Developing Country - or is it Unravelling!

The worst part of the trip is always making multiple journeys, check ins, security, waiting carrying cases, trying to sleep in a metal tube for 10 hours and then the inevitable delays and hassles of exiting the destination airport - on top of which was a 3 hour drive back to Fort Worth.

Thanks to LV for a pleasant trip to Heathrow and sad farewell, though it was such a good time in Darlington. Unfortunately our flight left a bit earlier than usual so we had to forgo breakfast at the Aviator.

The real story happened at the other end. Our metal tube arrived safely at the gate in Austin and we disembarked hoping for a smooth transit to our rental car. However, the whole process reminded me of the time I arrived in Mumbai in the late 90’s when India was probably still termed a developing country. First, the escalator up to the Customs walkway was out of order and we had to carry bags up the stairs along with the other 300 passengers - only to find the double doors to the walkway were locked. Photo of tired passengers who had to wait 20 mins before someone deigned to open them! I’m pretty sure the airport switchboard was jammed as it seemed everyone was calling on their phones - their answer - somebody else’s problem.

Finally, we trudged along the corridor to the passport desks where there were 3 Homeland Security personnel handling all US citizens from two international flights. I guess focus on HS personnel is on waiting outside retail stores somewhere else to apprehend anyone who they don’t like the look of. This was apparently due to none of the electronic passport checking machines being in use. They looked perfectly operational, and the cabin crew on the plane specifically asked all citizens to use them - another puzzling development. Anyway, we were waived through and our phones were not inspected for illicit material.

Next it was the turn of baggage claim to impress us. We were all stood by carousel 7 where the screen indicated our flight as the only one to be using this particular belt. But no! Apparently belt 8 was carrying the first bags from our flight and so the mass of tires humanity shifted en masse to the belt that indicated the flight from Amsterdam. People tripping over each other, hitting legs with trolleys before lo and behold, out came our first case! But then halt, the belt stopped and nothing happened for another 20 minutes. It was already hot as the air conditioning seemed to be on the blink - though it could be the confused masses from both flights waiting for nothing to happen that raised the temperature. Then the screen indicated that belt 8 was exclusively our flight. But then the screen went blank. More nothing. Finally a buzz in the crowd - “belt 7…it’s 7”. Sure enough cases began to pour down the belt 7 and we loaded our other 2 cases. And so off we go in the 37 deg heat to the rental car. 2 tiny elevators to handle the emerging crowds because the 3rd was out of order. Next all the escalators up to the rental car reception were also out of order! And so with all our cases - another lift - but only 1 of 3 was working. Tired and hot and a little bothered we had emerged from the airport to pick up our car one hour and 45 minutes after exiting the plane!

I’m glad to report that we made it back without much incident after that and are now recovering. You could rightly say we have nothing to complain about - 1st world problems - but you don’t expect developing world issues to be the cause! It feels like the US is creaking under the strain of the current chaos that we now live with. Perhaps this is an anomaly, but I can’t remember arriving at an airport with so many pieces of equipment not working and such a chaotic long process in accomplishing egress. And I calculated I have flown over 300 flights in my travel history.