If you are traveling to Kiev, Ukraine for the very first time, it will be an experience. Break through the clouds and you will notice a land of abundance nature and beauty. A landscape of trees covers the countryside. The abundance of rainfall and annual snow makes Kiev a wonder of forests, lakes, rivers and pristine landscapes.
Boryspil International Airport is the main airport for all of Ukraine. It services not only international flights, but also all domestic flights. Boryspil has one of the largest runways in the Ukraine and can service any type of aircraft. When the Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, Boryspil was used strictly as a military airfield. Later after independence was declared, the airport was converted into a civilian airfield. Prior to Boryspil, Lugansk airport was the main international airfield.
All flights with the exception of a few carriers such as Delta and Air France park away from the terminal and bus in their passengers. It is a short bus trip to the International Terminal B.
Upon arriving to the terminal, you are greeted with an old still Soviet Era passport control center. Ensure your paperwork is correct and ready. During peak hours wait times can be up to two hours. Lines are long and customer service is not a priority. Not being prepared will cost you added time, so have all relevant documents filled out and legible. In the seven times I have been to the Ukraine, I have only waited two hours one time. After that bad experience I always booked my flight to arrive very early in the morning or late at night. 9 am to 2 pm are peak hours at Boryspil Airport.
Be polite and patient while in the passport control line. Ukrainian officers are not in the mood for jokes or small talk. Answer their questions fully and respectfully. Officers speak English and will understand you.
Once you make it through passport control, you will see the baggage claim area. Digital readouts will tell you where your baggage is located. It is a small area and impossible to lose track of your baggage. Boryspil is like all airports. There is not much difference in their baggage claim area.
If your baggage cannot be found, you can easily find the lost baggage office. Surprisingly enough this is one of the best lost baggage offices I ever had the pleasure of doing business. In the seven times traveling to Kiev, I have only had to use the lost baggage service once. They speak very good English and immediately tracked down my lost luggage. The representative was very professional and had all the necessary phone numbers available to call Delta Airlines in New York. Apparently my luggage was sitting in New York and never made it onto the plane. The Boryspil Airport baggage claim service was great and had my baggage in my hands the very next morning.
I had my luggage the next morning after being lost the day before. I had to pay a nice tip to the person that retrieved my baggage. For your information, everything in the Ukraine functions on tips. Hand out a tip that is too small and Ukrainians have no problem in showing you your mistake. Normal tip fair for getting your baggage reclaimed $6.00. Taxi trip to get back to the airport to retrieve your baggage $55.00. Knowing that you paid the right tip and avoiding the embarrassment of getting screamed at for failing to understand the tip policy, priceless.
Out of baggage claim and ready for the next adventure? Ok great, now let us take a walk up a small incline in the busy heart of the Boryspil Airport! The only thing between you and a hundred or so impatiently waiting family members, friends and taxi drivers is a set of automatic sliding doors. As the swoosh of doors slide open you are immediately impacted with the excitement of the waiting crowd in front of you. Make your way past them and you reach the second level of excitement. Yes, you guessed it, the Ukrainian Taxi Car Drivers! Stay calm and just shake your head back n forth with every question of "Taxi?" No need to say "No" just shake your head back n forth.
Stay clear of the taxi drivers and find your way to one of the many kiosks in the airport that will help you find a taxi. The price is fair and shown to you up front. Taxi kiosks are easy to find and the word "TAXI" is written across them.
There are four different money exchange booths in the international terminal. The airport has the worst rates, so only exchange a small amount of money. Wait until you get to the center of the city to do your large exchange transactions. I tend to only exchange two hundred dollars at the airport. This covers my taxi, food and any other little thing I would like to buy while in the airport. Just as easy as it is to find an exchange booth in the airport, you will have the same luck in the center of the city. These exchange booths are everywhere. The US Dollar, Euro and Russian Ruble are accepted everywhere.
Currency that is old is not accepted at exchange booths. It so happened that I learned this lesson the hard way. I was unable to exchange five hundred dollars because of the age of the currency. Ensure you take newer currency that is in good condition. All currency is inspected by eye and then by machine. Any wet spots or torn, worn bills are not accepted.
If you are traveling to another part of the Ukraine, it is a very short walk to terminal A. This terminal handles all domestic flights. You can easily buy a ticket to anywhere in the Ukraine by going to one of the two booths inside this terminal. Pay close attention to your flight status in this terminal. Although all flights are digitally displayed, often times boarding calls are done vocally. These vocal announcements are done in Ukrainian or Russian. If in doubt, ask someone and they will tell you where to board.
Finally, if you want to avoid all the rush and crowds, the VIP service is for you. Terminal C houses a very comfortable environment for anyone that would like to pay $150.00 USD or up for this service. A private coach will come pick you up from your plane. Your luggage will be taken from the plane separately and brought to you. Exit passport control in 15 minutes or less. The services arrival in terminal C range from wireless internet service to fax and phone service all available from the comfort of a environmentally controlled lounge. If you are interested in this service, Google Boryspil Airport and contact the VIP office. All VIP representatives speak English.
Enjoy all that Ukraine has to offer!
Boryspil International Airport is the main airport for all of Ukraine. It services not only international flights, but also all domestic flights. Boryspil has one of the largest runways in the Ukraine and can service any type of aircraft. When the Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, Boryspil was used strictly as a military airfield. Later after independence was declared, the airport was converted into a civilian airfield. Prior to Boryspil, Lugansk airport was the main international airfield.
All flights with the exception of a few carriers such as Delta and Air France park away from the terminal and bus in their passengers. It is a short bus trip to the International Terminal B.
Upon arriving to the terminal, you are greeted with an old still Soviet Era passport control center. Ensure your paperwork is correct and ready. During peak hours wait times can be up to two hours. Lines are long and customer service is not a priority. Not being prepared will cost you added time, so have all relevant documents filled out and legible. In the seven times I have been to the Ukraine, I have only waited two hours one time. After that bad experience I always booked my flight to arrive very early in the morning or late at night. 9 am to 2 pm are peak hours at Boryspil Airport.
Be polite and patient while in the passport control line. Ukrainian officers are not in the mood for jokes or small talk. Answer their questions fully and respectfully. Officers speak English and will understand you.
Once you make it through passport control, you will see the baggage claim area. Digital readouts will tell you where your baggage is located. It is a small area and impossible to lose track of your baggage. Boryspil is like all airports. There is not much difference in their baggage claim area.
If your baggage cannot be found, you can easily find the lost baggage office. Surprisingly enough this is one of the best lost baggage offices I ever had the pleasure of doing business. In the seven times traveling to Kiev, I have only had to use the lost baggage service once. They speak very good English and immediately tracked down my lost luggage. The representative was very professional and had all the necessary phone numbers available to call Delta Airlines in New York. Apparently my luggage was sitting in New York and never made it onto the plane. The Boryspil Airport baggage claim service was great and had my baggage in my hands the very next morning.
I had my luggage the next morning after being lost the day before. I had to pay a nice tip to the person that retrieved my baggage. For your information, everything in the Ukraine functions on tips. Hand out a tip that is too small and Ukrainians have no problem in showing you your mistake. Normal tip fair for getting your baggage reclaimed $6.00. Taxi trip to get back to the airport to retrieve your baggage $55.00. Knowing that you paid the right tip and avoiding the embarrassment of getting screamed at for failing to understand the tip policy, priceless.
Out of baggage claim and ready for the next adventure? Ok great, now let us take a walk up a small incline in the busy heart of the Boryspil Airport! The only thing between you and a hundred or so impatiently waiting family members, friends and taxi drivers is a set of automatic sliding doors. As the swoosh of doors slide open you are immediately impacted with the excitement of the waiting crowd in front of you. Make your way past them and you reach the second level of excitement. Yes, you guessed it, the Ukrainian Taxi Car Drivers! Stay calm and just shake your head back n forth with every question of "Taxi?" No need to say "No" just shake your head back n forth.
Stay clear of the taxi drivers and find your way to one of the many kiosks in the airport that will help you find a taxi. The price is fair and shown to you up front. Taxi kiosks are easy to find and the word "TAXI" is written across them.
There are four different money exchange booths in the international terminal. The airport has the worst rates, so only exchange a small amount of money. Wait until you get to the center of the city to do your large exchange transactions. I tend to only exchange two hundred dollars at the airport. This covers my taxi, food and any other little thing I would like to buy while in the airport. Just as easy as it is to find an exchange booth in the airport, you will have the same luck in the center of the city. These exchange booths are everywhere. The US Dollar, Euro and Russian Ruble are accepted everywhere.
Currency that is old is not accepted at exchange booths. It so happened that I learned this lesson the hard way. I was unable to exchange five hundred dollars because of the age of the currency. Ensure you take newer currency that is in good condition. All currency is inspected by eye and then by machine. Any wet spots or torn, worn bills are not accepted.
If you are traveling to another part of the Ukraine, it is a very short walk to terminal A. This terminal handles all domestic flights. You can easily buy a ticket to anywhere in the Ukraine by going to one of the two booths inside this terminal. Pay close attention to your flight status in this terminal. Although all flights are digitally displayed, often times boarding calls are done vocally. These vocal announcements are done in Ukrainian or Russian. If in doubt, ask someone and they will tell you where to board.
Finally, if you want to avoid all the rush and crowds, the VIP service is for you. Terminal C houses a very comfortable environment for anyone that would like to pay $150.00 USD or up for this service. A private coach will come pick you up from your plane. Your luggage will be taken from the plane separately and brought to you. Exit passport control in 15 minutes or less. The services arrival in terminal C range from wireless internet service to fax and phone service all available from the comfort of a environmentally controlled lounge. If you are interested in this service, Google Boryspil Airport and contact the VIP office. All VIP representatives speak English.
Enjoy all that Ukraine has to offer!
About the Author:
Art Saborio is a Fiance K1 Visa Specialist. His free 7 part ebook, "A Quick-Start 7 Step Guide to Guaranteeing Your Foreign Fiance a Visa" is currently available at http://www.k1visaexperts.com/k1success.html. While you are there, also take a look at his very informative must read articles http://www.k1visaexperts.com/blog
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