My flight change anabasis
When flying with low cost airlines, it simply happens sometimes, that your flight is changed.... Sometimes you can even have loads of "fun" around it. For instance like me with my flight from Bali to Cochin in India.
- Few hours before my flight I find out by a chance from my email, that my flight had been changed.
- I really do not like the new term.
- Fortunately I can change it.
- But I don`t have much time for it.
- I try to change it online, but I fail, as it is less than 48 hours before the flight, so the system doesn`t let me in.
- I call Indonesian Air Asia careline.
- Carelines are usually for free. But Indonesia wouldn`t be Indonesia, if it is not different way, more precisely the very opposite way, meaning it was more expensive than any other calls.
- After 10 minutes of me pressing ones, twos …… waiting till the customers who got through before myself get served ….. I can hear a pleasant voice of an Indonesian lady. We manage to say hello to each other and I run out of credit.
- I jump on my scooter to get a new credit. It is raining like hell, but I am ok, I have a raincoat.
- I better get much higher credit than usual.
- I try to reach Indonesian Air Asia careline again.
- And it is all repeating ….. pressing ones, twos ….. Oh yeah, I made it. There was an Indonesian gentleman now. Very polite. So polite, that he repeated each my sentence 3 times, then he was repeating 3 times his words, checking 10 times whether he understood well spelling of my airticket code. He was bowing after each sentence, saying many thank yous, even more sorrys and God knows what ….. and hurray, we got to the point, that I would like to change the new flight and for which date. He replied “one moment madam” and then I could hear just “beep, beep, beep ……”, as thanks to all the politeness, bowing, thanking and everything I run out of credit again.
- Phew, I am afraid my nerves are not strong enough for this.
- I better go and get some surf before darkness and then I will go straight to the Air Asia office at the airport. They close at 8pm.
- My timing is pretty tight.
- As I slowly started packing for the flight, I took out of the scooter all stuff, including the raincoat, which I didn’t use nearly whole two months, as it was dry season yet …..
- Of course I get completely soaked.
- I park the scooter. Cool, time still ok. I run 300 meters to the airport building ….. oh, at least I thought it was the airport building, but it was cargo. 10 more minutes to the airport.
- So I go again, park the scooter at 3 floor concrete parking for scooters. As the parking is usually used by locals only, the corridors between scooters didn’t count with the fact someone has a surf racks on the side.
- So even with caution turned to the max I hit 5 mudguards. It is ok, they all hold.
- I run like crazy over the airport “garden”.
- I am finding Air Asia office, time 19:57 …. Great!
- I am wet. Rivers of water are running from my hair, t-shirt and shorts.
- So like this I spent “amazing” 90 minutes at the airport airconditioned on “pleasant” 18 degrees ….. In the wet clothes …. Super! This is a punishment for our everyday grumbling with locals “panas panas” (hot hot).
- A super capable “supervisor” promised to me, that he is going to change my flight to 4.12. at 6 morning (instead 3.12. of the same time). But saying he is not able to print anything for me at the moment, that the only thing he can do is to give me his name and a phone number and that he will send me the electronical ticket via email during the night. I know they are doing it like this here, I had experienced it once already and it worked, so I stayed calm.
- As even back home I am not able to find my car parked at parking differentiated by colors, numbers and letters, so imagine how mental I must have got trying to find my scooter among 1000 others without any marking.
- Lets forget it. I am home. I get “warm” by cold shower, slip under sarong. I would give a fortune for a real blanket and if the aircon was able to heat.
- 3.12. I go for a morning surf.
- I get to my email around lunch time, where I can see an email from the supervisor from about midnight, that the airticket I wanted was for some reasons unconvenient and if I really want it, I should give him a call immediately, otherwise he will leave as a valid the original one, meaning the one, that was over nearly 6 hours.
- I can`t believe my eyes. I try to contact Mr. supervisor – email, calls. No reaction whole afternoon. I didn’t believe he is going to get back to me and was ready to go and experience another fruitful conversation with Air Asia at the airport. But eventually I got a response, that my flight was changed for 4.12. in the morning.
- Hurrey ….. lets celebrate.
- Ha ha, to early to celebrate ……
- I agreed with a friend of mine that he is going to give me a lift by car to the airport at 4 in the morning. Which was great as I am traveling with a heavy bag and a surfboard and wet season was fully on.
- I knew he was going for a party the night, but he reassured me, he will be fine.
- I better agree with another friend, she will drop me by scooter in case.
- I wake up, my friend was out of reach.
- I stay calm, I have the back door.
- Upssss, the back wheel from the scooter is empty. Grrrrrr!!!
- I am full of doubts how I am going to get a taxi now, at 3 o`clock. But miracles happen, thank to my friend for such a great contacts.
- The taxi driver is not coming and then he gives me a call he cannot find us.
- No way!!! Please heeeeelp!
- …… Phew, I made it.
- I am waiting at the airport and my friend, the one that was supposed to give me the lift, is calling “hey, I am on the beach, just going for you” ….. “aha?!” ….. “Sorry, I messed up the time of your flight arrival with the time of getting you in the house”…..
- We have a laugh. Everything ended up well. Indonesia time was amazing. Thanks everyone and see you again.
- We get a warm welcome in the plane “Welcome on board ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…..”, so now only 12 hours at Kuala Lumpur airport, survive all the X-mass songs resonating from all corners and ….. the India finally?
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