Our much-needed break has finally arrived. After weeks of windy, dusty, sand-stormy weather, I'm due some clear skies and fresh air. With the teenager already overseas in Thailand it's left to me to relax over the weekend and pack for the few days I will be away. Did I mention that our spring break had been reduced from two weeks to one? The first week was spent in Professional Development that suddenly I had to organise (with help from others but still an additional amount of work with staff who really didn't want to be there).
Sunday morning sees me with my carry-on bag ready to go. Although it's over the weight limit when I pop it on the scales! Will this be a problem? I'm flying Etihad and they have some mixed reviews at the moment, especially from down-under due to cancelling and changing flights for the ANZAC commerations in Turkey.
I'm 5 minutes late to meet my friend across the road (unlike me) and see her already outside with her carry-on. What good travellers we are. A car awaits us so I hurry across the road to get this journey started.
Only to find that it isn't our car. The deal was that she would arrange the drop-off to the airport and I'd arrange the pick-up on return. But her car hasn't arrived. After some fluffing about and repeatedly asking the driver in the car sitting waiting for no-one at 10am on a Sunday morning (strange turn of coincidence) she nips up to her apartment to check her emails. I had a confirmation email and she hadn't so in the end we make use of the driver and his fee of 60AED to get underway to the airport. He was much cheaper than a taxi and just happened to be sitting there waiting!
Arriving at the airport we head to the Golden Class counter to find our 'meet & greet'. This service is free from our bank so I was showing off to my friend as how to access the perks of living here. She'd had a SMS from them confirming her meet but I hadn't. It seemed like it might be going to be a day of that.
The process of arranging the meet and greet is to phone the 0800 bank number, be put on hold for usually around 20 minutes, then order it. To arrange the driver for pick up or drop off it's a similar process. Phone the bank (wait ...), order the service, get given a phone number to ring, ring, get an answer machine three times, leave a message, (wait...), phone again, get a person, receive an order form via email, print it off, fill it in, email it back, and WELLA! You have a driver arranged! Meet and greets are free and unlimited while drivers are free two times a year.
Our friendly staff member takes us through the business class check in facilities and does the check in for us. In a matter of minutes we are through customs and heading to the lounge. Another bank perk! With extensive rebuilding of the airport underway (due to open 2017) the lounge is smaller than the last time I used it. I later find out that this is a new lounge and the other one is still open so now know I have a choice of two to use.
We take advantage of the free food for our breakfast and dine on a variety of tasty dishes available for us. Fresh juice and tea and coffee are served at our table and we use the opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves.
While we await our flight in a couple of hours the bar beckons so we sample some of the many wines on offer. As usual, I opt for a glass of bubbly. Finally, the holiday has begun.
Sunday morning sees me with my carry-on bag ready to go. Although it's over the weight limit when I pop it on the scales! Will this be a problem? I'm flying Etihad and they have some mixed reviews at the moment, especially from down-under due to cancelling and changing flights for the ANZAC commerations in Turkey.
I'm 5 minutes late to meet my friend across the road (unlike me) and see her already outside with her carry-on. What good travellers we are. A car awaits us so I hurry across the road to get this journey started.
Only to find that it isn't our car. The deal was that she would arrange the drop-off to the airport and I'd arrange the pick-up on return. But her car hasn't arrived. After some fluffing about and repeatedly asking the driver in the car sitting waiting for no-one at 10am on a Sunday morning (strange turn of coincidence) she nips up to her apartment to check her emails. I had a confirmation email and she hadn't so in the end we make use of the driver and his fee of 60AED to get underway to the airport. He was much cheaper than a taxi and just happened to be sitting there waiting!
Arriving at the airport we head to the Golden Class counter to find our 'meet & greet'. This service is free from our bank so I was showing off to my friend as how to access the perks of living here. She'd had a SMS from them confirming her meet but I hadn't. It seemed like it might be going to be a day of that.
The process of arranging the meet and greet is to phone the 0800 bank number, be put on hold for usually around 20 minutes, then order it. To arrange the driver for pick up or drop off it's a similar process. Phone the bank (wait ...), order the service, get given a phone number to ring, ring, get an answer machine three times, leave a message, (wait...), phone again, get a person, receive an order form via email, print it off, fill it in, email it back, and WELLA! You have a driver arranged! Meet and greets are free and unlimited while drivers are free two times a year.
Our friendly staff member takes us through the business class check in facilities and does the check in for us. In a matter of minutes we are through customs and heading to the lounge. Another bank perk! With extensive rebuilding of the airport underway (due to open 2017) the lounge is smaller than the last time I used it. I later find out that this is a new lounge and the other one is still open so now know I have a choice of two to use.
We take advantage of the free food for our breakfast and dine on a variety of tasty dishes available for us. Fresh juice and tea and coffee are served at our table and we use the opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves.
While we await our flight in a couple of hours the bar beckons so we sample some of the many wines on offer. As usual, I opt for a glass of bubbly. Finally, the holiday has begun.
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