WIZZ OR SWIZZ?

Simon Calder has his patience tested at Warsaw airport

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Palma de Mallorca is 29C and sunny. I know this because the departure screen above gate 34 at Warsaw airport (18C, cloudy) has been saying as much for the past hour.

For an hour before that, the departure screen above gate 36 delivered the same meteorological message. At around the time the plane was due to leave, though, a rumour took hold that the original gate was now history.

Instead, we would venture into the bowels of the Polish capital’s airport and the unloved gate 34, to await a bus transfer to the aircraft – wherever it might be.

Usually I enjoy taking “domestic” flights within the EU and wider Schengen area. British passengers are spoilt. Inflight announcements are made in everyone’s second language, English, and this is also the mode for conversations between different nationalities. On arrival there is no need to go through passport control, eliminating possibly an hour’s wait. And you are generally flying somewhere appealing.