waiting around for your car to arrive, the bus will have come and gone at least once. Pro-tip: buy your transportation ticket inside the baggage claim area, not by the bus stop where lines form.
The simple process of flying out of the Prague airport
I think you could theoretically arrive at the airport 45 minutes before your flight and have no problem making it to your gate. I’ve flown out of this airport dozens of times and never had a wait from either the Schengen terminal 2, or international terminal 1. If you already have your boarding pass on your phone, you just have to scan it at a machine to get into the secure area.
In terminal 2, you go directly to security, which has never taken me more than 10 minutes. After that, you’re in a spacious and quiet terminal full of places to charge your electronics, have a beer, and await your flight. It’s quieter than a lot of cafes in town to get work done, so I don’t even mind relaxing for two hours before a flight.
If you’re flying internationally, the process is even easier, because after you scan your boarding pass, you go directly to passport control. I’ve never once encountered a line at passport control. After that, you go through security at your gate, so you never have to wait in a long line full of people going everywhere at different times. There are only a handful of gates in the international terminal anyway.
Czechs are the best flyers
At the airport is when all the best Czech qualities truly shine. On a recent flight back from Dubai, I could already tell that I was surrounded by Czech people because they were giving up their seats to older people on the airside bus that takes you to the plane in 3 minutes.
The Czechs are quiet and orderly, and they follow directions. You know how annoying it is when everyone starts to form a line at the gate before boarding even begins? Czechs don’t play those silly games. They stay in their seat until their group is called. They’re not in a rush. We’re all going to the same place. And it’s considerably more pleasant for all of us to get there if you’re not a total inconsiderate psycho at the airport.
Flying into the Prague airport
Even better than flying out of the Prague airport is flying back into it. Because the last thing you want after a long flight is a shitshow. You won’t find one here, where you’ll be out of the plane, through passport control, and you’ll have collected your baggage in under 30 minutes. If you’re flying into the Schengen terminal without baggage, you’re out of the airport and on a bus 10-15 minutes after your plane touches the ground.
There’s no long taxiing to the gate because it’s a small airport. Baggage gets spit out right away, and as always, there’s a bus waiting outside to transport you where you need to be.
If air travel is a necessary evil, at least in the Prague airport, it’s the best possible version of itself.
