Wednesday March 31st we went to the Yola airport for a ticket to Abuja. Arik Airline had no seats so we had to go to IRS Airline. They had cancelled a flight last year when they only owned two airplanes. They now have more planes so the chances of cancelation are a little less. They only had room on the 7:30 AM flight. This means a 12 hour layover in Abuja. The flight is only $100. The next morning I was up at 5 AM to eat breakfast and finish packing.
We stopped at the airport and took this picture. Click it to see the bigger picture. The sign in the center says Emergency Operations Centre. The flight out of Yola was less than one hour late leaving. It was an old Folker F3 that had new upholstery. I think it was a former SAS plane. I prefer Arik Airlines. They have newer planes and are an international carrier. The flight had no problems. The ride from the domestic airport to the International airport was quick and only cost 1000 naira ($6.66).
The 12 hour layover was boring. This airport has little to do. I had lunch in the fast food spots on the second floor. Same food I have been eating in Jimeta chicken and rice but twice the price. found a spot that I could plug in my computer and get on the internet using the cell phone modem.
After 10 hours I went to the departure counters and through the first security check. When I finally got to the baggage check in counter they said I was not in the computer and I needed to go to the KLM office. This was not the first time this had happened to me so I knew where to go. There was a line of people at the KLM office. It seems Delta had cancelled a flight the day before and then moved people to this flight. There were three of us who were no longer booked. I should have called in a confirmed the flight. The lady took about 5 minutes to rebook me on the same flights. So I drag my bag back the check-in counter and back into line. When I got to the front of the line the lady there said I was not in the computer and to go to the KLM office. The lady at KLM was surprised to see me back. Over the next hour I made this trip two more times. The lady at the KLM officed indicated that for some reason the Delta computer was cancelling my booking everytime she booked it. Then I was moved to the KLM supervisor. She went to her office behind the check-in. Came out 5 minutes later and took me to the front of the line. After the passenger that was being checked in she tried to check me in with a manual override. This did not work. So the supervisor had the check-in clerk get the computer to a certain point and stop. She then went to her office and rebooked me. Then had the clerk continue. Delta did not have time to cancel me and I got on the flight. It was now less than 30 minutes before the flight and I had to go through Nigerial Immigration Departure interview, upstairs, then through the second more comprehensive security check. I rushed and got upstairs to find that they were just starting the security check and I would stand in line for another 30 or more.
The flight from Abuja to Amsterdam make one stop in Kano, Nigeria for fuel and passengers. The landing was one of the hardest I had ever had. We bounced and and hit hard again. Bounced once more and made the landing. This being a modern Airbus the computer detected the hard landing and called for an inspection of the landing gear. The pilot briefed us and told us the mechanic had gone to his office to get his computer for the test procedure. Later the pilot informed us that the laptop was broken and the mechanic was going back to his office to get the paper version of the inspections. After two hours on the ground in Kano we took off.
When the crew made the landing announcement they said there was a medical emergency on board and everyone should stay seated until the emergency crew had removed the passenger. That did not happen. As is turns out the emergency was that a passenger had been found with no pulse and cold. A doctor on board said he had be dead for a while.
I had a 4 hour layover in Amsterdam. I got my first cup of brewed coffee in 6 weeks. At security in Amsterdam they put me through the new body scanners. It detected the piece of in my back pockets and also identified a place of suspicion on my chest. This is about the same spot that I have a lump on one of my ribs. I was impressed with the technology. The screen the security people see is a generic outline of a person (I wish I had that kind of build) with I square where the suspicious items are. The flight to Minneapolis left right on time and was only a 1/2 hour late arriving due to flying around bad weather.
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