Fastest path between GVA and CPH is not the shortest

Yesterday I left the IGF meeting a few minutes early to be able to pick up my bag and catch the bus to the airport. As all meetings end at the same time (18:00), I was worried the lines for bag pickup where long, so I left the meeting at 18:10 or so. Yes, the meeting run over a few minutes. There was no line, and I caught the bus to the airport. In retrospect, I could have staid a bit longer, but I could not know that. The lines when signing in Tuesday morning where so incredibly long. Took 40 minutes to get the badge.

At the airport I bought some chocolate for neighbors (pssst…do not tell them, they do not know this yet), and walked through the security check. Inside the check there is a bar where one can get a sandwich and a beer, and I am happy I had some food.

The flight was first (when I checked in) delayed 25 or 35 minutes depending on whether you asked SAS or GVA (interesting that they did not agree). Leaving 20:25 or 20:35. At the gate (A2 at GVA), we got the information boarding was delayed until 20:20. At 20:30 we boarded, still without changing the preliminary take off time. When boarding was completed, we got the news.

The delay was not due to weather as they said at the airport. It was because of what I interpreted as strikes and conflict in France air traffic control, and technical problems with the German air traffic control. We where told we had a slot time out from GVA at 22:00. This would at this time imply about 1:05 in the airplane on ground. On top of this, the pilot said that for people to Gothenburg, they did not have to worry, as the pilots of our plane where the ones that would fly there… Everything was after all pretty ok. At first…

At 21:40 we started taxiing, and we took off. Everything looked alright for about 30 minutes, until I really felt the path taken on the small monitors where not really directed towards CPH. I was really tired, and tried to sleep, but it was not easy as one wondered what happened.

The pilot after about 40 minutes told us the story. We had not got a better slot time. Instead we where pushed to a slot time at 23:45. SAS then decided to ignore .DE completely and instead fly over airspace of .PL. This of course made the flight time 2:10 instead of the planned 1:25. On top of this, we had to try to ignore .FR due to the strike there. We passed Zurich, Munich, Prague and the western part of Poland. Then Swedish airspace until we arrived to CPH from the east. Of course landing at CPH was from the west. It seems to me that at CPH one always have to do a 180 degree turn before landing. Sigh.

At last, we landed at 00:10 Friday morning. “Only” 2:10 delayed arrival on a flight that was scheduled to be 2:00. Not very good. Home at 01:35. Bed at 02:00. Tired…