Day 12 (2016) Return flight with obstacles...

4/4/2016

Day 12 - Return flight with obstacles

We leave the family at 6:30 in the morning and drive to the airport, drop off our car, and go to the Etihad check-in counter. Since we don't have confirmed tickets, but are on standby, we have to go to the Etihad Lounge and wait. The employee there tells us that they have to wait until the gate closes to see if one or more seats become available. Since we booked the cheapest ticket category (500 AED per person), we are at the very bottom of the preferred list 🙈

The plane is supposed to depart at 9:15, but at 8:45 we get the information that there are no more available seats for us on the plane. Shit! There are 2 more flights to Frankfurt today, one at noon and then the overnight flight at 2 o'clock in the morning. A look at the flight list shows that the chances of getting a seat on the noon flight today are close to 0. The employee recommends that we try tonight, then we would move to the front of the standby list with 2 "missed" flights and the overnight flight would not have as many connecting flights as the daytime flight. Okay, won't help anything.

We have to leave the airport empty-handed with our luggage and take a taxi back to Al Raha Gardens, where the family's house is.

At 10 o'clock we treat ourselves to a coffee and chill with the 3 cats on the sofa and in the garden. Around noon we think about what else we can do with the remaining day. It's not really warm enough for the beach, and we would have to unpack the suitcases and pack wet clothes in the end. No - not an option. So somewhere where we can keep our travel clothes on.

We can use my cousin's second car and decide to visit the Dalma Mall again (air-conditioned!), where we go to the "Blacklight Mini Golf". It's really funny and a lot of fun. We then stroll through the mall, have lunch, treat ourselves to a coffee and cake at Tim Hortons, and drive back to the house in the afternoon. There we lie down in bed for another round, as the night will probably be short.

Shortly before midnight our taxi arrives at the airport. Here we go again! 3rd attempt (for the 2nd attempt we didn't have to go to the airport, chances were already "zero"). Once again, we wait in the Etihad lounge and hope for 4 available seats. Since my husband still has to go to the office tomorrow, he MUST fly tonight at least. The kids and I are still on vacation, we could stay a few more days if necessary. But do I want to? Alone with the kids? Sure, I still have the family here, but they work during the day... Oh man, stupid.

However, my husband insists on saying that he would also fly alone if necessary. Hmpf...

The suspense begins. Half an hour before departure, the employee comes to us, hands us the tickets and says, "Go, go!"

Okay, we have to hurry. She runs with us through the airport, cuts through all possible controls or lets us go ahead. Boarding is almost completed, and I have no idea how the two employees who take over from us at the gate manage to get them on the plane....

We run to the gate, the plane is waiting for us. Phew, made it. We're all sitting together - perfect. I guess I'm not cut out for this kind of thriller....

Exhausted and relieved, we sit in the plane and depart for home at 2 o'clock in the morning.

It was nice again in our 2nd home Abu Dhabi! See you next year!