And we are still here…in Sao Paolo…at GRU Airport…because our United Airlines scheduled flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires at 9:00a this morning was cancelled again. (Read all about yesterday’s diverted flight.)
It was a bright and early 5:00a wake-up call at Bristol Hotel in Sao Paulo, 5:30a down in the lobby with 200+ other United Airlines passengers, and bused back to GRU (Guarulhos) International Airport at 6:00a. Check-in with United Airlines, a fast Security, Immigration using transit card, wait around and then…oh no, not again, a P.A. Announcement. Edited version: “Calbuco volcano erupted again last night and it is too dangerous for large aircraft to fly; smaller aircraft are flying to Buenos Aires and passengers will be accommodated on flights this evening. Passengers will be bused to a nearby hotel until then, given meal vouchers and then returned to the airport.
Given new transit vouchers to go through Immigration which allow passengers to enter Brazil without a visa, it was the same routine as yesterday with a slight variation. This morning we picked up luggage and then went back to United Airlines departure check-in for new tickets, vouchers, etc. Given Business Class tickets on a 5:30p TAM Airlines flight to Buenos Aires, we dragged luggage over to TAM check-in where they fortunately had a small Business Class counter.
Thirty “Lost in Translation” minutes later, TAM had suitcases tagged, we had new tickets for the 5:30p flight and, sigh…back through Security (boots off, computer out of backpack), Immigration (show transit cards), and into the beautiful LAN/TAM VIP Lounge.
Stay tuned for the next installment to see if Steve and Sheila will ever land in Buenos Aires!