We didn't need to set an alarm, and after showering and having breakfast, we still had plenty of time. That's not something we're used to, and it feels strange. We gather the last things together, throw away the trash bag, calmly walk to the glass and plastic bins, and do the final dishes. Then it's still almost an hour before Idse comes to pick us up at half past eleven.
The weather is beautiful and the journey to Schiphol goes smoothly, and at 12:15, we step out at Terminal 1. We drop off our luggage at the self-check where we are immediately served and head to security. It says it takes 20 - 25 minutes, and that's quite accurate because by quarter to one, we have our trolleys, jackets, camera, and laptop bag back and I put on my shoes. Heading upstairs to Aspire lounge 26, where we have access based on our credit card. It's not entirely full, and with a juice and a soup, we settle in awaiting our flight to Frankfurt at 2:55 pm. It departs from gate B17.
On board, in seats 20 A and B of the Lufthansa A319-100, we wait for about fifteen minutes for four latecomers in the business class. The captain says the aircraft arrived late from Frankfurt due to staff shortage, including baggage handling. With a delay of 45 minutes, we take off, and we're on edge the whole way. Will we still make our flight to Toronto?
We receive a bottle of water and a chocolate. The flight itself is relatively calm, but not in our minds. It's also announced that we'll arrive at a gate in the outer area and will be taken to the terminal by bus. That's just what we needed. The man behind us is traveling for work and is equally unamused. Completely cramped, we travel a considerable distance across the airport and finally reach the terminal. Then it's at least another fifteen minutes of walking, down stairs, into lifts, passport through the scanner, and onwards. At 3 minutes to 5, we reach the gate, B43, and then we're not allowed on anymore. We're 2 minutes late. Jan explodes, and the man behind us joins in the fun. That creates a bond. We're directed to the Lufthansa service desk. That's another godforsaken walk, but we're not in a hurry anymore. Adrenaline, however, we have. The three of us walk, grumbling, from counter to counter and are increasingly referred elsewhere. Wasn't there something about a catch-22? Then we stand side by side at the counters, and the man gets a flight to Toronto for tomorrow afternoon, a hotel, and compensation of a whopping €18 for dinner. He says it'll be a Happy Meal. We say goodbye, and I thank him for the company, and he thanks us for the swearing 😂. It's nice that you can do that in the same language. Katharina eventually arranges a flight for us tonight to Santiago, but not via Toronto, but via Buenos Aires. Part 1 is Premium Economy with Lufthansa to Buenos Aires, and Part 2 is Economy with KLM to Santiago. It's not bad, but it's not what we booked, of course.
With the new boarding passes in hand, we go in search of the Lux Lounge where we can enter with our credit card. It's small and the selection is minimal, but it's quiet, and we're sitting in comfortable armchairs.
Jan gets a beer, and I opt for a prosecco, almost without bubbles, but I'll add that part in. The prosecco itself is delightful. Dinner consists of Frankfurter Würstl with potato salad and a roll. Jan checks in online for the KLM flight, as Lufthansa couldn't do that. KLM isn't part of the alliance, so it must be some GDPR thing. Later, he sees in the Air Canada app that our flight departed 3 minutes early. That makes it even more frustrating. So, we could've made it after all. He decides to file a complaint online, and we'll see if they do anything about it. Not likely, given our experience with the e-reader in the lost and found that they somehow made even more lost than it was. But it seems like things might still turn out okay, although we only have a 1-hour layover in Buenos Aires. That's going to be another sprint, but there are probably plenty of flights from Buenos Aires to Santiago, so we'll figure something out.
We'll have another beer and a bubbly and see where the chips fall.
We're scheduled to depart from Frankfurt 10 minutes early, so that'll save some time on the other end. However, it's still a 13-hour and 50-minute flight 😲, followed by another 1.5 hours or so.
By half past eight, we can't sit still anymore, so we start heading towards the gate at a leisurely pace.
We depart 10 minutes earlier, at 22:05. First, through security and passport control. The latter is done in no time. We bypass people who think they need to do that with their boarding card. Then, the security check. That's a whole (different) story. It's not busy at all, in fact, there's hardly anyone. It looks very old-fashioned, especially for a big airport like Frankfurt. Everything goes into trays, unpacking equipment, liquids, shoes off, and through the scanner. I still have to go to a lady who gives me a cursory pat-down. Are the metal buttons on my blouse setting off alarms? Jan still has his watch on, and the officers joke with him about it. Then, on the other side, we wait for the trays. They all arrive except one. The laptop bag. The laptop is out, so what could it be? Turns out there's a utility knife inside. Wtf??? A) we had no idea about that, and more importantly: B) how did it pass through security at Schiphol? It's probably left behind after Jan did some handy work at Idse's, installing internet and TV. The manager and two policemen come over. It quickly ends without incident, and we're possibly even more astonished than they are. It's nice that you don't have to unpack anything at Schiphol anymore, but you can see what can happen.
After this, still constantly amazed, we stroll past some shops to Gate B28. We still have to wait for over half an hour, but that's better than being late.
Using the digital boarding process, we board the B 747-8, seats 25 F and G. Jan at the aisle and me next to him, the two right seats of the four: 2-4-2. The seat next to me is empty. We're offered a welcome drink: a glass of orange juice.
The earlier departure isn't happening. We're already running late: it's 22:23, and not much is happening yet. At 22:42, it's finally time to take off. Soon after, the lights go out, and we doze off a bit. I check out the movie options, but nothing immediately catches my eye. Around midnight, dinner is served. Chicken with pasta in tomato sauce, a salad, and a Black Forest cake. It's simple, but it doesn't taste bad. Jan has a glass of wine, and I have a glass of sparkling wine with it. After dinner, the lights go out for real. I try to sleep, and sometimes it works a little.