We decided to skip to Egypt for a few days. Few blissfull days in nice hotel with spa, swimming pool, gorgeous inner garden, a beautiful bedroom which will be tidied up every time we leave and last but not least - perfect breakfast buffet. Faboulous! And of course, the pyramids and all that.
But in order for all these events to actually take place we have to be there. And in order to be there we have to fly there. Not so complicated at all. Find a ticket. Book a ticket. Come to airport on time.
Alas. This is Libya after all.Day -8: G contacts his company travel people. He specifies in his e-mail which dates we would like to be flying. So lets say 1 May to Cairo and 4 May coming back.
He also tells them that if possible to have outward flight in the morning and inward in the evening. (That way we have more time for hotel spa , uhm sightseeing.)
Day -7: No news
Day -6: Its Friday. Travel people are off.
Day -5: G calls travel people to see if there are any news. They asure him they are working on it
and that he will be be First one they will contact when they know more.
Day -4: E-mail received from travel people. We are apparently flying on 1 May and coming back on 3 May in the morning..... G again calls them and explains (nicely) this is not what he asked for.
They tell him not to worry they will find something else.
Day -3: 16:30 e-mail from travel people. We are flying on 2 May and coming back on 4 May. By the time G calls them, travel people are gone home for a day.
Day -2: G sends them original e-mail again with request that they give us some options ASAP.
Travel people come back few hours later
- We are sorry, this flights are full now. If you told us this is what you want from the beginning, it would be no problem. Which dates would you like now? G doesnt point out to this helpful soul that he did in fact tell them this from the beginning and he tries with another date - 2 May to 5 May. G is very nice person like that. They inform him that they have to look for ticket again, but it should not be a problem.
At this point I am having panic attack at home at the prospect of NOT going at all and I decide it is better to deal with it in person. Also, I come to conclusion that it is his company travel people
who are the problem. Not all libian travel people. God forbid. So when G comes home we get in the car and go down to Al-Fatah tower. There are few travel agencies on the ground floor that I wanted to try.
We go into the first one that is open and tell the guy that we would like to purchase 2 tickets
for Cairo on 2 May, coming back on 5 May.
Travel agent (TA): Which airline would you like to fly?
Us: Do all of them have flights on these days?
TA: No problem, no problem. Which airline?
Us: What are the options?
TA: Afriqai, Libyan Airlines and Egypt airlines.
Us: Ok, then... (no clue) Egypt airlines.
TA: Which date please?
Us: 2 May to 5 May.
TA: Ok, then 3 May we have...
Us: No, 2 May please.
TA: Ok, ok no problem. 2 May....Typing something. Looking at the screen confused. Typing again. And on the screen same message appears - wrong code. please try again.
Few moments later....
TA: Ok, there is flight on 2 May.
Us: Great! Can you see is there flight on 5 May from Cairo?
TA: No problem, no problem! Typing again. This time right code. There is flight on 5th.
Us: Can you tell us how much is the ticket?
TA: 332 Libian dinars
Us: (This is better than what Gs travel people came up with. hopes are up) Ok, we would like to
buy 2 tickets.
TA: 2?! There are no 2 tickets! There is only one left on the flight from Cairo! But no problem. You can be on the wait list. No problem. Or you (looking at G) can take other plane. Some other day...
Us: Hm... That would not be good.... Can you check other airline then?
TA: Which one?
Us: (we doooont careeee) Libian airlines then.
TA: typing..... Yes, there is room on Libian airlines flight from Cairo. Looking at us happily.
Us: Can we buy a ticket then?
TA: But it is no good to fly one way with Egypt Airlines and other way with Libian.. 2 tickets. very expensive.
Us: Ok, Can you check then that we fly with Libian Airlines both ways?
TA: typing... Yes but there is no room in economy. Too expensive!!! No, no..
Us: How much is the ticket?
TA: too expensive, too expensive... 530 dinars
Us: (thats how much Gs travel people asked). That is ok, we would like to buy ticket now.
TA: Ok, but it expensive. So 2 May to Cairo, 7 May back to Tripoli...
Us: No, no it is 2 May to 5 May!!
TA: Aha, ok. typing.... Flight full.
Us: (%&/%&$)
I will not continue, but you get the picture. We tried few more combinations at the travel agent, but it got too complicated so we left.
Day -1: No news from travel people. That evening we went to another travel agent (I dont give up easily) in Al-Fatah. He tried to persuade us we should go to Sharm instead of Cairo and when we told him in the end that we are going to Cairo, he told us he can not help us with the tickets today because he is closed.
Day 0: We were supposed to be on the plane to Cairo. But alas, one can not do that without airline ticket....
To finish off this little story - Now it is afternoon and we still have no plane tickets. Hotel is not booked either. And if by the time this bloody travel people figure out how to book a plane ticket hotel gets overbooked, I will kill them. With my bare hands.
He also tells them that if possible to have outward flight in the morning and inward in the evening. (That way we have more time for hotel spa , uhm sightseeing.)
Day -7: No news
Day -6: Its Friday. Travel people are off.
Day -5: G calls travel people to see if there are any news. They asure him they are working on it
and that he will be be First one they will contact when they know more.
Day -4: E-mail received from travel people. We are apparently flying on 1 May and coming back on 3 May in the morning..... G again calls them and explains (nicely) this is not what he asked for.
They tell him not to worry they will find something else.
Day -3: 16:30 e-mail from travel people. We are flying on 2 May and coming back on 4 May. By the time G calls them, travel people are gone home for a day.
Day -2: G sends them original e-mail again with request that they give us some options ASAP.
Travel people come back few hours later
- We are sorry, this flights are full now. If you told us this is what you want from the beginning, it would be no problem. Which dates would you like now? G doesnt point out to this helpful soul that he did in fact tell them this from the beginning and he tries with another date - 2 May to 5 May. G is very nice person like that. They inform him that they have to look for ticket again, but it should not be a problem.
At this point I am having panic attack at home at the prospect of NOT going at all and I decide it is better to deal with it in person. Also, I come to conclusion that it is his company travel people
who are the problem. Not all libian travel people. God forbid. So when G comes home we get in the car and go down to Al-Fatah tower. There are few travel agencies on the ground floor that I wanted to try.
We go into the first one that is open and tell the guy that we would like to purchase 2 tickets
for Cairo on 2 May, coming back on 5 May.
Travel agent (TA): Which airline would you like to fly?
Us: Do all of them have flights on these days?
TA: No problem, no problem. Which airline?
Us: What are the options?
TA: Afriqai, Libyan Airlines and Egypt airlines.
Us: Ok, then... (no clue) Egypt airlines.
TA: Which date please?
Us: 2 May to 5 May.
TA: Ok, then 3 May we have...
Us: No, 2 May please.
TA: Ok, ok no problem. 2 May....Typing something. Looking at the screen confused. Typing again. And on the screen same message appears - wrong code. please try again.
Few moments later....
TA: Ok, there is flight on 2 May.
Us: Great! Can you see is there flight on 5 May from Cairo?
TA: No problem, no problem! Typing again. This time right code. There is flight on 5th.
Us: Can you tell us how much is the ticket?
TA: 332 Libian dinars
Us: (This is better than what Gs travel people came up with. hopes are up) Ok, we would like to
buy 2 tickets.
TA: 2?! There are no 2 tickets! There is only one left on the flight from Cairo! But no problem. You can be on the wait list. No problem. Or you (looking at G) can take other plane. Some other day...
Us: Hm... That would not be good.... Can you check other airline then?
TA: Which one?
Us: (we doooont careeee) Libian airlines then.
TA: typing..... Yes, there is room on Libian airlines flight from Cairo. Looking at us happily.
Us: Can we buy a ticket then?
TA: But it is no good to fly one way with Egypt Airlines and other way with Libian.. 2 tickets. very expensive.
Us: Ok, Can you check then that we fly with Libian Airlines both ways?
TA: typing... Yes but there is no room in economy. Too expensive!!! No, no..
Us: How much is the ticket?
TA: too expensive, too expensive... 530 dinars
Us: (thats how much Gs travel people asked). That is ok, we would like to buy ticket now.
TA: Ok, but it expensive. So 2 May to Cairo, 7 May back to Tripoli...
Us: No, no it is 2 May to 5 May!!
TA: Aha, ok. typing.... Flight full.
Us: (%&/%&$)
I will not continue, but you get the picture. We tried few more combinations at the travel agent, but it got too complicated so we left.
Day -1: No news from travel people. That evening we went to another travel agent (I dont give up easily) in Al-Fatah. He tried to persuade us we should go to Sharm instead of Cairo and when we told him in the end that we are going to Cairo, he told us he can not help us with the tickets today because he is closed.
Day 0: We were supposed to be on the plane to Cairo. But alas, one can not do that without airline ticket....
To finish off this little story - Now it is afternoon and we still have no plane tickets. Hotel is not booked either. And if by the time this bloody travel people figure out how to book a plane ticket hotel gets overbooked, I will kill them. With my bare hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment