Europe has many great airports. Among my favorites are Copenhagen, Munich, Stockholm, and Zurich. Then there is my least favorite in Europe, which is Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport.

Bucharest, The Worst Major European Airport

I’ve traveled through Bucharest twice this year and I cannot think of a more embarrassing hub for TAROM and a more passenger-unfriendly airport to transit or spend any amount of time in.

Why Bucharest Airport Is Absolutely Awful

I visited Bucharest earlier this year to fly one of the last Airbus A318 jets in passenger service (now retired) and spent a night in Bucharest. More recently, I flew to Bucharest as part of my SAS Million Mile EuroBonus challenge.

Each visit to OTP led to the same conclusion: wow, this is bad…

The Airport Is Crowded; Lines Are Horrible

I find the layout of this airport so strange and the walkways very crowded.

Flight arrivals means hundreds of people pour into areas that are far too small to accommodate them, creating bottlenecks.

Immigration lines can be horrendously long with gaggles of people pushing and shoving.

Romania is now part of the Schengen Area, which has slightly improved the crowding, but it is still one of the most disorganized major European airports I have ever traveled through.

There Is No Airport Wi-Fi Network

It’s 2024. But not only does the airport lack a free Wi-Fi network: it lacks an airport-wide Wi-Fi network at all! During both visits this year (and a third in 2022), I tried to find a connection and could not. If there is a hidden network somewhere, my mobile and laptop could not find it. What kind of major airport would not have wi-fi?

There is no excuse for this: it’s absolutely fundamental to offer stable and fast wi-fi at an airport.

There Are No Power Outlets

Want to charge your power device? You’re on your own. As far as I could find (and I searched high and low) there are no public power outlets in the terminal. A few of the restaurants have them, but as you can expect there was a very high demand for them.

I finally found one in the gate area of another flight…and it did not work.

I guess you don’t need power outlets because there is no internet?

Any decent airport should have multiple charging stations and power outlets with both 110/220V and USB plugs.

But I guess locals know what to expect because I saw many portable power banks…

Smoking Rooms Don’t Enclose The Smoke…

I have no problem with airport smoking areas, but I do have a problem when cigarettes and other smoke from those areas seep into non-smoking areas. Ventilation matters! Keep the smoking rooms, but fix the ventilation…

Staff Are Rude And Indifferent

For select premium cabin passengers, there is a Schengen and non-Schengen Lounge, but there is no Priority Pass access and the lounges themselves are not very inviting. I got yelled at for taking pictures…which is always a warning sign of someone not wanting to be held accountable.

I understand that these matrons may not be used to having people take pictures of lounge food, but you don’t start yelling at me…it’s rude and unprofessional.

As for indifference, my LOT Polish flight on this current trip was delayed: the aircraft had departed Warsaw late and was set to arrive just before our scheduled departure time. There was no gate announcement: the montiors did not even indicate a flight delay.

Public Restrooms Are Crowded And Smelly

The restrooms–and I can only speak for the men’s restrooms–are crowded and stinky. Why is there no proper ventilation? Why no seat covers for the toilets? Why are there not adequate stalls for the number of folks flying through this airport? It’s the only airport in Europe I can think of off the top of my head where you may face a line to use the little boys’ room…

Nespresso Coffee Only?

Ok, just a personal grip, but it felt like the airport had a coffee deal with Nespresso because every airport café or coffee shop had only Nespresso coffee. That’s not great coffee and a shame because Bucharest has many nice coffee shops and it would be great to see at least one in the airport.

CONCLUSION

While there are many secondary airports used by budget carriers in Europe that are very bad, Bucharest strikes me as the worst of the major airports/hubs in Europe and it is not improving. The immediate installation of power outlets and a strong wi-fi network throughout the airport would go a long way toward making it a more inviting airport to travel through.