It takes too long to get through all the queues then get to your gate.
Stayed at the Days Inn just outside the airport (great place to stay). Got up at 4:00am for a 6:45 take off to Malta.
Cup of coffee and no breakfast before leaving for the long stay car park a few miles away.
Queue to get in the car park through the barrier to get a parking ticket (but I’ve paid in advance, what do I do now?)
Find car park C, …… park; what now?
There’s a bus, should take 10 mins but takes more than that to go round the car park stops.
In the arrivals entrance – find Rayanair bag drop off – it’s 5:00 now. Big queues – free for all – is this the right queue? Wait, wait…
5:30 and we’re through, check information at the other end of the entrance hall to see if I parked OK as the blurb said I needed to register my car to avoid a parking fine … I’m OK they say….
Find security, massive queue… up one row, down the next, up, down, etc it’s gone 6:00. Up, down, We’re there, case up, take out electronics, money, watch, bracelet, belt, keys, liquids! and get through the detector without setting it off. The x-ray isn’t happy with the liquids as some are prescription items even though we have the paperwork for them …. send them through the x-ray again. OK, get dressed again and put everything away again. 6:20 and we still have to find which gate to get to… 54 .. where’s that…
Up the escalator, weave though all the shops selling stuff I don’t want. I’m hungry and thirsty, no I don’t want free samples or toblerones … 54 this way >>> down the escalator, up the next, more toblerones, W. H. Smiths grab a meal deal, down the escalator, up the next, and again and again, more toblerones, 6:40 and we’re at the gate, final call, but still a queue. Priority passengers push past… show our boarding pass… your bags will have to go in the hold – it’s free. Rush on to find our seats. We’re off…. at last.
No breakfast, tablets I should have taken, gone into the Hold. 1 bottle of water, 1 egg Mayonnaise sandwich, 1 bag of crisps that have blown up to a ball with the air pressure and I’ve gone deaf as usual so I can’t make out anything the stewardess says. ……………………… but after that it was a great holiday in Malta.
Fred Hartshorn 