QF WP - read on.
I do the time arithmetic and work out if the flight returns to origin I will have to rebook this flight and the next one to another day (no idea when - my schedule is already very full and already has several rebooked flights).
The flight is very full so we are all wedged in. As the paperwork is being finalised the FA announces the rugby will be on audio channel 3. This is met with cheers and I've never seen so many passengers ask for a headset on the short flight. The safety briefing and captain's announcement that the flight could get very bumpy fortuitously occur during half time.
We take off and the snack is served - again a pastry and tea, coffee or water. A mini revolt is threatened when the captain forgets to turn off the PA override thus stopping the rugby commentary from resuming. The FA quickly defuses the situation by racing back up the aisle to get it switched over.
Unlike the previous day there is no view except of the west coast and Mount Taranaki in particular. There are no bumps ... yet. We skim the cloud tops over Cook Strait - holding back on descending to try to stay out of the turbulence for as long as possible ^ Finally we have to go through the cloud and the disorienting, bucking ride begins.
Immediately we lose reception on the rugby with just 15 minutes left to play
The final approach is rather bumpy with the pilots wrestling the aircraft down to the airport in the 80mph winds with stronger gusts cross-wind. It is not even close to the worst I have had at Wellington, but still it is the first in a long time when even as we crossed the threshold I knew there was a possibility we'd abort and power up. Upon touching down the large American contingent starts clapping
When we get off the airbridge into the terminal I can tell straight away from the glum faces that we had lost the rugby - for the first time ever they would not make the semi-finals
