What could possibly go wrong #1 ?
The day couldn't have started better. Taxi driver calls on my mobile at 4.44am.
Beautiful run out to beautiful Dublin airport. Security queue shorter than usual. Air France lounge for the first time. "Neat dress essential", what the hell? I might have flown 42,000km with you over the last 10 months but you still want me to scrub up before I can enter your damn lounge?? They let me in despite my Jeans & T-Shirt, and the coffee was absolutely shite, should have gone for the cognac...
Board plane on the dot of 6.15. Everything looking tickedy boo. My 50 minute transfer time in Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG, for those in the know of airport codes) looks like a piece of piss. Everyone boarded soon after. We're laughing. Sit around for a couple of minutes, start to squirm. Captain informs us that we will be delayed by 10-15 minutes due to "Air traffic control restrictions" (Those damn four words will kill me some day). 14.5 minutes later there is a knock on the airplane door (I kid you not, an actual knuckle rap on the doors of a 737), the door is opened and in walks a girl (slightly flustered, but not half flustered enough for the fact that she has opened the door of a "Boarding complete" aircraft).
Fast forward 15 minutes and the pilot comes on the radio (telling me more and more about some useless information) and informs us that there is fog in Paris and that our flight will now be delayed by 45 minutes. Positivity kicks in and I persuade myself that the pilot will fly faster, that because of the fog the Delhi flight will leave late etc. etc.
We fly off in to the great blue yonder round about three quarters of an hour later. In the meantime I am making some alternative plans:
* Rugby world cup match in Paris
* Always wanted to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
* Meet up with my mate Oli for some drinky poos
Paris one & a half hours later we land smoothly despite fog, pull up to the gate in Terminal 2E and I make like Carl Lewis and sprint through the terminal. My Delhi flight is leaving from 2F and the monitor is saying "Last call". Hope remains. Exit passport control. Thru customs. Enter passport control. Baggage check. 4 flights of stairs, 1 escalator. God smiles upon the brave, doesn't he?
I arrive at Gate 84 a mere 10 minutes after deplaning (anyone else hate that word?) to find a nice big "BOARDING CLOSED" sign.
Arse.
Beautiful run out to beautiful Dublin airport. Security queue shorter than usual. Air France lounge for the first time. "Neat dress essential", what the hell? I might have flown 42,000km with you over the last 10 months but you still want me to scrub up before I can enter your damn lounge?? They let me in despite my Jeans & T-Shirt, and the coffee was absolutely shite, should have gone for the cognac...
Board plane on the dot of 6.15. Everything looking tickedy boo. My 50 minute transfer time in Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG, for those in the know of airport codes) looks like a piece of piss. Everyone boarded soon after. We're laughing. Sit around for a couple of minutes, start to squirm. Captain informs us that we will be delayed by 10-15 minutes due to "Air traffic control restrictions" (Those damn four words will kill me some day). 14.5 minutes later there is a knock on the airplane door (I kid you not, an actual knuckle rap on the doors of a 737), the door is opened and in walks a girl (slightly flustered, but not half flustered enough for the fact that she has opened the door of a "Boarding complete" aircraft).
Fast forward 15 minutes and the pilot comes on the radio (telling me more and more about some useless information) and informs us that there is fog in Paris and that our flight will now be delayed by 45 minutes. Positivity kicks in and I persuade myself that the pilot will fly faster, that because of the fog the Delhi flight will leave late etc. etc.
We fly off in to the great blue yonder round about three quarters of an hour later. In the meantime I am making some alternative plans:
* Rugby world cup match in Paris
* Always wanted to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
* Meet up with my mate Oli for some drinky poos
Paris one & a half hours later we land smoothly despite fog, pull up to the gate in Terminal 2E and I make like Carl Lewis and sprint through the terminal. My Delhi flight is leaving from 2F and the monitor is saying "Last call". Hope remains. Exit passport control. Thru customs. Enter passport control. Baggage check. 4 flights of stairs, 1 escalator. God smiles upon the brave, doesn't he?
I arrive at Gate 84 a mere 10 minutes after deplaning (anyone else hate that word?) to find a nice big "BOARDING CLOSED" sign.
Arse.
posted by Andrew at
17:40
1 Comments:
Hi Andrew,
so, what did you end up doing in Paris? Date with Mona Lisa?
Tati
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