It’s 14th February, Valentine’s Day and I was up nice and early at 7 a.m. as today is to be the day I’ll be flying out to Latvia for an eight day long holiday to visit my friend Inese.
Figuring that the flight from Birmingham International Airport was at 10:45 GMT, getting the 08:14 GMT train should have got me there at 08:59 GMT which should have given me plenty time to check in and what not.
Knowing that bus time tables are rather “quirky” (only in good old Blighty could you actually deliberately wait for the next bus during certain times of the day, say rush hour and actually overtake the earlier bus further down the route…) I had booked a taxi the previous night which diligently showed up outside the house and got me into the Northampton train station in good time to get a ticket and wait for the train.
Then the next sequence of events made me pretty damn sure “Friday the 13th” was to prove so horrific that it had actually been delayed a whole day… First thing was that I learnt the train from London Euston to Birmingham New Street had been delayed a while, whatever that meant. Then there were an unusually large number of people waiting for a train on platform 2, waiting for what I assumed to be the same train.
On chatting to various people who were there waiting at the platform, turns out that a chartered train from London Euston which a group of 200-ish people had booked to go to Wales was at that time over two hours late… So at the time I counted myself lucky as even if my train had been cancelled, there was another one at 09:12 GMT which still would get me into Birmingham International for 09:56 GMT… Cutting it a bit fine but should have been okay.
Eventually, the train showed up about 25 minutes late or so and I was finally making a bit more progress to Birmingham International via Long Buckby, Rugby (The Home of Rugby Football) and Coventry. However, Silverlink’s poor service was to become even uglier and this was definitely not to be a train that was to be of the 80-ish% that are “on time”, where that is arrival at the destination ±10 minutes…
A mixture of going slow and prolonged stops waiting at red signals, finally made it to Birmingham International some time approaching 10 a.m. and I had to be checked in by 10:15 GMT. So a quick dash out of Birmingham International Train Station and short ride on to the SkyRail, I was in Birmingham International Airport in what seemed reasonable time as it wasn’t 10 a.m. yet.
Unfortunately, on finding the check in desk for Scandinavian Airlines/Star Alliance, the fact the queue was 10 deep meant I had to think fast to collect my boarding passes and take my suitcase as hand luggage since it was just small enough and negated the need to collect it once I disembarked at Riga International Airport.
Then I spotted it was possible to do a self service check in with some machines located in another part of the hall, so off I dashed to locate it and get my boarding passes. Eventually, I found them tucked away off to one side only to be greeted that they were non functional… Trying not to be blinded by panic, off I headed to the general information desk which turned to be a very long way away but after some concise question asking and quick answers, I was advised I’d need to go back to said check in desk and collect my passes.
So another mad dash back to where I originally was and managed to persuade those waiting in the queue I needed to ask the lovely ladies on the check in desk a quick question and that I was not to be long. Thankfully they all obliged but alas it was in vain, I could have collected my passes, but my luggage was just too heavy by a couple kilograms to be taken as hand luggage so it needed checking in, but I had literally missed last check in by mere minutes… Bollocks.
Asking what I should do next, I was told I should go over to the ticket desk near by to arrange an alternate flight and off I went. Once there, the next flight from Birmingham International was to be the same time, but the next day… not good, so I enquired about other alternatives and informed that there was a flight at 17:00 GMT from London Heathrow. With over 6 hours that was plenty of time, so I had by flight out amended and good job I had the foresight to have got travel insurance when I got my ticket, as I’m sure it’d cost a pretty penny otherwise.
Considering things had gone a bit pear shaped, I phoned Inese about what had happened and that I wouldn’t be arriving in Riga at 17:20 EET where there was planned to be a meal out with herself and her University friends once I’d arrived, but instead be there at 22:55 EET which kind of mucked everything up… :(
Then it was off to the National Express service desk to get a coach down to London Heathrow but was rather dismayed that the cost was a rather unpleasant £24.50 and figured it might make more sense to go by train again instead, not to mention the fact that by coach the journey is a rather long 3 hours… No thanks.
Back over to the train station to make some enquiries about trains to London Heathrow and though there was one every half hour or so taking about an hour and a half, the price was an even less pleasant £35 or there abouts… Arrrgh! So it was to be the coach, if somewhat begrudgingly.
A swift return was made back to the National Express desk and a ticket order was rushed through as the coach I wanted was due to depart in the next few minutes, but it could have fooled me as the processing of said order was so lethargic it made me wonder if they actually wanted my custom at all.
Hurried out with my “speedily processed” coach ticket and said coach was no where to be seen and after waiting for a further ten minutes came to the conclusion I must have missed it, so back inside to the National Express desk and see what can be done about this. The ticket was amended for the next coach due 11:50 GMT, so went of to get a drink as I had some 40 minutes to kill.
For a change the coach arrived some 15 minutes early, so out I went to board but was promptly stopped by the conductor querying the validity of my ticket as amendment notes had been written on it. I asked if the coach could wait whilst I went back inside to get the person who did the amendment so that they could confirm things between themselves. The next set of events only goes to prove how utterly incompetent some people are with their jobs…
It came to pass that the person who served me at the National Express ticket office had only manually processed the change and never actually made said changes on their booking system, so whilst there were free seats on the coach they were booked up and thusly I had no seat. Next coach after that would have been completely useless as well, as it wouldn’t have got me to Heathrow in time to check in and so forth.
Apparently I couldn’t have got my now useless coach ticket refunded as “they aren’t authorized to do refunds” and that I would need to post them, at my expense to National Express and request a refund that way… I knew this was an complete & utter lie but given the fact I’m now going to be pushing for time if I went by train, I conceded and was to leave the lesson in how to excel in customer service another day.
Off once again to the train station for what I’d hope to be the last for today and decided to travel by Virgin Trains as their rolling stock is nice and modern with a good buffet service to boot. I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for their hot chocolate drinks and roast chicken sandwiches which use sage & onion stuffing bread… Yummy! :D
The 12:30 GMT to London Euston was on time, though using non-bastardized definitions of words, it was about 8 minutes late. I was timetabled to get to Watford Junction at 13:48 GMT and change to a Virgin operated bus leaving at 13:55 GMT which was to get into Heathrow Terminal 2 for 14:50 GMT… a good hour and a half before last check in, so I breathed a sigh of relief, got my hot chocolate and chicken sandwich from the buffet car then found a seat, relaxed and tucked into what I had just purchased with the train speeding towards the only intermediate stop that is Milton Keynes Central before reaching Watford Junction.
At 13:54 GMT I arrived at Watford Junction but by the time I got to the front of the station, the coach didn’t seem to have bothered to wait for the delayed train. However, there was another bus due at 14:25 GMT getting to Heathrow Terminal 2 at 15:20 GMT still giving me roughly an hour once there, which was good.
Coach arrived at 14:10 GMT which gave everyone waiting plenty time to board and we headed off at the time the timetable said we should have. London traffic was a little bit on the busy side but at 15:25 GMT I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 2. Hurrah!
Check in went without a hitch and I boarded flight SK 506 at 16:30 GMT. At 17:00 GMT the plane was on the runway ready to head out to Copenhagen International Airport due to arrive at 19:50 CET. The plane was a McDonnell Douglas MD-90, which is if memory serves was the first time I flew in anything other than a Boeing 747-200 or 747-300… not to mention the fact that last time I flew was back in 1990!
The flight was pleasant enough but I guess with such a short journey, they had opted to not serve hot food and made do with ham, cheese & salad sandwiches but tea, coffee and other drinks were available. I had also been lucky enough to have got a window seat and was admiring the view outside as night fell.
Touchdown in Copenhagen was on time and checked the flight information displays as needed to figure out where I had to be to get flight SK 9653, due to depart at 20:30 CET arriving in Riga International Airport at 22:55 EET. Turns out I was in Terminal A and the flight out was at Terminal C, so after negotiating passport control in addition with some brisk walking over a pretty big distance as it took me 20 minutes or so. Retrospectively, they could have really done with some automated walkways inside the airport.
Boarded the Boeing 737-500 feeling a little worn out and got comfy in my window seat, which was a bit of luck considering I never specifically asked for them. This flight was to only serve hot and cold drinks and became quite apparent that most people on board, cabin crew or passengers were more conversant in Danish, Latvian or Russian. At least it made little difference for me to speak in English or Cantonese… pointing and head nodding worked well enough! :D
The clock ticked 22:50 EET and the 737-500 had landed in Riga International Airport which surprised me in two ways. Firstly that there were no city lights of note which I pretty much expected seeing in at least some form, though nothing like what I recall from my childhood flying into 啟德國際機場 (Kai Tak International Airport) where plane literally flies between skyscrapers either side. Secondly, the runway literally appeared from nowhere and that to either side where mounds of ice and snow which had been cleared!
So finally made it to Latvia! A quick call to Inese letting her know of my arrival in Latvia and in turn find out that she’d just got to the airport and was waiting for me at the arrivals area. Passing through the passport check and 15 minute wait or so to collect my luggage, I headed out and there I met Inese accompanied with her brother Guntis who had kindly driven to pick me up and then take Inese and I to her aunt’s flat where she lived whilst studying at University doing her MA.
Arrived at the Inese’s aunt’s flat just a bit before midnight and thanked Guntis for coming out of his way. Inese led me up to the flat and once inside greeted her aunt. Inese and I then settled down for a drink and chat plus finalize sleeping arrangements, but with all that done and dusted, we headed to bed after a very eventful day!
