The long journey home via Istanbul

We are awake at 3.45am ready for our 4.30am transfer back to Cancún airport for round 2 of getting home. First problem is that the driver has clearly not been told about the bike boxes and is in no mood to be helpful. I manage to persuade him to rearrange the limited boot in the minibus to fit the bikes in but there is not enough room for 2 large suitcases - the other passenger helpfully says they can go inside the minibus with him but the driver is not happy. There are supposedly another 4 people to arrive which would mean there wasn’t enough room. They don’t show and 20 minutes late we set off.
On arrival at Cancún airport there are no trolleys so it’s challenging getting to check in as John cannot carry anything heavy. It also means we are last in the business class queue though we have about two and a quarter hours before our 7.30am flight.
While standing waiting we have our first run in with Turkish airlines staff who say we need to pay $400 to take the bikes. John explains that he called and was told we could take them as part of our 2 x 32kg each baggage allowance. The argument gets pretty heated but we get nowhere.
Then when we get to the desk we discover they haven’t re-arranged our connecting flight from Istanbul to Valencia. They tell us we need to go to another desk some 100m away with the luggage - still no trolleys - at which point we both flip. Thr outcome was that the luggage did not go with us to the other desk !
At the other desk time ticks on as they are back and forth trying to sort getting us onto a connecting flight to Valencia, with nobody seeming to know what to do and me running back and forth when the lady at the new desk needs her supervisor at the check in desk. It is a farce. They tell us that the 9.05am flight is full - both economy and business - even though I am standing there showing them I can book business class tickets on the Turkish airlines site for that very flight! By this time it is 6.25am and check-in for our flight to Istanbul is due to close in 5 minutes. We tell them just to get us booked on the 2.50pm flight to Valencia so we can get on the flight to Istanbul. Somehow this seems to be a problem and it is 6.50am by the time we have the luggage checked in. A member of Turkish airlines staff tells us he will get us to the gate before it closes and we run behind him through the airport, taking a fast track through security with him. It feels a hell of a long way and I end up taking off my sandals so I can keep up. We make it….
Once on board the service is great and the beds really comfortable. I manage to sleep for about 3 hours, John less. Top tip learned - you have to specifically ask for booze …. Once we have realised this, I have 2 glasses of champagne, John that plus red wine plus a malt whisky !
We arrive in Istanbul at about 3am and surprise, surprise the 9.05am has plenty of free seats - 10 in business class alone ! They insist we have to pay $150 each to change the flight even though we explain it is their cock up. Another thing to add to the request for compensation that will be going to Turkish airlines on arrival home…
Then into the lounge at Istanbul - the best we have been in ! They make loads of different foods to order and there is freshly made bread and pastries and a huge salad counter with different cheeses and olives etc - and there is also amazing coffee ! We sleep a little, have a shower and eat on and off to kill the 4 or so hours until we head for our flight to Valencia just after 8am.
We arrive in Valencia at 11am on Tuesday 19th having originally left for Cancún airport at 10am on Sunday 17th. Taking out the time zone differences it has been a total ofЧитать далее