Hello,

As I've got two hours to kill before my flight, I thought I'd let off some steam 

I'm on my way from McAllen in Texas to Manchester, my flight was via Houston, Newark, and Brussels, so I have to meet Belgian Travel requirements as well as those for England (not the UK cos Scotland and Wales are subtly different.

So first I need a Covid PCR test done no sooner than 72 hours before my flight leaves BRUSSELS, not McAllen, I find a test center that has 24 hour turn round as all the other centers won't guarantee a 48 hour turn round for travel.

Anyhow get the test and the results in 3 hours and I'm negative 

I knew I was but it's nice to be sure.

Then I do the forms for the UK, these aren't too bad but you have to visit the site twice, once to create an account and then again to enter travel details which was a bit confusing at first. They also ask for a seat number on your arriving flight, but I don't have a seat number cos it's a codeshare with Brussels Airlines and they won't give me seat number until I check in, so I leave that bit blank and print the form out just in case.

Then I try the Belgian Passenger Locator form, it's a nightmare 

First I read the guidance and I'm sure it says that if your transiting to a NON Schengen country you don't need the passenger locator form. I try to do the form, just to be on the safe side, and they want my arriving AND departing flights and seat numbers, so I'm stuck again. So I don't bother.

This morning I get to the airport and United tell me I must do the Belgian form online. The Belgian Passenger Locator Form website isn't working today 

I try on my phone, with two different browsers on my laptop, and the station manager at McAllen tries to do it for me on her computer (McAllen's a small airport) and we can't get it to work.

In the end I download a copy of the paper form, email it to the station manager and she prints it out in her office for me to fill in by hand.

I still need the seat assignment on my flight from Brussels to Manchester so they have to check me in so that I can complete the form, and they aren't meant to check me in unless the form is complete!! This took two hours.

Anyhow, I've missed my original flight, and I'm rebooked via Houston, and Chicago, to Brussels, where I connect to my original flight. I 've got 55 minutes in Brussels so I think I'll make it, not sure about my clothes though 

And all this to see three 70 year olds play a bunch of tunes.
Assuming of course that the singer makes it to Saturday, he doesn't look to bright in the interviews I've seen 

I suppose I should also say that I will be taking lots of pictures of Wigan for the layout, and seeing my grandchildren for the first time in 3 years 

Regards,

John P

Still think it's worth avoiding Heathrow?

Quote from: emjaybee on September 20, 2021, 04:51:38 PM
Still think it's worth avoiding Heathrow?

Yep, and Charles de Gaulle, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than change planes at either 

Now, if Heathrow had a proper rail link to the National Network I'd reconsider.

John P

Quote from: jpendle on September 20, 2021, 04:42:00 PM

And all this to see three 70 year olds play a bunch of tunes.

It would have been a lot easier, not to say cheaper, to buy a DVD. 

Quote from: jpendle on September 20, 2021, 05:06:19 PM

Quote from: emjaybee on September 20, 2021, 04:51:38 PM
Still think it's worth avoiding Heathrow?

Yep, and Charles de Gaulle, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than change planes at either 

Now, if Heathrow had a proper rail link to the National Network I'd reconsider.

John P

How is a 55 minute connection at Brussels any better?! And at least one wholly unnecessary leg. And what's wrong with Heathrow Express?

The only advantage landing in Manchester could be shorter queues at border control, there's been some horror stories about that at Heathrow https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58448565

It's never that bad when I play Waddington's 'GO' board game

Mum had to postpone yet again a Leger coach holiday trip from Yorkshire to Lake Garda, Italy 
She booked it for June last year, it's now possibly scheduled for June next year!
Covid delayed matters.
Her trip would have travelled through France, Belgium (overnight stay), Germany, Switzerland and finally Italy.
Each of these countries have different Covid rules  Mum would have needed to quarantine in Italy as well as having proof of vaccination (in her case a letter as she isn't au fait with smartphones) to eat indoors at restaurants, visit museums, etc.
It's a nightmare for anyone travelling through several countries!

In two minds about international travel, on the one hand so looking forward to travel again, and then I look at all the hassle and wonder if it is worth it.
As for travel into and out of Australia I don't know if I can trust the Australian state and federal governments to have got their respective acts together even for next year.
In 2018 we booked a trip to the UK and a cruise round the Baltic sea, the trip was for 2020. We have now rescheduled the trip to 2023, 5yrs from deposit to trip, must be some kind of record.
Thank goodness I retired 5yrs ago, as I am not sure how I could have worked nowadays, I used to be on a plane almost every week.

Strewth! What a carry-on!

I don't like airports at best of times, but now it seems like a real nightmare.

I think me ever getting to Tings is starting to look like a purely academic exercise. One of Einstein's "thought experiments"

The last time I transited via Charles de Gaulle, I missed my connecting flight. First we arrived slightly late, then we taxied for what seemed like forever. When we got off the plane (in the middle of nowhere), they separated off people transiting to Poland, Germany, etc. and took them to their connecting flights, but not for those to the UK. We were first on the remaining buses to the terminal, but our bus left last and drove around for God knows how long. Eventually it arrived a a door, but we were not allowed off, as there were two buses (that boarded after us) in front and they would not let us off until we right outside the door. Once inside, we were stuck in a queue, as a single guy at the end of the corridor checked the documents of every single passenger from a full 747. When we eventually got past him, we were outside the security zone, so we had to queue up to go through security again. By the time we got through that, the gate had closed and we missed out flight. Luckily we were travelling on business, so we just booked another flight at the company's expense.

Quote from: gc4946 on September 20, 2021, 09:24:20 PM
Mum had to postpone yet again a Leger coach holiday trip from Yorkshire to Lake Garda, Italy 
She booked it for June last year, it's now possibly scheduled for June next year!
Covid delayed matters.
Her trip would have travelled through France, Belgium (overnight stay), Germany, Switzerland and finally Italy.
Each of these countries have different Covid rules  Mum would have needed to quarantine in Italy as well as having proof of vaccination (in her case a letter as she isn't au fait with smartphones) to eat indoors at restaurants, visit museums, etc.
It's a nightmare for anyone travelling through several countries!

Apparently there's some kind of pandemic going on, hence the inconvenience.

Anyway, call me crazy but I wouldn't want to be stuck in a coach with a bunch of strangers for a long period, vaccinated or not.

HeThrow T2 was ok on Thursday, on a flight back from Munich.

The wife is going on a trip from Amsterdam to Berne & back - 5 countries and different paperwork and vacc requirements for each visited country , going & coming back!

A mountain of printouts!,

Some people need their bumps read 🤷‍♂️

Quote from: stevewalker on September 21, 2021, 12:22:42 AM
but not for those to the UK.

Let's just say there's history, Steve