The story of cargo continued...

Cargo, cargo, cargo.

So I got on my flight back to Gatwick and arrived there safe and sound at 7:30am on Friday morning. We decided to head over to the cargo depot to see if my cargo was there or on its way at least. I suspected it wasn't but it was worth asking.

Getting to BA World Cargo from LGW South is relatively easy. Just travel towards LGW North and turn left instead of right when it comes to the roundabout at the end (right will take you to the car parks for the North Terminal). It isn't well signposted at the entrance but once you head down the road you'll see a bunch of signs for various cargo depots, the main one being BA. At this point there's just a big fence and a hangar that separates you from airside, which is very exciting for a plane geek like me.

Anyway we drove up to the Main Reception and I made enquiries about my cargo. My suspicions were correct. It was in a lorry waiting to be trucked to LGW but hadn't left LHR yet. They weren't sure when it was due to arrive, but my initial tracking estimate online said around 2 - 2:30pm. Since it was about 9am I decided to just head home and sleep. They would call me when it's in, and I could keep it there for up to 7 days without storage fees. I also asked how much money was due when it did arrive and they said £58.50. I completed the Customs forms on the spot, attached a copy of my packing list (good thing Jayne printed a few extra for me!! That gal's got her head screwed on...) and said I'd probably be back to collect the stuff on Monday.

So off home we went. I had a power nap for about an hour till lunch time, at which point the phone rang to tell me the cargo had arrived. 1pm. Not bad at all. Had another power nap (this one was about 2 hours...) till about 4pm. Can't believe how damp everything feels over here. Damp and cold. It was colder in my house than outside!! Getting into bed felt like there were two cold slabs of wet sheets surrounding me and although fully clothed I couldn't help but shiver. Who shivers while getting into bed, fully clothed, in late summer when the temperature is in the early 20s?!?!?! Doesn't exactly make for a warm and happy homecoming... But I knew I'd acclimatize. Just takes some getting used to. Don't think about what you haven't got.

Well, Monday came and I headed out to LGW again, this time on my own so I had more space to carry the cargo. I arrived and after about 5 minutes of preparing the paperwork for release, taking my money, which could be paid in CASH (there's one over the Canadians...), I was told to drive to the big doors with the ramp leading up to it and reverse up the ramp and wait for the doors to open. I did this, although part of me wondered if it was the right door when it didn't open straight away. I backed all the way in and the doors closed in front of me. Inside was this huge hangar with cargo stacks here and there, some cellophaned up, some just in boxes, some in crates etc. The guy who opened the door for me seemed to be just doing that - Chief Door Opener. I could do that job. Nice job. Wonder if they're recruiting... I gave another guy my release forms and he took them, jumped into a forklift and sped off into a corner where there seemed to be large shelves. He returned in no time with my black duffle bag and my green and blue tub. It seemed strange to see them in this unique environment, and stranger to think that the last time I'd seen them was in Jayne's house where they were collected. I think the transition would have felt less weird had I actually taken them to the airport myself. But I stopped myself from getting too nostalgic and tried not to think about the home I'd been staying in and the friendship and warmth I'd had back then, though gratitude for all Jayne's help lingered a little...

Anyway, we loaded the duffle bag into the boot/trunk and put the tub on the back seat. Good thing it wasn't ready when I landed. It would have been a tight squeeze! I signed the form to say I'd been given my cargo and it was satisfactory and off I went. Going down the ramp was easier than reversing up it. I didn't look back, just drove. I must admit that the service from BA World Cargo was amazing. The guy at Reception was really friendly and very helpful, much more helpful than poor Savio at the Toronto office, who seemed to assume that I knew what I was doing... I was always waiting for the catch, the hidden extra, the awful surprise but it never came. I can safely say that I would definitely use BA World Cargo again should I need to.

Let's break down the costs:

$3.60 per kg x 37kg = $133.20
+ $25 Airway fee = $158.20

That's all I paid in Canada. The pick up was free also.

Arriving in the UK I paid a customs and handling fee of £58.50, which is about $120

Total paid CDN = $278.20

The cost of my flight with 20kg of hold allowance, insurance and preselected seats with Air Transat / Thomas Cook Airlines = $360

Grand Total paid for coming home with a total of 57kg of luggage = $638.20

Total cost of a one way BA flight from Calgary to LHR with 40kg baggage allowance, as quoted on BA.com = circa $1400 CDN (ouch)

Total savings from shipping with BA but flying "cattle class" = $761.80

I'm still waiting for the catch... but there is none!

BA, I applaud your cargo services, I sneer at your passenger fares. But you're nice people and if I had the means I'd probably fly BA on most occasions. Just this time the pennies were a-pinching. So thanks for handling my cargo and for having such a nice bloke helping me at LGW!

Thomas Cook Airlines, your transatlantic staff aren't the most friendly I've met. Granted the flight was packed, but seriously that should make you work all the harder to try and make our journey as pleasant as possible, right?? Or have I been around too many amazing customer service people in North America, where they excel at this sort of thing...? Maybe I expect too much bearing in mind the price I paid for the ticket...

P.s. tell your flight attendants to s-l-o-o-o-o-w down when talking over the PA System. The majority of the customers on this flight weren't native English speakers, and those that were were from the Big Continent where people tend to speak more slowly... I'm from the Small Island and I couldn't understand you!