The alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 5:20AM. We caught the 6AM shuttle back to BKK and waited for 30 mins before the airlines started checking people in. We were upgraded to exit row seat without asking which was awesome. We snagged some breakfast and loaded the plane. It wasn't that bad of a flight for four hours without cell phones. There was a low cloud ceiling in Shanghai, probably 200ft. It was drizzling but it wasn't windy or stormy at all. We grabbed some dinner and headed down to our terminal. Between the time of our meal and getting to the terminal, our flight was cancelled, apparently due to weather!
Black & white ribbons decorating the streets of Bangkok for the king's memorial
|
Time for the run around..... they rescheduled our flight for 9:20AM the next morning and sent us to luggage carousel to grab our luggage. With multiple reassurances from the baggage inquiries staff that it may take up to three hours for stray luggage to show up, we sat waiting until 9:40PM, 3.5 hrs and still no luggage. Mat checked with the luggage people again. They said if it hadn't come through with the last batch of stragglers then we'll have to come back in the morning, and if the luggage isn't there in the morning, then we have to fill out a missing property report. So, resigned, we headed to the transfer transit area to get to our free hotel. We were told to wait on the bench for the shuttle to arrive. It became apparent to us that maybe this airport didn't know what the hell was going on. We have now had delayed luggage twice, both from this airport and both within two weeks of each other. We watched staff screaming at customers on multiple occasions. I started to feel very uneasy for the first time this entire trip.
Lost luggage at Shanghai Airport |
Thirty minutes later they called for the shuttle to the hotel. A mass of people got up to catch said shuttle. We waited outside for 20 minutes, then spent 10 minutes loading the bus. Luckily it was one of those big tour busses so everybody had a seat but not enough room for all their luggage. They ended up filling the walkway with everyone's luggage, ensuring our doom should the bus crash. The bus driver smoked inside the bus. This place is terrible. They dropped us off at Handsome Hotel, 15 mins from the airport. Everyone jostling with their luggage, no sense of personal space, luggage carts getting rammed into people. Since we didn't have any luggage, we were able to move quickly through the crowds. We were finally in our room, showered, and in bed by 11:30PM, eight hours after we landed in Shanghai and five hrs until we wake up and go back, hoping our luggage has surfaced. The real problem I noticed was the lack of coffee in the room, only tea. Poor Mat!
No comments:
Post a Comment