There is a story in the news today about a man being charged after flying from London to New York without ticket or passport. This remnds me of 2 significant air flights in my life:
- In March 2020 an evacuation flight home from Quinto, Ecuadr because of Covid shut down.
- A flight in South America in 1979 without an air ticket (I did have a passport!).
1 – It was raining. We forded a flash flood near the Thornwell Road level crossing with water just torrenting off the fields. I was glad to be leaving the mud and water of Arlington for a few days. Little did I realise that in a couple of weeks this was the place I would be desperate to get back to….We returned to Quito to find our flights home which were via Miami were cancelled. There are worse places to be than a Hilton hotel when stranded but I feel very sorry for 4 of our companions who were still stuck in Quito when we left courtesy of an evacuation •flight provided by KLM. The benefit of being backed up by a very professional travel agent who kept us fully informed and checked on us to make sure we were Ok even when there was no news was very reassuring. The emails with information provided by the British Consulate were also factual, reassuring and accurate.
The day before we left there were only 26 guests left in the Hilton and we were spread out over the 15 floors so it was a bit eerie. By this time we were not allowed out of the hotel and the only place taxis were allowed to take us was the airport. With a confirmed flight home and having checked in online we headed to the airport where the doors were closed and there were long queues outside. When a door did opened you could only get through it if you could show a boarding pass on your phone or evidence of a confirmed flight. The queue ground to a halt. The problem a mass of people all trying to get a flight home and not allowed in. The process of getting to the departure lounge was very smooth once in the airport and we could see there was a plane. Then KLM staff arrived and waited in the lounge with us. As time went on it was clear that something was amiss and there were staff making intense telephone calls. The flight was meant to go to Guayaquil to refuel and get catering before going to Amsterdam. Guayaquil airport was closed but fortunately Quito provided the fuel and the delay was the calculation of how much we needed given the changed flight plan and passenger load. Eventually the Flight Captain explained everything and I will never forget the cheers and applause that erupted as the KLM staff finally headed for the plane. The KLM staff were taking pictures. KLM apologised for the catering not being up to their normal standards – no one on the flight was going to complain!
It’s good to be home.
2 –
A trip from Brazil to Caracas, Venezuela. This trip was in 1979 as part of a 6 month tour around South America. Memories of some of the detail is therefore a bit hazy given it was 44 years ago. Extract from a postcard I sent to an aunt –
“We arrived in Venezuela 5 days ago travelling by bus from Brazil to the border town of Sta Elena. From there we flew in a small twin engined plane taking 20 passengers to the town Cuidad Bolivar. The scenery we saw was fantastic and en route we stopped at 5 small settlements. There aren’t many roads in that area and the locals told us travelling by road was no fun. A couple of very pleasant days were spent in the small colonial town of Cuidad Bolivar. Just enough time to wander round the picturesque streets and squares and to watch the fishermen at work along the Orinocco river. Have spent most of today doing Caracas on foot.”
Unfortunately it does not say how we got to Caracas but most of our travel was by bus.
The plane journey …
The road north of Sta Elena was closed. Onward travel by flight was the only option and this was discovered by word of mouth by talking to English speaking workers who spent their days down pits digging for industrial diamonds. They arranged for us to be taken to the airfield at 8 am the next day. We were taken in a convey of jeeps to the airfield. A small plane arrived and the passengers all piled into the jeeps to be taken back to town. Nobody explained anything but the result was that I and my 3 travel companions & luggage were left at the airfield with a plane and one very nervous young soldier armed with a rifle who did not speak any English. There were no facilities, no water and we did not know what was happening.
At 4 pm the jeeps came back from town with air crew and other passengers. We paid cash to the pilot for the trip. No paperwork. Our luggage was taken and placed in a baggage compartment in the nose of the plane. The plane filled up – there were no empty seats. The cockpit was open for all passengers to see and the pilot obviously had his girlfriend on board. We took off. No announcements and no safety checks etc. The scenery was spectacular. To our left were cliffs that looked as if they belonged to the ‘Lost World’ and should have dinosaurs on top of them. We were flying below the height of the cliffs.
The post card says five stops at remote places but I remember 2. At one place everyone got off and rushed to a wooden hut. This was the refreshment stop. We had little money and did not speak the lingo so made do with our water bottles. The second was in a field whereas we approach we could see people walking from a far off village with heavy suitcases to the field. They were obviously expecting to fly. There was some heated discussion. I have always felt our party was the reason they could not join the flight. Eventually they headed back towards the village. I don’t remember any passenger getting on or off at other stops so why we landed at 3 other places I am not sure – maybe mail?
On arrival at Cuidad Bolivar we parked in a remote corner of the airfield well away from some airport buildings. We got off and our bags were handed to us and we were unceremoniously ushered through a wire gate in the fence and the direction to walk pointed out. After a few minutes walking we hit a road but there was nothing to indicate where we were or where to go. We obviously worked it out as I am here to tell the tale.
IMAGE:
Vista area de Ciudad Bolívar (al fondo Catedral de Ciudad Bolívar)