Below: a thoughtful gift from a colleague, put to excellently appropriate use.
As the hour of our flight out of Singapore drew near, however, our hearts grew heavy. Mary has never spent such as extended period of time away from her family. And while I spent nearly four years abroad for my university education, it isn't quite the same as being on the road continuously for half a year. I suppose the heart yearns for a harbour to which it can return at the end of a day's travails. Especially for the rest of our trip, our harbours will be each other.
Both our families were there at the airport to see us off. We were there early, so there would be time to both enjoy this latest gathering and do some duty-free shopping (guess whose idea was this). The former we accomplished, the latter was lost to an unexpected brick wall we ran into at the check-in counter.
So the situation was that our return tickets meant we would on paper be spending more than the visa-free 90 days permitted for Singaporeans in the Schengen Area (a border-free zone comprising 26 countries in Europe). But there was no risk of us overstaying, because we are going to be in and out of the Schengen Area (Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania) before we even approach 90 days. According to the Finnair staff, my paper itinerary did not suffice for documentation. Asked to produce a ticket showing travel out of the Schengen Area before 90 days was up, I quickly booked us tickets at the earliest possible point (Hungary-Romania) and we were checked in with a minute to spare.
That was the factual recollection of what happened, sans description of the anxiety and unpleasantness we experienced throughout, not to say the very inadequate service which would have averted all this:
1. Service lacked empathy. Assurance that the check-in counter would hold our flight for us came only five minutes before it was meant to close. Earlier stonewalling by the staff ("we are only doing our job, and cannot guarantee that the flight would be held for you" was the line adopted before the volte face) contributed significantly to our anxiety. So with the clock ticking and our 4G network faltering, we asked if there was a computer (or a laptop) we could borrow to hasten this process. The "no" we received was more empathic rather than empathetic (which would have been ideal). And then this particular member of staff added, unhelpfully, that consumers cannot be expected to be spoonfed.
2. Communication lacked clarity. When I completed the booking of tickets to prove our exit out of the Schengen Area (as was originally requested), the same member of staff remonstrated that it wasn't from Tallinn.
3. Staff lacked initiative. Particularly in making executive decisions in urgent circumstances. As I protested the aforementioned lack of clarity, the said member of staff called the border control in Helsinki to clarify what was necessary on our side. Our Finnish friends replied that the Singapore side would have to make the call, whereupon our Finnair staff fell into lethal prevarication. We want to give you peace of mind as you travel there, she said. Your speed is more important than my peace of mind was my response.
You can tell the above is going to form the core of our feedback to Finnair. We were checked in eventually and Finnish customs let us through. But we very nearly didn't make it, thanks to bumbling ineptitude. And so our adventure began earlier than expected.
The Lord will guide you always. We shall need it.
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