I did almost no work today, as I was running around like a mad person trying to get everything done before I had to leave. My ill-considered decision the night before not to leave at a rational hour had definitely caught up with me.
In the end, I left the house for the airport at 2:15, when I should have been at the airport at 2:30. Given that boarding closes 60 minutes before the flight, that meant if I didn't check in by 3:35, I would miss my flight. It was 3:20 when the train finally pulled into the Underground station at Heathrow, and I absolutely ran as fast as I could through the maze of tunnels and moving walkways, in a mad sweat about missing my flight.
I raced up to the automated check-in terminals, got help from a customer representative standing there, but then after I got through the entire check-in process, the machine failed to print out my boarding card! So then I had to go up to the desk anyway, waiting frantically while they served tons of other customers but never calling me. Finally I did get someone's attention and a boarding card, although I don't think I stopped shaking until it was in my hands.
Still I was in a bit of a rush, but thankful that my Priority Access meant that I could join the "by invitation only" super-fast security line. Except when I got to the scanner, it was as though the group of men ahead of me had never been on a plane before. It wasn't until they were at the front of the line (holding everyone else up) that they then started to prove tons of pens and coins from their pockets, seeming surprised every time the security person would ask them to remove yet another piece of metal from their person. Finally one guy walked through with his watch still on! What blew me away was that this was on the super-fast security line that is reserved for frequent fliers, so why on earth were these guys acting like they'd never been on an airplane before? I hope they dragged them aside for a very invasive pat-down, making them very late for their flight...
Admittedly I ran into my own problems, with several jars of goose fat and some lemon curd that I'd purchased before running to the airport being confiscated by security. Luckily I had other jars of goose fat elsewhere in my luggage that they didn't find, but that's a lesson learned for you: Apparently even if something is solid, if it can be "heated to change shape", it's considered a liquid. Thanks for making the rules so clear (not!)
Finally I get to the plane and it's time to board, where I'm once again grateful to have Priority Access, which allows me to get on the plane with all of the First and Business Class people. The gate agents were also being quite strict about it, but then again, why were people who weren't supposed to board until Group 4 (pretty late in the process) even trying for early boarding? I suppose I'd be more sympathetic if they had kids or something, but it was just pushy people hoping that the gate agent wasn't paying attention. I flew thousands of miles for the privledge I have when flying, so I was inordinately pleased when the gate agent noticed and turned them back.
The flight itself continued to be a comedy of errors by people who seem to have never been on an airplane before in their lives. As soon as the plane took off and was still climbing, one guy tried to stand up and get something out of the overhead bin, earning an instantaneous sharp rebuke on the loudspeaker, "Sit down, NOW!" Everyone knew who the flight attendant was talking about. Additionally, a woman sitting in the row in front of me attempted to use the lavatory in First Class, additionally earning an informative announcement over the louspeaker. Seriously lady, did you pay attention to the announcements at the start of the flight at all?
The flight continued to provide interest when one of the fight attendance got on the loudspeaker and asked, "Is there a doctor on board? We are currently experiencing a medical emergency, and we request that any health professional who is able to provide assistance identify themselves to the cabin crew." Then a whole bunch of people raced towards the back of the plane with emergency medical equipment, but there were curtains back there, so I have no idea what was going on. We were right over Iceland at the time, so I figure that if it had been a real medical emergency, we would have landed in Iceland, yet we kept flying. When we landed as well, there was no mention of the medical incident, so I guess everything was fine.
It was a bit of a rough landing, with high winds making the plane bank quite precipitously before we came in for landing. I was rather surprised at how much we tipped back and forth as we came in, but once we landed we had to hold up at the end of the runway for other planes, where I could see that everybody was fighting the wind as they came in to land.
When I landed and was off the plane, I called my parents, who were apparently somewhere still on the highway somewhere outside of the airport. I then made it through immigration, where the immigration official joked with me about how my "white Christmas" was more likely to be slushy and grey. Still, immigration officials are always so serious, it was nice to get one who still had a bit of a sense of humour...
Finally, after waiting in the arrivals lounge for about 20 minutes, my parents rang my cell phone. They were there! So I ran outside and joined my parents, happy to be home for Christmas!!
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