My meticulous plans had to be migrated to countermeasures due to the unexpected rogue drone
I was scheduled on the 12:15 Vienna to Gatwick flight today.
07:00 Check BBC radio for general news then got the heads up on the closure of Gatwick.
08:00 Decided to head to the Vienna airport and check in early expecting some delays.
10:35 Gatwick still closed, my flight is delayed to 14:10. Lots of media chatter and noise.
10:45 Suddenly dawns on me that they may not open Gatwick till after 14:00
11:00 I decided to ditch that flight and look for another destination. Hats off to EasyJet for a no quibble of flight to Luton.
11:25 Had to retrieve my checked-in luggage, check in again and go through Passport check….again.
12:00 Gatwick flight pushed back to 16:55 delayed departure. Gatwick still closed.
13:00 arrive at gate and ready to fly
14:17 Late fight departure but relieved to be heading back to the UK.
15:29 (London time) arrived in Luton. Pretty busy, not sure if this is the normal state. My Gatwick flight was cancelled
16:45 Finally boarded train to London.
Things that worked
- Good situation awareness made it easy to make decisions.
- Planned contingency already in place
- Solo travelling, no dependency or discussion.
Things to improve
- Checked luggage slowed me down but it was needed.
- Lots of anxiety and
panic, lost my ear buds so couldn’t watch any movies.