London Trip 2019_20 - Getting out of Auckland

Our journey to London to see Jeantine and celebrate her birthday and Christmas as family didn't get off to a great start with Two check-ins because of a ‘technical fault’. Malaysian Airlines plane fixed but crew then out of duty hours- so cancelled. Taxi chits to get us home and waiting on phone confirmation of next departure attempt. Certainly frustrat'ed' and exhaust'ed' after a day of sitting around, waiting for the next update in 30 to 40 minutes and then 'no change'. Finally admitting defeat for that days flight and then annoyingly you are forced to fill in arrival form as if you are coming back into the country. It all seemed so futile and finally some staffer said just write your name and 'Cancelled FLight' and they hearded us past the x-ray machines and scanners and through a side door to be back at the check in counter. You had to feel for those passengers from outside of Auckland, who were initially told that Hotel accommodation would be found for them and then to told that it was difficult to find space. One couple from the UK were very unhappy *we caught up with them at Kuala Lumpar and then finally around the luggage carousel at Heathrow). They got to their designated Auckland Hotel to have the staff there say there were no vacancies and the Hotel thought they had just walked off the street - rather than being sent by Malaysian Airlines - and ended up sleeping in the lobby. We used our Corporate Taxi chit to be driven back home to our own beds (and one hungry cat). The driver mentioned something about being Egyptian and I certainly pushed his button about Sisi and the Muslin Brotherhood. He was a Coptic Christian, one of the original ethnic originals of Egyptians and had no time for the Muslin Brotherhood or Obama and Sisi 'was the man'. He really hadn't finished his desire to share his story when he arrived at our gate, and got in the last wrap up of his saga and Egyptian life as he helped unload our suitcases. (We had been told we could not leave them in a holding, secure area). That night we got a phone call from Malaysian to say our flight will be leaving at 8:30am so I posted that on Facebook and got these response
Shirley Best Quick get to bed , with your clothes on
Wendy Patterson Diehl Safe travels.
We were near the front of queue and then, we find they failed to transfer us to this new flight! What? To be shuffled off to another counter while they tried to find us seats. While we waited, and waited - and an office chair was found for Barb to sit on. Thank goodness they phoned us the night before about the new departure time. Finally seats allocated and off for more waiting, at the departure lounge where we had done so much waiting the previous day. And then, another apology announcement - the catering for the flight hadn't been loaded - so there will be another delay.

On board at last and waiting to taxi out. Now, why? when I chose align 'left' Blogspot chose center?

Getting comfortable
Even after takeoff, you were hoping it would it would now be a regular, straight forward flight to Kuala Lumpur. It was but, then there was the worry about connecting with the next onward flight.

Almost there
Thankfully Cody, through the Travel Agent had arranged for Malaysian Airlines to provide various food vouchers and accommodation at a hotel for a brief nap. At Kuala Lumpur we were met by Malaysian staff who gave out the vouchers and swapped our boarding passes with a fresh set.

Kuala Lumpur stopover from Ray Mankelow on Vimeo.

After looking for the free food options we found another Malaysian Airlines counter and the staff there advised that we were best to go their 'Golden Lounge' (for Business and First Class passengers). This proved to be quite relaxing, once we worked out the various food and drink counters and options. There was even a Nap Room but we didn't use that. Overall, very relaxing and there was one woman attendant who seemed to enjoy helping Barb with answers to her queries. The woman even brought a feedback form to fill in, which Barb was happy to do. Hopefully that helps the woman in her job. Then it was time to board and that was pretty straight forward. However the plane that was taking us to London, another Airbus, seemed to have smaller configuration for passenger seating, with a 3 by 3 by 3 arrangement across the width of the plane. Plus for some reason we were , Barb had the window seat (starboard), I was next to her and we had a woman in the aisle seat. Luckily she was up often and so I was able to get out and stretch my legs. It transpires this woman was with the two people seated behind us against the bulkhead. A guy in the window seat who was having bouts of sneezing every so often, a gap behind me and the other person in the aisle seat. I think I picked up a cold from the sneezing passenger behind me with his droplets of nasal fluid coming at me from my right shoulder. I never looked over to see if he was covering his face during the sneezes. As Jim Wolf pointed out, you block a flight ahead of time usually with no idea that you are going to come down with a cold or bug at the time of flying. Also in one of my stretching sojourns I ended up chatting to a guy who related to my mention of Jeantine being sent to short overseas postings (I'm thinking Madrid) and how you can't keep kitchen implements with you to prepare your own meals and thus your firm has the expense of having to pay for their worker eating out. He was suggesting if these firms changed their thinking a little bit, it might be best for all involved to have the flexibility of eating in or out. I didn't pick up on what type of firm he worked for that had him on such short term postings. He and his wife had been on holiday in Bali and was he saying he wouldn't be flying with Malaysian Airlines again after I told about delayed flight. He said the firm had been close to insolvency after the loss of two of their planes. He said there had been a management restructure to sort the company out but he wasn't sure they had got their systems sorted yet.