August 21, 2014
Arrived in Paris: Where are the bikes and gear??
Driving through Vancouver, I called Air Canada to check the flight, only to discover the plane is delayed 1hr 35 minutes. After lunch we decided to head out to the airport to see if there in another flight leaving sooner. Also, our son Ryan works at the airport, so we had planned to spend sometime visiting with him and saying our goodbyes.
There are no earlier flights, so we decide to go get our bikes and duffle bags out of our vehicle and check-in five hours early. Those of you who know us, know this is very much out of character for us. It turns out to be a very wise decision!
When we presented our beautifully protected and bagged bikes to the check-in agent, it did not go as planned. Apparently, they changed the rules a month ago, and bikes now have to be in boxes, unlike last year, or at the time I booked this flight. She said that some the parts, like the seat, which was sealed in the bag, but not enough padding, could scratch the inside of the cargo compartment....seriously??!! I do have to say, that several of the agents tried their best to allow the bikes to travel this way, but the higher ups were not giving in.
Fortunately, the fellow around the corner that shrink wraps suitcases, had two bikes boxes for sale, at $40 each. Not a bad price for cardboard😬😬😬😬! So Ron got busy unpacking all his hard work and disassembling the bikes further, to fit is the boxes. I googled how to do this on my phone, and it said to allow 3-4 hours per bike. Haha!! Down to the rescue came Ryan, and between the two of them it went pretty quick.
We had a good flight, with a now very quick connection in London, to Zurich and then Paris. Next came the standing in front of the luggage carousel, waiting, and waiting, and WAITING...... Off to the baggage claim, to discover that neither the two duffle bags, or bikes had arrived with us. Not surprising, given the tight connections.
We went to our hotel and had a good sleep. This morning, still no luggage, so we booked another night. We have just had an email from Swiss Air, that it has all arrived and will be delivered today. So I guess we will be spending this evening trying to reassemble the bikes, so we can depart tomorrow morning. Oh well, Paris is not a bad place to hang out if you have to. No schedule, no worries.....
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |