jacey | I Hateses Heathrow, My Precious

Here I sit on the 22nd floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Ottawa. It's the lull before the storm. The conference begins tomrrow and I flew in today. Up at five. Arrive Manchester airport T3 at 7.00 Depart for Heathrow at 8.55, arriving slightly ahead of schedule at 9.50. Change terminals from T1 to T3 at Heathrow and depart for Ottawa at 1.00 p.m. arriving 3.30 local time at the airport and 5.00 p.m. at the hotel (which is Midnight back at home).

The journey reconfirmed that I hate Heathrow airport. I walked for bloody miles in T1 and then had to queue for a bus to change terminals, stand in yet another (slow) security check queue (just like the one I'd already come through at Manchester), and walk for bloody miles again to the lounge at T3. Once in T3 they didn't announce our gate until well after the advertised 11.55, but there was a worrying notice that said to allow 10 minutes to get to the nearest gates and 20 minutes for te furthest ones. That's another 20 minute walk just to get to the gate from the lounge. Sheesh, no wonder I've got sore feet. I was watching the board like a hawk. As soon as tey announced the gate I set off and still found the gate lounge already full. Did they all walk faster than me or had they been told the gate number in advance? I'd barely sat down when the plane started to board.

I had a 3 hour stopover at Heathrow on the way out, but on the way back it's only 2 hours. And I also have to collect my luggage and clear customs before changing terminals and connecting for Manchester. If there's another queue at Immigration and another trip through security with my dangerous laptop having to be taken out of its case yet again and my lethal toothpaste I don't see how I can make the connection in time. I'm seriously thinkiing of telling therm I need transport. Heathrow is just too damn big.

There was a woman doing a survey and one of her questions was: Why did you choose Heathrow to connect through instead of some other arport? I wanted to scream: 'Because I had no sodding choice!'

Ottawa airport is a delight in comparison.