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Post by auntieannie on Jul 5, 2022 21:41:23 GMT 2
The news are full of "airports are understaffed and it's a mess".
Let's share our experiences of travelling in 2022.
First flight for me in three years was last week. GVA to EDI with Easyjet.
I am no longer a fan of easyjet, but theirs was the only direct flight I could find that was not either leaving at 6am or landing at 22h30pm. and all in all, it was the cheapest too.
we left about 30 minutes late, and it was said the aircraft had arrived late. I didn't see any real issue. the flight was open for bag drop an hour earlier than usual, so three whole hours before flight and this made dropping the bag relatively smooth. I was there well in advance and got to witness some silly travellers and how professionally they were handled. I sailed through security, had an expensive but delicious meal before my flight and the personnel on board was lovely and warm. The bag retrieval belt randomly changed from one belt to the next partway through bag retrieval. But all ended well, although the large number of luggage left by the belts looked rather strange.
return flight was today. same company, I believe the flight does ?? - GVA, GVA - EDI, EDI - GVA, GVA - ??
smooth tram journey from town centre. Contrary to Geneva, the counter was full of machines rather than staff handling the luggage, and it was the travellers who had to do all the work (weigh the suitcase, put the printed label around the handle and drop the piece of luggage onto a moving conveyor belt, bringing luggage to the depths of the airport). Worryingly, there was one official guy at one counter by the conveyor belt with lots of luggage around him. security was super smooth. Once the gate was announced, boarding took place quite soon. As the Scottish woman mentioned, the announcement was rubbish. Instructions were unclear and mumbled at high speed by a strongly accented woman (the fellow traveler who commented said "I can't understand a word of it and I'm scottish"). But we knew what to do... more or less. flight was eventless, except at landing, where we were kept on the plane until someone decided to get the moving corridor to the plane door and then, contrary to habitude, we were directed down the stairs and ... out on the tarmac, to shuttle buses to the main terminal and then had to go up one level and walk for about the length of the main terminal, quite substantial, to passport control. I was one of the lucky few who could use the airy and mostly empty automatic passport control hall. Both the app on my phone and the information on the shuttle bus gave the wrong bag retrieval belt number. but I found the correct belt, with lots of luggage on it and no one around it.
managed to pay for my train ticket on the appropriate app and board the train within minutes of exiting into arrivals' hall. the train was absolutely packed and it was fairly busy all the way, which is unusual unless you're travelling with the school kids and they are already on hols here.
All in all, fairly happy with my experience, but I wouldn't want to be doing the same not fully able. I booked standard tickets, and as far as I could see both times, speedy boarding is a hoax. Don't use it.
Note: I wore a mask in the busy terminals and on the planes. even on the super busy train today. my choice.
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 6, 2022 7:33:16 GMT 2
we are getting girded up for our trip next week... we are flying to zrh and overnighting, then continuing to kef on wednesday...
due to all the noise about chaos we are taking carry-ons only so we won't have to hunt our bags and which carrousel they are on...
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Post by sophie on Jul 6, 2022 7:48:42 GMT 2
Our friend who is flying in from Israel via Amsterdam and Toronto is 2 1/2 hours delayed.. I’m sucking up coffee so I can stay awake as it will be almost 1 am when I get him. But only 2 1/2 hours late isn’t bad considering the stories I’ve been hearing in the news, especially about Toronto.
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Post by OnlyMark on Jul 6, 2022 8:58:14 GMT 2
January, flew Sarajevo to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Madrid with Lufthansa. Had a few days checking the house. Then Madrid to Bogota with Iberia. Same for return in February. No delays, no problems. Everything as normal.
March to April flew Sarajevo to Bonn with Austrian via Vienna and same return. Again, no delays, no problems.
April flew Sarajevo to Malaga via Istanbul (long way round I know) with Turkish. Same return. Boringly, all smooth as well apart from long queues at immigration leaving Malaga.
April to May drove Bosnia, Slovenia and Croatia. Minimal delays at border crossings.
Middle to end of May flew again via Istanbul with Turkish from Sarajevo to Malaga. Again no delays or problems and a smaller immigration queue leaving Malaga.
Third week of June drove Sarajevo to Split, took overnight car ferry to Ancona, drove across Italy to Civitavecchia via a walk round and look at stuff stop in Perugia, took another overnight car ferry from there to Barcelona, stayed night in Tarragona and next day drove to house (8 hours with stops). No delays though long waits in car queues to get on ferries, no problems, all as expected.
Future travels all by car in involving Spain, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia for the rest if the year including Christmas and New Year in various combinations of countries, maybe a flight to Spain again in December, not sure and not so keen on doing so until next booked flight February 2023.
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 6, 2022 11:17:05 GMT 2
Smart, Mark!
Sophie, I hope your friend has arrived safely now. two dear friends of the friend I was at the party for saw their short flights substantially delayed.(both within the UK).
A former colleague stated that her flight from Manchester to her holiday destination was a mess. MAN Airport a mess and flight took a crazy amount of time waiting for takeoff with everyone on board. But she got to her holiday place and is now happily enjoying her holidays.
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Post by sophie on Jul 6, 2022 19:32:50 GMT 2
Yes, our friend had arrived. He’s been on three continents recently and told us that he feels the airports in Europe are the most challenging ones, with the longest lines. But that can all change so quickly.
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Post by lumi on Jul 6, 2022 21:40:16 GMT 2
Last week I flew from Singapore to Basel, Switzerland via Istanbul. All went smoothly, including the transfer, and luggage was quickly on the belt when we arrived. Travelled business class so not sure if that made any difference.
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Post by lumi on Jul 7, 2022 7:57:56 GMT 2
I should add that the lack of mask wearing worries me. Perhaps that is because I live in a country where we have had to wear a mask, even outdoors, since the pandemic began. I'm currently in Switzerland and here you are allowed to go about your business mingling in public even if you test positive for covid - and you don't even need to wear a mask. That rely worries me, especially with the number of people coughing in some locations I have been.
Airports and planes have been the worst for clearly sick people you can't easily avoid. So many display all of the covid symptoms and yet still don't wear a mask. Doesn't make for a comfortable flight when such a person is sitting next to you.
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 7, 2022 10:09:37 GMT 2
I should add that the lack of mask wearing worries me. Perhaps that is because I live in a country where we have had to wear a mask, even outdoors, since the pandemic began. I'm currently in Switzerland and here you are allowed to go about your business mingling in public even if you test positive for covid - and you don't even need to wear a mask. That rely worries me, especially with the number of people coughing in some locations I have been. Airports and planes have been the worst for clearly sick people you can't easily avoid. So many display all of the covid symptoms and yet still don't wear a mask. Doesn't make for a comfortable flight when such a person is sitting next to you. I shall take that into consideration when we overnight near the zurich airport next week... we shall necessarily double mask! |
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Post by Baz Faz on Jul 7, 2022 10:30:39 GMT 2
I read somewhere re mask wearing on planes: the air filtration system on planes is so efficient that it is unlikely that Covid can be passed on.
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Post by lumi on Jul 7, 2022 15:13:23 GMT 2
I read somewhere re mask wearing on planes: the air filtration system on planes is so efficient that it is unlikely that Covid can be passed on. I think that holds true for those seated away from the sick person but not so much for those in the same row or the row directly behind or in front. And of course it also assumes the surfaces you touch such as the armrest and TV screen have been adequately cleaned of potential germs. On one of my flights, a women who was constantly coughing and having to blow her nose kept her dirty mask on the arm rest she shared with a stranger. That guy kept his mask on diligently! |
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 8, 2022 13:53:10 GMT 2
I read somewhere re mask wearing on planes: the air filtration system on planes is so efficient that it is unlikely that Covid can be passed on. back in the day when TB was considered serious and tracking was done, they found what lumi pointed out: those in rows around the ill person were infected... |
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Post by rikita on Jul 8, 2022 14:08:19 GMT 2
i am not flying (decided to do that as rarely as possible, only when there is really no other way of getting somewhere that makes sense - will have to report later on though whether trains, ferries and busses all were on time and went smoothly) - but a colleague had problems both ways on his trip to croatia recently. flight (easy jet, i think) going there was moved, then new flight was canceled altogether, but he was only told when he was about to board. he considered driving then, as he had to be in dubrovnik at a specific time, but in the end found a different flight that he booked (lufthansa). on the way home, connecting flight from frankfurt was canceled and he got one for the next day, finding a hotel was difficult, too - apparently they just pay but don't help you find one that is still available at the price range they pay - next morning after already checking in the new flight got canceled, too, and he went home by train ...
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 8, 2022 14:25:52 GMT 2
wouldn't trust the air filtration on an airplane more than in any other closed space full of public.
Issue here in Switzerland at the moment re COVID, is that it is left to people's judgement as to whether or not to wear a mask. I don't trust most people's judgement.
It seems unfortunately that many who believed conspiracy theories still believe them.
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Post by lumi on Jul 8, 2022 14:49:29 GMT 2
Annie, from those people you know, are the rare few who wear a mask in Switzerland doing so because they are being cautious for themselves or because they have tested positive and (although deciding to still go out in public) want to protect others from catching it?
I never know whether the 'safer' option if I need to be close to someone is to go towards or away from a mask wearer! As someone who has had to wear a mask since the beginning of the pandemic, even when teaching in the humidity and heat to a large group outdoors, I still feel a bit uneasy about the lack of masks in Europe (as per my current experience). I do wonder how I would feel if I had lived the pandemic in one of these countries with an 'easier' stance to public rules - perhaps I wouldn't feel so much anxiety over the illness?!
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 8, 2022 21:56:51 GMT 2
I think those who wear masks want to protect themselves. Although a couple did wear one because they had tested positive. so bit of both. no way to know.
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Post by lumi on Jul 12, 2022 10:18:52 GMT 2
Thought I'd come back here to update following my return journey. My first flight from Basel, Switzerland was delayed by 1.5 hours. My connecting flight in Istanbul was delayed by 1hr 25mins. Luggage took longer than usual to arrive on the belt and my suitcase was quite literally the last piece to come despite it being tagged with the priority sticker from the airline.
There were loads of suitcases stacked in what used to be walking areas at Changi airport, clearly those which have temporarily been lost. Nothing like the scale you see from prior photos from Heathrow but still, I've never seen it at all at Changi.
The taxi queue was no more than 10 minutes which is good as the estimate sign in the luggage area had said it was 30mins. Perhaps that made others order Grab or other ride sharing services.
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Post by slowcoach on Jul 12, 2022 15:51:37 GMT 2
I tried to do a quick calculation: !!! (CAUTION HANDLE WITH CARE)
Whereas it seems to be true that recycled cabin air is HEPA filtered, and mixed with external air and exchanged about once every 4 minutes or thereabouts:
The air coming out the the vent should be fine at the point of delivery.
But it seem likely that about 1% of each breath has been pre-breathed since it was last filtered, perhaps mostly by yourself, and the people around you.
I suspect that may be quite low for many indoor settings but if you are sat there for hours that will amount to a lot of other peoples lungfuls.
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Post by Voy on Jul 12, 2022 18:47:25 GMT 2
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Post by Scrubb on Jul 14, 2022 7:06:57 GMT 2
My aunts visited us just before things got bad, it seems. Three arrived in one day at different times, and they were all on time or early. That was June 8.
When the last 2 left on June 16, one's flight was on time and efficient, but the other's was a real schmozzle. Her original flight was Saskatoon --> Calgary --> Ottawa, getting to Ottawa around dinner time. But then the flight to Calgary was cancelled, her rebooked flight was delayed and she had to rebook again, and she ended up landing at 1:45 a.m. instead of 6 p.m like originally planned.
And since then it has apparently gotten much worse here in Canada - almost every flight is delayed, and many are cancelled.
I want to book a trip to Europe for September...
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 14, 2022 7:21:31 GMT 2
Come early in September, Scrubb... I fear restrictions will be put back in place after the summer holiday period. Although COVID cases are seemingly booming, and hospital staff is back wearing masks after a very short period of not doing so, hospitalisations remain very low.
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 27, 2022 5:04:22 GMT 2
home! our cruise to greenland was cancelled due to a storm which was predicted to have huge swells and lots of melting icebergs floating around... instead we went to norway... temps were in the 10-15C range... flights were on-time, though yesterdays swiss air from zurich to tel aviv was half an hour late because they couldn't get the plane's computer to work... in spite of fears of losing checked luggage, the one piece we took a chance on came through ok... we were met by a squeaking feline...
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Post by Baz Faz on Jul 27, 2022 10:57:36 GMT 2
Welcome home, Jeff. My cat Charley used to put her tail up in the air and ignore us when we returned home - until it got to feeding time. Then I was forgiven for having left her.
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 28, 2022 5:36:29 GMT 2
thanks, baz... our previous cat used to bawl us out for leaving him... until he lost his voice! one irritated, hoarse cat!
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Post by tzarine on Jul 28, 2022 7:33:06 GMT 2
shrjeff
your cat loves you
welcome back
hoping you get to go
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Post by shrjeff on Jul 29, 2022 7:36:32 GMT 2
sadly we both have developed covid! head is full of concrete...
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 29, 2022 9:15:02 GMT 2
oh no! take good care, keep well hydrated. rest.
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Post by sophie on Jul 29, 2022 16:37:26 GMT 2
And after all this time.. sadly, I think what the experts say is true: sooner or later everyone will catch it.
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Post by slowcoach on Jul 29, 2022 17:25:25 GMT 2
sadly we both have developed covid! head is full of concrete... Damnit! I'm sure you will take things carefully and look out for each other. And after all this time.. sadly, I think what the experts say is true: sooner or later everyone will catch it. Expert Defeatist BS, and a self-fulfilling prophesy. |
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Post by rikita on Jul 29, 2022 19:55:35 GMT 2
oh, sorry jeff, i hope you are both well again very soon!
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