Reporting on my return international flight to Bangalore
from my US holiday visit. I used to hear my colleagues talk about international flights, and would always think to myself "How hard can this be?". I have since discovered that the first one is the easiest, and subsequent trips are when you really start paying attention to your routes, and adding travel strategies.
My personal opinion now,
is that the RTP to Heathrow to Bangalore route, which is the only one-stop,
is the best bet for ensuring you don’t get stranded in a city overnight, adding
potentially a day+ to your trip. Addition of “a day” to a trip does not look
bad in writing, yet, if the trip was already a day+, you are suddenly at risk
of sleeping in an airport. This journey would not have been as tough if I had
not been sick (I am a hearty traveler otherwise, and can adapt.) Yet, literally
the flu vaccine in the US was not as effective as in previous years (this was the
first year in MANY that it was “off”; I don’t remember the last time it was
reported as potentially ineffective, and expect this will be the only year in many),
and so I was en route with a horrible sickness, possibly the flu, but not sure.
What had caused me initially to book a different route was
the fact that the Heathrow option only leaves RTP in the early evening (6PM),
so you are awake all day, and then, fly for 8 hours, and then wait in the
Heathrow airport for 7 hours, at your midpoint of travel. This equals 24 hours
of being awake and travelling with no bed or solid rest, which is directly
followed by a second 9 hour flight. Adding customs and baggage waits, along
with the 1 hour trip from the airport into Bangalore, you can be awake (with
only plane naps) for around 35 hours. The waiting period in the Heathrow
airport was the killer, as you are exhausted by that time, and so I decided to
find a route that would enable me to switch planes immediately to be able to
avoid being “on alert” while so exhausted in an airport. So the RDU to JFK to
Frankfurt to Bangalore ensured I’d spend my time on the planes, with the first
trip being a short one (RDU to JFK) that left earlier in the day, and therefore
the exhaustion would not kick in until I was on the long haul to Frankfurt.
This route worked beautifully going TO the US. Awesome trip. You can always get
out of India just fine. Returning to India….my route was from RDU to O’Hare to
Frankfurt to Bangalore, and things did not work quite as planned.
Long story short (and oh do I have a long story!), of
actually boarding…waiting on the plane…service attendants rebooting the power
source on the plane…and finally a “new aircraft” announcement. So, the plane
from O’Hare basically did not take off (they provided a replacement aircraft
which left several hours later), and I missed the only Frankfurt to Bangalore connection,
and was stranded in Frankfurt overnight. (Even being on phone trying to
re-route, and standing in lines between aircraft shifts did not work.) I
visited the fabulous pretzel place twice.
As I arrived in Frankfurt, I wondered to myself, “What was so
wrong with Heathrow in the first place???” I have been up for 25+ hours, and
yet hear a cheerful voice that there are 6 attendants “waiting at our gate” to
assist us with missed connections. I am not fooled by the “we will assist you
with your connection”. I know before I even get off the plane and into
the airport, that my connection no longer exists. These 6 will be helping
passengers who have a chance of getting out of Frankfurt, and this does not
include me. I am directed to the customer service line. I know that this
means re-booking, hotel vouchers and shuttle info, with a next day flight.
A very helpful attendant gives me a voucher for the Park Inn
Airport and a meal, and directions on how and where to find my luggage. The
luggage will not be coming out on a conveyor belt. I need to find it. This is
where the fun starts and at several different times, I feel like I am in the
Twilight Zone. There is a special room for luggage that is pulled off in
transit, and it requires you to find this special room, with a vague airport
map, talk of a doorbell, and no guidance or oversight. At this point, you are a
tired zombie wandering through the Frankfurt airport with the only knowledge
that you are about to pick up 100 pounds of additional luggage which you
thought you left behind in RTP only to be seen again once you arrived in India. At this point, you would pay thousands for the help of a friendly sherpa. I talk to no less than 3 workers in
Frankfurt to find the special room with the special doorbell. They buzz you in
once they hear your flight #, and you do indeed find your luggage. The 2 bags
are not together, but they are there. This room is truly hidden, and if you
need help finding this special bunker in Frankfurt airport, I am definitely
your contact.
An otherwise exciting overnight stay in a dream city in
Germany, suddenly turns into “Get me into this IKEA-esque bed as quickly as you
can.”, and back to the airport tomorrow (the hotel room was really cool with the
German electronics and furniture). I wish I could have ventured out into the
city of Frankfurt that evening.
Finally made it back to India, and plan on future 1 stop or
less flights whenever possible, no matter layover times!
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