How early would you arrive at a Polish airport for a flight to the UK?

Voyager2002

My flight is actually from Wroclaw: hand luggage only, and on Ryanair. Departure is scheduled for 10.50 am.

Westin

How reliable is the method of transport to get you to the airport`?

I do follow your thoughts in that if already checked in, small airport, hand baggage only - do you really need to rock up 2-3hrs before the flight time.  Probably not.  

The issue might however be having sufficient contingency time if things go awry on the way to the airport.  If early morning buses have a 30 minute schedule between them, but one doesn’t turn up, if rail lines are closed, an accident on the road creating gridlock traffic etc.

I’d probably also plan my ETA on if there are other options open should I miss my flight and how busy this small airport might be on the day I travel by looking at the airport departures in advance what operate the week prior at the same time.

400ixl

Personally with Ryanair, I would be at the airport 2 hours before, even if hand luggage only. Killing time in a airport isn't hard and better to be air side well in advance or able to absorb any delays with stress.

NoodleDoodleMan

2 hours seems reasonable.

No direct train connection, however this is what I came up with via Google.

Wrocław Airport is not directly served by a train connection. However, it is easily accessible by bus, with the 106 and 206 lines connecting to the main railway station and bus station. The journey time to the city center and main railway station is about 45 minutes by bus. Additionally, the 129 bus line connects the airport to the Wrocław Żerniki railway station. 

daveyjp

I found arriving at most smaller regional airports two hours before a flight is ample.  There may be security queues, but in my recent experience (even at busy airports) they are managed very well.

If the airport has a separate area for non EU departures you may wish to delay going through passport control to enter that area as I have found them miserable and lacking much in the way of facilities.  Krakow in particular was very grim.  An area large enough for about 3 flights trying to accommodate 4 UK flights plus a delayed 787 flight to New York. 

heatherw_01

I would be there 2 hours before.

Voyager2002

Thank you for all the helpful advice.

In the event I planned to be there almost two hours before the departure time but missed the bus and had a fifteen-minute wait for the next 106. Then a pleasant surprise: buses are free for me since I am over 65 years old. Security was brisk and efficient, so I entered the main departure lounge precisely an hour before the gate was due to close. There was no queue to clear Immigration, but it seemed to be thorough and took a few minutes: I would imagine that queues would be slow-moving.

Doshwaster

I'm notorious for getting to airports very early. I'd rather spend a few hours wasting time in the airport bar than getting stressed working out the public transport system in a strange city.

I'm at Gatwick now and got here 4 hours before the flight as I had left enough buffer space in case if trouble on the M25.

NoodleDoodleMan

"I'd rather spend a few hours wasting time in the airport bar"

Time well spent some might say !!!