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Post Info TOPIC: Drones


Tennis legend

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Drones


After a long and arduous year, last Friday was the day when I was due to fly home to Spain from the UK after my final business meeting of the year.  It didn't go to plan - not the meeting, the flying home bit.

I left my colleague's house at 2pm Friday and got the train to Gatwick.  Checked in my luggage (overweight due to excess jars of Marmite) and our gate number was called.  Then, another drone was spotted.  After about a 90 min delay, we were informed that our flight was cancelled.  We had to go back through customs and collect our baggage.  Then came the problem of getting another flight.  The Easyjet staff were on hand, polite and professional but simply had no solutions.  All hotels were booked and there was no availability for a changed flight until 4th Jan.  I was instructed to book another flight myself and told that I would be able to claim back the flight cost and other expenses.

That is when it got difficult.  After queuing for 2 1/2 hours, I finally got to the Sky Break desk and I simply asked for a Saturday flight from any UK airport to any Spanish airport.  There were two options.  Manchester to Madrid - 900 pounds - or Birmingham to Barcelona via Frankfurt - 500 pounds.  I went for the latter option.  Then I had to try and book a car and by now it was already past midnight.  Eventually I got one through Avis - they had previously told me that pick up at one location and drop off at another was not an option but I think the guy took pity on me when he saw my desperation. 

I left Gatwick at about 01.00 hrs on Sat.  The Birmingham flight was late afternoon so the plan was to stop in a hotel asap and then continue on Sat.  Of course all the hotels close to the airport were booked out so it wasn't until about 2.30am that I finally checked in to a hotel room.

On Sat, I got to Birmingham without much problem, but the Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt was delayed by 45 mins and so when I arrived in Germany, I had already missed my connection.  To add to the fun, I was also told there were no direct flights on the Sunday from Frankfurt to Barcelona, so I would have to go via Munich.  Worse still, I was not allowed to collect my luggage so when they sent me to a hotel overnight, I didn't even have a change of clothes.

On arrival at the hotel on a packed shuttle bus, along with about 200 other people, the IT system had gone down so they couldn't check anybody in. It was pandemonium. We were told to eat first and then check in.  By this time they had manufactured a paper and pen booking in system which was far from foolproof.  An Irish couple were checked into a room, only to enter and find another couple already asleep in the room.  I made a special request for an "unoccupied" room.  I think my sense of humour went right over the German's heads, although to be fair, my sense of humour does that with many other people as well.

Finally on Sunday afternoon, I flew to Munich and then on to Barcelona landing at about 22.30 hrs.  Fortunately, my luggage (and Marmite) arrived safely too.  For the final part of the journey, I then had to organise another hire car and make the 5 1/2 hour drive to my home, arriving at 05.00 hrs on Monday morning and absolutely exhausted.

The whole fiasco has cost me approximately 1000 euros which I will try and reclaim from Easyjet, although I know there are items on my expenses that they will dispute in terms of liability.  And I am not expecting a quick solution as they will be inundated with similar claims right now.

But the saddest part of the story is this.  I WAS LUCKY !!  There were so many others going through much more difficult journeys than myself, either traveling with young children or in many cases, not traveling at all.  For my part, I am just glad I made it home for Xmas where I can Bah Humbug to my heart's content in the comfort of my own home.

Merry Xmas everyone.

 

 



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Lower Club Player

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Do you have a travel insurance policy?

The CAA has stated that the airlines are not obliged to pay compensation.

twitter.com/UK_CAA/status/1075718713196797953

Steve

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Tennis legend

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Force majeure - you will only be able to claim on a cancelled flight. Travel insurance is the key.

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Tennis legend

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They don't have to pay compensation but they DO have to pay for the other flight and for the hotel accommodation. That should get me back about 70% of the cost. Don't expect to get anything with regard to car hire etc, but it won't stop me trying.

No insurance, so I will have to take the blame for that one.

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Strong Club Player

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Wow, Bob, that sounds a right palaver. So glad you made it home in time.
Have a merry & restful Christmas.

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Tennis legend

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Looks as if the couple arrested, held, and later released without charge, having been named by various papers, are most certainly on the compensation trail, having been "violated".

It certainly does appear accepted that they are wholly innocent. But the police cannot and should not always wait to be absolutely sure, they have a job to do and were trying to get to the bottom of it all asap.

How ultimately awful it will turn out to be for them is unclear but they look ready to make out absolutely awful. Already supposedly requiring medical help for the trauma.

Certainly hundreds of thousands who have had their travel arrangements so screwed up will suffer and one must feel for them at this time. But each will not be a huge individual story or get full compensation.

So glad you made it back for Christmas, Bob. May the remainder of your year be good to you!



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Jan


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Oh Bob, poor you - but so glad you eventually made it home safely - and also very glad to hear your Marmite was unscathed - probably the most important part biggrinbiggrin



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Challenger level

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Thats a shocker Bob, glad you are there safely though and knowing your Marmite made it too means that their may well be a God after all!

Merry Christmas to you.

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 Its really not as bad as they say :)



Futures level

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There must be easier ways to get your marmite fix!

Merry (eventual) Christmas.

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Tennis legend

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Lordy, that's awful......so glad you're back in your own bed for Christmas.
And, as you say, thoughts for all those whose Christmas was ruined, can't believe how long it took...:(

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All-time great

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That's sort of a great story Bob, you tell it so well it's a good read and it made me laugh. I'm sure it really was very awful for you but I do admire that you managed to inject a philosophical perspective too it all. My daughter was also affected as she works for Virgin Atlantic.(Head Office at Crawley) They also had the threatened pilot strike as well as the drones - so late nights for all at the 'office' and employees Christmas lunch cancelled (shock horror)!!! (She has two young children at home also so not easy working late). But as you say it was heart breaking for some of the families whose flights were affected.


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Julia Carrot wrote:

That's sort of a great story Bob, you tell it so well it's a good read and it made me laugh. I'm sure it really was very awful for you but I do admire that you managed to inject a philosophical perspective too it all. My daughter was also affected as she works for Virgin Atlantic.(Head Office at Crawley) They also had the threatened pilot strike as well as the drones - so late nights for all at the 'office' and employees Christmas lunch cancelled (shock horror)!!! (She has two young children at home also so not easy working late). But as you say it was heart breaking for some of the families whose flights were affected.


Thanks Julia.  And I hope your daughter got to spend some time with her own family over Xmas.

When I was sitting in the hotel in Frankfurt, I was talking to a young couple from Costa Rica. They had two young children, both pre-school age.  They had been due to fly home from Gatwick for Xmas but in the end were diverted through Birmingham, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo and then Costa Rica in a journey that was going to take 4 days.  Eventually they were supposed to make it home on Xmas Eve.  I hope they made it.  Their kids looked so tired already and they still had the two longest flights to go.

I think listening to stories like that helped me realize that I was luckier than so many.



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Futures qualifying

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Hope you enjoyed your Xmas Day Bob. A trial of a journey for you so very pleased you made it back in the end. Happy New Year to you - hope it's a better start than the ending of 2018.

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Bob in Spain wrote:
Julia Carrot wrote:

That's sort of a great story Bob, you tell it so well it's a good read and it made me laugh. I'm sure it really was very awful for you but I do admire that you managed to inject a philosophical perspective too it all. My daughter was also affected as she works for Virgin Atlantic.(Head Office at Crawley) They also had the threatened pilot strike as well as the drones - so late nights for all at the 'office' and employees Christmas lunch cancelled (shock horror)!!! (She has two young children at home also so not easy working late). But as you say it was heart breaking for some of the families whose flights were affected.


Thanks Julia.  And I hope your daughter got to spend some time with her own family over Xmas.

When I was sitting in the hotel in Frankfurt, I was talking to a young couple from Costa Rica. They had two young children, both pre-school age.  They had been due to fly home from Gatwick for Xmas but in the end were diverted through Birmingham, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo and then Costa Rica in a journey that was going to take 4 days.  Eventually they were supposed to make it home on Xmas Eve.  I hope they made it.  Their kids looked so tired already and they still had the two longest flights to go.

I think listening to stories like that helped me realize that I was luckier than so many.


 That's quite a Christmas story really Bob - I'm sure it helped them to  have   you really listening to them - the kindness of strangers  can be truly transformative.  (that sound so tacky, but in this age of Brexit it  isn't   mentioned very often.)

 

 



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Tennis legend

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Just to put a finishing line to this story, on Fri 28th Dec, I put in my expenses claim to Easyjet, asking for the flight refund, hotel, car hire (UK and Spain) plus petrol (UK and Spain). It came to over 1000 euros. Within 7 days, the funds were in my account with no questions asked, so I have to give Easyjet credit for that.

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