We traveled for 23 full days on the ground in July in Nordic Europe excluding flying days. This report is broken into multiple sections because of length. In Copenhagen, Stockholm, Uppsala, Oslo and Bergen we mostly visited locations that are well discussed in the RS guidebook, so I don’t dwell on them unless we have something unique to say. I’ve concentrated on observations, experiences and data that I’ve not seen discussed much in this Forum. I also note experiences with topics that are perennial favorites on this Forum, e.g. US chip & sign credit cards. This report expands on or corrects previous posts I’ve made. Opinions expressed are mine or the person mentioned. References to RS guidance are taken either from the 2015 edition of RS’ Scandinavia guidebook or from the RS website. I thank Forum posters Morten, Anita and others who provided valuable pre-trip inputs.
Since we were on the East coast visiting family, we flew Dulles to Copenhagen via Keflavik on Iceland Air. We were unable to use our usual TSA Precheck because Iceland Air does not participate in the program. The first leg of the flight was on a twin-aisle 767 that was a surprise since I had read that Iceland Air flew 757s only. We did have a less roomy but adequate 757 from KEF to CPH.
Our experience at KEF was unexpected because I had not seen discussion in this Forum about KEF facilities. Looking back now, I see that I missed the single posting from Paul on 11/20/2015 about what may be important for some. That is: many aircraft at KEF do not use passenger boarding bridges (e.g. Jetway®) that provide a direct, single level access between the aircraft and terminal. I realize that this can take place at any airport and may be frequent at large, crowded airports. My use of the word “many” is based on my 2 observations: 1) there were many more aircraft sitting on the tarmac with boarding stairs next to them than there were aircraft pulled into gates on the days we landed there, and 2) none of the 9 or 10 gates I observed from inside the terminal had boarding bridges. So, on most arriving flights, ambulatory passengers walk down stairs to the tarmac and board a bus to the terminal. Upon entering the terminal, travelers needing a restroom note that those are in the basement level down a flight of stairs. My wife says that the TP in the KEF restroom was the “thickest and plushest” TP she has ever seen in a public place. She was also impressed by the futuristic looking Dyson combination water faucet and hand dryer at the sinks.
Travelers ready to move forward go up a flight of stairs for passport inspection. After clearing passport control and moving to their gate for connecting flights, passengers find themselves in a hallway with multiple gate numbers listed on locked glass doors at the end of the hall. It seems there are typically 4 or 5 gates in these hallways. Since the gate doors are locked, passengers line up in the hallway as best they can. If there are 4 flights departing from 4 adjacent gates in a hallway, it is likely to have several hundred standing people packed into these halls. There may be a couple of dozen chairs, but not nearly enough for all travelers awaiting flights. I noted that there was more space and more chairs behind the locked gate doors. These chairs were being used by airport staff for coffee breaks and smartphone study while passengers stood. Around loading time, staff would open door to the gate area. Gate agents provide no order, organization or direction so passengers simply crowd in to await boarding pass check. Then passengers descend stairs to the tarmac level, pack into a bus to the airplane and then stampede out of the bus across the tarmac to another set of stairs ascending to the aircraft. I heard one woman describe the queuing and boarding process as “like Southwest Airlines, but with absolutely no organization.” To Be Continued..