When we last checked in, we were reeling from the news of a Lufthansa strike by flight attendants Friday, April 10, the traditional end of the European Easter holiday, and the day we’d planned to fly LH to Nantes, France.
There we were, sitting in a YYZ (Toronto Airport) Priority Pass Lounge, frantically looking for alternative ways to get to Nantes, France from Frankfurt (Kathy and Brian) and Munich (Tom, Ellyn, and Greg).
We came close to buying €1,300 worth of train tickets, but decided to hold off. We boarded, enjoyed some generally top-notch Condor food and drink, and slept fitfully.
By the time we landed at FRA, we’d learned LH had rescheduled us on KlM / Air France through AMS (Amsterdam), departing and arriving on the same day.
We alerted our Munich contingent and learned they were successfully rescheduled as well.
Today, Friday April 10, has been, ah, interesting.
Tom, Ellyn, and Greg arrived early at MUC, and arrived in Nantes even before their rooms in the Hotel Okko were ready.
We two took a train to FRA Terminal 2, new territory for us, and then the fun began with a series of emails.
Our 2:15 PM flight had been delayed to 4:15 for “operational reasons.”
Please disregard the previous email. Our flight was now leaving on time at 2:15.
Please disregard the previous email. Our flight was now leaving 15 minutes late at 2:30.
We queued, boarded by bus to a remote gate, boarded the plane (E190 operated by German Airways as KLM City Hopper), and sat for at least 40 minutes waiting for the pilot to arrive, comfortable at least in our exit row seats.
By now we were an hour late, fine for us with our original six-hour Amsterdam layover, but stressful for fellow passengers with close connections.
The pilot eventually arrived, and explained the trains weren’t running between Cologne and FRA. The company hired a taxi for his two-hour ride. Now we know the “operational reasons” cited in KLM’s original email!
We landed eventually, took another bus to the terminal, and found ourselves in the midst of a crowded AMS for the first time in many years.
We’d bought our way into business class for the second leg, five dollars more than a three-hour lounge pass, and it includes a lounge pass.
We made good use of it.
We’re about to board our 90-minute flight to Nantes, hoping we’ve experienced all of the travel excitement for one day, and trying to stay awake for a 10:30 PM landing and transfer to our Nantes hotel.
It’s been a busy 36 hours.
Long and tiring couple of days. Enjoy Greece!