Getting home on Monday again implies that a lot of flights would be accessible again. Well... not really. Perhaps a lot was inaccessible for the Ticket? I had my own requirements (depart after a certain time, arrive before another one and, if a connection is required, make sure it's a feasible one). I ended up with BOO-MJF-TRD-TRF with another 2 technical stops in between at MQN and SSJ. According to some definitions, that makes 5 legs. According to my definition, it makes 3 with 2 technical stops.
After having a final and satisfying breakfast at the Radisson, it was time to drag my suitcases all the way to the airport. Not a big deal, apart from the steep climb near the Coop supermarket. And things get naturally a bit slower anyway, as rolling stock slows down a bit. Didn't help either that I'm not allowed to use magic in the muggle world.
The airport was at full chaos with a lot of inexperienced fliers trying to check-in their heavily overweight suitcases at a diversity of machines, preparing for a wave of medium sized bird that would take them to Oslo or even further south. Even BOO has lost its human touch in a way... Again interesting to see how SAS staff just stands around chatting with each other at the service counter instead of actively helping passengers to get rid of the long queues. Nevertheless, I do hope that the elderly couple managed to find out how the machine works by now.
Having just 15 minutes to get a boarding card, it was time to do a bit of DYKWIA-style check-in moves. I usually use machines for everything, but as queues were long and machines not Northern-Norwegian proof, things would take too long. Went directly to the 'elite' check in, waved a shiny black card and got my stuff delivered and my boarding pass in return. Never got so many filthy looks from people in other queues.
BOO does not have a priority lane. Only flying staff and airport employees can use a 'side entrance' to the regular queue. So that meant 10 minutes with a lot of people who tried to chew their gum as loudly, most visible and in the most disgusting ways possible. It's nauseating, filthy, gross and completely anti-social behavior: meet the average Norwegian.
Having survived this (and, by now, being recognized clearly by security staff at the airport and apparently labeled as 'not a threat'), I proceeded to the gate. I think it was gate 13 or 16 again, as most WF flights seem to use.
BOO-MJF
The flight was pretty full, but I still managed to get a window seat on yet again a Dash 8-103. Which was great, as approach on MQN is pretty spectacular. We left on time, arrived in a cloudy place, traded some passengers for others before departing for a 15 minute hop to MJF.
I remember Mosjøen from an early morning arrival, if it was already morning in the first place. Then, no one was around. Now I had a connecting flight here. Approached one of two people I found on the tarmac and gently notified them about this. The sheer panic on his face would have made a decent meme.
So the other guy got instructions to look for my suitcase. Informing him that I had two of those checked in apparently was too much of a thrill for him, as I saw how they loaded my other suitcase as a last piece of luggage on the connection: the almost forgotten suitcase from the belt at arrivals.
I kindly asked to be slipped in the waiting room directly but got told I had to follow the exit signs and go through security again. I told the man that I had some drinks with me for the road and that they wouldn't go through security and that the door to the waiting room was just a few steps from him and just needed opening. To which he replied: "Yes, but this is a small airport, things go pretty fast here." Mosjøen logic, everyone!
I learned that discussing such issues with retards usually never gets you anywhere, so I took my loss, finished my bottle of soft drink and approached security again. No one was there, everyone was on a break...
Having waited in the check in room for half an hour (and half an hour before departure time), someone finally showed up to get me and my fellow travelers (just a handful, but still) through the beeping machine. Note to self: never connect at MJF, as the place is run by incompetent idiots. Never visit it in general, actually, as the previous experience wasn't great either.
MJF-TRD
The connecting plane arrived on time, turned out to be a Dash 8-202, and took us for an amazing 10 minute flight through the Vefsnfjord to SSJ. The flight was too short for the captain to switch off the seatbelt sign and for the FA to even move a millimeter, but oh my, this was one beautiful flight. Never leaving the fjord, never even getting enough altitude to try to do so. Highly recommended!
The stopover at SSJ was as expected: we traded some passengers for others and had a quite full flight to TRD. Nevertheless, I look very scary to Norwegians, as no one wants to sit next to me. Which is good, as I love an empty seat next to me. SSJ remains a mystery to make. Having had quite some stopovers here now, yet not managed to get on a flight here as my destination, it's creating it's own attraction in that way. Will certainly be on my bucket list for next year!
TRD-TRF
About 45 minutes later we landed at TRD, at one of the ground level gates. I walked back to the 'main' level to find a place that could sell me some lunch (a sausage with a drink or so) and prepare for the final leg that would get me back to TRF. Having gotten a way overpriced sausage in a bun and a bottle of coke zero (way over 8 euro...), I strolled back to the lower level departure gates.
To my big surprise I saw a 'SAS Cafe' at the far end of the higher level terminal. After finishing my sausage and putting the coke bottle away, I decided to give it a go. The place was completely deserted apart from one lounge dragon. As she instantly sent me away as well, I figured why it was empty. Showing her the shiny black card again and the WF boarding pass, she slowly seemed to understand that I really wanted to enter. Some scanning of boarding passes and diamond cards later she decided she'd give me the benefit of the doubt and slipped me in. If you like 'boller', a Norwegian dish somewhere between bread and pastry, usually looks like a regular bun but has quite some cardamom added, this is your Valhalla: about 600 of them, all for me, all oven fresh. And a nice fruit juice or coffee to go with it.
Arriving at the departure gate about 30 minutes before departure, I was shocked to find so many people waiting for the flight. It must have been more than 50! After which I immediately realized how my view on flights had changed over the last few days.
I was on board first, as I just create my own priority boarding (SAS still doesn't understand the idea of 'keeping promises') and set myself comfortably on the last row, the seat next to me empty as usual (this is a commercial route, so here seat selection is available), indicating that seat blocking apparently works. Until the FA of the rear part came to me and told me that Family Difficult managed to book seats all across the plane and that they now wanted to sit together. Would be great if I could sit in row 2 and operate the emergency exit. As all rows until 5 were blocked, I'd now basically create my own 'business cabin'. Sure thing, can do. Just until the FA in the front of the cabin stopped me and told me to go back to my seat immediately. The best tactic is to just proceed as if you are very determined and got clear instructions (which I had, in this case). So, while I sat in seat 2D, I actually caught the 2 FA's getting into a fight about my existence. So professional!
I'm a tad too big and too heavy to move and the seat on my BP was now taken by someone else, so they just left me in the seat, be it that front FA refused to give me one of those WF smiles during the flight. The half a cup of tea didn't taste worse anyway. And the flight was on time, too. Even all of my luggage made it.
Torp is a great airport if you arrive by car. Or if you arrive with a lcc, as there will be buses waiting for you to take you to Oslo and the region. When arriving on WF, however, you have no choice but to take the train if you want to use public transport. There is just one ticket machine, near the exit, and there is a free shuttle bus to take you to the strip of asphalt near the single track that make up 'Torp Station'. Advise: do not take the shuttle bus half an hour early if it's a cold, rainy or windy day, as there is basically no shelter. Nevertheless, the train proved to be a quite reliable and relatively not too slow way of traveling to Akershus and Oslo.
And then the feeling of getting home after such a trip... Oh yes, it's good.