Above & Beyond

I must have angered the Ghods Of Customer Service yesterday.

We managed to get to the airport OK.  We got through all the security checks and everything in really quick time.  And I managed everything without even the vaguest whiff of panic.  They even started boarding ON TIME.

I was astounded to find myself in my seat in the airplane a full 15 minutes before take-off time.

What could possibly go wrong? 

And I obviously jinxed the flight by letting such a thought caper gaily through my mind.

Our flight had been chosen to take a load of passengers from another flight to London.  But, as the captain announced, "Not all of them had made it to our flight".  Whether those passengers died on the way or just got lost was never really explained.  But the problem was that we had their luggage but not the passengers.  And so we can't go anywhere until all that luggage was taken out of our hold.

The ground crew had no idea where this luggage was.  Other than in our plane.  Now was the time for a demonstration of that clichéed.German Efficiency.

Except that we didn't get that.  Nothing like it.

Long story short - after nearly 2 hours of exemplary incompetence, we took off.

No doubt that if we complain to Lufthansa, we'll be told it was the fault of the airport.  And if we complain to the airport, they'll tell us it was a Lufthansa problem.  But the main thing is, no-one will take responsibility and anyway, we're only customers, what did we expect?

On the plus side - I got here without any panic.  I even travelled on the Underground.

And I love, love, love the colour of the sky when you fly.