On arrival, I quequed at the Sky Priority lane with 3 other passengers who came before me. One American family had trouble with their flight that took them almost an hour before they finally checked in their baggages. While waiting, I hurried to a nearby coffee shop for a cup of hot choco and never noticed a drop of it on my tee until I had my selfie picture taken at the airport's business lounge. When it was my turn to show the staff of my business class ticket, I was told that they've changed aircraft and "everything there is the same!" I panicked knowing that my luggages exceeded that of the required 23kg per luggage per flight requirement. I approached the Saudia Airline supervisor and told him my concern. He said there's no problem with my luggages, they're taking them in. It gave me much of a relief but I again argued, I personally paid for the upgrade. He assured me that'll be taken good care of either. The staff issued me a voucher which I can later claim in Manila for refund. That was indeed helpful of them!
Before entering the immigration, I was told that I have too much of a handcarry. A shoulder bag, a battery operated star shaped pillow, a bag of Doritos and Lay's (they're quite expensive in the Philippines) and an official handcarry troley. I contested I'm going for exit and without further question, the guard allowed me to enter. After passing through the immigration officers, I went directly to the First/ Business Class lounge. No, it wasn't because I am a holder of a revoked business class ticket but because of my Riyadbank titanium credit card which allow holders an entry to the First/Business Lounge of Dammam airport. Perk it is!
What I love about staying at the B Lounge is the comfort of waiting for a flight. Free foods and drinks, free wifi, free movie and I get to sit on a sofa with my legs up, things I cannot do on an ordinary flight. A Filipino receptionist named Andres Valdez came to talk to me while I waited to board. Coincidentally, he knew some people I knew in Manila and as a sign of hospitality, gave me a plateful of special dates for pasalubong. A couple of German guys who seated next to my couch were also entertained as we talked for more than half an hour about our funny experiences in Saudi Arabia.
My stay at the B lounge lasted for 5hours. Flight was delayed for an hour. We were told to vacate the lounge and proceed immediately to Gate21 before midnight of Tuesday, 10/12/13. True to Sir Andres' words, we were brought by an airport bus to the aircraft, smaller than a boeing, in a remote area of the airport, where seats were on a first come first served basis. My seatmate told me it must be a rented aircraft! I was later informed that Saudia airlines indeed rented Asiana Airlines for that flight.
As I sit there, I thought of a warm welcome by cabin crews on a business class, a welcome drink, a Salvatore Ferragamo personal kit, warm towel to freshen up, candies and menu passed along as they waited for our orders for dinner, a 180-degree recliner with a warm blanket and a bouquet of flowers at the center of the area. Nothing of that perk came as I sit at the upper deck of the plane that night. Passengers were squeezed on to seats with very small spaces in between, cabin crews were a bit grumpy attending to annoying passengers, baby on board too noisy because he can't get a good sleep, my feet were tired not knowing how to stretch them out for that 7.5-hour flight, frequent jarrings on my seat by those male passengers at my back, seatmates who seem to be diabetics they can't wait for the next meal to be served as I was awaken by their munchings of that Digestive biscuits they brought along and yes, I finally accepted the fact that I am flying economy class that night and it doesn't matter anymore as long as I arrive safely home! And fast!
At exactly 1:45pm Manila time, Wednesday 11/12/13, the pilot announced we just arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I immediately roamed off my Philippine sim and called my daughter Kryztl to let them know I landed. While waiting for my luggages, my name was paged by the operator! My handcarry trolley was left inside the plane and 2 security personnel came to me personally to deliver my bag. I told them it wasn't my fault because the Flight Attendant confirmed to me that my handcarry was included in the luggages and that I can claim it at the luggage dispatching area. NAIA personnel checked my passport and gave me my bag. After I passed thru immigration, I visited Saudia Airline office at the 4th floor to have my refund, only to be told that I needed to go to their Makati main office for that.
It took me an hour before I finally met my family at the arrival area. Nothing really compares to the joy of seeing a family. As we travelled back to the province, we were excited to tell our stories. We laughed and teased each other, dropped off at a resto to get a good meal along the highway and simply savored those moments we were together. As I look at my mom, my kids, my brother, my sister, my cousins, my niece and nephew, I knew that I am home! I knew that what lies ahead shouldn't be my concern at the moment but to make that moment my happiest and my break from all those mishaps I went through the past 4 months. A blog to follow!
