Plans that went askew! I was to meet up with dearest F at Athens E Venizelos International Airport when her ITA Airways flight from Rome arrived at 18:35 and then take a Sky Express flight at 20:35 to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city. The arrivals board simply said her flight was “Late” with no estimated arrival time. Time marches on, no, it stomped all over me with her flight arriving at 23:30 apparently due to a thunderstorm in Rome but a five-hour delay sounds somewhat suspicious given a previous “delay” with ITA Airways a couple of years ago from Catania, Sicily to Rome for which they wrongly denied me compensation under EU passenger rights rules.
Did I enjoy my 11 hours at the Athens airport? A decaf latte and as hunger mounted a warm beer and a spinach pie that had been sitting around for too long.
When dearest F arrived, we went to the Sky Express ticket office in the departure area and they insisted upon charging us full fare for a 06:35 flight the next morning. Not only that these misguided incompetents at Sky Express said as we missed our flight the other two tickets we booked with them were invalid! A lie.
The third party I had booked the flights with Sky Express, Flight Network, was of no help saying in garbled English basically it is your problem we can’t help. Flight Network is located in Toronto but its representative on the line I called for help had such a heavy Indian accent I basically understood nothing. Happened to you previously? I betcha it has!
The result is walking across the street to Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel for a 4-hour tortured sleep and a breakfast I had no stomach to consume. $815 for a mundane but functional hotel room. Dearest F has been on the time zone (off by one hour) in Italy for 8 days and poor me having just arrived with a 7-hour time difference from Toronto.
Oh that wonderful ITA Airways had left dearest F’s suitcase uncovered on the tarmac. The water had seeped into her suitcase. A most professional airline.
So wipe that smirk off your face as that 4-hour hotel sleep was not what you were thinking!
