Leaving baggage unattended in Chopin Airport

Hello everyone,
I flew from Chopin airport to my home country few months ago. Before giving baggage to plane they said I need to pay extra since my baggage is heavier than expected. I told my friend to wait for the baggage while I was paying for extra baggage a lady who works there told me that I can get fined 10.000€ if I leave my baggage unattended and if something happens(I didn't understand what she said exactly about what happens) then I ran back and get my baggage back. Is there any chance that I already get fined for it? No security approached me and informed me that I got fined but is there any way that I can check it to be sure? Or am I safe? I don't know the protocol in Poland that's why I ask

Thank you for your time and attention

No. You don't need to worry.

The lady was just telling you to be careful.

If anyone was going to issue you with a fine, they would have done it at the time.

@jon357 thank you so much. In my country they send the fine afterwards to your adress that's why I asked. As far as I know in Poland they immediately give you a paper, etc. but as I said I didn't get any kind of that stuff so I am clear right? I'll be back soon and I don't wanna face with a problem as soon as I enter the country ahahaha

Yea, that's right.

The airport in Warsaw is fairly chilled. If there was a problem they would have dealt with it all at the time.

Plus of course, as you say, they didn't take your details.

I think you misunderstood. She was probably telling you to not leave your baggage alone. But wasn't your friend with it? If so then it wasn't unattended.

Anyway none of that is a problem....

@mafketis I told my friends to look for the baggage but they went to somewhere to buy some snacks that's when she came and said it to me but as I said they didn't gave me any paper to state that I am fined or sth. Also she said I'd be fined if someone would call the police for suspicion or sth like thar I can't remember it clearly now

Any baggage left alone is treated as a potential danger - bomb squad has to be called and the place - evacuated.

Also, some stranger could put something illegal into your baggage, for example, and you could get in trouble.

@Paulina but as I said I immediately ran back and get my baggage also the guy in the check-in section told me that I could keep the baggage there and he'd look for it. So from what I understand I'd get fined if someone called the police and airport was to be evacuated? Am I right? When she warned me I said I am sorry and immediately get my luggage with me to make the payment for extra kilos. So since nothing related to evacuation-police happened and no one get my Pesel number and I immediately fixed the situation when the manager of check-in section warned me is it impossible for me to face with any problems related to fine when I get back to Poland?

@Flynns17, I only explained why the lady warned you. She was probably also just explaining to you why it's a serious matter, so you wouldn't leave your baggage unattended again :)


As jon357 already wrote:

So the real problem here is that your friends are crap..... I hope you give them holy h3ll for almost getting you fined. At the least you have something to hold over their heads.... "Hey... friends..... remember that time you almost got me arrested?"

@Paulina thank you so much:)) I am planning to apply for permanent residence permit after my studies so I don't wanna create trouble to myself that's why I am so stressed about it :) So, as I understand I am completely fine right now? :D I was confused because in my home country they send the fine after you are fines so most of the time you don't even know you are fined until you receive the letter:D

No problem :))


Yes, you are - you can relax :))) As you wrote yourself:


So, as the lady told you - you'd get fined if the police was called. First they usually announce through the speaker for the "lost" owner of the baggage to show up and if the owner doesn't show up - then they call the police. And since you showed up and took care of your baggage - there was no need to call the police = no fine.

Absolutely fine.

Airport security staff do a difficult job and certainly don't have thr time or inclination to chase people who left a life of luggage briefly unattended and then continued with it on their journey.

Fines etc are only likely to happen in the vanishingly rare situation that there was an evacuation or detonation.

I doubt this has ever happened at Okęcie.

@jon357, there were evacuations at Okęcie - due to false bomb alarms. But, also, for example, when someone left a backpack at a parking lot in front of a terminal - the owner showed up at the time when the bomb squad was working already - and so he got fined.

In that case I suppose they would.

An evacuation is expensive. Missed slots on the runway, missed trading in the bars and shops etc, hence the high fine as a deterrent.

Evacuations are vanishingly rare. I fly quite a lot (sometimes 16 flights a month) and have never seen one anywhere outside a war zone (and the airport in question was being shelled with 32 dead)..

Several years ago my flight back to Okęcie was delayed due to a storm and the flight only arrived as most of the airport was deserted for the night (and I had missed the connecting flight home). Not long after leaving the 'rękaw' and inside the terminal part of the ceiling fell down and lights started flashing and there announcements about the need to leave the building....

I looked around and none of the employees still there were reacting at all and so i didn't either. I asked for information about the missed flight and they said a room was reserved at the hotel across the parking lot. I picked up luggage as usual and walked over to the hotel....

A very weird occurrence the lights and announcement were still going as I left the building (and everybody was still ignoring it....).