My family, leaving Heathrow Airport, London, England, went to the fast track lane to security. But even the fast track was slow.
My family member asked staff at Security - "What's the reason for the delay? If you've got crowds of people, you must know the number of planes and seat tickets sold. Why can't you just get more staff?"
The busy and beleaguered staff member explained, "We had staff laid off and no idea when we would need them again. Some of them retired or found other jobs. Now that we need them, we can't get them in a hurry. It takes 6 months to get them vetted and approved and trained. You have valuables going through and being checked separately. Laptops. Phones. Cameras. Suitcases. Jewellery. Money. Expensive items. You have to have references and criminal checks as well as training to be sure the checkers will be completely honest, and efficient, and not lose things or pilfer them."ow
Oh, so now we know.
Changi Airport, Singapore's Weather Delays
On arrival at Changi Airport, there was rainy weather. Rainy season.
The airport controllers wanted extra time between the take offs and landings, a greater margin for safety. So the Singapore Airlines plane circled in the air for a while.
Landed At Last
Then, lightning started striking. The baggage handlers had to be protected. The luggage was delayed.
Fortunately, despite this delay, the waiting crowd of unhappily hands free passengers, waiting with empty trolleys, stayed good humoured. At least, my family was happy. Why? Maybe because of the amusing apology signs with cartoon characters at knee level on the carousel.
Taxi Delays
The third delay was waiting for taxis in the rain. A shorter queue is for the more expensive, larger limos. However, even taking a limo was a wait. I got calls, 'I'm fourth in line. I'm third in line. I'm in the taxi, but the traffic is slow.'
At last, triumph. Family reunited. As the proverb says, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
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