This was published 1 year ago
Airport review: Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Laos is no Changi - bring a good book
By Mark Daffey
For an international airport, Wattay is surprisingly central, just three kilometres west of the CBD. Credit: Alamy
THE FLIGHT
Thai Smile Airways WE 575 from Vientiane, Laos to Bangkok, Thailand.
THE ARRIVAL
We catch a cab from Vientiane's new, Chinese-funded high-speed railway station on the city's northern fringes. The 17-kilometre journey through heavy traffic still only takes less than an hour, including a brief stopover to see the Patuxai "Victory Gate" war monument that resembles Paris' Arc de Triomphe. For an international airport, Wattay is surprisingly central, just three kilometres west of the CBD. The commute from a city hotel should be easy. In fact, you could almost walk it.
THE LOOK
Renovations that included expanding the international terminal and improving parking facilities and access roads were completed in 2018. International and domestic terminals are next to each other. Access to the departure gates is up an escalator to the top floor. There's still only one runway, though that's perfectly adequate for the few airlines that operate here.
CHECK IN
My family and I arrive three hours before our scheduled departure time, as per normal for international flights. But we're way too early and are forced to wait around for another hour before check-in desks open. International flights are yet to resume fully, thanks to the pandemic disruptions these past few years and ours is the only flight listed on the departure board, which means every non-employee at the airport is here for the same flight as us. And like us, many others arrive early so that when the desk opens, there's a rush to line up.
SECURITY
We're one of the first groups checked in, but a security officer approaches me soon after our bags disappear down the conveyor belt. Their security scanner has picked up spare batteries inside my bag. Could I carry them in my hand luggage, he asks. It's all very pleasant and he's almost apologetic; I'm just surprised by some of the items that are deemed unsafe for storing in the plane's luggage hold – electric hair clippers, for example.
FOOD + DRINK
I strongly advise hungry travellers to order food and drinks in the departure lobby before passing through Immigration. There's scant choice once you enter those gates. Small cafes with comfortable but limited seating serving coffees and croissants are at either end of the terminal, just inside the lobby entrance, with a couple more upstairs. There's a hot dog stand at the western end of the terminal and a mini-market next to the post office in the centre of the terminal.
RETAIL THERAPY
If it's therapy you need, go elsewhere. There's a duty-free shop and not much else. And a souvenir shop on the upper floor. But if you want to offload some cash, visit a money changer in the departure lobby (not after you've passed through Immigration).
PASSING TIME
No cinemas. No waterfalls. No massage chairs. No Wi-Fi. This isn't Changi. Bring a good book.
THE VERDICT
Possibly the quietest international airport I've ever passed through.
OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE
★★½
The writer was a guest of the Minor Hotels group that includes the Anantara and Avani brands.
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