Terminal 3 at Vienna-Schwechat Airport has had problems coping with the increased number of passengers since the beginning of the summer vacation at peak times. The airport has therefore reactivated the C-bus gates, but the entrance is quite curious.

If travelers see on the display boards on their flight that they should appear at the gate at least 45 to 60 minutes before departure, then the probability is very high that a shuttle bus will take them to the C-bus gates. This means that a bus is boarded at a gate visible on the screens in Terminal 3. This then goes to the C-bus gates in Terminal 1. There, the travelers have to wait for their actual bus boarding. Gates in the C area of ​​Terminal 1 are used for this purpose, but only the bus gates, as the West and East piers are still closed.

There is also no way to get to the “real gate” via the “old route”, i.e. the security check in Terminal 2. The newly established Siko is still not used, which is why all travelers who are affected by “boarding in the remote terminal” must use those in Terminal 3, without exception and without any alternative.

Passengers who travel during peak hours have repeatedly criticized Aviation Direct about the extremely cramped conditions, especially in the area of ​​the F-gates. For structural reasons, it is very cramped and “cozy” here, but this should not be a reason for the airport to reopen the east and west piers. Only with the “double busboarding” you can get at least a little help. Outside of rush hour, Terminal 3 is still very well used.

Long-haul connections at the C-bus gates as well

One could assume that “double busboarding” only affects connections from low-cost airlines. That is definitely not the case, because even Nonschengen long-haul connections have been repeatedly processed in this way. The C-bus gates are used flexibly, sometimes for Schengen, sometimes for non-Schengen, depending on the congestion in areas G and F.

Flughafen Wien AG did not comment on the recommissioning of the C bus gates, despite repeated inquiries. These are structurally more or less decoupled from the rest of the C area, as only the connecting passage had to be blocked. This prevents passengers from getting lost in the pier or looking in vain for lounges or restaurants.

Because of the entry controls carried out by the Armed Forces on behalf of the Bruck an der Leitha District Authority, Terminal 3 is temporarily at the capacity limit in the area of ​​arrivals, so the bus arrival at Terminal 1 was reactivated a few weeks ago. In the area of ​​the additional baggage carousels, the soldiers carry out the document checks. In order to be able to better distribute the travelers to the different arrival areas, bus boarding is currently taking place more intensively. Travelers who arrive by bus at Terminal 1 but have an onward flight from areas F or G (Terminal 3) will be brought to T3 by shuttle bus. These do not have to go through immigration control.