Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sandwiches served by TAP

Details: The sandwiches served on the Portuguese national carrier TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) flights - they are not serving any other meals on European flights, as far as I can tell - are usually made with some cheese, which melts when the sandwich is warmed before serving, gluing itself permanently to the aluminized paper bag the sandwich is packed into.

Pros: The passengers are thus getting some free entertainment in trying to extract the sandwich from the bag.

Cons: The result is frequently not exactly appetizing or hygienically safe.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Makedonia airport - Thessaloniki

Pros: Free WiFi internet connection.

Cons: Hopelessly unsatisfactory passenger information system.

Details: My flight Thessaloniki - Frankfurt (Aegean Airlines flight A3 530, April 18, 2011, departure at 15:30 local time) from the Makedonia airport (code: SKG) had its boarding gate changed. This event had never been announced on the electronic board, which continued showing Boarding Gate 13 for Frankfurt (meanwhile used to board a flight to Milan, departing at the same time as the flight to Frankfurt). They were apparently  announcing the change on the radio (which was not sufficiently loud), in Greek, and in a Greek remake of English. These announcements left uninformed myself and at least 3 more German-speaking passengers, all of us unable to understand Greek. Finally, a lady came to a nearby Gate 12, and called out "Frankfurt" in her own unaided voice, which we were able to hear and understand, and therefore got on board in time not to miss our flight ... Apparently, this was the same lady who previously was making announcements on the radio, in what she believed was proper English. She also noted that she had requested the change to be made on the electronic announcement board, but for reasons to her unknown such change had never been made.