Traveling with electronics to the UK with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul Airport

I travelled to the UK on Monday from Dubai, via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. 

I opted to leave my laptop at home and took my camera in my hand luggage. 

The additional security was managed by the airline and our plane took off on time.

Usual screening took place in Dubai and on transfer in Istanbul. No information was available at check in on what the procedure would be in Turkey and Turkish Airlines were slow to update their website with information.

The gate number was annnounced at 12.55pm, 1 hour before take off for boarding as normal, but after presenting passports and boarding passes, we had to queue for bag, explosive swabbing and external body search (pat down)  Every non British passport holder was asked to show their travel documents, boarding passes for earlier flight if in transit and photographs of their exit stamp from earlier flights was taken. 

A variety of electronic items were removed from passengers, including games consoles as well as laptops, iPads, kindles and a computer monitor. Everything was bubble wrapped, bar coded and packed in suitcases to be manually put in the hold. Each passenger received a ticket and was required to sign and list the contents.

 

I handed over my entire camera bag and listed the lenses, tripod etc, other passengers just handed over the main body of the camera, prior to boarding. 

We were informed our items would be handed back to us on arrival to in Birmingham and on exiting the plane, clearing passport and entering the baggage hall, there was a stand for Turkish Airlines, where receipts and goods were passed over in exchange for a signature.

Despite the process being relatively simple, there was no information available at the airport and very little information online, which caused quite a bit of concern amongst passengers and slowed the process down due to passengers asking endless questions when it wasn't necessary if announcements were made.

The whole process could've been a lot simpler and less stressful if entry to the boarding area had started earlier, information given at check in and updated online as cameras were excluded from the cabin ban for the UK, but with the process being new, I wasn't allowed to take it in the cabin. 

I'm hoping they have established a better system in Birmingham, by the next time I travel in June, it was fortunate that arrivals was exceptionally quiet, the young man who was returning electronics to passengers made the process more complicated than it needed to be and it was time consuming and didn't take into account passengers who may have been in transit, maybe the airline knew this in Istanbul or maybe there were passengers who didn't get reunited with their belongings. 

In general I'm more than happy to go through the extra security, I don't use my laptop during the flight and passengers can use their electronic items right up until boarding is announced. I was happier knowing my camera was taken on and off the plane manually, rather than packing it in my suitcase risking theft and mishandling. 

I did have one minor wobble when the airline forced the lid closed on a case and did point out that they needed to be more careful as kneeling on the lid of a suitcase containing laptops was not a good idea. 

A positive review of Easy Jet - Luton to Munich.

This is the first time I've flown with a low cost airline and to be honest I was a bit concerned there would be problems. I never see or hear anything positive about low cost airlines and I hear all the time about the additional charges that people complain are a rip off, like booking seats together and paying for boarding passes and in general the mass melee to get on the plane before departure.

I however was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at Luton airport to board my flight to Munich in July.

I was however, also very confused when I arrived at Luton while I waited for check in to open, to realise that I could just show my boarding pass and passport at departures and go straight through as I was travelling with hand luggage only.

There was no pushing and shoving as we lined up to board the plane, my only complaint would be that there was no where to sit while we waited to board, but other than that it was fine.

A few people had paid for priority boarding, I've no idea how much that cost them, but at the end of the day, the plane wasn't going anywhere until we were all on it, so in my opinion, it was a bit of a waste of money.

My luggage weighed 15kg, it fitted in the over head compartment and I was able to lift it easily. The luggage allowance for the cabin was very generous, most of the weight was magazines and gifts.

I was allocated a seat and after years of long haul flying I was surprised at just how much leg room there was and how clean the plane was also.

I purchased a G&T at £5.50 which was £2.50 cheaper than the price I'd paid in a St Alban's pub the night before.

The flight both ways was uneventful and I spent it reading a book and looking out the window.

Peter informed me on my return I had actually flown with Easy Jet in the past to Berlin on two occasions in 2006, that had obviously been excellent flights also or I'd have remembered it.

I'm not sure if people just complain for the sake of complaining these days. My expectations of Easy Jet were very low, considering I'd paid half of what the flight with other airlines would've cost me.

I'll certainly fly with them again when I'm next in Europe, it's just a shame they don't offer flights from Dubai, as at their prices I'd be more than prepared to put up with some of the horror stories I've read about online, in exchange for lower prices.

(Tongue in cheek) Disclaimer:
I was not paid in anyway to write this article, however if Easy Jet would like me on board as an ambassador I'd be more than happy to oblige.

When your adult son goes missing

My son, aged 20, is coming today to visit us in South Africa for 2 weeks.

We left him in the UK aged 18, he'd not long left home for an apprentiship in Hotel Management in Reading. He visited us here in March last year, we visited the UK in August and December. He got himself a new job at Christmas and moved to Cheltenham, back nearer his dad and my family.

Yesterday afternoon there were messages on facebook from him and his dad to say he was at the airport and the last one read 'Mum, do you want any duty free?'

So all checked in, I relaxed and went off to bed.

This morning I check facebook, twitter and emails...as you do to see an urgent message sent from his Dad on facebook last night at midnight

'Ring me asap!!!'

'Jamis has just phoned and said his connecting flight isnt until tomorrow night?'

3 hrs later I get this
'phone only had 2% battery life when he phoned so i told him to switch it off for a bit while i sort out a hotel texted him the address but havnt heard from him the hotel wont answer there fucking phone so not sure if he went to the hotel'

So panic, I checked and double checked I had booked the right dates, checked on the website. Flight cancelled and he's booked in for tonights flight.

And not another word on the subject.

I messaged his dad back with 'it's the air lines responsibilty to look after him.

Why is his dad booking a hotel? where? did he get to it? who's paying for it? Does he have his luggage? etc, etc, etc

No response from his dad, no reply to my SMS to my son, called Air France in South Africa, they know nothing, the number they gave me for France is unobtainable, Hubby now calling the UK to find out what's going on.

Yes I know my son is 20, he's lived on his own for nearly two years, but still it would be nice to know what is going on and if his Dad went off to bed having made sure our son was ok.

*update one hour later

My hubby has called Uk and been told all passengers were given hotel room and meal vouchers and allowed to make one phone call. they will not tell hubbby which hotel for security reasons.

My ex has informed me Son did not check into hotel he booked for him last night and was told by Air France desk thatI had booked the wrong flight and he was on his own. Have given ex the number hubby rang on so he can ask for message to be delivered to son and for confirmation he was one of the passengers that has been helped, rather than just left to his own devices.

PS
Flight : AF0990 Resa : OK
Departure : 01May, 23:20 Latest check-in time limit : 22:20
I didn't book the wrong flight

UPDATE

AT 11.30AM SON PHONED HIS DAD IN THE UK TO SAY HE MANAGED TO TRANSFER MONEY FROM UK TO PAY FOR HIS OWN HOTEL AND IS BACK ON WAY TO AIRPORT WITH RECEIPTS TO CLAIM HIS HOTEL ROOM RATE BACK, HE IS WITHOUT LUGGAGE AND CANNOT CHARGE HIS PHONE AS CHARGER IS IN HIS CASE.
HE NOW HAS 12HOURS BEFORE HIS FLIGHT HERE AND IS NOT A HAPPY BUNNY THAT AIRFRANCE DIDN'T HELP HIM.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE

At 12pm today after 150+ hits in half an hour on this blog, Air France contacted me.
At 4.40pm they sent email to say sorry about all of this, they had sent son an email back in March to inform him of cancelled flight, I doubt he's checked his emails for years, I had left my cell number for them to contact also. They are refunding his accomodation and his meals as long as he can provide original receipts.

I'm sure he will accept this, he has been in touch with me on facebook, having bought a new phone charger as his luggage is in holding, located a wifi spot to tell me he was fine, no worries, he had a spare set of clothes, he understood my panic that had been caused by his Dads messages that he hadn't got hold of him since midnight last night. However, I'm still slightly annoyed that no one at Air France in South Africa, Paris or the UK could give any different information other than what I could see on the website...flight cancelled, booked in for tonights flight.
5 hours passed before anyone got in touch with us, around the same time son rang his dad in the UK to say he was fine.

I know he's 20 and an adult, but surely there must be better ways of contacting Air France, rather than on their web page and clicking several links to get local numbers to press a series of buttons, being put on hold and then told 'there's nothing we can tell you'

There is no way now that I'm letting my children (17 & 13) fly unattended now with any airline unless it is a direct flight.

Lesson learnt from this experience?

Always pack your phone charger in your hand luggage.