Stuck in Stansted

I missed my connecting flight from London (Stansted) to Tampere. I was actually on time but learned a few valuable lessons about Ryanair: they don’t allow you to check luggage through or give you a boarding pass for connecting flights. In fact, as a “point-to-point” airline, Ryanair’s “official policy” is that travelers should only take one flight per day! Unofficially, they recommend 3-5 hours lead for connections.

I had only booked a 1 hour layover and it cost me.

I rushed off of the plane (and was yelled at by an irate Irish mother) and then had to wait for my checked bag. The slow-moving Irish mother came along as I was waiting and glared at me the rest of the time. I grabbed my bag and ran to the ticket counter with ½ hour to spare.

Unfortunately, Ryanair closes the flight (no more boarding passes given out) at 40 minutes prior to departure. Sigh. I booked at ticket for the same time the next day (with a 40 pound sterling penalty fee!) and started looking into a place to stay. I had only slept 1 hour in the previous 36 so I was quite desperate and not exactly at my mental peak.

When I found that there were no cheap accommodations, and that I’d have to pay at least 40 pounds for a bed and breakfast I started looking for alternatives. I nearly got a standby ticket on an SAS flight going directly to Helsinki but at the last minute the “system” locked the agent out. I gave up and called the bed and breakfast.

The owner was really great. He dropped me off at the “local” (pub) where I had great lunch in the beer garden.

Now after some sleep, a couple of decent meals, and a shower I feel better and I’m trying to make the most of my time here. The weather is beautiful and this is a pleasant town. I’ve got to remember that I am now on vacation. I’m typing this in the “garden” (British-English for yard) of the Church Hall Farm B&B (map). Having a proper cup of tea in an English garden on a beautiful day.