Algorfa Costa Blanca

I am amazed that the media are not reporting this damaging strike, which has disrupted the travel plans of many over the past few days. It should be over today, so hopefull I will get to Alicante on FR9079, which left Leeds/Bradford at 12.20 UK time, some 16 hours and 25 minutes late. I am gald I did not re-book my cancelled flight to that one, I would not have fancied a night at the airport.

It is even more exasperating for me that flights are getting through, although Ryanair has had a number of cancellations today. If only they had let mine go last night!! What have French Air Traffic Control got against Ryanair? Or was it cancelled on the pretext of the strike because the plane would not have been any where near full??? Makes me wonder, in these days of recession. Am I just being cynical because of my disappointment?

Why was this strike not publicised on the UK TV channels? Why was there no warnings of possible disruption on Ryanair website? Having booked my first visit home to Algorfa in six months, to visit my wife, I duly set off from Scarborough to Leeds Bradford Airport. Everything ran like clockwork. The Transpennine Express was on time, I even caught the 757 bus to the airport as soon as I got out of Leeds Station. At the airport, I checked in with Ryanair and there was no mention or indication of any problems.

I went through security checks and browsed the duty free shop, before having a look at the departures board. Flight FR9079 was due to leave at 19.55, so you can imagine my chagrin that it was the only flight showing as delayed, with an estimated departure time of 22.30. My wife would then have to pick me up at about 2 am, instead of 11.35.

I set up my laptop and checked the AENA Alicante Airport site, as well as Ryanair’s site. Ryanair showed “ON TIME” no mention of any strikes at 6.15 pm. AENA website advised that Flight FR9078 left ay 19.04 Spanish time, 18.04 UK time. This did not seem to reconcile an arrival time (estimated) at 22.00, as the flight would be no more than 3 hours. Resigned to the wait, I bought refredhments and started chatting to fellow passengers. At about 18.30 it was announced that the flight was cancelled. How could that be? It says it has left Alicante, where has the plane gone? To this day I still do not know if it returned to Alicante or went where it could fly.

We were herded back to “ground side” and reclaimed our bags and had to queue at the Servisair desk to see what options were available. It was at this point the reason for the cancellation was outlined. There was a mixture of emotions, some resigned to the fact (mainly people who lived nearby) others panicked, one lady had been over to Cleethorpes for a funeral and was going back home to Spain , she had had no less than 3 train journies that day and did not know what to do.

Alternative flights or cancellations were offered at both Leeds Bradford and other airports. The option of Birmingham at 6 am today was not any good to me, expecially as I was travelling by rail and Ryanair would not pay the extra fares. Besides that, it was unlikely to fly due to the strike (which defied logic and flew albeit late). Fortunately for me there were no flights at LBIA until Saturday 27th, so I have rebooked it at no extra cost in the hope that the strike will be over. Ryanair site now carries a news item suggest the strike is from 23rd to 26th. It has cost me an extra £35 travelling back to Scarborough, which I think Ryanair should pay for failing to warn people about the strike on their website before my flight was cancelled.

The British TV media cannot escape criticism, as they obviously did not consider this story as news worthy, too busy debating whether the Prime Minister is a “bully” or not!!!

For those ex-pats in Algorfa, who may be going back to the UK for a visit, you will notice something new at M&S stores. After years of selling own labelled goods, M&S food departments will be selling branded goods as from today. Up to 400 brands will be sold alongside the M&S own label food, such as breakfast cereals, canned drinks etc. You will be able to buy Dove Soap products, Marmite, Fosters Lager and a host more.

It is an attempt to take a bigger market share in food sales, and will perhaps encourage people to buy things they would normally get at Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco and Morrisons etc, at the same time they get their usual M&S food stuffs.

There will be a mixed reaction in some stores, where the more elderly customers will think that this is sacrilege. Having said that many of those would have thrown their hands in the air, when M&S started accepting other banks’ credit and debit cards., but many have now got the &more card.

It can only be a positive move and shows M&S realise a business cannot stand still, however well known and reputable.

I read the Leader Newspaper this morning, which carried reports of three incidents of shops being robbed at gunpoint, of relatively small amounts, although 500 euros, is significant in the recessionary times Spain faces. It just goes to show that some people will resort to desperate measures to survive in a downturn. I would suggest that everyone becomes more vigilant about security, particularly at home, as there will be more “opportunist” robbers about. I am aware of one incident where it appears that such an individual casually walked in a house and left with a valuable wedding ring, in the middle of the day, when the owner was in the house. You just cannot leave the door ajar for a split second, although it is so easily done. It will be very difficult to prove to the Guardia Civil or the insurance company, in the absence of signs of a forced break in, and carelessness is not covered by insurance, however unintentional.