Flight: AF1780
Seat: 4D
Load: almost full
My PA escorted me up the stairs and we were the first to board. He passed me onto the purser, saying I was connecting from a long flight from GRU. I was offered water and told that the only empty seat was the one next to me, so I had the entire row to relax. I think that was just a coincidence rather than any special blocking from the P ticket.
A few minutes later, other passengers boarded and the doors closed on time. That’s when things started to get stressful. Something was clearly wrong … engines wouldn’t start and the flight attendants were all looking at the door.
After 10 minutes, the pilot introduced himself and explained what was going on … the jet bridge operator made a mistake and moved the bridge too close to the aircraft, instead of moving it back. That caused the equipment to be locked for safety. Pilot than said an expert would have to come in, but they are outside the airport, so it would take some 30 minutes. Despite my connection being 6 hours long, I start to get stressed because I am on a separate ticket with Etihad.
The 30 minutes go by and the pilot informs us that the expert was unable to move the jet bridge properly, and actually it went even further to the aircraft and could have damaged the door. Now an inspection is necessary, to assess whether the aircraft is fit to fly. Panic mode is official … I call my Air France contact in Brazil and ask to be protected in the next flight out of CDG to LHR. They accommodate my request.
But news turned out to be good. There was no damage and the jet bridge will be pulled manually. Hurray! We are 90 minutes delayed, but my connection is safe. But really, this mistake by the jet bridge operator was a first to me. Consensus amongst the crew is that the operator will likely be sacked ...
After take-off, the flight was uneventful. I just had water and declined the snack. Upon landing, there was a bit of a commotion (including crying and desperation), as it seems plenty of people were on tight connections to the US. As I still had plenty of time, I made room for some people to rush out, but most of the other people in J were not that accommodating …
At a distance, the beautiful A380 that would take me to AUH
