Fool I was to think that just because I went to the extra expense of flying SIA this time round, I would be lucky enough to escape the perverse fate that always seems to await me at airports.
Oh, not that there was anything wrong with SIA. SIA was, as usual, irreproachably efficient and gave me a pleasant enough flying experience – as far as air travel can possibly be considered ‘pleasant’. I got all the drinking water I wanted, and the food was good – except that, owing to an inconveniently-timed sore throat, I had to pass on the Haagen-Dazs ice-cream and didn’t even finish my meals.
Trouble, as expected, started upon arrival at the dreaded port-of-entry, LAX.
First off – the lines at immigration were disgusting, as usual. But what was even more disgusting was the blatant under-manning of immigration counters, especially for ‘Visitors’. Not only was staff lacking, but the current shift was more eager to head back home than process passengers. To my blank dismay, three immigration officers began packing up to leave even as passengers waited in interminably stalled lines. A supervisor pleaded with them to stay for just a while until the next shift came in; one of them groused, “But nobody asked us to stay.”
The plane touched down at 8pm. The cabin doors opened at 8.30pm. I got out of the immigration and customs tangle more than one frustrating hour after that. My connecting flight to Philadelphia was scheduled to depart at 10pm, from another terminal at the opposite end of the airport. I have been through more than enough air travel annoyances to be able to tell a lost cause when I see one, but somehow I was subsequently unable to treat the situation with the equanimity it deserved. I was rebooked on another flight departing the next morning, and eventually arrived in Providence at 5.30pm - 6 hours behind schedule, but with my bags intact, thank goodness for small mercies.
words were spilled on Saturday, September 02, 2006
Comments:
Ah. The travel curse - you're a marked person so it seems. :)
*and. it must be said, it also rubs off! even my own rescheduled flight back to singapore was delayed. it had something to do with airport congestion - i took off 1.5 hours later than planned and i think the rest of the passengers on the plane missed their connecting flight. :(
in the meantime, i send love.
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*and. it must be said, it also rubs off! even my own rescheduled flight back to singapore was delayed. it had something to do with airport congestion - i took off 1.5 hours later than planned and i think the rest of the passengers on the plane missed their connecting flight. :(
in the meantime, i send love.
