If you Have Time to Spare Go By Air

When will airports ever treat passengers as Customers? I had the misfortune to travel by air yesterday and believe me it was not a pleasant experience and I have flown all over the world for the past 40 years.

Before you start you must to park the car and the very expensive car park is normally miles away from where you want to be , the terminal. Even if you are lucky enough to get dropped off by someone, they get charged to do so and then you are still a fair distance from the terminal and you have fight to get a space. From the car park you have to wait for a bus. It says every 10 minutes on the sign but you can wait for what seems a lifetime. You struggle on the bus with your cases and stand up for the ride to the terminal. The driver never says a word. When you get there you unload yourself and bags from the bus hoping you have the correct terminal as there is usually more than one. There are no signs outside to tell you where to go you have to look inside. If you are at the wrong terminal you will not see your flight on the screen, so you have to find someone. Airport information would help, when you find information there is a queue. Eventually you are informed of the correct place to go.

Check in is at a machine and you have bags. “No problem sir. you can do that from here too” says the assistant. You follow the instructions and the machine will not accept you. “Sorry sir you will have to go to the desk”. yet another queue. Ten minutes later you reach the check in person. You then get the stupid question “Did you pack these bags yourself sir?” No the dog did. What a stupid question. The check in person ignores your answer and asks is their any dangerous goods inside? No should there be!. The check in person carries on as they are not looking at you as they attached the tag. You hope and Pray your Alivemax spray is safe.
Your passport is returned together with a boarding card. You are not asked where you want to sit or told where to go next. So you ask. You are told and looked as if you came from another planet. The person next to you has got the wrong day and has to come back tomorrow. At least you have the correct day.

So you make your way to Departures and you reach the boarding card check point. You have not time to look around now as you have spent the best part of an hour trying to check in. She,s there the one in a uniform. “Boarding cards only please. I do not need your passport. Don,t tear off your boarding pass. Look into the camera. Come on move along.” You dare not reply to or her she would eat you alive, she has a uniform.
Now you have hit the security queue. What have we in store for us today. Is it belts off! shoes off! laptops in or out? Jackets off for men. You are at the machine. you empty your pockets take off your jacket, shoes and belt take out your laptop and put your brief case on the belt and walk through. The alarm goes off and lights flash. You have forgotten your watch. It always sets it off. You get a full body search and sent through the frame again. You go to pick up your bag and they want all your cables and hard drives out of your briefcase and through the machine again. You now have 5 trays of bits and pieces and you are watching them in case some else picks up your stuff. “ I need to check your laptop sir” So there your are undressed your stuff everywhere and the security person needs to check your laptop. Eventually it is done you gather your belongings together and get dressed. You think to yourself I have paid for this.

Time is ticking by and you get to the lounge and your flight is boarding. You rush to the gate no time for duty free or a drink. You really need one by now too. You get to the gate in another queue. By now you are sweating you have no deodorant as you can,t bring it with you. You check your armpits just in case. You are now through to the gate., Oh no its a bus!!. You are herded onto the bus and driven to the aircraft. The doors don,t open they are not ready for passengers yet. Eventually you get off the bus and onto the aircraft. You are almost there now just a fight to get your briefcase in the overhead bin and you are there. You sit down after struggling for the space in the overhead bin. Phew! You are on.
Then captain speks over the intercom. “I am sorry ladies and gentlemen we have an
air traffic delay and we will have to wait a further 30 minutes to take off meanwhile make yourselves comfortable.” You must be Joking!

You have paid good money to be treated like this. Would you put up with this treatment in Marks and Spencers.

Http://www.ourkidd.com