The situation:
05 May The connection time in Rome had
shrunk to 1.25 hrs. Arriving and departing from Terminal 3.
06 May There
is an electrical fire in Rome airport – terminal 3.
07 May 10
am text from Singapore Airlines
saying their flight would now depart from Terminal 5. I pack everything I need
for the cruise in a carry-on bag and leave the books and warmer clothes (for
Mongolia) in the checked bag.
2 pm I google the amount of time and procedure
to change from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5. Confusing notes online but what is
clear is that I will have to go through passport control and there does not
seem to be any in Terminal 5. I fret.
1730 Nicolas drops me off and as I walk inside,
an agent directing people to the right check-in areas tells me the Rome flight
is cancelled. I fret. I get to the AC check-in / baggage drop off desk and the
agent tells me the flight is fine. She knows nothing. She asks around and is
told about the fire but the flight is now only 3 hours away so we all agree the
flight must be operating.
1745 I leave my checked bag with her and wander
off to the Nexus office. Back in January I had applied for a renewal and the
card had still not arrived. There is no lineup so we get the file sorted out
right away with a new iris scan. They tell me the card will be in the mail in
10 days.
1800 I stroll off to the business class lounge
for free phone calls and computer access. I dilly dally a bit there including a
final call to Margot.
2015 This is the set departure time and
everyone appears to be seated. There are still technicians aboard and the doors
are still open. I fret.
2105
We depart. I am safe in my business class pod but realize I have now
lost 45 minutes of my connection. I fret. I tell my problem to 3 Air Canada staff
– being a narcissist I feel they might be interested. They express some concern
but never come back to me with any solution.
08 May 0300 The pilot comes out of the toilet. I ask him
our arrival time. 1115. My flight is at noon.
He tells me that normally the plane parks in the middle of the tarmac
and buses take the people into Terminal 3 for passport control. Then they have
to get to their connecting flight. But due to the fire, he is not sure. I try
not to fret – nothing I can do.
1115 We taxi to the terminal and I can see the
Singapore Air airplane is only 5 gates away.
I scoot my way past the other passengers so I am first off the plane.
There is a guy opening the door and I ask him where I should go to get over to
the Singapore flight. Downstairs he tells me.
And there is my
Roman angel. SQ had sent an airport agent to fetch me – love seeing my name on
a sign! The buses are standing by and all the other passengers are coming down
behind me. She phones someone. She is trying to get permission to take me right
to SQ and bypass passport control. The first bus leaves without us. Someone
calls her back. Yes that is okay. But we still have to go by bus and the bus
driver is not okay with this. My angel insists. Still heads shake No. His
supervisor comes over, agrees that it is okay so we load onto the 2nd
bus and wait for it to fill.
1130 The bus drives underneath 4 other jumbos to
the SQ plane. We jump off and the other passengers start to follow us. No No
stay where you are, my angel is firm with them. Up the stairs and up the ramp
used for boarding passengers. The SQ check-in agents all turn around and greet us
with big smiles. I thank my angel before she heads off to avert a connection
crisis for some other lucky traveller. I look past the glass walls and see that
the boarding has not started yet.
One SQ agent takes my passport. She
issues me a new boarding pass. Another agent asks for my baggage tag. She calls
someone downstairs. Another agent drags over their only chair for me. The only
other people in this secure area are an Ozzie wheelchair couple who have just
taken a cruise around Turkey. It is the 100th anniversary of the
battle of Gallipoli so we start to chat. I no longer fret.
1200 They announce the flight is delayed … now
not leaving until 1230. An agent comes over to apologize to me for the delay.
She also apologizes for not allowing me to relax in the business lounge. I tell
her this is not a problem at all. She asks for my baggage tag and calls someone
who assures her they have found my bag and it is now onboard.
1230 We start boarding and I am first to my pod.
1300 We ascend over the rolling hills of Roma.
This delay has reduced my connecting time in Singapore to 1.20 hrs. but I do
not fret. SQ agents are here to fix any problems.
09 May 12 noon Smooth transfer in Singapore and I am now at
the beautiful Sari Sanur Resort with all my baggage. I felt SQ’s handling of the
whole situation and their consideration for me, my baggage and my comfort were
outstanding. Would I have been treated by SQ so well if I were an economy
passenger? I really want to think so. But I am not going to fret.
No comments:
Post a Comment