We woke at 0630 and were in the lobby at 0700. We grabbed a very quick bite and met our limo driver at 0720. Another nice day outside except for some city-haze obscuring the Alps in the distance.
Our driver did very well - he didn't scare us to death although he was speedy. Fast but steady. It's a long way to Malpensa airport out to the NW.
Malpensa, if you split it into two words "Mal Pensa" and translate to English comes out "he thinks poorly". It's a large airport but has growing pains. The driver dropped us at the last drop-off area, near desk 14. The AA desks 21 & 22 are way out to the left (north) end of T1, a goodly walk. Then you must walk back toward the center to get through shopping areas and security. Then we walked south to get to the international area all the way on the right (south) end, another bit of exercise.
But we slogged along and finally (after going through a dozen more shops) reached the lounge at the entrance to the international area, which is large and almost elegant. We camped there until D got eager to be at the gate. That took another 10 minutes of walking.
Then began the saga - the first one. At Gate B6 we found a lot of people. Some were passengers, plus about ten gate crew, two pilots, six or seven cabin crew and a couple of unidentified participants.
After a while the crew boarded. The leaderless gate crew fluttered all over the place doing nothing until the business passengers were ready to storm the ramparts. Finally the special needs people, including what looked like a basketball team, were allowed into the tube. Then the stampede began. We got in the lead somehow and ran to avoid being trampled.
The confusion continued in the business section (I didn't dare look aft) with cabin crew getting ready to go. Small glasses of something unspeakable were passed and consumed.
We sat at the gate for a while. Then they decided to sit somewhere else so they pushed back, lit the fire, and taxied to an area near the end of the runway to sit. Finally they prodded the beast into movement and accelerated down the runway for longer than I'm used to - maybe a lot of fuel caused the longer run.
Then we rotated and the damndest loud humming noise started - LOUD. But the flight kept going and gradually the hum went away. Looking back, this may have been a wheel still rotating in its wheel-well rather than being stopped. From my notes: 1134 board; 1215 pushback; 1238 takeoff; 1239 LOUD hum; 1249 hum gone; 1254 at 24,000 climbing; 1321 Gin & Tonic.
Food followed then the trays were taken away and cabin lights lowered as we went over Brest, France. I took that as a hint and lowered the seat to flat and slept four hours, waking up over Newfoundland.
I turned my iPhone back into a USA phone by swapping SIMs. I put the Euros away and got out the dollars. I got out the laptop and composed what you've read till now - off Portland Maine at 1352 EDT off Portland, Maine. Time to put this thing away and have a glass.
So I had a glass of cabernet and read more Kellerman on Kindle on the iPhone. The pre-arrival snack was served - a pulled beef sandwich that wasn't bad at all.
Now we get to the second part of the saga. We knew we would miss our connection to Orlando. When we landed and disembarked a person was handing out new tickets to connecting passengers, which I thought was pretty cool. Ours was for AA556 at 1942. Then we walked a few miles to the kiosks for Immigration & Customs. We waited a few minutes, and did our thing with the machine. Then we walked another half-mile to the inquisitor line that must have been 200 people long - and only one, sometimes two, inquisitors.
We were allowed back into the States. We walked our luggage to the re-check area and turned it over to AA again. The gate for AA556 was D2, another two miles away. As we walked toward it we saw a departures board that said 556's departure time was now 0100 the next day!
We looked at the re-booking desk because there was an earlier flight to MCO than 556. The line was long and paralyzed.
So we went to the Admiral's Club to rest and cogitate. D got the brilliant idea to ask the Admiral's Club staff for assistance. They inserted us at the top of the stand-by list for AA2812 at 2140. We had a glass of something and simmered.
At the appropriate time we went to D7 for AA2812 to depart at 2140. We were lucky and were placed on the flight. We grabbed our new tickets and made our way to the very tail of the plane, where I sat next to a young mommy with twin baby girls. The aircraft door was closed a little late, maybe 2155. Then we sat there because it was shift-change time for the ramp rats and there was no one to close the baggage doors. Finally some rat came along and we departed at 2240, exactly one hour late.
We landed at MCO and entered a deserted terminal. We found the proper baggage area where it said AA2812's luggage would be found. Remember that we didn't know whether our luggage would make this flight or arrive later on 556. But there it came, two on one carousel and two on the adjacent carousel.
We gathered them up and called the Hilton, who sent the shuttle. We checked in and flopped onto the beds at 0030, exactly 24 hours after rising.
We were allowed back into the States. We walked our luggage to the re-check area and turned it over to AA again. The gate for AA556 was D2, another two miles away. As we walked toward it we saw a departures board that said 556's departure time was now 0100 the next day!
We looked at the re-booking desk because there was an earlier flight to MCO than 556. The line was long and paralyzed.
So we went to the Admiral's Club to rest and cogitate. D got the brilliant idea to ask the Admiral's Club staff for assistance. They inserted us at the top of the stand-by list for AA2812 at 2140. We had a glass of something and simmered.
At the appropriate time we went to D7 for AA2812 to depart at 2140. We were lucky and were placed on the flight. We grabbed our new tickets and made our way to the very tail of the plane, where I sat next to a young mommy with twin baby girls. The aircraft door was closed a little late, maybe 2155. Then we sat there because it was shift-change time for the ramp rats and there was no one to close the baggage doors. Finally some rat came along and we departed at 2240, exactly one hour late.
We landed at MCO and entered a deserted terminal. We found the proper baggage area where it said AA2812's luggage would be found. Remember that we didn't know whether our luggage would make this flight or arrive later on 556. But there it came, two on one carousel and two on the adjacent carousel.
We gathered them up and called the Hilton, who sent the shuttle. We checked in and flopped onto the beds at 0030, exactly 24 hours after rising.
Wednesday… Orlando FL
4/25/18
We woke around 0830 and laid about with the in-room coffee. We moved to the dining area and had a full American breakfast to celebrate our return. I took the shuttle to the Hertz stand, got the car, and returned.
We drove east to the coast, then up US1 and FL A1A in a relaxed drive home. We stopped at the Hertz stand here on the beach and turned in the car, then they brought us to the condo.
We did some unpacking but then invited the kids and grandsons to a burger dinner at Graffiti Junktion next door which was a lot of fun
Good to be back home. Thanks for coming along.
Top
Back to the beginning
4/25/18
We woke around 0830 and laid about with the in-room coffee. We moved to the dining area and had a full American breakfast to celebrate our return. I took the shuttle to the Hertz stand, got the car, and returned.
We drove east to the coast, then up US1 and FL A1A in a relaxed drive home. We stopped at the Hertz stand here on the beach and turned in the car, then they brought us to the condo.
We did some unpacking but then invited the kids and grandsons to a burger dinner at Graffiti Junktion next door which was a lot of fun
Good to be back home. Thanks for coming along.
Top
Back to the beginning
