(no subject)

[indigo_rose99]

Many websites, including the one for this airport, advise checking in three hours early for long haul flights (my airline says 3 hours 30 min). Since my initial flight is just to Ireland, I'm a bit confused if I should go with the two hour advance (my airline strongly advises 2 hours 30 minutes) or three.  Since three hours would put me at the airport before 5am and I have found many airports are closed then, I decided to aim for 5:45am.

I ended up accidentally catching the (running late) 5am bus to the airport. 

At 5:30am, the Glasgow airport is a busy place.  But my airline had no check-in desk.  I asked and they said, "It opens 2 hours before the first flight.  That would be at 5:55am.  Their desk will probably be over there."  I waited in the area pointed out.  At 6am, still no people.  At 6:05am, I asked someone else.  She recommended I "check the boards."  Evidently when an airline opens a desk, and these things are fluid, they post it on some electronic boards.  I manage to find one.  It said, "Please wait."

6:10am.  Still waiting.

So I am supposed to check in 3 hours 30 minutes in advance for a long haul flight.  2 hours 30 minutes in advance for flights like the one I'm on.  But the airline doesn't open until 2 hours before my flight... Unless they decide to sleep in.  In which case they may show up 1.5 hours before my flight.  If they feel like it.

Oh, and their website says that checkin closes 45 minutes before the flight leaves.  No exceptions.  No getting on the flight.

It must be nice to work in Europe, where instead of customer service, we get employee service.  Service that is convenient to the employee of the company, not the customer.  Restaurants open after the posted time and shops lock the doors to new customers 30 minutes before they close.

They finally checked me about an hour and 20 minutes before my flight.  Only opening the desk 40 minutes late. 

Comments

[pamwheatfree.livejournal.com]

Here in Ottawa, we never arrive 2 hours before a morning flight. We learned our lesson. They are never ready, the airport will hurry for people in the morning since it is their fault that no one was at the desk 2 hours early - when they say you are supposed to be there. We try to arrive at the airport an hour before a flight if it is the first one of the day.