Romanian low-cost carrier BlueAir is introducing a 7 euro fee for each checked in bag, starting with October 26th. The carrier is not limiting the number of bags that a passenger can check-in but the tax will be paid for each bag.

In the same time the carrier is lowering the luggage allowance to 20kg, from 25kg. For each extra kilogram the passenger has to pay 6 euro more. For the moment the passenger can’t pay for the luggage on the internet at the time of the booking, so the tax will be paid at the departure airport, before the check-in.

As the passenger is not yet able to pay at the time of booking BlueAir can front some delays because of the “pay at the airport” process.

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Czech Airlines (CSA) , the biggest national airline of Czech Republic, is also lowering the luggage allowance for all the passengers traveling in Economy Class, from 23kg to 20kg. The new rule is effective from October 26th.

The new allowances affect also the passengers flying to/from intercontinental flights – United States and Canada – hat have to carry maximum two pieces of luggage of 20kg.

The Business Class passengers can still fly with 30kg of checked luggage in Europe and Middle East and 32kg for flights to/from United States and Canada.

Sursa foto

De vreo cinci ani concediul meu de vara inseamna calatorie la Napoli,motivele alegerii acestei destinatii ar fi multiple, printre ele numarandu-se iubita, rude, 0 lei cheltuiti pe cazare si minunatul “pun’te masa, scoal’te masa”. In fine, ca in fiecare an imi cumpar biletele de avion cu cel putin o luna jumate in avans (acum trei ani le-am luat prin ianuarie! ). Anul acesta am ales WizzAir pana la Roma si MyAir la intoarcere direct de la Napoli. As fi putut alege MyAir roudtrip, dar in ziua in care mi-am cumparat biletele pretul MyAir la dus era de vreo 4 ori mai mare decat combinatia WizzAir (OTP-CIA) + bus + tren (Roma Termini – Napoli Garibaldi). Plecarea era programata pentru 20 iulie si intoarcerea pentru 3 august.

Din motive independente de vointa mea … a trebuit sa plec mai devreme – chiar daca asta insemna miercuri in loc de vineri.
Cum de preturile Wizz nu ma puteam atinge, repede www.myair.com si ce-mi vad ochii: aproape 60 de euro, zbor miercuri pe 18 iulie, la ora 19.05. Nu m-a mirat. Zbor destul de des cu MyAir si stiu ca preturi fluctueaza in functie de diverse oferte, dar recunosc ca nu mi s-a intamplat niciodata ca cu 3 zile inainte de zbor sa gasesc un astfel de pret pe vreo ruta de-a lor. Cumpar fericit biletul si imi zic ca mai am putin si sunt “out for holiday”.

Numai ca a doua zi dupa ce am luat biletul sunt anuntat prin e-mail ca din cauza unei greve a controlorilor de trafic din mai multe aeroporturi anumite zboruri au suferit modificari si sunt rugat sa-mi verific rezervarea. O fac si pe site si telefonic. Zborul meu este pe “val”. So ma culc linistit. Pe 17 iulie seara mai verific o data si totul este din nou OK.

Pe 18 dimineata … trezirea la ora 9 a.m. ca sa-mi fac bagajele. Stiind ca traficul pana la Otopeni e cum e, planuiam sa plec de acasa pe la 3 dupa-amiaza. Pentru ca zbor cu MyAir la Napoli destul de des stiam ca aeronava cu care urma sa calatoresc avea de facut traseul Milano Bergamo – Catania – Milano Bergamo – Napoli – Bucuresti – Napoli – Milano Beramo. Asa ca am intrat pe site-ul aeroportului Orio al Serio (Milano Bergamo adica) sa vad statusul curselor. Zborul catre Catania plecase, Napoli era OK, deci clar ca totul era OK.

Dupa o ora verific si site-ul aeroportului Otopeni. Zbor de la Napoli si catre Napoli anulat. Sa fac apoplexie. Intr-adevar aeronava nu mai plecase din Catania pentru ca controlorii de trafic se alaturasera si ei grevistilor … miscare spontana (asa se cheama!). Asa ca “avion din parti”.

Sun la desk-ul MyAir din Otopeni unde cu multa scarba mi se explica ca asta e situatia, dar ca voi fi mutat automat in zborul de … miercurea viitoare.

Eu: Miercurea viitoarea, adica pe 25???? (eu exasperat)
Ea: Da.
Eu: Pai si zborul de maine?
Ea: Nu mai am locuri. Am mutat deja o parte din pasagerii de azi pe cursa de maine.
Eu: Si vineri?
Ea: Nu mai am locuri, ce nu intelegeti!!!! (scarbos/vadit enervata si sictirita)
Eu: Si cursele de luni si marti?
Ea: Aia de luni e anulata. Aia de marti nu mai sunt locuri.
Eu: Si o alta solutie?
Ea: Sa plecati miercuri. Dar veniti la aeroport dupa-amiaza. O sa fie si alti pasageri si va explicam atunci.

Am I an idiot or what? Cum adica sa ma duc la aeroport cand stiu ca am zborul anulat. Sun la call center-ul MyAir unde mi se spune ca daca vreau neaparat sa ajung zilele astea (adica daca este urgent!) pot alege un alt zbor MyAir … o alta ruta. Mi se recomanda Roma (pentru sambata 21) sau Bari (tot sambata)… Ambele destul de aproape de Napoli.

Eu: Milano?
Ea: Malpensa sau Bergamo?
Eu: Oricare.
Ea: Cate un zbor spre fiecare, astazi dupa-amiaza.
Eu: Si orarul de zbor?
Ea: Bergamo, plecare din Bucuresti la 16.20 si Malpensa la 17.10.

Ambele fac cam doua ore. Ii spun multumesc si ca revin mai tarziu.
Ma uit pe site-ul Alitalia: am un zbor Milano Malpensa – Napoli la 20.50. Daca plec cu cel de 17.10, ajung pe la 18.10 la Milano (sa zicem 18.40 cu bataie)…am timp sa-mi iau bagajul si sa-mi mai fac un check-in linistit. Zis si facut.

Am sunat la MyAir din nou si i-am rugat sa ma mute pe cursa catre Malpensa. Pe urma am pus la bataie 20.000 de mile din contul Mille Miglia pe care-l detin la Alitalia si am luat biletul pentru Napoli MOKA (a trebuit sa-l iau dus intors ca DEH!).

Apoi, mi-a trecut prin minte: daca are o intarziere mai mare zborul MyAir catre Milano? Si daca nu am timp de un al doilea check-in acolo? Asa ca mi-am facut check-in-ul online la www.alitalia.com, urmand ca pe aeroportul Malpensa sa merg la un ghiseu special pentru “drop your luggage” destinat celor care si-au facut check-in-ul online. Am primit boarding pass-ul prin e-mail, l-am printat si am plecat catre aeroportul Otopeni.
Evident la Otopeni au fost probleme. MARI PROBLEME. Desi aeronava cu care trebuia sa plecam la Milano venise in timp aeroportul nu avea destui oameni sa faca fata numarului mare de curse si pasageri. Si chiar erau multi … extrem de multi oameni acolo. Mai toate cursele aveau intarzieri la plecare intre 45 minute si o ora si jumatate. Noi am plecat la 18.40. Evident eram plin de ganduri negre. Ma gandeam ca o sa ratez urmatorul avion … si nu eram cu gandul departe de realitate…

Zborul numarul 1 (unu):
OTP (Bucharest Henri Coanda / Otopeni) – MXP (Milano Malpensa)
Miercuri, 18 iulie 2007
MyAir.com 8I 6601 (operat de LTE.es)
Aeronava: Airbus A320
Numar de inregistrare aeronava: prea plin de nervi ca sa observ
Orar programat: decolare la 17:10 – aterizare la 18:10
Orar actual: decolare la 18:42 – aterizare la 19:37
Flight duration: 1h 55 min
Loc in avion: 12C
Grad de ocupare: 68 de locuri din 149

Dupa aterizare am beneficiat de transfer rapid la terminal si am cerut voie celor asezati in fata mea la controlul pasapoarte sa trec in fata. Imi prezint cartea de identitate, nenea se joaca cu ea putin (o inclina sub diverse unghiuri), stramba din nas … o pune de-o parte langa alte patru sau cinci buletine romanesti… si-mi spune sa astept. Nu am timp sa astept! Imi cera pasaportul. Il arat (expira in vreo 5 zile). Imi da buletinul inapoi si-mi spune “Welcome to Italy!”. In gandul meu: “Fuck off!”. Nu am timp sa cer explicatii despre buletinul meu … ce era in neregula… ma grabesc.

Bagajele au inceput sa ruleze pe banda la fix 10 de minute de la aterizare. Am fost norocos pentru ca al meu a venit printre primele… L-am luat si … fugi! Pentru ca imi facusem check-in-ul online aveam timp limita de predare al bagajelor cu 30 de minute inainte de ora programata pentru decolare, adica fix la 20.20 si era deja 20.05. In alergarea mea catre iesire si apoi catre “Departures” imi dau 1 minut de ragaz sa consult tabelele electronice unde erau afisate zborurile, unde fac mai inati o poza …

Imi dau seama ca eram la Terminalul 2 al Malpensei si eu plecam de la Terminalul 1.

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Nu mai aveam timp sa astept “shuttle bus-ul” care conecteaza cele doua terminale. M-am urcat intr-un taxi si (cu o fata vaditi disperata!) i-am urlat taximestristului:

TERMINAL UNO. PARTENZE NAZIONALI.

Am platit 6 euro pe acesta noua distractie, dar mi-am predat bagajul la timp. Eram sleit de puteri, eram transpirat, simteam ca-mi explodeaza vezica si nu vroiam decat sa ma arunc in locul meu 11A si sa ma odihnesc o leaca. Am mers catre poarta A52 si fix cand am ajuns acolo se facea un anunt ca avem o intarziere de 30 de minute. Asta m-a facut fericit.

Am mers la toaleta si am facut pipi. M-am spalat pe fata si mi-am tras sufletul rezemat de ghiuveta. Am mers si am mancat un sandwich si apoi m-am asezat pe jos (nu era loc liber) si m-am apucat sa citesc. La 21.00 a inceput imbarcarea.

In coada la imbarcare era si un tip care cara doua cutii. Pe una scria Airbus (foto mai jos). M-am chiorat putin … inauntru era o piesa pentru un Airbus 330-300. Si venea de la Toulouse cu destinatia Napoli

Zborul numarul 2 (doi):
MXP (Milano Malpensa) – NAP (Napoli Capodichino)
Miercuri, 18 iulie 2007
Alitalia AZ 1295
Aeronava: Airbus A321
Numar de inregistrare aeronava: I-BIXV (in serviciu din 6 mai 1998)
Nume “de botez”: Piazza del Rinascimento-Urbino
Orar programat: decolare la 20:50 – aterizare la 22:20
Orar actual: decolare la 21:39 – aterizare la 22:48
Flight duration: 1h 09 min
Loc in avion: 11A
Grad de ocupare: N/A

- va urma -

PS. Alitalia didn’t lost my luggage, arrived almost in time and the crew was (I’m shocked!) impeccably dressed and they offered the best service ever. Of course not a better one that the one offered by the full masculine crew on a Milan-Bucharest flight 2 years ago, when I have played cards with them because we were just 5 people on board.

Apart from all this, here are four photos made lately. I promise that soon I’ll create a flickr.com account.

A hug for everybody around for the moment!

Because of Alitalia, LOT flight arrived with a delay of 2 hours in Warsaw. But this is not all. We arrive and we go to take our luggage. Alitalia put as in the plane but they forgot to put the luggage in the same plane (or more exactly the explanation was: we were very busy with cargo luggage). So a bunch of nervous Alitalia travelers was filling some forms for they lost luggage. I received mine at almost 24 hours after I landed. It arrived with the next day flight from Rome.

Now, when I will travel again I will probably book the ticket with Alitalia. I am still asking my self why. It’s about consequence or it’s about giving them another chance or it’s because I love adventures when it is about planes.

Rome – I arrived in Rome’s Fiumiciono – Leonardo da Vinci airport, today around 12. One hour and something I have been waiting to see what desk will be the check-in for my flight. Seeing that there is just one more hour till the departure and I was still with my luggage in my hands I went to the information office. A girl told me that it’s at desk 316. I went at 316. Here they were checking-in people for Alitalia flights for Tunis, Catania and Amman. Yes! Exactly three destinations at one desk … Or I am a bit wrong here … for the same destinations were working the girl from 317. I ask if they are making check-in for Alitalia flight to Warsaw. The answer is “yes”. I stayed in the queue but because my flight was leaving first … I had sort of priority. My luggage was almost 24 kg … and they asked me for no money, thing that made me happy. Then, on my way to the gate C2 (that was near the check-in zone) I found 5 euro. J Good now.
I am sitting waiting for the boarding at Gate C2. Unfortunately they don’t have the plane anymore. They sent it to London with a bunch of very angry British people … Angry because they British Airways flight left with 30 minutes before the normal time. So here I am without a plane … and they also moved us at Gate C20. This was not near and I had to take a kind of train, SkyBridge, to that gate. In the end I left in time from Gate C22.

Warsaw – First of all, nobody picked me with “Taxi?”. In Bucharest you will never see this thing happening. Or at least to me it happened most of the time. I went outside of the airport and I took a cab of Radio Taxi (kind of Fly Taxi in Bucharest; but here they are using Mercedes cars). My trip was almost 15 euro. The taxi had even an EPOS … in case you want to pay by credit card.

From the taxi I could saw a small part of the city. Clean, with lots of parks and some skyscraper. We don’t have something similar in Romania and for sure what I saw here is bigger than in Naples. And the thing is that the architecture of these skyscrapers is wonderful. But please, don’t imagine here is New York.

I am living in a ground room from the university where I’ll be studying. The building is nice …. But there is a strange smell around. It is a complex with buildings here. I am not far away from the tram station and also there is a Carrefour and a quite big commercial center at one tram station from here.

At half of hour after my arrival here I decided that I want to go around, and maybe I will find a place where I can buy a Polish number. I get out from the building, I am leaving the walls of the school and I am going directly to a tram station. I was thinking to go in the center and all I knew was that I should take the tram 35. In witch way? Hmmm… I saw a young girl and I am asking her. She is going in the same direction and she offered to me to go together by walking because trams are not working well today. I said ok. She was speaking very good English, she was 25 and she is working in the Ministry of Infrastructure. She was kind of shocked that I choused to come to study and live here, giving that for here Poland is not really over Romania. Yes people! She heard about this country and she knows that the capital is Bucharest and no Budapest. Kidding … even the taxi driver knew this. So the people from small countries know more about countries like theirs.
In the end she saw a tram passing and we went back to the tram station and we took the next one.

Carrefour, Warsaw – I bought one from Orange. They do not have some rows in English about tariffs and so on. They don’t have more tariff plans and they don’t use here euro (like in Italy) or dollars (like in Romania). They used prices in their own currency and this is odd to me. This is another thing that I will have to get used with.

So. The city I think Warsaw is nice and I think I’ll have a bohemian life around here. Still, Naples, with all its noise and madness is my favorite city. It’s a city always alive and I like it, even Zack has another opinion about this thing.
Apart from the thing I would like to have over the street some friends there nothing else I do not like in Warsaw.

In the next two days I will start to discover some small parts of the city and I will let you know about them.

Meal on board: I havent eaten yesterday morning before leaving the house. I was a bit too nervous. So believe me that I was waiting the Alitalia lunch as
a very very important thing that would happen to me … more exactly, to my stomach. But the lunch transformed into a small snack! Damn!

Duty-free on board: I was thinking to buy two small planes with Alitalia symbols for “just” € 26. But I reconsider my financial situation and I changed my mind.

Landing: what the fuck this pilot is doing to us? he wants to kill us? The plane was trembling and so most of the passengers
were trembling too. Windy or bad pilot? I was kind of relax …

Then TrenItalia … from Rome Fiumicino to Roma Termini (main train station) – delay 13 minutes.

Luggage at Bucharest: – a 18.7 kg piece of luggage
- a 10 kg piece hand luggage
- a 3 kg hand bag containing a winter coat, a pair of winter shoes and a main board for a friend’s pc

Luggage at landing: – same as in Bucharest
Luggage after buying train ticket: – a 18.7 kg piece of luggage
- a 10 kg piece hand luggage
(the rest I will recover – hope so! – from an office in the airport when I will leave Italy)

Roma Termini – Napoli Centrale ! Train … no delay, window seat.

Luggage at Napoli: same as last time. One bag in minus.

This type of people is making a new category of travellers: AIRPORT SLEEPERS.

There is a website dedicated to them: www.sleepinginairports.net.
On this website I found out that the best airport in the world (sleeping and “living”) is Singapore Changi Airport. Its competitors are the airports from Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Auckland (New Zeeland) and Seoul Incheon (South Korea).

The worst airport is Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) … an airport in which one of our contributors witnessed 7 seven being killed in a gang shoot-out. In the same category are:

Boston
Why? Terrorists are strangely attracted to it, most seats have armrests, air-conditioning is bitterly cold even at times when it is not required, chapel locks up at night, lots of security announcements

Paris, Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Why? CDG is on the verge of becoming the worst airport simply because it is suppose to be a first class airport worthy of a first class city. Instead, even third world nations would reject it. The citizens of France are astonished and ashamed of its poor state. Reasons: dirty, ugly, rude staff, inconvenient, expensive food, plastic seating with armrests, steal benches, noise, mean security, high air-conditioning, homeless people, “What a dump”, dogs piss and shit on the floor

About Bucharest Otopeni Airport …. Uppppssss…. Sorry! About Bucharest “Henri Coanda” International Airport are different opinions:

Both floors have toilets which are pretty clean. There are armchairs with little tables attached to them. Heating is swithched on at 8pm so you won’t get cold. Cleaning happens at night so don’t be surprised if suddenly a noisy vacuumcleaner awakens you. (year: 2004)

… the seats on the airport have armrests, making it necessary to sleep on the floor. There is one other option. The seats have small tables attached to them so if they are re-arranged, the tables make (sort of) small plateaus on which you can sleep. The floor still is your best option though. The heating works and is turned quite high, so do not fear of being cold. (year: 2000)

Read them at : www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/bucharest.htm .