I had hoped this trip was going to be the first one of our trips with no actual problems as things were going very well so far. But this turned out to be the worst that we have ever experienced.
We started our day by waking up at 3:15am to be picked up by 4:00am. We had a flight to catch. It was to Madeira island. We were all looking forward to this part of the trip.
As Our flight began, strange things started to happen on the plane. When it was time to serve water and coffee, the stewardess practically flew down the aisle only paying attention to one side of the plane and not even that. Linda C. and Sandy were able to score beverages. Linda H and I were not. We waited a few minutes but they never came back. Linda H. had to go ask for water for the both of us Since she was sitting in the aisle seat. It was also required to wear a mask for the duration of the flight.
Well if this didn't beat all. We were stuck in the plane for 2 hours extra as the plane wasn't able to land due to strong winds on the island. I had wondered what would happen if we could not land. I guess we found out the hard way. At 9:30 we were notified that the plane was now headed to Porto Santo Island about 27 miles away. This island is northeast of Madeira. We landed at 9:50 and we're told to stay on the plane. The plane would refuel and we would take off again. Due to the shortage of land crew it took a very long time. The wind would be the deciding factor if we could continue to Madeira. It was either to Madeira which we hoped or back to Porto. Over half the travelers disembarked at this point. We think they were headed to a ferry. At least it gave us room to spread out on the plane.
Sandy waiting for the plane to do something.
At 12:00 noon, it was announced that the plane was refueled and ready for take off but was still waiting for the stuck stairway to be moved away from the plane. This took up even more time. We finally headed down the runway at 12:15pm. When the captain came back over the PA system we found out that the plane was headed back to Porto. About 30 minutes into the flight the stewardess practically flew down the aisle again distributing water. If you didn't speak up quickly she was gone. What really upset most of us was that they didn't offer us anything to eat and if you did manage to ask for food you had to pay for it. We were all so hungry by then it was unbelievable. I did manage to snag some meat sticks but they were not worth the money I paid. Most of our problem was thirst.
Once we landed in Porto, Linda C. contacted our tour company to let them know that we had finally arrived. We were told to go to the TAP Air Desk to rebook the flight and that the airline was responsible for making overnight arrangements and would give us food vouchers. We disembarked from the plane and headed into the terminal. As we were leaving the plane the crew actually said, "We hope you enjoyed the flight and thank you for flying TAPAir." There was no "Sorry for the inconvenience" or any type of apology. Linda C. went to find the TAP Air desk while the rest of us went to claim the luggage.
Linda had a hard time just finding the TAP Air Desk. She felt like she had gone from top to the very bottom of the airport. Once at the desk, Linda was able to get us rebooked but they did not help with finding accommodations or give us food vouchers. Instead, they gave her a piece of paper with directions on how to get this accomplished. The paper said to make our own arrangements and to put in a request to be reimbursed. I suggested that Linda call the tour company. They did come through for us as far as finding accommodations and sending a van to get us to the hotel.
Once we landed in Porto, Linda C. contacted our tour company to let them know that we had finally arrived. We were told to go to the TAP Air Desk to rebook the flight and that the airline was responsible for making overnight arrangements and would give us food vouchers. We disembarked from the plane and headed into the terminal. As we were leaving the plane the crew actually said, "We hope you enjoyed the flight and thank you for flying TAPAir." There was no "Sorry for the inconvenience" or any type of apology. Linda C. went to find the TAP Air desk while the rest of us went to claim the luggage.
Linda had a hard time just finding the TAP Air Desk. She felt like she had gone from top to the very bottom of the airport. Once at the desk, Linda was able to get us rebooked but they did not help with finding accommodations or give us food vouchers. Instead, they gave her a piece of paper with directions on how to get this accomplished. The paper said to make our own arrangements and to put in a request to be reimbursed. I suggested that Linda call the tour company. They did come through for us as far as finding accommodations and sending a van to get us to the hotel.
View from our hotel room. I just loved looking at the cornfield.
Three more minor things happened once we got settled in the hotel. One: I went to the bathroom and flushed the toilet. It would not stop flushing after that. I had to get the front desk to fix it. Two: Linda H. took a shower and then could not get the water to turn off and again had to call the front desk. Three: The Lindas’s room was stuck on heat and not AC. I am sure the front desk just loved us.