First of the Year (again)

This time it’s the first rant of the year.

As I indicated in my previous entry I’ve just got back from my first trip away. The rant concerns a certain large regional airline and a certain large airport located in the northern half of England. I’ve refrained from identifying the airline and airport, because I am at heart a coward and don’t want the either the airline or the airport sending the leg breakers round. But if you are interested, here are a couple of clues - the airline operates services to both the Isle of Man and Nantes, and the airport is, as mentioned, in the north of England, has two runways and three terminals.

Just for once, I was booked all the way home with the same airline, which should have made things easy, and on the whole it was. Except when it came to the change at the intermediate airport on the way back, when both the airline and airport managed to irritate me more than a little.

The flight up from Nantes was excellent, with good views most of the way up - passed just to the west of Gatwick and over Heathrow on the way up, as well as getting a good view of the shipping lanes in the Channel. Just a sad old nerd, me.

Anyway, to the point. When we landed, I followed the flight transfer signs, and ended up in a room with a few seats and a notice telling me to ring for a transfer bus. This I did, and after five minutes or so (although it seemed much longer), a bus arrived and we went on our merry way round the airport. I eventually arrived at the transfer desk, which was unmanned. A chap from security strolled up and asked if I had a boarding pass. I didn't as it happens because the girl in Nantes who checked me in told me I would get one at the transfer desk on arrival.

So, now I had an unmanned transfer desk and no boarding pass. The security chap showed me a sign from the airline which stated that I should phone for assistance. So I did, but nobody answered. I rang again, and again no reply. I rang for a third time and this time they had taken the phone off the hook. Charming. Explaining this to the security chap, he waved me through and saying that I could get a boarding pass from the customer service desk in the departure lounge. So off I toddle to the departure lounge. Naturally, although I got a bus ride to the transfer desk I had to walk back to the departure lounge. Sadistic buggers.

I finally arrive at the customer services desk and speak to one of the gormless girls sat behind it, and I am charmingly shown a notice (the same notice as at the transfer desk, by the way) telling me that I will have to ring the airline. Sigh.

Anyway, this time I do get through and the customer service droid at the other end of the line checks a few details, and promises me that I will get the boarding card when I turn up at the gate. And in fairness, that is indeed what happened.

So two whinges here -

1. The non-existent assistance from the airline. What would have happened if I didn’t speak English? How would I have coped if I was elderly or otherwise needed assistance? Customer service? I don’t think so.

2. The crap airport layout. Why bus me from one place to another and then make me walk back to the exact place I left? I know this because I was familiar with the airport, and when I arrived back at the departure terminal I could see the bloody plane I had just flown in on. If you’re going to bus people around the airport, then you should bloody well bus them back. Again, what would have happened if I had been infirm, and couldn’t make the walk? I am sure it made perfect sense at the meeting with the management consultants when they were working out how to save money, but it is a crappy way to treat your customers. Trudging from one end of an airport to the other is no one’s idea of fun.

Pathetic. Both of them. Bloody pathetic.