RadioGirl

Monday morning at DXB my flight was boarding from B5, meaning the dreaded Y bus ride. As so often happens, the bus driver thinks the accelerator and brakes are digital controls, either on or off, so it's a fun 25 minutes being tossed around as we circle under C concourse, then down the length of B, then out to a roadway.

At this point I'm wondering whether the point is to impress the passengers with the vast expanse of DXB, or to show off with the sheer number of aircraft (thousands, I counted) that Emirates has. Finally we go past concourse A at which point I'm wondering why we couldn't have boarded the bus at one of the A gates. I'm an engineer - I can't help this kind of reasoning...

We finally pull up to rear stairs of a 777. Predictably, passengers get off the bus and climb the stairs but once the staircase is full, everyone stops, because the first passengers at the top of the stairs are not going in. (I was still at the base of stairs.) Nothing happens for 90 seconds, then some of the passengers at top of the stairs start waving for Yellow-Vest Guy (#1) down on the tarmac. YVG#1 comes to base of stairs, while passenger at top waves boarding pass at him and shouts “wrong plane”.

YVG#1 strolls across tarmac to YVG#2 50 metres away. Conversation ensues. YVG#2 strolls back to us, gets in bus to talk to driver, emerges, waves over YVG#3 in a golf buggy who also has a handheld radio. More conversation. YVG#3 uses radio. All the YVGs consult bits of paper, looks at us, look at bus, squint at the millions of other 777s parked on the tarmac. Passengers stand in the morning heat.

YVG#4 materialises. Someone has another conversation with bus driver. Eventually a plan is formulated (you'll never guess what it was ) Five minutes after we got off the bus, we get back on the bus and ride another 5 minutes to the right plane.

Wow. I really hate bus gates but this is a whole new kind of bizarre.

ioto1902

Thanks for sharing Radiogirl.
It's always good to be reminded why it is worth paying extra for premium classes (we've had this conversation before )

subject2load

Bad mess-up.

But good writing style, RadioGirl ^

So good in fact, that I almost felt I was right there myself (although definitely glad I wasn't .....!)

lyndonmaxewell

What happens when you actually fly off in the wrong plane?

kq747

I've done it due getting on the wrong bus in ADD on an ET flight. Didn't realise until 30min before landing. Luckily it was a turnaround flight so just hopped back on

extramileage

...and this is why EK staff check and re-check your boarding passes at every juncture and at the aircraft gate! Can you imagine the chaos if people had boarded!?!

I believe there was failure to follow SOPs here as I believe the bus driver should first cross-check with a YVG before opening the bus doors.

nmc980

Currently sitting in the Moet lounge reading this - and very glad im on the A380!

skywardhunter

​​​​​​those occasionally get bus gates too

daisymay2

Thanks for sharing Radiogirl - I'm still laughing!

RadioGirl

Funny you mention that. Of course the BPs were checked twice at gate, and again before getting on the bus (the first time). And even then a staff member stuck her head into bus before it left B5 and asked "Everyone going to Geneva?"

​​​​​​​If I'd known then what was going to unfold, I might have answered, "Hmm, maybe, maybe not."