I love Easyjet. I mean I really do, no kidding. Not a popular opinion by all accounts. I have flown with them countless times without so much as a hitch. The worst experience so far was a 30 minutes delay. Until the is past Thursday.
Why is it that as soon as it snows, or threatens to snow, the entire United Kingdom is thrown into chaos? I’m talking snow-which-will-melt-the-next-day here. None of that Russian winter stuff. This entire island is north off Montreal. Same latitude as most of … CANADA! It’s supposed to snow here. Yet people act all shocked when it does. And more importantly, all hell breaks loose transport system-wise. Alright then, it’s not a easyjet problem(I hear you say)? Actually it is.
I thought I’d be clever and fly back from London instead of taking the overnight train. You know, to save time. My aforementioned cleverness also led me to buy the cheapest/latest flight out of Stansted. Biiiig mistake. Since I don’t like London at all, I showed up rather early at the airport (about 7 hours early). Everything is going fine so far, even found somewhere to plug-in so I can work. Then around 17.00 I hear the announcement that an Easyjet flight Glasgow has a 2 hrs delay. Not my flight mind you, but I go and check it out anyway. It turns out that due to mechanical issues the 16.45 flight is delayed for 2 hrs. Since there is just ONE plane going back and forth between Stansted and Glasgow (that’s right) it snowballs into delaying EVERYTHING by two hrs. My flight now is supposed to leave at 22.40 instead of 20.45. I then try to get onto one of the earlier easyjet flights and I am told by and incompetent, but otherwise perfectly pleasant bloke, that that is not possible. This is interesting, as you’ll see later.
I go sit back down and wait. The flight is then delayed further (23.50), I don’t really know why. They don’t tell us. They don’t seem to know. Or care.
At around 19.00 I start queuing for my free drink coupon and meet a pleasant family from Glasgow and a loud Australian dude. Very nice. Everyone is trying to get onto the earlier flight. It has now suddenly become possible. Go figure. I try to get onto the Edinburgh flight by going back out through security and racing to the (unmanned) EZJ desk. The girl behind the counter tells me it’s too late. The things is already boarding. Sorry.
I go back through security, and towards my gate. Where a bunch of people are still waiting for their plane to arrive. I check the board. Sure enough it’s the flight to Edinburgh I just tried to get onto. Curses ensue …
A couple of hours and a movie later (“Leaving Las Vegas” is really depressing; bad choice given the situation, I know) the board finally shows “Final Call” for our flight. It is now 23.30 and the end is in sight! I have now been at the airport for 10 hrs.
