by Art Saborio
If you are traveling to Kiev, Ukraine for the first time, you are in for an experience. From the first moments of breaking through the clouds, you will notice a land of nature and beauty. Kiev is a very green country. The abundance of rainfall and annual snow makes Kiev a wonder of forests, lakes, rivers and pristine landscapes.
Boryspil International Airport is the main hub for The Ukraine. It services not only all international flights, but also domestic flights. Boryspil has a very large accessible runway for any type of aircraft. During the Soviet era, Boryspil International Airport was strictly a military airfield. Later after The Ukraine claimed independence, it was converted into a civilian airport hub.
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.
You will quickly be greeted with an old style soviet passport control center. Be prepared to wait for up to two hours as lines are long and customer service is not a priority. It is critical to have all your paperwork filled out and ready. Not being prepared will cost you more time. 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 leave passport control, you will immediately see baggage claim. Boryspil is like all airports it has digital readouts of incoming flights and matches them with a baggage claim area.
If you cannot find your baggage, there is a lost baggage office that will assist you in finding your luggage. Now in seven times of traveling to the Ukraine, I have only had to use this service once. Surprisingly, this office was very helpful, spoke very good English and immediately was able to track down my luggage. The representative called New York for me and found my luggage. Apparently my luggage never made the flight.
The next day I was able to retrieve my luggage after being lost the day before. The only interesting thing about it is I had to pay a tip to the attendant to go retrieve it for me. A side note to remember is everything in the Ukraine moves by tips. Give too small of a tip and Ukrainians have no problem in letting you know 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.
Now that you are out of baggage claim it is just a short walk up a small incline into the heart of the Kiev, Boryspil Airport. Walk through the double doors and you are greeted with a large crowd of families, friends and business associates awaiting the arriving passenger. Get through the crowd and you are bombarded with taxi drivers willing to take you anywhere in Kiev.
Stay away from these taxi drivers. Go find one of the many kiosks in the airport that can aid you with a taxi to anywhere you want to go for a fair price. Taxi kiosks are easy to find, they have the word “TAXI” written across them.
If you are exchanging money, there are four different money exchange booths available. The rate at the airport is the worst, if you can wait until you get into the city, then you will get a much better rate. When I travel I tend to only exchange $200.00 USD for a taxi and food. It is very easy to find these exchange booths in the center of the city with much better exchange rates. The US Dollar, Euro and Russian Ruble are accepted everywhere.
Take only new money with you. Exchange booths will not accept old or money that has been wet. Since it is impossible to know if a dollar bill has ever been wet, it is important to only take new bills. All exchange booths will put your money under an ultraviolet light. Money that shows wet spots will not be 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 your stay in the Ukraine!
