Update on travelling daughter.

[curiouswombat]

So - D-d left the island yesterday morning, and at the moment, 8.35am on Tuesday, she should be within an hour or two of landing in Buenos Aires.

Note the 'Should be'. She is just having breakfast in the Hilton at Gatwick... The Chilean volcano caused her flight to be cancelled. B.A. are putting her up at the Hilton, and the current plan is that she will take off from Heathrow tomorrow (Wednesday) about 7am for Madrid (yes - the one in Spain) where she will get an Iberia flight to Buenos Aires.

I am now wondering what happens if she gets to Madrid and then the onward flight is cancelled - presumably Iberia then put her up in Spain. Good thing many of their staff are likely to speak English as D-d knows no Spanish at all...

And why the Hilton at Gatwick? They'd already filled the Heathrow one - but they do hope to get her to that one for tonight as it would be very difficult, otherwise, for them to get her to Heathrow in time for check-in on Wednesday!

Here's hoping everything goes well this time.

Comments

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Flipping volcanoes. I shall keep my fingers crossed that the re-arranged flights go to plan for her. I'll also be singing songs from Evita in preparation for her arrival in Buenos Aires.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'll also be singing songs from Evita in preparation for her arrival in Buenos Aires.

What an excellent idea!

As for when she gts where, I have a feeling it might be a bit 'watch this space'ish.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it will be an adventure for her this summer. Fingers crossed that she arrives safely in Buenos Aires and can begin your journey.

- Erulisse (one L)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It looks as if the volcano might be a big factor for her - as the next leg will depend on over-flying Chile to get to Sydney...

If only her school-friend had chosen somewhere other than South America to live!

[engarian.livejournal.com]

But South Amierca is such a beautiful place. I know she'll enjoy her visit. It's all part of the adventure, and if she's not on a strict timetable, so much the better.

- Erulisse (one L)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She has one fixed time point that has to be met - she has to be ready to leave a particular hostel in Sydney at 6.30am on Saturday July 16th - she is joining a group to travel up the east coast of Australia over the next 15 days and, if she isn't there, she misses the trip - hence the hope that the flight out of Argentina between the 11th and 12th is not badly delayed!

[engarian.livejournal.com]

She's got a little cushion built into those dates. So let's hope that one way or another she can manage to get there timely. After all, you can't fight Mother Nature :-)

- Erulisse (one L)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She planned carefully to work those little cushions in - so it should all turn out fine. Detours for volcanic eruption is an added adventure anyway...

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

*fingers crossed* Such things can really complicate one's life a lot. :(

Is she travelling to Buenos Aires on business/studying, or just like a tourist?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She's going to stay with a school friend who teaches English there - then she is due to fly on to Australia for an organised trip that leaves Sydney on a specific date... so if the volcano also disrupts her flight out of Argentina it will be another big problem.

[perpetua-redux.livejournal.com]

Safe travels to your daughter--what a shame that she's delayed.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I am going to ring her again soon - although I guess she won't know whether the flight from Malaga is going until she gets to Spain... :~(

[dawtheminstrel.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. Adventures in air travel. Been there, done that, didn't like it at all.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking if only her school friend, the reason for going to Sydney via Buenos Aires rather than any other way, had gone to somewhere sensible and volcano free to teach English - Poland, Bulgaria or whatever!

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, what a rough start to her big trip. Drat volcanoes anyway.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It's not quite the start she expected! But she says BA have been very, very good to her. Now to see where she ends up by tomorrow night...

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Will keep my fingers crossed for her. There's no arguing with volcanoes, though. :) Lovely pic in your icon. You've raised an amazing and beautiful daughter.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you - we are very proud of her - but she has done the hard work herself, to be honest.

Now we wait to see what tomorrow brings... as you are absolutely right, there's no arguing with volcanoes.

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

With air travel these days if it isn't one thing it's another. One of the reasons that I don't travel more often is that the air travel has gotten to be less and less fun. D-d is young, so she will bounce back from the delays quickly. I hope that the "detour" works easily.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I heard on the radio today that quite a number of people have said they are just not flying any more as it is too much hassle - and that's without volcanoes. But you are right - at her age it is part of the adventure, I guess. Hopefully she'll arrive in Buenos Aires about 8pm tomorrow their time. Or she'll have a day or two in Spain!

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Argh, wretched erupting thing. Here's hoping the wind will change or the eruption calm down or whatever is necessary for D-d to get on the move and stay on the move...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping it settles down and stays settled down - otherwise when she does eventually get there she'll have trouble doing the next leg out over Chile to Australia...

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Air travel is all messed up these days. For so many reasons! But she's young and hearty and still sleep all curled up in an airport chair if needs to. Still, hope they put her up somewhere nice if the flights delayed or cancelled.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

They've done a good job of putting her up in London - a Hilton the first night, and a Marriot tonight - complete with three meals a day and any travel between the hotels and the airport. She is impressed with how well BA have looked after her - so am I for that matter.

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Now that's what I call service! Nice to see that it does still exist. And good she's the recipient.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Yes - they get a lot of knocks if things go wrong - so this time I think they deserve a pat on the back!

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping all my fingers crossed D-d is on that Iberia flight to Buenos Aires. I wonder why BA cancelled her flight though. As far as I know, no flights from Brazilian airports to Buenos Aires have been cancelled.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Most flights from Europe to Buenos Aires were cancelled yesterday and earlier today - the Iberia website currently says

The eruption of the Puyehue volcano in Chile is affecting the air space over South America and the Atlantic Ocean and also the normal operation of Iberia flights to South America, especially to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

But there is a BA flight out tonight from Heathrow - unfortunately full, hence the trip via Madrid for D-d. The 1am Iberia flight from Madrid tonight seems to be flying, too.

They did say they could fly her to Sao Paulo and she could make her own way to Buenos Aires - but she said a very firm 'No!' She had a ticket to Buenos Aires and they could get her to Buenos Aires...

So we now have everything crossed for her - your crossed fingers are much appreciated!

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

I also have everything crossed for her. She was right not to accept coming to São Paulo, though she would have no trouble flying from here to Buenos Aires. It's BA's responsability though to take her there. I hope she's already in Buenos Aires, or arriving there.

I have nothing to complain about BA, and I always fly BA to England because of their non-stop flights.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

BA were wonderful to her - she was very well looked after. They were fine when she said she wasn't happy to be sent to São Paulo, and arranged hotels for her, her transfers, even three meals a day, until the first flight they could get her on - namely the Iberia one, as BA and Iberia are now part of the same group.

She made her flight to Madrid this morning - and I had a text to say she'd 'just made the gate' for the onward flight to Buenos Aires which is due to land in about an hour from now.

It's going to have been a very long day - but the detour via Madrid will become one of those travellers tales in time.

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

I do hope D-d is already in Buenos Aires having the time of her life with her friend. How long is she staying?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She got there at 11.45 our time last night - having checked in at Heathrow at 5.15am. Which is a long day - but still quite amazing when you realise how far around the world she travelled, taking in Madrid en route!

She is in BA until Monday July 11th - so about 12 days - and is expecting to have a great time with her friend. Next stop after BA is Sydney.

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

They are going to be 12 wonderful days, I'm sure. She might even learn how to tango. LOL

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Not sure about the tango - but she spent much of last night discussing motorbike racing with a 'very nice Argentinian guy'!

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

LOL Sounds like a very nice guy indeed, and I see she's having a ball.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She's also discovered mate (which is a bit like a herbal tea but looks, smells and probably tastes a lot like cat-nip) and ate facturas which are the Argentine version of croissants/Danish pastries.

I can see her and her friend being out partying every night too - her friend is a party person.

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

LOL mate tastes really much like tea. The problem is people in southern Brazil, and Argentina drink it without adding any sugar, and without straining the leaves. We are as addicted to it as you are to tea.

If she likes partying, she's going to love Buenos Aires.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad the airlines are treating her well. I haven't had that experience! I used to love flying, but I avoid it now. We will fly to Boston later this year, but that's only because driving would require nearly all of our vacation time.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I have been very impressed by how well BA have looked after her - we so often hear of people left to sit around the terminal for days and so on, so I really do want to sin their praises for this.

I can certainly understand how you feel about flying these days. The worst thing, I think, is the way you now need to be at the airport for international flights two hours before take off - so a two hour flight can take four hours. Hopefully you don't have to be there quite os early for your internal flight. Although at most UK airports even internal flights require you to be there at least an hour early.

Bearing in mind getting from the city centres to the airports as well and for such distances as Edinburgh to London it is almost as fast, and a good deal simpler, to take a train! Since the building of the Channel Tunnel this is also true of getting from London to Paris.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

We have to be at the airport two hours early, and it will take every minute if it runs as it often does. We may be taken aside and sequestered for a thorough examination of our bodies and belongings. My husband's name has been on the terrorist list since they came out; he is unfortunate to have a very common name. Anything less than a ten hour drive is worth taking the car. Taking the train would cut four entire days out of our vacation, plus cost about five times as much!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We are fortunate in Europe - trains are a very fast, efficient, way to travel and so really are a viable alternative if you get fed up with the hassle of air travel. Granted UK distances are much shorter - but London to Edinburgh, for example, a 400 mile drive, can be done by train in 4 hours 20 minutes.

Travelling further afield and London to Brussels takes under 2 hours, and London to Rome can be done by leaving London after lunch and arriving in Rome for breakfast next morning.

Actually, I quite fancy that...

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Good grief! I hope she's getting all the hassles out of the way now, so the rest of the trip will proceed as planned.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She eventually arrived - by way of Madrid - at about 8pm Argentinian time on Wednesday - about 36 hours late. And is having an excellent time now.