We don't tend to write a lot about the journey home from a trip, but on this occasion I figure a post is warranted. I'm sorry it's long, but that just goes to show how awry it went. I had a pretty solid one planned - a short flight to Munich, a day flight to Singapore, a 2.5 hour stop there, just enough time for a shower between flights and absorbing any minor mishaps or confusions. Total transit hours about 26. My planning resembles the German efficiency I've heard so much about.
Trip to Munich - uneventful. A couple of hours stop at around lunch time offered a good reason for my last couple of aperol spritzers in Europe to prepare me for my 2nd and longest flight. Or so I thought...
I had selected one of the best premium economy seats on the plane - front row with stacks of leg room so even with a row of 4 seats no one has to get up to let others out for their long haul wanderings. I'm chuffed to discover I share this row of 4 seats with only 1 other person. I settle in for a comfy flight of marathon movie watching, photo sorting and catch up blog post drafting.
After an hour and a half of sitting on the tarmac the captain apologises, tells us we have a technical issue, the engineers are coming to have a look at it, and that the crew would offer some service while we wait. This always makes me a bit nervous, staying on a plane that's been assessed as somewhat broken. Nonetheless, after the next two half hourly updates, comprising variations on the theme 'we're having a fiddle and doing some testing', I'm fully committed to leaving on this plane. I'm not sure what service the crew is offering or to whom they are offering it. Despite sightings of them I never saw any actual service.
The next update tells us the tests haven't worked so the next step is to de-power the plane. The plane is looking a bit disorderly by this time with passengers congregating for leg stretches and speculative huddles about the place, and the crew bring around some water and little packets of nibbles. They tell me they can't serve alcohol, even though another attendant brings my neighbours across the aisle 2 Singapore slings. Damn the randomness of service from flight attendants.
The next update tells us that didn't work and now the fire brigade is coming out to have a look. At this point the captain let's slip it had something to do with a rudder of some sort. The crew comes around with sandwiches. I am still hopeful we will get away and save myself for a beef rendang. By this time it is clear that my stopover timeframe has disappeared and I will not be making my connecting flight.
4 hours after our flight was supposed to take off we are told to hop off. I am prepared and am a front runner to the service desk, where she taps away on her computer, tells me I am now diverted through Frankfurt and that I will have to get my tickets at the Lufthansa service desk. I ask what time the Frankfurt flight is and even though she booked it, she tells me she can't see in the Lufthansa system (she is Singapore Airlines) so I will have to ask them 🤔.
I hot-foot it to the Lufthansa desk where 4 attendants are looking after 3 people and I am next in line. 1 person finalises their transaction and 2 of the staff appear to be free, along with another who had just arrived behind the desk. The line starts to fill up behind me, and the 3 seemingly free attendants continue to chat among themselves for a good 10 minutes. There is some joking in the line about the famed German efficiency.
I get called up, explain I'm from the cancelled flight and have been booked through Frankfurt. she asks for my cancelled plane boarding pass and says ' oh, they've booked you on the 6pm Frankfurt flight'. It's now 5.40pm. So she faffs about a bit more, and while she does I check on the class status of my seats. She tells me I've been booked right through in economy. I tell her I had booked PE and she says I will have to talk to Singapore Airlines staff in Frankfurt about that. By this time my anxiety is somewhat heightened. She then sends me packing in a hurry, back through passport control where it's lucky there's no line. I get to the gate, explain my situation and they say 'do you know about this flight? It has only just left from Frankfurt so you will have to just wait around in this area until it arrives and is called'. So, no rush apparently...I haven't really got a handle on timeframes now so I check and my trip has blown out to 39 hours in all. 😩 I also check my boarding passes and I am booked on PE - crisis averted 😅.
When the flight's called I compete with all the pusher inner European travellers to get through the gate and discover we are boarding a bus to get to our plane. About 10 minutes into the bus trip when we turn onto what looks distinctly like a proper road, I'm wondering if I've been booked on a bus from Munich to Frankfurt. To my relief about 10 minutes later I end up at a plane.
Everything goes pretty much as planned from there with another short delay only in Frankfurt, and the bummer of all the planes being full so no best seat and spreading out as per the original flight. I get to Singapore where they give me a $15 voucher for my troubles, (less than the cost of one spritzer) and I have extra time so I book a massage and shower.
Weirdest. Massage. Ever. I don't know where she did her training but her moves are all short, rapid movements, no long relaxing movements I'm used to in a massage. I'm so tired I go into it thinking I'll be lucky not to fall asleep. Not so! She's pushing my flesh and muscles around so quickly that my teeth are clattering together in my head. Some of it is totally ineffectual - when she's touching my feet it's almost like she's doing butterfly kisses, there's so little pressure. But then when I turn over, she feels the need to massage my sternum (which no one else ever does btw) with such gusto it took an awful lot of discipline not to punch her in the face. Anyway, it works out some of the knots and I take an extra long time in the shower which helps with the rest.
I've landed in Brisbane,13 hours late (thanks Allana for looking after Dex for another night). No surprise - I`m being paged (as Samantha Williams but I`ve got their number). My bag didn`t make it, will arrive tomorrow. I couldn`t give two hoots. Can't wait to get home.
Linda's Postscript
I had a more PG rated massage in Hong Kong and made my way (eventually) to the Qantas Club. I don't know what it is about this place but I wander about, despairing of ever getting there, ask multiple staff for directions and eventually it appears.
Sensational service from all staff I encountered and damn if they don't make a great margarita.
 |
| QC Hong Kong, sensational - if you can find it! |
 |
| Wonton soup followed by bbq pork (and margaritas) at QC |
Aboard my last flight home however, all sorts of less wonderful. Firstly, last minute change of aircraft, so no single seat config and to my horror I discover I am now in a window seat. After an almost certainly unhinged entreaty from me, the scared crew member advised there was no-one in my aisle seat, so I thanked the heavens and took my seat. Next bit of news, no entertainment system. Didn't bother me that much as I always travel with days' worth of downloads, however if I had boarded a 9 hour flight unprepared, perhaps with children!, I would not have been so calm about the alternative entertainment offer of magazines.
Taxied for a good 40 mins post departure time. I must have been engrossed in Ozark as when I noticed the two gents across from me getting second drinks' serves, I realised I'd had none. That pointed out, the steward made up for the slight with RSL portion wine serves from there on. Wheels up around 9pm. Staff were aghast with the old, old aircraft we were on, they had been told an hour before scheduled take off and were none too happy to be on crew. The older model clearly presented some difficulties in the gallery as dinner didn't eventuate until close to midnight.
Business seats did not recline as business seats should. Lie-flat was a long ago dream. No hot breakfast. Inadequate number of toilets. However, home now :)
