We’re all used to some kind of energy-zapping delay when we go to the airport, but what should’ve been a two-hour trip turning into what the unfortunate flyer dubbed “30 hours of hell” just goes to show how bad things can get when you’re unlucky enough to try taking to the skies during the middle of a freak meteorological event. For those not aware, Majorca, Spain was hit by severe storm and winds this past weekend, which left one British family’s plans to be back home in time for tea in tatters.
One TikTok user has documented her hellish journey from Majorca to London to let us all vicariously experience the full horror of it, as it seems like everything that could go wrong did. If this was a movie, it would probably be the plot of some romcom where the woman would meet a cute guy by the end of it. Because this is real life, though, it ended with the flyer likely getting a sore back from sleeping on the floor all night.
As the TikToker explains, their flight was initially delayed by 10 hours, before it was ultimately pushed back once again until 8am the following day. Meanwhile, the airport was flooded and the flyer’s bags were drenched, which was either due to the flood or negligent attendants leaving the luggage out in the rain. But at least they were given food vouchers and a complimentary hotel room, right? Wrong! First the (measly €9) vouchers were useless as the kitchen was closed (at 2pm!) and then it turned out the hotel room “didn’t exist.”
All this begs the question: just why is air travel so awful right now? Sure, this specific experience wasn’t helped by the Majorca storm, but it definitely seems like problems are rising across the board. Unfortunately, experts knew the writing was on the wall this year all along, as we were warned back in April that the summer of 2023 would see a repeat of 2022’s so-called Air-Mageddon, as air travel demand skyrocketed to the highest demand since the pandemic, and perhaps even of all time.
There’s no place like home, huh?