I have never been as overwhelmed in all my life as I was when we went through Punta Cana airport to leave the Dominican last week. I was so upset tears were just rolling down my cheeks, it was crazy.
We got to the airport just over 3 hours ahead of our departure. The first line up was at the Westjet counters, where there had to be a few hundred people lining up, as there were multiple planes leaving within a short time of one another........I know poor planning on someone's part.
We then went through security, where there was barely a line up. We then went into another area where the s*it hit the fan as they say. We had to go through these kiosks/counters, to have our passports stamped and photos taken???? The place was packed, the lines were huge and half the kiosks not manned.
For some unbeknown reason we got stuck in amongst a huge group of people who we later learned were going back to Columbia. They were in a panic as the line up was going so slow that they thought they were going to miss their flight. They kept whistling to one another and they doing these group whistles and shouting which was deafening. There was mass surges to try and get to the front and pushing and shoving, it was awful.
Meanwhile as I said we were stuck in amongst this with the kids. The line up where the parents with younger kids was as slow. Poor women were breastfeeding standing up in line. Other toddlers were crying. Our 4 year old went from being rambunctious and not listening to crying and whining, as we were in this line up for probably 90 minutes or more. Then to add to it all, our 7 year old came down with food poisoning on the Monday night and was doped up with meds (this was Wednesday) and was not well at all, and kept sitting down on the ground as he was so tired. The adults were all loaded up with bags.
The add me into the mix. I had been on my feet for a couple of hours at this point. Hadn't eaten in hours, and had nothing to drink. I am feeling very lightheaded. I was terrified the kids were going to get trampled on. We finally got a few feet from the kiosk and the worst was over with, and that's when the tears started falling. The kids saw me and then they started crying, so I am telling them to stop crying as Nana is fine, she's just tired...LOL
What a flipping fiasco. We got through the kiosk and we were all desperate for a pee. Luckily the plane wasn't boarding, so we got a pee and the hydro went out while I was peeing. I could have cried at that point, but was pleased to say it came back on right away. By the time we all peed, the gate sign was flashing to board.
I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a package of Pringles ($13 USD 😕 for both) Son was able to grab a pizza for each of them and off we went to get on the bus to take us to the airplane. We were all shocked that we were able to take off only 30 minutes late.
Everybody on the plane was saying the same thing; what a horrible experience it was going through the airport. We also discovered later that it was a software issue that had caused the problem. However it was just absolute chaos and the security could do nothing about the crowd of people surging towards these kiosks.
Now this is the third time Son and family have been to the Dominican and it has never been as bad as this. Daughter and family have been a couple of times with no issue.
Regardless I hope I never have to go through something like that again, it was just awful.
Going through Toronto airport was a breeze, after all that drama.
8 comments:
I remember the airport in Nigeria where the men in our group had their luggage carried by porters and were disappearing out of the far end of the terminal without a backward glance, while we women were left to carry our hand luggage, coats, and heavy cases. There were so many men holding guns around, and we looked vulnerable, I felt quite scared.
Oh, that sounds awful! I feel for you and the family! We have used the Punta Cana airport for years and it was never as bad as your dealings. Hopefully your next trip, wherever that might be, will be smooth sailing! -Jenn
I was in the Dominican Republic last year with my two daughters. Leaving D.R. they were put through after showing their passports, however, I was not. I was led to a another area, they took my passport into an office, where a guard was in front of a computer. Using that and a magnifying glass they looked at my passport numerous times and kept me their for 15 - 20 minutes. Daughters had no idea what was happening. Finally, I was allowed to go, why they did that I don't know. Scary situation for a little while.
We haven't been abroad for a few years and i certainly don't miss all the driving to the airport, flight and then another car or coach journey to the destination, such a lot of faff started to feel not much fun at all for me. last time we went we had to spend 24 hours in the airport lounge on the way home as our flight was cancelled, not an experience I want to repeat in a hurry!
Oh my word - that sounds like a complete nightmare!
Oh my that sounds just terrible. I bet you were extremely glad to be off the ground and on the way home.
God bless.
This sounds just terrible. Airports can be bad but that sounds about as bad as it can be!
This has confirmed to me that I will never fly to any far off places again. I might do a short island hop here in the UK, should the opportunity arise. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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