Subtitle: The horror flight
Sub-subtitle: Well really it wasn't that bad...
My day started at a reasonable hour (for a weekday but not for a holiday) with frost still on the windows of the hired car and a temperature of -2 degrees. After a few trips back and forth to defrost, I was eventually able to get on my way. Traffic delays and road work meant the 40 minute journey took 90 minutes but as I'd allowed plenty of time I managed to arrive right when the car was due back (give or take 2 minutes). I then had a 'private' shuttle bus to the airport and checked in before the line got too long. Figuring I had £41.95 to spend, I perused the terminal duty-free. By visiting four shops I managed to rid myself of it all (exactly). Next up was to head to the gate for boarding.
Here it is that my luck seemed to change. As the gate I needed to board at had limited seating I decided I might as well stnad in the line - after all it was moving slowly - that is until I got to the front of the line, at which time they decided to stop boarding as 'the caterers were still onboard' so passengers couldn't actually get onto the plane. Sitting right at the boarding gate (I wasn't giving up my 'first-in-line' position now) I heard more and more details about the reasons we couldn't board - the cleaners were still onboard as was a 'medical emergency' from the inbound flight that just needed to get into an ambulance and we'd be right to go. Then the news came through that the ambulance wasn't actually there - and so that wait begins...
An hour and a half after the plane was suppose to have taken off they finally let us 'board' which involved queuing for buses to take us to the plane on the tarmac. Eventually we were all systems go and we took off two hours after we were originally suppose to. Knowing I was travelling all the way home on the same flight I wasn't particularly worried about transfers/etc so settled in for a relaxing ride.
At this stage my body decided to have in on the fun. After a fairly limited sleep the night before, it didn't take long for a headache to materialise. As is often the case, the headache was followed by feelings of nausea and we had over half the flight to Singapore to go. I perservered for a couple of hours but evenutally the sickbags were needed. Feeling lousy I spent most of the rest of the flight hovering near the toilets. What seemed like years later we landed in Singapore and had to disembark for approximately 30 minutes before boarding would recommense. I took myself for a walk, spent some more money on souvenirs and made use of the free internet facilities before going back, through the security check, to the gate 'holding area'. And so another wait begins...
First and Business class are called while I remain 'comfortably' proped up against a glass wall. Economy is called, but starting from the back, so I remain seated. Then, of all things, boarding is canceled again! This time the engineer has found a fault with an emergency exit. Half an hour later, the Captain is standing in the holding area! Yes, that's right, the plane isn't going anywhere until we can get 80 people to voluntarily spend a night in Singapore at the airlines expense. After much deliberation I figured I might as well volunteer - I was still feeling queazy so a night in a real bed might make the next leg of the trip better. Of course there was still quite a delay sorting out who was no longer boarding. Eventually 30 (someone must have failed Maths!) of us headed off to get luggage and a hotel transfer. The luggage wasn't coming so those of us who were organised enough to do without went on ahead to the hotel. At this stage we just hoped they'd be able to get us on a flight about the same time the next day.
The hotel was quite swish with scumptious buffets for lunch and dinner. I managed a sleep and a bath between the two meals, such that I was fairly refreshed for the news that we'd be heading to the airport at 5am for an 8am flight the next morning... It also made my day to be 'rewarded' for volunteering by finding out that the whole flight was eventually canceled/delayed because not enough people volunteered and so time eventually expired and the plane could no longer go.
At this stage it is assumed that the leg from Singapore will go much more smoothly, but we'll just wait and see...
**** All that is above was written about midnight on the hotel-provided stationary. The rest of the story will appear in part 2 - stay tuned....
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