TMR's all new "Tales from the Underworld" thread

[apc2010]

First night back was Sunday night. Already distinctly breezy by the time I got out of my car car in the managers car park near the north security entrance. Went through the deserted security and out airside where I spied my 3 1/2 ton baggage tug/personal transport and drove it the 3 minutes to the office/crew room. Wind really gusty now, quite hard to open the main door against the wind.

Pop into the the "big boss" office and discuss how the day has been been so far/what I need to know etc. Usual shower of shite - delayed flights, staff calling in sick for the cleaning jobs tonight. I resign myself to another shite-fest. Tonight, as has been the case for for most of the last 2 shifts, I am on my own due to Duty Managers holidays. It's about 17:45.

I take the outgoing Duty Manager back to the car park and bid him farewell, wind really picking up now.

Back to the office to see my cleaning allocator, a lovely Lithuanian called "Z" busy on the computer setting up for the night. I speak to the last remaining baggage controller asking how things are and he tells me a number of inbound flights are delayed and he wont be able to send them out as they arrive after he leaves - I already knew this and don't mind. It's nice to do some baggage stuff, rather than aircraft cleaning stuff. I compile and print off all the various reports/forms I need for Monday and then go about welcoming my cleaning staff as they start arriving 18:30ish. All like drowned rats - the previous 30 minutes have turned reaaly nasty and the wind is howling. When they are finally all in, I give them a briefing on the night's work schedule and implore them to be ultra careful due to the conditions. One by one, the teams are all given their PDAs, van keys & paperwork and set off. I bid "Z" farewell for now and head off to the baggage hall.

The baggage controller looks wiped out - I look at the screen showing our flight departure/arrival details and it's all turned red. A quick check on FlightRadar24 shows a number of flights diverting to Luton/Stanstead/Charles de Gaulle. He can do nothing more so I packed him off early and took over, with only 3 remaining baggage boys, all of whom were leaving at 21:00. At 20:10 we had our first offical flight cancellation, so I arranged for the bags we had received to be returned to baggage reclaim for the passengers to collect. 4 more left, fate unknown. I rang the Operations manager to find out what was happening to these flights - cancelled? Parked-up elsewhere and returning when the weather improves? What. She didn't know. For the next hour, I get phone calls asking for individual bags to be returned to baggage reclaim for passengers who had decided not to travel - very annoying having to pull a baggage cart apart to find an individual bag and then take it 400 yards to reclaim. All my remaining baggage boys have gone, despite me offering double pay to stay for 2 hours. Poofs.

About 21:30, confirmation that the Belfast was going, using a spare aircraft - I took the bags to it and then received confirmation that 2 flights were cancelled - took all those bags to reclaim and placed them on the reclaim belt, ensuring they were upright and handles faced outwards for easy retrieval. Proper like. Back to the baggage hall and finished off setting up for the next morning, only 1 flight, the Lisbon, left. It was still sitting in Paris. Eventually, it left Paris and arrived at Gatwick about 23:50 - I took the bags out to it and finally got back to the office at 00:10.

That's when things turned reeeeaaaaallllllllyyyyyy shite...

And that was just the first night 

You should write a book!

 

[Steve]

First night back was Sunday night. Already distinctly breezy by the time I got out of my car car in the managers car park near the north security entrance. Went through the deserted security and out airside where I spied my 3 1/2 ton baggage tug/personal transport and drove it the 3 minutes to the office/crew room. Wind really gusty now, quite hard to open the main door against the wind.

Pop into the the "big boss" office and discuss how the day has been been so far/what I need to know etc. Usual shower of shite - delayed flights, staff calling in sick for the cleaning jobs tonight. I resign myself to another shite-fest. Tonight, as has been the case for for most of the last 2 shifts, I am on my own due to Duty Managers holidays. It's about 17:45.

I take the outgoing Duty Manager back to the car park and bid him farewell, wind really picking up now.

Back to the office to see my cleaning allocator, a lovely Lithuanian called "Z" busy on the computer setting up for the night. I speak to the last remaining baggage controller asking how things are and he tells me a number of inbound flights are delayed and he wont be able to send them out as they arrive after he leaves - I already knew this and don't mind. It's nice to do some baggage stuff, rather than aircraft cleaning stuff. I compile and print off all the various reports/forms I need for Monday and then go about welcoming my cleaning staff as they start arriving 18:30ish. All like drowned rats - the previous 30 minutes have turned reaaly nasty and the wind is howling. When they are finally all in, I give them a briefing on the night's work schedule and implore them to be ultra careful due to the conditions. One by one, the teams are all given their PDAs, van keys & paperwork and set off. I bid "Z" farewell for now and head off to the baggage hall.

The baggage controller looks wiped out - I look at the screen showing our flight departure/arrival details and it's all turned red. A quick check on FlightRadar24 shows a number of flights diverting to Luton/Stanstead/Charles de Gaulle. He can do nothing more so I packed him off early and took over, with only 3 remaining baggage boys, all of whom were leaving at 21:00. At 20:10 we had our first offical flight cancellation, so I arranged for the bags we had received to be returned to baggage reclaim for the passengers to collect. 4 more left, fate unknown. I rang the Operations manager to find out what was happening to these flights - cancelled? Parked-up elsewhere and returning when the weather improves? What. She didn't know. For the next hour, I get phone calls asking for individual bags to be returned to baggage reclaim for passengers who had decided not to travel - very annoying having to pull a baggage cart apart to find an individual bag and then take it 400 yards to reclaim. All my remaining baggage boys have gone, despite me offering double pay to stay for 2 hours. Poofs.

About 21:30, confirmation that the Belfast was going, using a spare aircraft - I took the bags to it and then received confirmation that 2 flights were cancelled - took all those bags to reclaim and placed them on the reclaim belt, ensuring they were upright and handles faced outwards for easy retrieval. Proper like. Back to the baggage hall and finished off setting up for the next morning, only 1 flight, the Lisbon, left. It was still sitting in Paris. Eventually, it left Paris and arrived at Gatwick about 23:50 - I took the bags out to it and finally got back to the office at 00:10.

That's when things turned reeeeaaaaallllllllyyyyyy shite...

And that was just the first night 

You should write a book!

 

Think he's gone for the daily instalments system rather than us being able to stream the whole box set in one go

Anyway   

[The Moan Ranger]

Another 4 nights with just me running the whole cleaning & baggage operation. No major calamities this time, just the daily fire-fighting of too few staff, internal squabbling and additional tasks piled on daily.

We're gonna be right royally fucked when the the summer schedule (190+ flights daily) kicks in on 27th March. 

[Barman]

Another 4 nights with just me running the whole cleaning & baggage operation. No major calamities this time, just the daily fire-fighting of too few staff, internal squabbling and additional tasks piled on daily.

We're gonna be right royally fucked when the the summer schedule (190+ flights daily) kicks in on 27th March. 

 

[The Moan Ranger]

Where to start?

First off, the pay settlement has finally been agreed - 10% backdated to 1st January 2022. Not too bad, but bear in mind it's the first pay rise in 3 years. Next year's pay negotiations to begin in October this year, when the true rate of inflation may be a bit clearer. Some of the more excitable young Marxists in another department are still unhappy as they had their lefty hearts set on striking if they didn't get at least 17%...

Staffing. Despite the pay rise, we can only seem to attract 33% of the extra staff we need for the summer schedule. So come 27th March, it will be carnage. We barely have enough for 120 flights/day, never mind 190+

Accidents. They happen. The paperwork, databases etc. for each takes about 6 hours. On that windy Sunday night in 2 days after Eunice, when planes were going around then diverting, flights being cancelled and all manner of other shite was going on,  one of our cleaners - who seems remarkably accident prone, managed to lose her footing due to a strong gust rocking the plane, while she was cleaning one of the rear bogs. "Broke" her nose. Took herself off home. I knew nothing about it until nearly 4 hours later when I'd finally finished all the baggage stuff.

Predictably, all hell then broke loose asking why she hadn't had a Drug & Alcohol test before going home, why no statement, why no accident book entry, why no everything.  The usual suspects neither asked, nor cared, how she actually was, only worried about a potential injury/negligence claim.

Naturally, no blame apportioned to me  as I can't manage a situation I was not made aware of. My allocator, "Z", who was aware of it was simply far too busy on his own to worry about H&S paperwork - and he has absolutely no idea how to do it, nor does he need to - was initially going to be the sacrificial lamb, but I presented the cold, hard, evidence and that too was was quietly dropped. One telling fact was that the airport reported a gust of 52kts at the time of the accident. A gust that strong means you are not allowed to attach stairs/jetbridges, not allowed to open doors, baggage holds. But no rules about actually cleaning inside an aircraft in such winds 

We've had about 20 new starters recently. So far, I have sacked 3. Being late EVERY day, or sick every Friday/Saturday night really isn't acceptable...

Other than that, everything is good 

[Barman]

Where to start?

First off, the pay settlement has finally been agreed - 10% backdated to 1st January 2022. Not too bad, but bear in mind it's the first pay rise in 3 years. Next year's pay negotiations to begin in October this year, when the true rate of inflation may be a bit clearer. Some of the more excitable young Marxists in another department are still unhappy as they had their lefty hearts set on striking if they didn't get at least 17%...

Staffing. Despite the pay rise, we can only seem to attract 33% of the extra staff we need for the summer schedule. So come 27th March, it will be carnage. We barely have enough for 120 flights/day, never mind 190+

Accidents. They happen. The paperwork, databases etc. for each takes about 6 hours. On that windy Sunday night in 2 days after Eunice, when planes were going around then diverting, flights being cancelled and all manner of other shite was going on,  one of our cleaners - who seems remarkably accident prone, managed to lose her footing due to a strong gust rocking the plane, while she was cleaning one of the rear bogs. "Broke" her nose. Took herself off home. I knew nothing about it until nearly 4 hours later when I'd finally finished all the baggage stuff.

Predictably, all hell then broke loose asking why she hadn't had a Drug & Alcohol test before going home, why no statement, why no accident book entry, why no everything.  The usual suspects neither asked, nor cared, how she actually was, only worried about a potential injury/negligence claim.

Naturally, no blame apportioned to me  as I can't manage a situation I was not made aware of. My allocator, "Z", who was aware of it was simply far too busy on his own to worry about H&S paperwork - and he has absolutely no idea how to do it, nor does he need to - was initially going to be the sacrificial lamb, but I presented the cold, hard, evidence and that too was was quietly dropped. One telling fact was that the airport reported a gust of 52kts at the time of the accident. A gust that strong means you are not allowed to attach stairs/jetbridges, not allowed to open doors, baggage holds. But no rules about actually cleaning inside an aircraft in such winds 

We've had about 20 new starters recently. So far, I have sacked 3. Being late EVERY day, or sick every Friday/Saturday night really isn't acceptable...

Other than that, everything is good 

Excellent! 

[Steve]

Where to start?

First off, the pay settlement has finally been agreed - 10% backdated to 1st January 2022. Not too bad, but bear in mind it's the first pay rise in 3 years. Next year's pay negotiations to begin in October this year, when the true rate of inflation may be a bit clearer. Some of the more excitable young Marxists in another department are still unhappy as they had their lefty hearts set on striking if they didn't get at least 17%...

Staffing. Despite the pay rise, we can only seem to attract 33% of the extra staff we need for the summer schedule. So come 27th March, it will be carnage. We barely have enough for 120 flights/day, never mind 190+

Accidents. They happen. The paperwork, databases etc. for each takes about 6 hours. On that windy Sunday night in 2 days after Eunice, when planes were going around then diverting, flights being cancelled and all manner of other shite was going on,  one of our cleaners - who seems remarkably accident prone, managed to lose her footing due to a strong gust rocking the plane, while she was cleaning one of the rear bogs. "Broke" her nose. Took herself off home. I knew nothing about it until nearly 4 hours later when I'd finally finished all the baggage stuff.

Predictably, all hell then broke loose asking why she hadn't had a Drug & Alcohol test before going home, why no statement, why no accident book entry, why no everything.  The usual suspects neither asked, nor cared, how she actually was, only worried about a potential injury/negligence claim.

Naturally, no blame apportioned to me  as I can't manage a situation I was not made aware of. My allocator, "Z", who was aware of it was simply far too busy on his own to worry about H&S paperwork - and he has absolutely no idea how to do it, nor does he need to - was initially going to be the sacrificial lamb, but I presented the cold, hard, evidence and that too was was quietly dropped. One telling fact was that the airport reported a gust of 52kts at the time of the accident. A gust that strong means you are not allowed to attach stairs/jetbridges, not allowed to open doors, baggage holds. But no rules about actually cleaning inside an aircraft in such winds 

We've had about 20 new starters recently. So far, I have sacked 3. Being late EVERY day, or sick every Friday/Saturday night really isn't acceptable...

Other than that, everything is good 

Excellent! 

seconded and  for standing up for 'Z'

Ultimately pay is determined by supply and demand so that pay rise looks like it won't hold for long

[The Moan Ranger]

5 days until the summer schedule begins and we are about 40 staff short across baggage and cleaning. The usual workshy layabouts are getting their paid Covid sickness by gorging on the free LFTs while they last.  These are the same people who - when they do actually come in - moan about the price of everything shooting up. They loved their time in luxury communism when furlough was being paid, now the chickens have come home to roost, they whine like babies.

I told them all, nearly 2 years to the day, that the longer any ridiculous lockdown goes on, the longer and harder they will have to pay for it. But the weather was nice and lots actually thought it was a good thing. Was it? Probably would have been 3 months earlier when the original strain was wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable. By March, too late. As time progressed, it weakened and further extensions exacerbated the economic woes. A political stunt, being "seen to do something", by governments worldwide. Some are still clinging to the notion that it's "for your health". Nah...it's for control. Fly to Spain and it's a cheap, Chinese made "surgical" mask needed, fly to Austria and it's a FFP2 jobbie. I learnt decades ago, that when a government says it's "for your health" it isn't. It's for their poll ratings. The vaccine roll-out proving this, of little absolute risk reduction to the majority I sincerely hope no long-term damage will be done by them. VAERS reports sadly suggest otherwise. Add in to this, the actual composition of each vaccine injection batch was probably wildly variable - as per normal double blind trials - then millions, if not billions face an uncertain future. Utterly heartbreaking.

Time for a beer or 7.

[Barman]

5 days until the summer schedule begins and we are about 40 staff short across baggage and cleaning. The usual workshy layabouts are getting their paid Covid sickness by gorging on the free LFTs while they last.  These are the same people who - when they do actually come in - moan about the price of everything shooting up. They loved their time in luxury communism when furlough was being paid, now the chickens have come home to roost, they whine like babies.

I told them all, nearly 2 years to the day, that the longer any ridiculous lockdown goes on, the longer and harder they will have to pay for it. But the weather was nice and lots actually thought it was a good thing. Was it? Probably would have been 3 months earlier when the original strain was wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable. By March, too late. As time progressed, it weakened and further extensions exacerbated the economic woes. A political stunt, being "seen to do something", by governments worldwide. Some are still clinging to the notion that it's "for your health". Nah...it's for control. Fly to Spain and it's a cheap, Chinese made "surgical" mask needed, fly to Austria and it's a FFP2 jobbie. I learnt decades ago, that when a government says it's "for your health" it isn't. It's for their poll ratings. The vaccine roll-out proving this, of little absolute risk reduction to the majority I sincerely hope no long-term damage will be done by them. VAERS reports sadly suggest otherwise. Add in to this, the actual composition of each vaccine injection batch was probably wildly variable - as per normal double blind trials - then millions, if not billions face an uncertain future. Utterly heartbreaking.

Time for a beer or 7.

 


BTW, my friend flew PFO >>> LGW with EasyJet yesterday and said you end was 'very quick and efficient'.... 

[The Moan Ranger]

5 days until the summer schedule begins and we are about 40 staff short across baggage and cleaning. The usual workshy layabouts are getting their paid Covid sickness by gorging on the free LFTs while they last.  These are the same people who - when they do actually come in - moan about the price of everything shooting up. They loved their time in luxury communism when furlough was being paid, now the chickens have come home to roost, they whine like babies.

I told them all, nearly 2 years to the day, that the longer any ridiculous lockdown goes on, the longer and harder they will have to pay for it. But the weather was nice and lots actually thought it was a good thing. Was it? Probably would have been 3 months earlier when the original strain was wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable. By March, too late. As time progressed, it weakened and further extensions exacerbated the economic woes. A political stunt, being "seen to do something", by governments worldwide. Some are still clinging to the notion that it's "for your health". Nah...it's for control. Fly to Spain and it's a cheap, Chinese made "surgical" mask needed, fly to Austria and it's a FFP2 jobbie. I learnt decades ago, that when a government says it's "for your health" it isn't. It's for their poll ratings. The vaccine roll-out proving this, of little absolute risk reduction to the majority I sincerely hope no long-term damage will be done by them. VAERS reports sadly suggest otherwise. Add in to this, the actual composition of each vaccine injection batch was probably wildly variable - as per normal double blind trials - then millions, if not billions face an uncertain future. Utterly heartbreaking.

Time for a beer or 7.

 


BTW, my friend flew PFO >>> LGW with EasyJet yesterday and said you end was 'very quick and efficient'.... 

Won't be come Sunday 

[Barman]

5 days until the summer schedule begins and we are about 40 staff short across baggage and cleaning. The usual workshy layabouts are getting their paid Covid sickness by gorging on the free LFTs while they last.  These are the same people who - when they do actually come in - moan about the price of everything shooting up. They loved their time in luxury communism when furlough was being paid, now the chickens have come home to roost, they whine like babies.

I told them all, nearly 2 years to the day, that the longer any ridiculous lockdown goes on, the longer and harder they will have to pay for it. But the weather was nice and lots actually thought it was a good thing. Was it? Probably would have been 3 months earlier when the original strain was wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable. By March, too late. As time progressed, it weakened and further extensions exacerbated the economic woes. A political stunt, being "seen to do something", by governments worldwide. Some are still clinging to the notion that it's "for your health". Nah...it's for control. Fly to Spain and it's a cheap, Chinese made "surgical" mask needed, fly to Austria and it's a FFP2 jobbie. I learnt decades ago, that when a government says it's "for your health" it isn't. It's for their poll ratings. The vaccine roll-out proving this, of little absolute risk reduction to the majority I sincerely hope no long-term damage will be done by them. VAERS reports sadly suggest otherwise. Add in to this, the actual composition of each vaccine injection batch was probably wildly variable - as per normal double blind trials - then millions, if not billions face an uncertain future. Utterly heartbreaking.

Time for a beer or 7.

 


BTW, my friend flew PFO >>> LGW with EasyJet yesterday and said you end was 'very quick and efficient'.... 

Won't be come Sunday 

 

She is coming back on the 28th... 

[apc2010]

5 days until the summer schedule begins and we are about 40 staff short across baggage and cleaning. The usual workshy layabouts are getting their paid Covid sickness by gorging on the free LFTs while they last.  These are the same people who - when they do actually come in - moan about the price of everything shooting up. They loved their time in luxury communism when furlough was being paid, now the chickens have come home to roost, they whine like babies.

I told them all, nearly 2 years to the day, that the longer any ridiculous lockdown goes on, the longer and harder they will have to pay for it. But the weather was nice and lots actually thought it was a good thing. Was it? Probably would have been 3 months earlier when the original strain was wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable. By March, too late. As time progressed, it weakened and further extensions exacerbated the economic woes. A political stunt, being "seen to do something", by governments worldwide. Some are still clinging to the notion that it's "for your health". Nah...it's for control. Fly to Spain and it's a cheap, Chinese made "surgical" mask needed, fly to Austria and it's a FFP2 jobbie. I learnt decades ago, that when a government says it's "for your health" it isn't. It's for their poll ratings. The vaccine roll-out proving this, of little absolute risk reduction to the majority I sincerely hope no long-term damage will be done by them. VAERS reports sadly suggest otherwise. Add in to this, the actual composition of each vaccine injection batch was probably wildly variable - as per normal double blind trials - then millions, if not billions face an uncertain future. Utterly heartbreaking.

Time for a beer or 7.

 


BTW, my friend flew PFO >>> LGW with EasyJet yesterday and said you end was 'very quick and efficient'.... 

That will be all the curry he eats ...

[The Moan Ranger]

Well then...

Summer schedule arrived with a bang yesterday. Gatwick was a clusterfuck from top to bottom. Except my baggage boys and aircraft cleaners, we aced it 

The 50% increase in flights was not matched by a 50% increase in resources, with inevitable results. The Ramp operation accumulated 27 delays - a record - and the knock on effects of so many flights going late was that they returned even later. Thus no Turn-Around staff left to meet arriving aircraft. Planes sitting on stands with no-one to attach power, jetties or steps. Passengers staring out of the windows wondering when they will be able to get off. After about 45 minutes seems to be the average...but their bags were still sitting in the plane and would be for at least another hour.

My 6 cleaning teams had only cleaned 2 planes each by midnight, with 55 still left to do. Squeaky bum time. But they are a stoic lot and I had no concerns - I left the allocator to juggle completing them all on time and set to work on an outstanding job that was another result of all the delays : a lack of baggage carts ready and waiting for this morning's departures. I need 96 to fill my baggage hall up and also at least 30 outside for quick replenishment purposes. At midnight, I was 20 short inside and no spares outside - the same carts we use to take bags to aircraft are used by the Ramp guys to do the offloads. Lots of delays = lots of baggage carts out and about that would otherwise be already safely housed in my baggage hall. As the only person on the airport who was able to collect them, I spent the next 3 hours collecting all the ones left lying about after the Ramp had finished with them, completing the set up of the baggage hall and getting 15 spares outside. At least 20 more were still being used for the really late arrivals.

Back to the office at 0250, just in time to give a briefing to my morning baggage boys, then whizz off down to the South terminal to deliver all the required paperwork for the rest of the day and Tuesday, then back to the North to help with the first wave of baggage. Mercifully light (3,000ish) bags today. Finally crawled out of there about 0530. 

I ache all over and it's a nice feeling ; the relative inactivity of the last 2 years due to the global sniffles has taken it's toll on my fitness, back to busy hurts in the short term but I am convinced worth it in the longer time.

Also, 4 more called in today, Covid positive. All treble vaxxed. The unvaxxed remain at work seemingly due to something called the immune system, which hasn't been compromised by something they didn't need. Now there's a thing...who'd have thunk it? 

[Barman]

Well then...

Summer schedule arrived with a bang yesterday. Gatwick was a clusterfuck from top to bottom. Except my baggage boys and aircraft cleaners, we aced it 

The 50% increase in flights was not matched by a 50% increase in resources, with inevitable results. The Ramp operation accumulated 27 delays - a record - and the knock on effects of so many flights going late was that they returned even later. Thus no Turn-Around staff left to meet arriving aircraft. Planes sitting on stands with no-one to attach power, jetties or steps. Passengers staring out of the windows wondering when they will be able to get off. After about 45 minutes seems to be the average...but their bags were still sitting in the plane and would be for at least another hour.

My 6 cleaning teams had only cleaned 2 planes each by midnight, with 55 still left to do. Squeaky bum time. But they are a stoic lot and I had no concerns - I left the allocator to juggle completing them all on time and set to work on an outstanding job that was another result of all the delays : a lack of baggage carts ready and waiting for this morning's departures. I need 96 to fill my baggage hall up and also at least 30 outside for quick replenishment purposes. At midnight, I was 20 short inside and no spares outside - the same carts we use to take bags to aircraft are used by the Ramp guys to do the offloads. Lots of delays = lots of baggage carts out and about that would otherwise be already safely housed in my baggage hall. As the only person on the airport who was able to collect them, I spent the next 3 hours collecting all the ones left lying about after the Ramp had finished with them, completing the set up of the baggage hall and getting 15 spares outside. At least 20 more were still being used for the really late arrivals.

Back to the office at 0250, just in time to give a briefing to my morning baggage boys, then whizz off down to the South terminal to deliver all the required paperwork for the rest of the day and Tuesday, then back to the North to help with the first wave of baggage. Mercifully light (3,000ish) bags today. Finally crawled out of there about 0530. 

I ache all over and it's a nice feeling ; the relative inactivity of the last 2 years due to the global sniffles has taken it's toll on my fitness, back to busy hurts in the short term but I am convinced worth it in the longer time.

Also, 4 more called in today, Covid positive. All treble vaxxed. The unvaxxed remain at work seemingly due to something called the immune system, which hasn't been compromised by something they didn't need. Now there's a thing...who'd have thunk it? 

Keep your eye on U28937 today please... 

[The Moan Ranger]

Today I drink 5 or 6 pints, sleep until whenever, then wake up and drink some more with a take-away curry from Everest Spice (https://www.everestspice.co.uk/pages_about.html) then sleep again. 8937 to be operated by G-EZUP (bit of an old shitter) with 125 booked pax. Don't expect it to leave on time...it was 12 minutes late getting off the blocks on its first flight to Malaga today.