FEB 18 2014 BY ROBERT
Bali to Bangkok continues (Read Part 1, Part 2)…
Off I went to find my bag. The information counter misunderstood me; I should have just shown her my flight number on my baggage claim. As it was not at what I discovered to be an empty carousel. Re-checking at yet another Information stand, I was to then find that my bag was at the complete opposite end from where I now stood. So off I went not yet realizing what valuable time this had cost me.
I arrived to see only one lonely bag left slowly orbiting around waiting for me to reunite with it. Grabbing it up and locating a baggage cart, off I went to find the departure floor and check what I then presumed to be one of several airline counters which had flights to Phuket. The departure floor is up three stories. There is a lift that will accommodate the baggage carts, but the line for this was too long. I abandoned the cart and lugged my bag up the escalator. At last inside the departure area and to ask about when would be my soonest opportunity to grab a flight to Phuket. Soon I realize that where as last year there were many companies; there are now none. What?! I go to Information, and ask what happened to all the airline counters that were just there last year. Gone. Now there are only two airlines that have flights to Phuket. Thai and Bangkok airlines. Thai ticket sales, I was informed, was just across the many check-in counters at the end of Isle N. Above that up the elevator is Bangkok. Off I go to test my luck, which has not been proven to be so kind thus far.
Travel Bali to Bangkok, Part 3 from Robert’s Xplorer Journal
I worked my way through the throngs of people checking in, until I was able to cover the distance between the entrances of the check in area and the Thai Air ticketing office. The ticketing office resembled a bank of tellers. One was then obliged to use a small machine to get a number and watch and wait until your number came up on a screen informing you as to which of the several ticketing agents were free to accommodate you. There were several people before me, and then at last my number came up. All to discover that all the flights to Phuket were booked for the next several days. I was then informed that just up the stairs is the Bangkok Air ticketing; one can ask there, perhaps they may have an opening.
Travel Bali to Bangkok, Part 3 from Robert’s Xplorer Journal
Off and up I go to see what I can find out. Only to discover that the same is true with Bangkok Air: All flight are booked for the next several days. “But,” says the agent, “you can buy a ticket now, for several days from now. Or, we have 5 to 7 flights per day, and there is a good chance to get on one of them standby by just arriving at the ticket counter 30 minutes in advance of each flight. You stand a very good chance that you will find a seat, as often times there are no shows.” He handed me a list of times of all the flights departing the following day. Given I have just exhausted all other possibilities and remembering that there is a very comfortable hotel nearby, were this to fail, I could just spend the night and start over again in the morning. I decided to buy a ticket and take my chances.
So I did. Then the agent took a look at his watch and said, “If you want the last flight for the day leaves in a few minutes you could even try now. Just take this ticket down to the counter below, counter number K14 and present it and ask to fly standby if you wish.” It was 10:00 P.M. already. I had no time to vacillate; if I did get a seat it would put me in Phuket very late at night with no hotel room dead center of peak season. But then I just may spend the whole of the next day waiting about the airport hoping to find a seat as well. Oh well, I’ve come this far just as well go for broke. What I didn’t know then, was I was about to come to realize the true meaning of this common term.
