We had already done all the visiting we were doing and now we were going home.
Up at sparrow fart for the run to the airport. A bright morning, little traffic and the smog hadn’t quite descended yet. Another VW Passat taxi. Everything swept into the back and off we go. We were definitely going against the morning rush hour our dual carriageway was moving quickly heading out of the city. The dual carriageway going into the city was like a car park.
Dumped at the airports front door and in we go.
It’s like Casablanca large groups of people standing abandoned looking lost and bewildered.
Theres no one at the Aer Lingus desk. So we wait, Im sitting anyway. No big deal finally someone shows up we go forward. Details taken, paperwork looked at and handed back. we are waved over to sit and wait.
Theres something not quite right and as we’re summarily dismissed. I ask him ‘What about this’. indicating the scooter I’m sitting on.
Maybe he thought I was a dwarf.
More paperwork, which he read from with really bad grace. I hadn’t got a lot of sleep, maybe he hadn’t either, with a hangover to top it off.
I filled in all the details, height, weight, length, type, folded, unfolded. The lot.
Away he went and returned with his mate. he read the paperwork, looked at it. poked prodded and said ‘It can’t go on the plane’.
‘Why not’.
‘What’? (You’re questioning my judgement)
‘Why can’t it go on the plane’.
‘Its not permitted’. And turned to go.
‘Hold on. Why not’?
‘Because I say so’.
‘This thing here. Isn’t allowed on the plane’. I pointed to the scooter.
‘Yes’.
‘How do you think it got here. There are still aircraft ID stickers on it. It got to Prague from Dublin by plane. The same airline, which is taking it back to Dublin’.
‘It needs to be disconnected’.
‘It is disconnected’, and showed him the key ‘Its going nowhere without this’.
‘Not good enough’.
‘Ok I strongly suggest you go and find out what is good enough. Then come back and let me know’.
And away he went. By this stage I was thinking about tea or coffee. The desk person went back to having his day further disturbed by someone else. Somebody else arrived to look at the scooter. I explained about the key and powering it on and off. Showed him it folded up and how to tow it along.
His mate returned. ‘I want the battery disconnected’
I explained about the key.
‘Not good enough’.
The dame took one look.
‘Whats that’?
‘Rear Frame’?
‘Whats that’?
‘Sealed battery’.
And there hanging off it was a thick blue cable.
‘Whats that’?
‘No idea’.
And she pulled out the cable. Looked at the airport employee and said ‘Its disconnected. Happy’?
“What have you done’? I asked
‘No idea, I’ll push you through Dublin Airport if I have to’.
So it disappeared. Off to the plane, enplaned in good time. seated, fed, watered and landed in Dublin. Out the far side.
Wheelchaired through the airport and baggage reclaim. No sign of scooter, off to various bits of airport where stuff is stashed.
Phone calls made as are excuses. But the scooter is nowhere to be found. Off home and Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport promise to sort it out. two days later its delivered. By a taxi, from a man in Enniskillen. Thats his job and no he still has no idea where it was found or why.
It’s suspected it wasn’t put on the plane at Budapest.
So whatever you’re travelling with. Keep a copy of photos, measurements weight and sizes. Whatever you gave to the airline or travel agent initially to get it put on the plane in the first place.
Hang on to it. It was just pure luck I had all this stuff stashed in my phone.
ironside Travel 