On way back decided to get the bus back from the hotel after picking up a lovely gluten free lunch from the Pingouino Cafe opposite the hotel. (Really tasty and meant I did not have to risk eating at the Airport or on the Plane!) Bus was 1 Euro and took a little longer that the cab, probably due to its longer route and observance of speed limits.
Got to the airport 90 minutes before the flight and checked in quiet quickly. Nice airport, modern, clean and free wifi. Flight was called along with 2 other Easy Jet flights so there was a big scrum at the gate as they were using one door for all the flights. Passengers needing assistance were called first (understandable at most airports but at Paphos I would consider this to be cruel at the very least). Then the majority of passengers went through, most of them in a big rush to get to the planes. However at this stage you are then sent to a holding cage/pen, which is semi covered with limited seating. The cage has been designed to increase heat in the height of summer and to reduce the temp when it is night. I would imagine it is not much fun either when it rains as there are gaps in the cages for the rain to get through. I felt sorry for the passengers who required assistance as they had to spend the most time in the cage and most of the pax where in the cage even before the incoming flight at arrived! We had been warned about the cages so waited in the comfort of the terminal and only went through once the plane was boarding and the pax in the cages where moving. Approx 5 other people did what we had done and waited for the line to start moving. Once in the cage there are no facilities and only 2 metal benches to sit on, so totally an inhumane way to travel. We had booked seats 1A and 1B on the way back, along with 1C these were very good as they had extra leg room with no bulkhead in front like 1D-F and enjoyed a rather pleasant flight back, with some lovely food thanks to the Penguin Cafe and a lovely sunset, along with lots of other traffic in the skies including a pass just over a major airport where you could see all the take offs and finals, not sure where possibly Frankfurt or Amsterdam?
Not sure if the Cages are still being used at Paphos but if they are, remember to try and minimise the time you are spending in them despite the urgent calls from ground staff trying to get them into them.
Cyprus is a lovely place to go but this type of treatment does leave a bad taste in the mouth at the end of a holiday.
