Ireland Trip: Day 30
So, I'm never going to Stansted Airport ever again.
This weekend five girls and I traveled to London for a little getaway from Armagh. We had a great time in London for the two days we were there, and I would not trade that experience for the world. But for all the fun we had in London, we had so much trouble getting home Sunday.
Being broke college students, we decided as a group to book the cheapest flights possible through RyanAir. This meant our flight left from Stansted Airport at 6:30 in the morning Sunday. Because of a delay in the train from our hostel to the airport, we MISSED our first flight that morning (despite being there at least half an hour before the flight left).
RyanAir's policy on missed flights is that no refunds are given for any reason. This means that we had to pay money to get on the next flight available. Unfortunately, we had to split up into two groups of three, since there were no flights available Sunday with six seats open. I was in the group whose flight left at noon, so I was at that airport for six hours - waiting.
Although we were there early, we could not check in for our flight until two hours before the plane left. However, it takes about two hours to go through security alone. We had already missed one flight, had to pay an additional $120, and it looked like we were going to miss our second flight. Janine, one of the other girls with me, ended up begging the security employees to let us go to the front of the line. This, of course, prompted the other tired travelers in line to yell at us.
After missing our first flight, sitting in the airport doing nothing for four hours, being forced to pay an extra $120 and being yelled at by random strangers, we had to run to the gate to make it in time. I broke out into a run through the airport, only to be stopped AGAIN by airport security to have my shoes scanned. Fearing I would miss my flight, I ran barefoot through the airport. (By the way, the grates on the escalators are not very pleasant on the bare foot.)
Obviously, since I am writing this note, I made it to the plane, and eventually made it back to the hostel in Ireland. If anything, this stressful experience has taught me that sometimes spending a little bit more money is worthwhile - especially if it means not having to fly through Stansted Airport.
This weekend five girls and I traveled to London for a little getaway from Armagh. We had a great time in London for the two days we were there, and I would not trade that experience for the world. But for all the fun we had in London, we had so much trouble getting home Sunday.
Being broke college students, we decided as a group to book the cheapest flights possible through RyanAir. This meant our flight left from Stansted Airport at 6:30 in the morning Sunday. Because of a delay in the train from our hostel to the airport, we MISSED our first flight that morning (despite being there at least half an hour before the flight left).
RyanAir's policy on missed flights is that no refunds are given for any reason. This means that we had to pay money to get on the next flight available. Unfortunately, we had to split up into two groups of three, since there were no flights available Sunday with six seats open. I was in the group whose flight left at noon, so I was at that airport for six hours - waiting.
Although we were there early, we could not check in for our flight until two hours before the plane left. However, it takes about two hours to go through security alone. We had already missed one flight, had to pay an additional $120, and it looked like we were going to miss our second flight. Janine, one of the other girls with me, ended up begging the security employees to let us go to the front of the line. This, of course, prompted the other tired travelers in line to yell at us.
After missing our first flight, sitting in the airport doing nothing for four hours, being forced to pay an extra $120 and being yelled at by random strangers, we had to run to the gate to make it in time. I broke out into a run through the airport, only to be stopped AGAIN by airport security to have my shoes scanned. Fearing I would miss my flight, I ran barefoot through the airport. (By the way, the grates on the escalators are not very pleasant on the bare foot.)
Obviously, since I am writing this note, I made it to the plane, and eventually made it back to the hostel in Ireland. If anything, this stressful experience has taught me that sometimes spending a little bit more money is worthwhile - especially if it means not having to fly through Stansted Airport.
Labels: vacation
posted by Sarah Elizabeth @ 6:53 AM
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