Flying Frustration?
Isn’t it curious how exhausting travelling is even though the physical exertion is minimal? How we feel guilty when we’re walking through airport security even though we’ve ‘nothing to declare’? How frustrating it is and how anxious we become when we check the monitors for flight details and see ‘delayed’ or, my favourite, in Belfast City Airport – ‘Relax and Shop’ – yeah right! Every airline has different regulations; every airport has different rules and the probability of smooth sailing is virtually impossible.
In these next articles I’m going to share some travelling stories and tips to avoid them becoming a reality for you!
Gatwick to Belfast!
Expect the unexpected!
I am always conscious when flying to leave time for the inevitable unexpected. I try, though it’s against my nature, to be organised and leave plenty of time for minor catastrophes! Hyperbole? No,welll….! When most people are travelling they are looking forward to a well earned break, a week in the sun, visit with old friends or finally seeing and experiencing that personal interest first hand. Also, especially in this financial market, people often can only afford a brief dalliance in luxury to make a trip they’ve wanted to do for ages so when things go wrong, we’re disillusioned, panicked and so aware of the money we’ve spent to make this happen, the time we’ve taken out of our lives and the preparation we’ve been through.
Two years ago I was coming home for visiting a friend in Surrey and everything went wrong. First off, we were running late to the airport, so my heart’s already racing and my mind is jogging through ideas as to how I can afford to stay another day or buy another ticket only a few hours or day in advance – ie. Expensive!
I get there and I have to check my hold luggage, clothes and random things I can’t seem to travel without and I’m also carrying a small handbag, camera bag (as I used film which gets wiped when going through luggage scanners and expensive camera without the encumberance of tonnes of bubble wrap) and my tripod.
This is fine coming over, no problems but I get to Gatwick and “No, sorry, you’re only allowed one piece of hand luggage”. Now I’ve travelled enough to know that this is common but in all the airports I’d travelled with thus far one piece of hand luggage was a bag, about 50inches by 25inches and then on top of that you were allowed things that you need to keep with you and would be ridiculous to pay for putting in the hold like a camera bag, laptop case, coat, handbag and even umbrella. (it’s been raining out, you’re soaked, you’re brolley’s soaked and they expect you to pay £20.00 to put it in storage or to stuff the drenching thing into your hold luggage? – Come on!)
So, I was completely broke at the time and my flight was leaving in half an hour, I decided to fight ‘the man’ and ran around Gatwick airport asking in all the shops if I could nick a bin bag or large carrier bag because that was the ridiculous thing – all my extra pieces of baggage when put together were smaller than the allowance hand luggage allowance but they weren’t all in one bag!!! So I managed to get a normal sized shopping bag from WHSmiths and put my camera bag and handbag in it. 20mins to spare and I have no choice but to have my exposed and expensive tripod thrown into the hold (for an extra £20.00). I asked at the desk if they could bubble wrap it and she just looked at me with irratated scorn and refused! Of course, you are responsible for the packaging of your items so I probably couldn’t even get any compensation if the thing emerged bent out of recognition.
Right off to departure gates through security. All liquids and make-up in a clear plastic bag – check! Hand luggage much smaller than permitted – check! First, they decide to be particularly finicky with me and ask me to take off my heeless shoes and belt (oh hold onto the trousers) – fine expect it’s T minus 18 minutes. I still set off the bloody alarms! Rough, embarrassing pat down and I think I’m finally on the home straight – No! There was a pot of brand new, sealed, still in selophene packaging Clinique moisturiser in my bag. It was a Christmas gift from my mother and to me represented passing the point of girl to women – my first expensive face cream! (guys – you just don’t understand). It turns out that it’s 110ml and I’m explaining the sentimental value and how it’s never even been opened to the guy interrogating me and at this point I’m never tears. T-minus 12minutes.
He says (paraphrasing) “You could always check it in to hold luggage?” What? Like What? First spend another £20.00 and put a flimsey cardboard packaged, glass pot, 2inches in height in with a giant suitcase and expect to ever see it again? And I’m thinking if only I was here earlier, I could run out and buy a flipping travel bottle from Boots and scrap the contents into it but no – T – minus 9mintes! So I give up and I really feel completely defeated and belittled and angry (especially when I notice the guy stuffing the Clinque into his bag to take home for the wife!).
I understand and realise the significance of the rules but every rule should have its exceptions, allowances and COMMON SENSE in individual circumstances! (by the way can I just point out again that everything I had on me I brought through Belfast to there in the first place with NO bother!).
So there I was, 21 years old and running to the plane in fear of more expense and really, just wanting to be home! And guess what – the flights delayed. After all that the bloody flights delayed and I just stand there, staring at the screen in wrapt emotion and disbelief until a lovely young girl from the Clinque (if you can believe it) counter in the duty free walks over to me from the shop and asks if I’m ok? (Wish I knew her name I’d get her, her Christmas bonus!) I blink, try to smile and stutter “Toilets?”
Trudge over to toilets, taking out my separate bags and chucking the plastic carrier, ‘cause it’s ok now, and collapse in a cubicle and finally, finally cry!
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