etonmymind

We are flying to Sarajevo via Cologne/Bonn, departing Malpensa at 0855 on a Thursday (4/13). Do we need 2 or 3 hours? Any advice would be great, thanks.

etonmymind

oops, I meant Tuesday 4/13.

zeppole

You don't need 3 hours. 2 is wiggle room. Shooting for anything under 90 min, you're taking a real risk.

You need to allow for travel time to the airport. If you are driving, you need to allow for the possibility of traffic on a weekday morning, although you are pretty much well ahead of it. Greater risk is getting lost.

If you are thinking of using an airport hotel with a shuttle, be sure you know what time in the morning the shuttle starts running and how long it takes to get to your terminal. Taxis from airport hotels to the airport are often very pricey.

The airport bus that leaves from Milan's Centrale station takes about 50-60 minutes.

The Malpensa Xpress from Cadorna Station takes 40 minutes and is much pricier.

Taxis from the center of Milan can run up to 90e.

Jean

Assuming you are talking about getting to Malpensa from central Milan:

The fare for the Malpensa Express train from Cadorna Nord station is 11 euros per person. Departures at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, etc. 36 minutes. We've found it to be very reliable.

http://www.malpensaexpress.it/en/index.php

The Malpensa Shuttle bus from Stazione Centrale runs a bit more frequently (6:00, 6:20, 6:40, 7:00) but is more vulnerable to delays. The fare is 7.50 euros per person. 45 minutes to Terminal 2, 50 minutes to Terminal 1.

http://www.malpensashuttle.it/e-default.htm

etonmymind

thanks so much for the great suggestions!! We are actually steering clear of Milan altogether and staying at a guest house 2km outside the airport. The owner will drive us to the airport in the am. We'll shoot to be there 2 hours ahead. thanks again!

ET

Jean

Well, in that case, I'd check with your airline (Germanwings?) to find out how early you should check in. If you will have web access, you can do a virtual check-in the day before and possibly register your checked baggage and pay fees in advance. Make sure you register the baggage for Sarajevo and not Cologne.

annhig

hi eton,

most of the cheap european airlines only require you to check-in about an hour on advance, if that. [with easyjet it's usually 30 mins].

it can take a while to get through security, however at that time in the morning, 90 mins would be ample, especially if you've already checkein on line.