Stephen Thorne (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jerub) wrote,@ 2008-06-04 20:36:00 |
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Arglebargle
So I had a terribly tuesday. Probably my worst day ever. I handled it quite well considering all that went on on tuesday.
I had been called on friday night by my boss explaining that I would be sent to melbourne to troubleshoot a problem. A good summary of my task is summed up by "Someone on the internet is WRONG".
On monday I got my itinery. 6:15 virgin blue flight to melbourne, getting there 8:20ish, leaving again at 17:10 to get home at 8:20ish. Someone from our client was going to meet me at the airport.
I woke up at around 3:30AM, and couldn't get back to sleep. I had my alarm set for 4:30AM, so I turned that off, got up, got dressed (suit) waited around, and ordered my taxi for a little earlier, 4:45AM instead of 5AM. I got in the taxi and was treated to a pre-dawn 25 minutes of Afghani Christian Praise music, and a taxi driver who barely spoke english.
*sigh*
At the airport, I grabbed some banana bread and some coffee. It was the most appetizing thing I could find at the airport.
The incoming plane we were going to leave on was running late. We didn't get to board the aircraft until 6:20AM, and we were supposed to be in the air at that time. We got on the plane, had crew running around looking confused, and then probably 10 minutes later they announced that the flight was overbooked. And they wanted 7 volunteers with no baggage in the hold to get OFF the plane and take the next flight.
A fair while later, 3 more volunteers were called for. "Preferably 2 men and a woman". "But it doesn't have to be." Serious WTF moment there.
All in all, that fluffing around took about an hour. We ended up taking off 90 minutes after our scheduled departure time. As a concession, they gave us the in flight entertainment (foxtel basically) for free for the flight. We're also told there is fog in melbourne, so we've taken on more fuel.
The folks destined for adelaide have been prodding the staff because they're worried about their transfer in melbourne.
*sigh*
So we're on our way, the people I'm sitting with are nice, we're a little annoyed at how long it's taken, the next two hours of flight time to Melbourne are okay. We get there, the usual "we're just about to land and the weather is cold" announcements are made.
Then we hear the engines spool up and we feel the thrust as the plane does a go-around.
3 times.
Then we get told it's too foggy, so we're going to wait in a holding pattern until it clears.
Everyone's starting to stress out a bit because they've got people waiting or are on their way to melbourne to meetings, and want to get there soon.
We're in a holding pattern for what must have been around an hour before we hear from the captain appologising for the weather and explaining we're being diverted to Adelaide.
The Adelaide destined folks cheered.
*sigh*
So we fly to Adelaide, land, and have to wait on the tarmac because 5 other flights got in ahead of us and need a space at the terminal. At this point we start turning on phones discreetly. I turn on mine and realise I don't know the PIN because it's written down at home. I attempt to remember it and end up locking it, requiring the PUK code.
*sigh*
Another 15 minutes passes and we get told we can turn on phones and make calls if we want. The plane Explodes with people pulling out their phones or opening the overhead lockers looking for their phones in their bags. The head crewmember berates us saying, "we meant if you didn't have to get up, if we need to move the plane in a hurry you're all standing". A passenger rejoins with "We're not in a hurry anymore mate!". We laugh, the crew shut up.
I wait until my new friends sitting with me have finished their calls, and then ask to borrow a phone so I can call mobilenet and get my phone unlocked. That was annoying but at least I could then call the office.
It turns out Virgin Blue told my office that my flight had landed at 10:10AM. They had no idea I was in adelaide, and the guy waiting for me was freaking out a little, so were all my workmates. It was 11:45AM before I could checkin with them. The guy waiting at the airport had been there since 08:00AM. Yikes.
*sigh*
So we finally get a berth at the airport. It's taken ages. the adelaide folks are taken off the plane, and then it's explained to us that there's another plane behind us that wants the berth, so what we're going to do is: a) Move the passengers in the terminal waiting at our gate to another gate. b) unload us. c) our plane will leave for a bit. d) the next plane will berth, refuel, and leave without passengers. e) our plane will come back to the berth and we will re-board.
We're not allowed to get off the plane until everyone has found their boarding pass, because we'll be using those to get back on the aircraft. This took a little bit of time.
*sigh*
We're told to stay at the gate. We ignore this and go to the cafe to get some food. It's past 12:00PM by this point and we're all starving. I buy some extra water for the flight.
We re-board, and wait another 30 minutes before we take off. My office has been asking for an ETA on getting to melbourne, and I've been totally unable to give one, and we've all been asked to have our mobiles off since we boarded the plane. I ignored this directive a little.
We fly back to melbourne, and only spend 30 minutes getting a gate there, where we can disembark. Finally in melbourne at 4pm. I collect my bag, make more calls, and it turns out they've solved all the problems I was sent to melbourne to deal with, and I need to get back on a flight to Brisbane.
*sigh*
I fly back at 7pm, only delayed a bit, and I get in at 9:30pm.
So I had a terribly tuesday. Probably my worst day ever. I handled it quite well considering all that went on on tuesday.
I had been called on friday night by my boss explaining that I would be sent to melbourne to troubleshoot a problem. A good summary of my task is summed up by "Someone on the internet is WRONG".
On monday I got my itinery. 6:15 virgin blue flight to melbourne, getting there 8:20ish, leaving again at 17:10 to get home at 8:20ish. Someone from our client was going to meet me at the airport.
I woke up at around 3:30AM, and couldn't get back to sleep. I had my alarm set for 4:30AM, so I turned that off, got up, got dressed (suit) waited around, and ordered my taxi for a little earlier, 4:45AM instead of 5AM. I got in the taxi and was treated to a pre-dawn 25 minutes of Afghani Christian Praise music, and a taxi driver who barely spoke english.
*sigh*
At the airport, I grabbed some banana bread and some coffee. It was the most appetizing thing I could find at the airport.
The incoming plane we were going to leave on was running late. We didn't get to board the aircraft until 6:20AM, and we were supposed to be in the air at that time. We got on the plane, had crew running around looking confused, and then probably 10 minutes later they announced that the flight was overbooked. And they wanted 7 volunteers with no baggage in the hold to get OFF the plane and take the next flight.
A fair while later, 3 more volunteers were called for. "Preferably 2 men and a woman". "But it doesn't have to be." Serious WTF moment there.
All in all, that fluffing around took about an hour. We ended up taking off 90 minutes after our scheduled departure time. As a concession, they gave us the in flight entertainment (foxtel basically) for free for the flight. We're also told there is fog in melbourne, so we've taken on more fuel.
The folks destined for adelaide have been prodding the staff because they're worried about their transfer in melbourne.
*sigh*
So we're on our way, the people I'm sitting with are nice, we're a little annoyed at how long it's taken, the next two hours of flight time to Melbourne are okay. We get there, the usual "we're just about to land and the weather is cold" announcements are made.
Then we hear the engines spool up and we feel the thrust as the plane does a go-around.
3 times.
Then we get told it's too foggy, so we're going to wait in a holding pattern until it clears.
Everyone's starting to stress out a bit because they've got people waiting or are on their way to melbourne to meetings, and want to get there soon.
We're in a holding pattern for what must have been around an hour before we hear from the captain appologising for the weather and explaining we're being diverted to Adelaide.
The Adelaide destined folks cheered.
*sigh*
So we fly to Adelaide, land, and have to wait on the tarmac because 5 other flights got in ahead of us and need a space at the terminal. At this point we start turning on phones discreetly. I turn on mine and realise I don't know the PIN because it's written down at home. I attempt to remember it and end up locking it, requiring the PUK code.
*sigh*
Another 15 minutes passes and we get told we can turn on phones and make calls if we want. The plane Explodes with people pulling out their phones or opening the overhead lockers looking for their phones in their bags. The head crewmember berates us saying, "we meant if you didn't have to get up, if we need to move the plane in a hurry you're all standing". A passenger rejoins with "We're not in a hurry anymore mate!". We laugh, the crew shut up.
I wait until my new friends sitting with me have finished their calls, and then ask to borrow a phone so I can call mobilenet and get my phone unlocked. That was annoying but at least I could then call the office.
It turns out Virgin Blue told my office that my flight had landed at 10:10AM. They had no idea I was in adelaide, and the guy waiting for me was freaking out a little, so were all my workmates. It was 11:45AM before I could checkin with them. The guy waiting at the airport had been there since 08:00AM. Yikes.
*sigh*
So we finally get a berth at the airport. It's taken ages. the adelaide folks are taken off the plane, and then it's explained to us that there's another plane behind us that wants the berth, so what we're going to do is: a) Move the passengers in the terminal waiting at our gate to another gate. b) unload us. c) our plane will leave for a bit. d) the next plane will berth, refuel, and leave without passengers. e) our plane will come back to the berth and we will re-board.
We're not allowed to get off the plane until everyone has found their boarding pass, because we'll be using those to get back on the aircraft. This took a little bit of time.
*sigh*
We're told to stay at the gate. We ignore this and go to the cafe to get some food. It's past 12:00PM by this point and we're all starving. I buy some extra water for the flight.
We re-board, and wait another 30 minutes before we take off. My office has been asking for an ETA on getting to melbourne, and I've been totally unable to give one, and we've all been asked to have our mobiles off since we boarded the plane. I ignored this directive a little.
We fly back to melbourne, and only spend 30 minutes getting a gate there, where we can disembark. Finally in melbourne at 4pm. I collect my bag, make more calls, and it turns out they've solved all the problems I was sent to melbourne to deal with, and I need to get back on a flight to Brisbane.
*sigh*
I fly back at 7pm, only delayed a bit, and I get in at 9:30pm.
