Flight to Finland

16th February 2012
I arrive at Gatwick airport on my way to Finland and check in to find that I have to pay £184 for my luggage. Discount airlines are a rip off. My luggage wasn't worth £184. I could have dumped it all and saved the money to buy new stuff on arrival but my baggage had already gone through. I was presented with an invoice and told to go to the customer service desk whereupon I was informed I had to pay the full amount - fait accompli - the baggage had already gone through.

I go through passport control and all the other stuff that makes flying such a painful and uncivilized mode of travelling. I haven't been on this side of an airport in a few years and it feels quite alien. I notice how un-airport like it is. There's hardly any sign at all that I am in a major transportation hub. I am in shopping centre and feel quite out of place. I haven't been to the shops for a long time either.

Food on the flight is also an extra and I hadn't reserved it in advance so I fly to Riga, Latvia with nothing to eat.