Your ticket was rejected

That feeling when you went through all check points, security, health, customs and passport gates, your plane to Maldives departures in 35 mins, you are entering the plane and in THAT moment someone from airport service or flight control team is telling you that your ticket was rejected!!! And you cannot fly! PRICELESS!!! 

All sounds like a good joke or some science fiction story but I can guarantee you it wasn’t a dream. I was standing there and hearing those words:

- ‘Maldives authorities rejected your ticket and I cannot let you board this plane unless…’

- ‘Huh?? Unless what?’ – Those words hardly came out of my mouth. It was definitely not what I was expecting to hear… Actually in that second I felt like somebody hit me with a brick in my head.

- ‘Unless you buy a new ticket now’ – the guy in the black airport service uniform said.

- ‘But I have already a ticket!!!’ – My eyes became probably 3 times bigger than usually and my forehead changed into the some kind of mountain range formation with thousands of small canyons called wrinkles.

- ‘Yes, but this one is rejected’ – the guy repeated calmly.

- ‘So I need to buy a new ticket for the very same flight?! Even though that my ticket is valid?’ – That must be a joke, I thought. It sounds more like a story from some Monty Python movie than a reality.

- ‘Well it’s valid but rejected in the same time…’

- ‘Ghykdt…’ - some strange sound just came out of my mouth. And actually that was the best and the only answer that came to my mind in that moment. – ‘Excuse me but I completely don’t understand what is going on…? I checked in by the counter, I was talking with some girl there explaining her where I am flying, I told her that I have only carry-on baggage with me and that I will not continue my journey to Sri Lanka and will leave in Mahe as the plane has a stopover there.’ – I felt like my throat became completely dry. – ‘She didn’t say a word and she let me go and pass all the security gates etc. So why now are you telling me my ticket was rejected?’ – I continued.

- ‘As you know you bought a ticket to Sri Lanka and you want to leave in Maldives. We informed Maldivian authorities about that and they reject your ticket.’

- ‘But I don’t need any visa to Maldives! So why are they rejecting my tickets? What is going on here?! ’

- ‘ Well as your flight ticket is to Sri Lanka you cannot leave the plane in Maldives. Even if there is a stopover and some tourists who bought a ticket to Maldives will be leaving that plane there. You might continue your flight to Sri Lanka but you don’t have a valid visa I guess’

- ‘I don’t. Cause I wanted to leave in Maldives’

- ‘I am sorry but nothing can be done. I cannot let you enter this plane with ticket to Sri Lanka as you are leaving the plane in Maldives. Even if this plane stops first in Maldives and then continues to Sri Lanka’

- ‘OK, so what can I do in this case?’ – I asked. I already booked hotels in Maldives and I won’t get visa to Sri Lanka at the airport, so what options do I have, I thought.

- ‘Buy a new ticket to Maldives…’

- ‘And how much does it cost?’

- ‘Let me check that… well it’s 499MYR’

- ‘How much?!?!’ – I almost fainted.

- ‘499 MYR, Sir’ - he repeated.

- ‘I paid 227 MYR for flight to Sri Lanka… Is this all happening for real?’ – I asked.

- ‘Unfortunately that’s the price when you buy ticket 15 minutes before departure’

- ‘OK… ‘ – I was red all over my face. – ‘Do you accept VISA card?

- ‘So you want to buy a ticket to Maldives?’ – He asked.

- ‘Kill me, please kill me’ – I thought. –‘ Yes, please. I really, really want to buy a second ticket for the same flight. I love to pay twice for the same service and always when I am flying I am buying 2 tickets to make sure I will enter the plane’ – I said irritated. – ‘Do I have any other choice?’ – I asked rhetorical question.

‘What I am doing?’ – I thought after a second. I hate spending time lying on the beach, I don’t really enjoy very hot places, I am very bad swimmer so basically I don’t swim in the sea and I will pay more than 700 MYR for that? Well the only other option I have is to come back to the apartment in KL and spend there next 5 days. Yeap! The whole trip to Maldives supposed to last just 5 days. But being on the road is priceless! 5 minutes later I was entering the plane with 2 tickets in my hand. This time I hope they will really let me in!

- ‘Good morning and welcome on board’ – an attractive stewardess said and a smile on my face appeared again :)

to be continued...