This is the big day for me; wheels up are planned for 2:00 PM. I am across at the airport by 8AM to check on a couple of things, back at the Hotel by 9:15 for a late breakfast and then collected by the airline at 10AM. We get to the aircraft for 10:30 and I have a very pleasant hour looking at the old aircraft that are dumped outside the hanger. At around 11:30 we taxi from the hangers across to the main airport. Once there I go back through the process to the landside area. Groups like this do not bring their own bags to the airport and check in like normal people. They have a bag pull where all the bags are collected from their rooms and, all being well, the next time they see them is when the bags are delivered to their hotel rooms at the destination an hour or so after arrival. The first thing to arrive is normally the bags 2 hours prior to departure followed by the C or “crew” party about an hour before departure with the B or “band” party arriving 45 minutes prior and the A party (male soloist PA and personal security) arriving 30 minutes before wheels up. In a perfect world the bags are loaded on the aircraft then the crew arrive and board followed by the band and finally the “A party” walk onto the aircraft and the doors are closed and off we go. The first crisis today is the bags, instead of arriving 2 hours prior they arrive at 1:15 prior as the driver got lost. The “C” party are running ahead of schedule and arrive 1:15 minutes prior to departure, at the same time we get a call to advise that the “A” party are running ahead of schedule and want to have dinner at the airport. We have no restaurant booked and the only facility is a “free for all” cafeteria. 4 staff are dispatch to block a table so at least they don’t have to queue. At this point the “B” party arrive also 15 minutes ahead of schedule, as I am dealing with them I get told that the “A” party have decided to have lunch at the hotel and will not be now coming to the airport. Their hotel is 40 minutes away from the airport and it is only 45 minutes to departure. I am thinking that at least this will buy us some time as the baggage is being painfully slow; the security screeners want to show how professional they are by checking every bag extra carefully. We board the “B” and “C” parties onto the aircraft 45 minutes before departure so they can get some rest. Then to my surprise with 15 minutes to go the “A” party arrive bang on schedule having apparently ordered and eaten lunch and made a 40 minute drive all in 45 minutes. Fortunately the bags are almost loaded and the doors are closed and we pushback 2 minutes early with me wondering what the *** had just happened. The flight to Durban is 45 minutes and we land bang on schedule. The passenger are off and away and I am down on the ramp with two tour security people and the baggage. All the bags leave the aircraft within 40 minutes of arriving on the gate, there is then a mysterious 45 minute period where no one seem to know what is going on. The bags finally arrive at the hotel 2:30 after the passenger arrive and the tour management is not happy. I send a million unhappy e-mails to everyone at the airport with a million unhappy phone calls to back it up. I arrange a meeting for 12:00 tomorrow and advise the tour management what I have done to correct things. Finally at 8:00PM I go to the bar in the hotel where I find part of the sound and lighting crew and 4 beers and a fabulous curry later I am begging to calm down.... only 3 days until the next move day!!!
PS I have no idea what happened to the staff that we dispatched to block the seats at the restaurant in Johannesburg, they may still be sitting there.
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