Unfortunately, I had to walk back and to Terminal 2, as the flight was carried out by Spanair. Well, I thought, I have been on Lufthansa flights that were carried out by other companies like EuroWings and still I checked in with Lufthansa... kinda wierd.
Boarding time came, the plane was there and a young lady showed up. "Mhh, MMhhhh.... Ladies and Gentlemen, the flight JK 1234 to Frankfurt will be delayed due to technical problems. We cannot tell you more, except that we will begin boarding at 19:20h" 19:20... 19:20!?!?!?!? BOARDING!?!?!?!? That means we board an hour later then we are supposed to leave...
I want to ask the lady about my connecting flight to Bangkok, but unfotunately she has left. And on the screens there is no information and boarding is still told to be now.
So I make my way to the SpanAir information desk to ask about my flight. He doesn't know anything, does not want to help me and tells me Lufthansa will book me on another flight the next day. Well, thank you, that means I loose one full day of my holidays at Frankfurt Airport and my hostel reservation anyways.
On my way back there is another lady at the Gate desk, so I want to go and ask her for other connections or possibilities. She is talking to a spanish lady and explaining her that she can get a free snack as excuse. When I want to talk to her, she is already rushing off. I stop her, but all she tells me is that this is Lufthansa's responsiblity, but that I might want to go grab a snack, as we are not boarding until 19:40h... another 20 minutes later.
I go and get my snack, and I call my mom to have someone to tell my mysery to.
As my mom always does everything to help, she called the Lufthansa Information Center to check if I could get booked onto another flight from Madrid. When she calls back, I have a big bite of not-so-yummy tortilla sandwhich in my mouth and nearly choke on it because she tells me if I would run, they could book me onto Swiss Airlines to Zurich in half an hour and the form Zurich to Bangkok, direct flight, nearly same timing...
I am supposed to go to the Lufthansa Transfer Center, but unfortunately there is none in this particular terminal and the terminals in Madrid are so clsoed off that I would have to leave it completely and come back for a new check-in, new baggage check etc. So one sends me to Spanair Information Center. There the guy tells me (after I gave him details about time, flight numbers, airline and destinations) that this flight does not exist, cause it is not in his computer. I tell him again, that Lufthansa offered me to book me onto this flight and that as they cooperate this would now be his responsibility. And I told him that the flight must exist, otherwise they wouldnt have told me flightnumbers etc., but that maybe its another gate. He looks again on his screen and tells me that this wouldnt work with the luggage. I say that would be fine, they can deliver it in Bangkok as the luggage most probably wont make my other flight either (in the unlikely event that I can run and catch it within minutes). He tells me it doesnt work and that the only chance was a direct Iberia flight but that would be too late now... NOW!?!?!? I was here an hour ago asking him for other possibilities and he said there is none.... IDIOT!
As I finally have no other choice, I board my Spanair Plane at 19:40h (with still no information about any delay on website or screens), being told that we should arrive in Frankfurt at 22:10, which would give me 10 minutes to board the plane (boarding begins at 22h and the flight is supposed to start at 22;45h). I must admit, I got a little anxious and thought I had chances until at 20:10h the pilot talks and says that we are delayed because the technical crew didnt arrive and that now we need to wait another 40 minutes at the gate, as we didnt get the slot to start. Congratulations, I think to myself, for the first time in your life you will miss a plane... We started 25 minutes later.
I arrived in Frankfurt in the Lufthansa Terminal, by Bus, at 22:30. When I entered the arrival hall, the gate signs next to my flight to Bankok was still blinking green and saying "boarding" (not even last call...). So I started sprinting and ran what felt like a kilometer together with 15 spaniards who wanted to catch the same flight. However, the pass control was closed down and even though the lady called the ground staff at the gate if we could still get in we were told we were too late. We saw the plane leaving... without us.
As we couldnt get back into the arrival hall and to its Lufthansa Transfer Center we had to go all the way to the other side of the airport to find two over-tired staff members who would check for new flights for us. Me being the only one who speaks German and the one who basically lead the whole crowd from one end of the airport to the other, could go first and thereby managed to ("maybe") get a seat on the Quantas Flight to Singapore. From there I could go to to Bangkok, with only 12 hours delay, meaning one day of my holidays gone... (Well, the otherones could only start with the first flight in the morning, meaning 18h later... direct but even more time gone. Yet I asked the lady at the desk if there is some kind of reimbursment, as I had booked a Lufthansa Ticket and now missed one day of holidays, most probably my hostel reservation and about my luggage we wouldnt even have to talk... She looked at me with an arrogant smile saying that the booking onto another flight was reimbursment enough, afterall Lufthansa had nothing to do with the delay and therefore a flight change for free would really be a big offer. Well, I had booked a Lufthansa ticket, and I had another flight possibility which I didnt get because there was no Lufthansa person around in Madrid and afterall, they said theyd cooperate with Spanair and they should then go themselves to Spanair and get their money back but not send me there after I have been sent back and forth twice. Well, there was nothing she could, uhm let me rephrase that, nothing she would do, and when I said that at least a little upgrade would have been nice after this, she stared at me blankly and handed me my stuff. "Quantas is boarding already and I do not know if you can make it. You have to take the skytrain to another terminal and go through the police control." - "And if I don't make it?" - "Well, then you better get back here fast so you can get another flight before the Transit Center closes..." Oooookaaaaay. Let's run. So I sprinted again from one and to the other, hopped on the skytrain and got laughed at by police people at the passport check and the luggage check cause I was sweaty, angry and pretty late.
I received a boarding pass and the lady at the counter, after asking me why I was rebooked, gave me a nice aisle seat next to a young girl travelling to Australia and the middle seat being empty. Quickly, I called my mom to tell her to write an email to my hostel to tell them I will be arriving in the middle of the night / morning but that they should keep the room for me. Being the last person to board the plane, I calmed down once I sat in my chair and saw the little screen in the front seat with Video On Demand. The plane started and we were served pretty good food (ever been served Lamb on a plane? In the economy class?!?) and I started a movie. I gotta admit, the whole running around, not knowing what happens or where to go to, got me quite tired and once the movie finished I had no problems to fall asleep for 5 hours.
The morning came and there were only 3 hours left till we would reach Singapore. I had a coffee and watched Kung-Fu Panda, and then we were there. It is early evening and my next flight goes in three hours... till then, I gotta figure out where to get a boarding pass, where my luggage went and if my hostel reservation is still being held.
***
Now I am standing in the gate already, waiting to board. After waiting half an hour for my boarding pass I went to a Free Internet Stand and checked my emails. Unfortunately I have no news from the hostel. I hope this works out. The nice lady at the counter also found my luggage for me... well, more or less. According to Lufthansa it made it onto the Quantas flight with me, however, in the airport it hasn't been scanned yet. I hope I can pick it up in Bangkok, and if not: Quantas ( I really like them, very helpful) gave me a business class overnight kit with socks and toothbrush, toothpaste and some refreshing creme so I don't have to worry to much.
Let's see...
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