Alright, let’s talk about my trip through Vientiane Wattay airport not too long ago. Had to fly out, you know, usual travel stuff.
So, first thing was getting there. Grabbed a tuk-tuk, which felt like the standard way. The ride itself was pretty straightforward, weaving through the Vientiane streets. Got dropped off right at the departures area.
Heading Inside
Walked into the terminal. It wasn’t huge, definitely not like some massive international hubs I’ve been to. Felt kinda manageable, actually. Looked around to get my bearings, find the check-in desks.
Found the counter for my airline pretty easily. Wasn’t a massive queue, which was a nice surprise. Waited maybe five, ten minutes tops.
Check-in and Security Shuffle
Got to the desk. Handed over my passport and stuff. The staff were polite enough, did the usual weighing bags, printing boarding passes. No real drama there, just standard procedure. They tagged my bag and off it went.
Next up was security. You know the drill. Belts off, electronics out. It felt a bit old-school, the setup they had. Took a little longer than expected, maybe because they were being thorough, or maybe just the pace of things there. Got through eventually, gathered my stuff from the trays.
Waiting Game
Then it was immigration. Quick stamp in the passport, and I was officially heading out. Walked towards the gate area.
The departure lounge wasn’t anything fancy. Pretty basic, really. Some seats, a couple of duty-free shops selling the usual booze and smokes, and a small cafe place. Found a seat and settled down to wait.
- Looked around, saw mostly other travellers, a mix of locals and foreigners.
- Checked my phone, scrolled a bit.
- The atmosphere was pretty calm, not frantic or rushed.
Didn’t buy anything, just waited for the boarding call. Heard the announcement, clear enough. Lined up with everyone else when it was time.
Getting Onboard
Showed my boarding pass again at the gate. Walked down the jet bridge – yeah, they had one, which was convenient. Found my seat on the plane, stashed my carry-on.
Looking back, Wattay felt like an airport from a slightly earlier time. It worked, got me where I needed to go without major issues. Wasn’t flashy, wasn’t stressful either. Just a functional airport doing its job. Kind of reflected the laid-back vibe of Vientiane itself, I suppose. Just got things done at its own pace.
