(歐洲之旅) 大英, 蘇格蘭 +義大利 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇹 16天驚險之旅- 班機罷工強迫放假開始

每趟臨時的旅程不意外的話, 就是要出個意外或是來段變奏曲. 然後後來證實, 這次沒有不一樣🤣. 

(Photo@EDI airport) British Airways 因大罷工結果是後來全大誤點或是取消

每次旅行的時候多少都會有些考試, 要讓人解開炸彈才能繼續前進, 像是抵達的旅館問題, 途中的行李狀況, 或是租來的車子開到爆掉這些必須非得在三更半夜立刻處理的鳥事, 總是屢試不爽這次也不例外(旅行險真的是必備 尤其歐洲! 對照其他同事他們也表示這是歐洲的日常, 每次出差都會有班機被取消)

(Guardian) British Airways cancels 300 flights during Heathrow staff’s Easter strikes

由於英國倫敦的機場大罷工, 我的班機在起飛前的10小時才收到取消通知......整個就是傻眼也只能認了, 就算是搭乘調整後的班機還是有抓些緩衝時間(>3小時)讓我可以趕上行程(?), 反正深夜要找英航/華航票務客服要改票也全都下班了(是要找鬼?......)就只能搭乘當日一大早就到抵達機場等地勤問票候機, 也問是不是有早點的班機可以搭乘. 結果當然是沒有, 由於機場大罷工, 整個航班大亂, 就算我改票後最早的班機能搭乘的飛機也大延誤, 轉換航廈時也被因機場大亂而不早已塞滿道路的車子困在路上30幾分鐘(明明才2公里!) 到了我要轉機的時候已經關櫃也沒得掛我的行李了.......

於是乎只好開始在附近訂旅館並現場先訂下一個停靠點的轉機的機票; 同時稍作休息後凌晨打電話回台灣華航找票務改票, 找個最有可能/最便宜的改票方式......(結果這趟出差的全部加一加光機票就已破8萬了0rz......完全爆預算的狀況) 還好機場旁IHG的商務飯店服務很優, 讓人可以順利在凌晨4點有車搭去櫃檯.經歷過這次驚險的銜接, 提醒了有些事情永遠不會變, 有些事情你恨不得立刻改變(尤其像是這次運輸取消在晚上也只給我10小時處理這些非得最後一刻聽命於人的活動, 都不用睡了)

英國EDI機場登機門有鋼琴讓乘客可以演奏消磨漫長的候機時間

儘管如此我只能說歐陸乘客的素養真的都很高, 淡定以對這類工會活動, 就算非得跟著大家隨波逐流地等候, 大部分的人都可以聊天,閱讀或是彈鋼琴....紓解這漫長的等待. 還有還好之前加密貨幣質押後提供的LoungeKey還在, 讓我每次漫長的待機時間都有機場貴賓室的網路, 座位可以坐著等, 不然每次都3小時以上的待機, 斷網(機場的手機或免費網路趨近癱瘓), 會更崩潰的坐以待斃. 

Lounge @ LHR airport

Lounge @EDI airport

就這樣踏上了修改了計畫回程, 儘管機票被改成必須多停留義大利幾天等飛機來,  然後過程中也有機會跟許多的航空公司的櫃檯地勤人員(ITA, CA, BA, ....)來練習口說與吵架. 儘管事情不盡如人意, 但是還是學到了甚麼, 讓下次再來London, Edinburgh, .....這些歐洲城市旅遊時,可以更有把握知道該怎麼自處.

Lounge @ FCO airport

還有要記得把機場貴賓室該用的時候就給他用下去, 不然真的情況沒有最糟, 只有更糟. (此時的德國也同樣在罷工運輸大癱瘓)

---In English version---

Every impromptu journey, without exception, requires a surprise or a change of plan. And as it turns out, this time was no different 🤣.

Every trip comes with its own set of challenges that must be overcome before continuing, like issues with the hotel upon arrival, problems with luggage along the way, or a rental car breaking down that needs to be dealt with immediately in the middle of the night. These kinds of situations always seem to happen and are no exception this time around. Travel insurance is a must-have, especially in Europe! According to other colleagues, flight cancellations are a common occurrence when traveling in Europe.

Due to the major strike at London's airports, I received a notification that my flight was cancelled only 10 hours before takeoff... It was a complete shock and there was nothing to be done about it. Even though I managed to catch a rescheduled flight with some buffer time (>3 hours) to make up for it, there were still issues to deal with like problems with the hotel upon arrival, luggage issues along the way, or even the rented car breaking down in the middle of the night, all of which required immediate attention. It seems to be a common occurrence in Europe and my colleagues have confirmed that flight cancellations are a daily norm, making travel insurance a must-have, especially in Europe.

Late at night, when I attempted to contact British Airways and China Airlines' customer service to change my flight, they had already closed for the day, so I had no choice but to arrive at the airport early the next morning to check in and see if there were any early flights available. However, due to the airport strike, the whole flight schedule was in chaos and even the earliest flight available after I changed my ticket was significantly delayed. When I tried to transfer to another terminal, I was stuck in traffic for more than 30 minutes (even though it was only 2 kilometers!) due to the chaos at the airport. By the time I arrived at my transfer point, the counter was already closed, and I couldn't check my luggage...

As a result, I had to book a nearby hotel and buy another ticket for the next available connecting flight. I also had to take a short rest and make a phone call to China Airlines in Taiwan to change my flight, finding the most possible and cost-effective way to do so... (As a result, the total cost of this business trip was over 80,000 dollars, which completely exceeded my budget.) Fortunately, the IHG business hotel near the airport had excellent service and helped me catch a ride to the counter at 4 am. Going through this harrowing experience reminded me that some things will never change, and some things you just wish you could change immediately (especially situations like this, where transportation cancellations only give you 10 hours to deal with last-minute demands without even being able to sleep).

Despite all of that, I have to say that the etiquette of European passengers is really high. They remain calm during such union activities, and even if they have to follow everyone else and wait, most people can chat, read or play the piano to relieve the long wait. Also, fortunately, the LoungeKey provided after the cryptocurrency collateral was still valid, which allowed me to have airport lounge internet and seats to sit and wait during every long layover. Otherwise, waiting for over 3 hours each time, with no internet connection (the airport's mobile phone or free network almost paralyzed), would be even more frustrating and unbearable.

Here is the sentence in English: "And so, I embarked on the revised plan for the return journey, even though the ticket had to be changed to require a few extra days in Italy waiting for a flight, and I had the opportunity to practice speaking and arguing with many airline counter staff (ITA, CA, BA, etc.) along the way. Despite things not going as planned, I still learned something, which will give me more confidence in how to handle things on my next trip to European cities like London, Edinburgh, and so on."

Also, remember to use the airport lounge whenever possible, because things can always get worse if you don't. (At the time, Germany was also experiencing a major transportation strike.)