STRANDED: Arvid Evanger (85) in front of Norwegian’s baggage belt at Oslo Airport at 01:00 on the night of Friday. Photo: Private
– Døgning belongs to the youth, says Arvid Evanger.
Friday 26 April at 05:00
He landed at Oslo Airport late on Thursday evening – far too late to catch the flight he was supposed to take on to Cyprus.
The 85-year-old is one of many affected by the flight chaos that affected southern Norway on Thursday morning.
It had ripple effects far into the day – and will probably also get it on Friday.
After a very long day, Evanger has just been told that the airport hotels are full due to the situation.
– I’m sitting here and have to stay awake 24 hours A day means being awake throughout the day, without sleeping, then, he told VG shortly after midnight.
– That didn’t sound very comfortable?
– No, not when you’re that old. That belongs to the youth, not us who are older.
– At least I’ve found a chair so I don’t have to stand. It’s warm and nice here too, so there’s nothing to complain about in that sense, he says.
Going to Cyprus
He tells how he ended up in this situation:
– My flight was supposed to leave at 09.20 from Stavanger to Oslo, with Norwegian. As I sat and waited, I received an SMS that the flight had been canceled and that a new flight was leaving at 19.30 in the evening. Then I got another message: The flight time had been changed to 9.48pm, says Evanger.
It didn’t fit well. The 85-year-old has packed his golf bag, and was actually going on to Cyprus already at 2.25pm.
Arvid Evanger in his ace at Long Beach in Northern Cyprus. Here, among other things, he deals with apartment sales, which is the reason why he is traveling this time. Photo: Private
He says that he contacted Norwegian’s reception in Stavanger, and that he was told to contact the desk in Oslo when he landed to get help with a hotel room.
– But here everything is closed at ten past eleven in the evening, he says.
– It takes time
However, he spotted someone working with lost luggage, and complained about his plight. From them he got directions to the nearest hotel, where the man at the counter told him that it was full everywhere.
– Customer service opens at 04 tomorrow morning. So you just have to stay overnight, he says on the phone from the night chair on the second floor at Oslo Airport.
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– You get a little discouraged. I’m going to pass out tomorrow if I fly on to Cyprus.
That is why he has decided to follow his roommate’s advice: Try to get a hotel room early on Friday morning.
– You go to sleep, she said, you can’t leave tomorrow, then you will pass out completely. After all, when you’re that old, even if you’re tough in the face, it wears off, he says.
– Tracking delays
Around 9,000 of Norwegian’s customers have so far been affected by cancellations, the airline told VG on Thursday evening. The had then canceled 65 flights.
Norwegian’s press officer Silje Glorvigen said at the same time that the closed airspace would cause delays.
– But tomorrow morning it will be as normal, she said on Friday.
If something else should happen, they will make direct contact with the customers, she says.
– There are some after-effects after the problems earlier today. So there are several settings and a lot of delays, said Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt, communications manager at Avinor.
– Everyone must follow the information they receive. I do not recommend “gambling” that there will be delays, she added.