Panic rising – I might miss my flight home

Are you like me – someone who likes to make sure they get to the airport in plenty of time (ie when the desk opens) and then know you are checked in and still got time for duty free and a couple of drinks before take off, or are you someone who gets to the airport with a few minutes to spare before the check in desk shuts?

Returning home from my river cruise last week I was one of those people striding fast /running through the airport to make my flight back to Gatwick. I have to say this is the first time this has ever happened to me and panic arose when I thought I might miss my flight and how was i going to get home/or pay for another flight?

If you are thinking I hadn’t allowed enough time to get to the airport you would be wrong, (as little Miss Organised to my friends) had booked a train to depart Nijmegen at 13:57 and was direct to get us to Amsterdam Airport for 15:29 – so on paper would easily make my flight for a departure at 17:25.  However an hour into our journey an announcement in Dutch comes though the train and then there is a flurry of movement and people leaving the train. We asked a lovely lady what was going on which is when we were advised the train had a defect and was not continuing on so we had to disembark. On the platform we are trying to read the trains and trying to re-work out our route. A dutch man came to our assistance and advised the next direct train to the Airport was also cancelled so to get the train to Amsterdam Central and then another train to the airport from there.

We boarded the next train and arrived into Amsterdam Central at 15:45 (bearing in mind we should have been at the airport at 15:29) The guard on the platform said to go to platform 14A – so we ran down the stairs with our luggage and onto the platform, where another guard decided we needed to go to platform 15A and then kindly informed us we had 6 mins. So back down the stairs we ran and along the subway and up to 15A.

We made the train with a minute to spare and then headed to the airport. We arrived at 16:20 and was then a dash through the airport to find my check in desk. I made it with 5 minutes to spare. I then called my partner and asked him to pick me up from Gatwick as I just couldn’t face another 1 or 2 train journey home to Chichester. I was glad I had as once I had landed it then took 1 hour and 15 minutes to clear Passport control as they were experiencing “system failures ”

I have some friends who regularly turn up close to missing their flights but I can say after this experience this is definitely not for me and I will continue to arrive early for all departures. Have you ever been close to missing your flight/cruise or is this something that you do regularly as you don’t like the hanging around the airport?