No matter how many times I fly (and I love flying), I still find airports very stressful environments, and Manchester Terminal 3 has now topped the list for being the worst embarking experience I’ve had.
Our first flight was a domestic flight from Manchester to Heathrow, so check in only opened 2 hours before departure. Queues at check-in, followed by a long wait as our hold baggage was selected for additional security checks, then almost an hour going through security, left us with minutes to get to the gate and onto the plane.
Then came our first delay. Apparently, the plane had not been cleared by an engineer for take-off, so we then waited an hour for an engineer to turn up. With only a 2 hour connection window (now reduced to 1 hour) at Heathrow, we ran from one end of Terminal 5 to the other, catching a transit train along the way, just in time to board our next flight. Following the recent cyber attack at Heathrow, the crew were having to do manual checks so boarding was slow and late. Once boarded, we found ourselves being delayed another hour (no reason given this time).
The leg from Heathrow to Johannesburg was aboard the iconic Airbus A380. We’ve both wanted to fly on this plane for some time and our last trip that was due to be onboard an A380 was cancelled due to Covid, back in 2020. As they are gradually being phased out to make way for more fuel efficient transport, we thought our chance would never come.
The A380 is a double-decker beast of a plane, and we booked seats in the upper deck, where twin seats make the journey more comfortable when travelling in a pair. Being on the upper deck also meant being further from the jets, so it was quieter onboard than usual. The flight itself was uneventful (although we did have a particularly grumpy member of cabin crew, who didn’t smile at all, and for whom everything was just a bit too much of an effort!) and the pilot managed to pull back some lost time, arriving in Johannesburg just 20 minutes later than scheduled. However, more delays occurred as the ground crew were unable to attach the sky bridges.
The problem was eventually resolved and we made the long walk between Johannesburg airport’s 2 terminals to check in for our final flight of this part of the journey – an Airlink 2 hour flight to Windhoek.
The plane was boarded promptly, left on time and the cabin crew were outstanding. What really came as a pleasant surprise was the complimentary drinks and a pleasant meal. Anyone who has flown short haul in recent years from the UK will appreciate that the demand for cheap flights has led to literally nothing apart from a seat being included in the price, so our expectation of a small snack and bottle of water were certainly exceeded.
Namibia introduced visas for UK passport holders earlier this year, and we have been reading some horror stories of it taking 2-3 hours to pass immigration. We’d prepared ourselves for a tiring queue, and once again were pleasantly and gratefully surprised when it took us only half an hour. Border staff were friendly and efficient, so no complaints here.
We were met by Geoffrey, who waited whilst we got cash and helped us sort out Sim cards for our phones, before transferring us to our first lodgings – the Olive Grove Guesthouse, in Windhoek.
The total journey involved 2 taxis, 2 trains, 3 planes, and various airport transits, and took 26 hours door to door. 8,300 steps and 5,820 miles.
We settled in to our room, but no rest as we had a meet and greet session booked with our trip co-ordinator, Nikki, who spent an hour going through our itinerary in detail and offering some sound local advice.
Quick showers and then out for a fabulous meal at Fresh ‘n’ Wild – Phil finally had the T-bone steak he’d promised himself as a retirement treat. A nice bottle of Shiraz washed the meal down well, and then we finally hit the pillows for an early night and some much needed sleep.
TheWanderingWains 
Leave a comment