What’s your worst airport experience?
It's the holiday season, and lots of folks are traveling. And that often means trouble. But when your bags get left on the tarmac in Mombasa to be devoured by hyenas, just remember that it'll make a good story someday. Case in point: An FP reader writes in to suggest an addition to our World's ...
It's the holiday season, and lots of folks are traveling. And that often means trouble. But when your bags get left on the tarmac in Mombasa to be devoured by hyenas, just remember that it'll make a good story someday. Case in point: An FP reader writes in to suggest an addition to our World's Worst Airports List—Zanzibar International Airport. It was 5.00am and only the mosquitoes were moving.
It's the holiday season, and lots of folks are traveling. And that often means trouble. But when your bags get left on the tarmac in Mombasa to be devoured by hyenas, just remember that it'll make a good story someday. Case in point: An FP reader writes in to suggest an addition to our World's Worst Airports List—Zanzibar International Airport.
It was 5.00am and only the mosquitoes were moving.
Eventually ground crew arrived, and a security guard looked at the wrapped & sealed backpacks we were checking and announced that their X Ray machine was broken so we'd have to take everything out for them to check manually. But – he announced cheerfully – they had a solution, for a small present [thumb & forefinger rubbed energetically together] they could pass our bags straight through. Two US dollars later they did exactly that.
There were of course large signs throughout the airport which said bribery was illegal and we should report anyone asking for bribes..
Presenting ourselves and our day packs at boarding gate security we weren't too surprised to discover that although that X Ray machine was working there was something they weren't sure of and they’d have to check everything manually unless we wished to make another small "present" – or that my husband really should remove his shoes unless he'd like to make another one…
So for a total of $6 US everyone & their baggage went onto the plane completely unchecked.
And this is a devoutly Muslim area with the same tensions between locals & tourists that exist in Sinai & southern Thailand, and a history of serious violence like the 1964 Stonetown massacre.
Got any other suggestions or airport horror stories? Send 'em our way.
UPDATE: Passport reader Seth Lieberman sends in this concurring report on Zanzibar:
When I flew out of the Zanzibar airport 2 years ago the pilot told me that the plane was unbalanced (this was one of those 10 seaters where I rode co-pilot mind you) because overnight thieves had siphoned gas out of one of the tanks on the wings. He insisted that they fill up the tank before he took off or as he put it "it might not be pretty".
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