13 Apr 2023
This dive trip got off to a bit of a bumpy start. When I checked in and dropped off my checked bag, the lady at the counter mentioned there had been a change to my schedule- it was still leaving at the same time, but would now be getting in 2 hours later than scheduled (turning a 13.5 hour flight into 15.5 hours):
I have no idea why the red lines don’t add up- Delta, your app has quirks…
Strange, but I had an 18 hour layover and wasn’t flying out til the next morning so I wasn’t too concerned.
When I got to the my gate, I learned the reason why- a volcano erupting in Russia was forcing us to reroute around the ash cloud (that’s a first for me!), but the longer flight meant we had to carry more fuel so they were looking for 8 volunteers to bump to tomorrow’s flight instead. The offer quickly went from $1000 (plus hotel and meals) to $1500 and there were a few takers. I seriously debated asking if there was a route that would get me to Jakarta sooner (even if it went through a different country), but ultimately decided against it. They did announce that they were going to try to get us in the air a bit sooner than scheduled to help make up some of the time, but once we were all boarded, they made another announcement- we’re still overweighted and need 1 or 2 more volunteers to take a later flight. Finally 2 people got up and we left, 30 minutes after we were scheduled.
On a positive note, I decided to test out AirTags on this trip- one in my checked bag and one in my carry-on connected to Matt’s phone (to see if he can track me in the ocean), and it looks like it’s working so far- my bag is on the plane!
Last time I flew to Indonesia, we got a menu with meal options and times, which was super-helpful in determining if I should bust into my snack stash, or just wait for the next meal. This time, food just showed up randomly, though there was an “Anytime Snack” basket set up in the galley that I raided when my row got up to use the bathroom (I had a window seat, which was great space-wise; less great bathroom-wise on this 15.5 hour flight):
Usually, my plane would fly over the Aleutian Islands but that’s where the ash cloud has drifted, so we were forced out to sea.
14 Apr 2023
I tried not to nap too much on the plane, as I had booked a room at the transit hotel in Korea where I could just crash and hopefully get my body onto its new schedule, but 15+ hours on a plane is really boring and I definitely spent some of it asleep.
When we landed, a special check in area had been set up for passengers with tight connections to get through all the paperwork as quickly possible as well as agents to help rebook anyone who missed a flight.
I went through the regular screening area to gain access to the rest of the airport (where my hotel room was waiting)- the only problem was that I didn’t have my next boarding pass… between the long flight and a even longer layover, I wasn’t able to check in for the next leg of my flight before leaving the States and while I was able to check in online, I couldn’t get a boarding pass- I kept getting a message saying I had to go to a check-in desk to get it printed, a problem since I arrived behind main security and the check-in counters. Fortunately, they accepted my printed itinerary (this is why I always print a physical copy- I don’t run into problems often, but especially in a foreign country, halfway around the world, it’s nice to have that backup). Hopefully I’ll just be able to get one printed at the gate, but I’m a little worried that my bag will get lost. I booked my ticket through Delta, but this next flight is operated by Garuda and I think that’s where the check in issue is coming from. Fingers crossed!
I couldn’t find anyone able to help with the ticket issue, so I just headed over to the transit hotel and checked in for the night:
15 Apr 2023
I woke up bright and early at 2am, tried to go back to sleep, but tossed and turned for a few hours before finally giving up and starting my day at 530a.
I decided to take advantage of having a safe place to leave my bags and 1) find breakfast and 2) figured out where to get my new boarding pass. Unfortunately, most everything is closed until 630-7 so I just racked up steps walking from one end of the terminal to the other looking for anything open.
I don’t remember seeing this helper robot on my last trip:
I’m assuming you have to pay to use it? but I didn’t actually test it out.
I also found this cool mirrored globe:
It was covered in city maps on the outside and mirrors on the inside:
I also found this sticky rice pretzel:
Fried, but tasty- a delicious breakfast!
My gate opened 2 hours before flight and, after a quick check of my vaccination record, I was finally able to get a new boarding pass. I also ended up with an entire row to myself!
(All the announcements said masks are still required on planes, but only half of the passengers actually wore them)
Jakarta, here I come!