This is my first Air Blog. Hopefully not too much hot air, although it’s warm as we depart Doha and will be even hotter and certainly a lot more humid when we touch down in Kuala Lumpur. My final day in Kenya proved to be an interesting one, as I made a bit of a rookie error. Normally we all leap on the tv crew bus at the end of play to get back to the hotel and thence on to the airport for a midnight departure. However, as we had plenty of time I decided to stay at the Golf Club for a massage at the very excellent spa. I knew that would involve getting a taxi back, but I’d been assured that wouldn’t be a problem. We had reckoned without the presence of El Presidente though. A very popular man he was clearly intent on enjoying himself and stayed on long after the golf had finished. As you might imagine the place was swarming with armed guards, soldiers, police and security guards of every description. The whole area was in complete lockdown, with all roads around the Club closed. Even the mobile phone network and wifi had been shut down so just calling for a taxi was a non-starter. What had seemed like a very simple plan was taking on nightmarish proportions. Julian stuck at the Golf Club, unpacked luggage at the hotel, both due to be at the airport in the not too distant future. Thanks to a very helpful red-bereted captain in the GSU (I never did get round to asking her what that is) and her miraculously working mobile phone an extremely dodgy vehicle that purported to be a taxi somehow made it to the front entrance and we careered back to the hotel with time to spare. Phew!
Now heading out over The Gulf all will be peace and tranquillity for the next seven hours in my fairly luxurious Qatar Airways Business Class seat. Travelling the World for the last thirty years, predominantly turning left upon boarding, has for the most part been simple and pleasurable. No hijackings, bomb scares, bombs, ground to air missiles, air to air missiles, engine failures, lightning strikes, diversions, medical emergencies….am I tempting fate?!
I guess the worst thing was when I was based in Hong Kong and was returning home from London after a four week trip away. Staging through Dubai on Emirates, I fell asleep in the Lounge and was late reporting to the gate. Unbelievably, rather than letting me on, they took my bags off the plane and I was stuck in Dubai for another twenty four hours. When the full reality struck home I was probably more depressed and angry than at any time before or since. I was desperate to see the family. It was the longest twenty four hours of my life. I got to know the Business Lounge and its staff quite well.
Flying on Qatar Airways makes you wonder if the Chief Executive of British Airways ever flies on other airlines and if he does, whether he removes the blindfold! The staff are unfailingly smiley and charming and do everything in their power to make you feel valued, comfortable and well catered for. Contrast that with the frequently superior, unfriendly, intolerant and often uncaring attitude of the BA staff and you find one very good reason why people would rather fly with Emirates, Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Etihad or Qatar. Actually the list is rather longer than that, but you get the idea.
Sadly the peace and tranquillity is coming to an end as we start our descent into Kuala Lumpur to land at 8.30 pm. The captain has just told us that it’s thirty degrees centigrade and the humidity will be up in the nineties. If I was hot before, I will be even hotter in a minute!
2DtC
ADayInTheStrifeOf 