Well, I made it to Germany. It was a process but I’m excited for what God in store.
Tricia and I drove from home to Boston with plenty of time to catch my flight. I would love to have family or friends with me, but I’m alone on this trip. When we arrived Tricia spotted that my flight was already delayed by almost one hour. I checked my baggage and when The clerk asked about how I was paying for my extra bag I told her I wasn’t able to pay online, I’d have to pay at the counter. With that she said she would waive the fee. That was a great sign. This flight with Condor Airlines was off to a good start.
Then every hour after that the flight to Frankfurt was delayed again, but rest assured I had plenty of time to make my connection to Düsseldorf. After a couple of gate changes at 11:45 we finally started loading the plane. We took off 4 hours late. Now my connection would be tight, but doable. No problem.
Upon boarding with my carry-on I had everything I needed. I found my assigned seat. It was next to the window, over the wing. Just the way I like. I was now glad that I didn’t pay the optional $50 to choose my seat. The seat back in front of me was fully equipped with a touchscreen, power ports and a remote control. It was a long delay, but things were looking good. No problem.
After we took off and a few attempts had passed I realized that touchscreen was not going to turn on. It wasn’t just mine, but everyone’s. No inflight movie and no charging. That was fine, I was now glad I hadn’t paid the optional $25 to get the advanced movie selection. I had my phone and an extra battery to charge it with. I put my headphones in and fell asleep. No problem.
I woke up when dinner was coming around. It smelled good and I was thirsty. I found out a vegetarian pasta dish was the only option. Since I am a vegetarian this worked out well. I was now sad I had paid the optional $10 to request a vegetarian meal. I ate my meal and watched some videos on my phone and fell back to sleep. No problem, I guess.
We landed just before 1 and my connection to Düsseldorf was at 1:15 and had been delayed to 1:25. I could just run to the gate because my luggage was checked all the way through to Düsseldorf. No problem, except…
I soon learned that between me and my new gate was a passport checkpoint with a long line. I didn’t make it to my flight. I found a Condor service counter and she said they would give me a train ticket to Düsseldorf if I liked because that was quicker than waiting for the next available flight. I just needed to get my luggage and hop on the train next door. Two large bags and a carry-on on a train? No problem.
Hallway B belt 16 was where my luggage would be. I found it easily and stood there for a while waiting for my two large bags. Then I sat there for a while waiting for my two large bags. Then I walked around there looking for my two large bags. The travelers in hallway B were polite and kind, but belt 16 was not polite nor was it kind. In an hour and a half it had vomited up 5 suitcases that endlessly circled its dark carousel taunting me and my well equipped carry-on. Problem.
Those bags contained equipment that far exceeded the value Condor would likely refund me. So I made my way to the lost luggage counter. A kind German woman with halting English filled out the form to request my luggage be returned from where it was put. She told me I should have done that an hour ago. She also informed me that because of staffing shortages that I will need to wait at least one more hour. Problem
In total I afforded them 4 1/2 hours to bring me my luggage. They never did. Belt 16 is a dismal place. I went back a filled out a lost luggage form that would get my baggage delivered to the place I was staying. I took one more lap around hallway B and silently cursed belt 16 as I passed. Finding nothing, I was off to find a train.
In all honesty I’m being a little dramatic here. At this point I was hopping on a high speed train in a country I had never been in with only my well stocked carry-on to worry about. I was excited by the experience and admittedly a bit nervous about the equipment in my bags. The biggest problem I had is that I don’t like to be pushy when I need to be, and Condor airlines put me in a position where I had to be.
I made it safely to the church where the rest of the team was already. The next step was to meet a dozen new people and figure out how to communicate with Colombians in a Turkish neighborhood in Germany. No problem.
I’m writing this 4 days later and am still waiting for my luggage.
