Airport rant!

The last two days have been pretty horrific. After almost three weeks in Axum we were due to fly back to Addis on Tuesday morning. Everything was going smoothly - we got to the airport at 8am, checked in and even went through to the "departure lounge" when disaster struck. The plane - a rather flash Boeing 737 - arrived and the ground staff tried to get the steps out but they jammed. After lots of step pushing and shoving they still wouldn't move - the passengers onboard had to climb down a ladder put on a trailer to make it high enough.

To cut a very long and hideous story short-ish we spent 11 hours at the airport on Tuesday as other Addis-bound passengers came and went. We couldn't go on those flights for some reason we had to wait for technicians to arrive and mend the steps - which they couldn't.

At 6.30pm we were sent back to Axum for the night. The next morning it all started again. We went to the airport and waited.....and waited....a flight coming from Addis for us had to be turned back. Other flights - again - came and went.

At about lunchtime it all got too much for me and after shouting at Mr Ethiopian Airlines man I burst into tears. Must be feeling particularly hormonal at the moment! Little good it did - we were sent back to Axum for lunch. The restaurant in the airport has been closed.

We eventually left Axum airport at about 4pm last night - miserable, irritated and exhausted.

When I was thinking about blogging yesterday I was so furious I couldn't think of anything good to have come out of the experience. Ethiopian Airlines failed to tell us what was happening, we never got priority over other passengers and no one apologised until we actually boarded the plane to Addis two days after the ordeal started.

But now I'm back at home and feeling less angry the one thing that was good was the camaraderie with the other passengers. There was a group of women villagers, some other journalists and a couple of Ethiopian/Americans on a pilgrimage - they were all great and helped keep us informed and cheered us along when our spirits were flagging.

Comments

[Daniel]

Dear Mrs Henshaw,

I am an Ethiopian living in Germany.

Thank you for the information you post from Ethiopia.I enjoyed reading them.

Such encounters as in ur return from Axum might not be the last one.In my opinion,Ethiopian Airlines has to apologise for its delay formally.

Anyways, i thank you again for your posts and wish you the best in your job.

With regards

[Mrs Henshaw]

Maam,

I was struck by your pompous statement about not getting preferential treatment. Tell me why you deserve preferential treatment. What makes you better than the native Ethiopians?

[Amber]

I think you've missed my point. I meant that we as a group (all of the people on the original flight - both Ethiopians and ferenji) were never given priority. Other passengers arrived at the airport and managed to get on flights to Addis while we were just left watching them board. I gather that normally delayed passengers would get priority new passengers.

[Hagos]

If that was your point I withdraw my statement and apologize. Although not excusable, it would be helpful for you to understand that the event in Axum was huge. It was a logistical nightmare for the Ethiopian Airlines. Imagine all those people descending to Axum in an unprecedented manner. It does put stress on the airline.

Ethiopian Airlines should have been more forthcoming. I know they are not very good about being transparent. They need to improve on that aspect. I am sure you would not have been as frustrated if they were up front about the situation.

Thanks

[BH]

As a journalist, I don't think it would be so wrong if Amber & Co. get a priority.
I think we should dispose of this racism and other crappy thinking out of our mind. If it wasn't for Amber and coworkers, we wouldn't have been able follow the historic event as well as we had. The other think that these journalists may have some time sensitive work elsewhere, which also justifies them getting priority.

p.s. I'm a habesha

[Hagos]

I respectfully disagree with BH's assessment that journalists deserve” priority." I think you meant to say preference by the way.

Secondly, your assertion that we need to eliminate the crutches of yelling racism is totally unwarranted and out of place. it does not fit in with what anybody has stated.

Quite frankly you do not sound like a journalist and I have my doubts you are an Ethiopian. That is my opinion. As a so called journalist, I have no doubt you will respect my right to express my doubt.

Thanks

[Meta]

That is a classic Ethio-Airlines story, although painfull at the time, sounds like a great story in hindsight. I'd say of my 10 or so flights that I have taken on EA about half of them have turned into major problems; including planes not showing up and reservations lost.