En route to Lyon - Travelling can be bumpy

Our long-awaited holiday to France earlier this year started from the moment we passed through security at Sydney airport. We were bound for Lyon via Singapore and Heathrow, London.

We arrived at the airport earlier than the mandatory 3 hours prior to departure, so that we could be at the front of the check-in queue. We wanted to engage with check-in staff while they were fresh because we had slightly overweight bike boxes. We hoped that all would be forgiven. This plan has worked on previous trips, and we haven’t paid addition overweight fees.

Our carrier of choice, especially when travelling with our bikes, has been British Airways since 2009 when Chris took his bike for free. Although no longer as generous as in 2009, BA do offer a per piece extra checked luggage item. This means that we pay a flat rate per item each way i.e., Sydney to Lyon and then Toulouse to Sydney. This service is cheaper if purchased prior to arrival at the airport. For some reason, this time when I added the extra luggage (not in the initial purchase) it didn’t link properly to our booking reference (although it appeared to on my end) and there was a moment of hesitation by the check-in staff member. However, he could see we had paid for the extra bags and kept going with the check-in. https://www.britishairways.com/content/en/au/information/baggage-essentials/sports-equipment

Once we had completed check-in of our suitcases and handed over the bike boxes at the oversize luggage area, we headed straight to security. Sydney airport has ceased the requirement to pull laptops out of bags and we try to minimise the process by not wearing any boots, belts and jackets. It’s a relatively efficient customs check for us in Sydney.

C’est moi enjoying lunch at The Bistro by Wolfgang Puck in Sydney Airport. Chris loves his salt and pepper calamari.

We then made a beeline for dining options. Our flight was due to depart at 2:30pm, so it was perfect timing for a leisurely lunch at The Bistro by Wolfgang Puck, to while away the rest of the waiting time. You can see that Chris enjoys their salt and pepper calamari.

Once on board our plane, Chris noted that his seat belt was not as it should be. A frayed belt like this would not be allowable in a car and would fail registration. Interestingly, when brought to the attention of two separate staff members, it appeared that nothing could be done at that point. The engineer assured us that it would be rectified in Singapore. Not an acceptable situation. Poor Chris was quite anxious on the flight … until he fell asleep. Luckily, we changed planes at Singapore. Hopefully they did fix it for the next customer!

Oh dear. Not a great start to the long flight.

Another benefit of travelling with British Airways, is that despite the 23kg checked luggage limit for economy travellers, cabin luggage is a generous allowance of two other pieces of luggage per person. One can be a further 23kg, allowing Chris to bring his camera gear of a couple of SLR camera bodies, lenses and other bits and pieces without any concern.

https://www.britishairways.com/en-au/information/baggage-essentials

Finally, we commend BA on their generous approach to aperitif. Staff do not bat an eye to our requests for an orange juice, G&T and wine (that’s a picnic bottle not just a dribble in a plastic cup) each. Then when the main meal is served further wine can be ordered.

Even though it’s been many years since our “international” flight to France was broken into a local leg European leg, in this case Heathrow to Lyon. This means that you aren’t eligible for included food or drink, except a tea/coffee and water, and you must pay for anything additional, we still enjoy our celebratory glass of prosecco. Knowing that the flight from Heathrow to Lyon was short and it was quite turbulent, Chris had already engaged with the staff to have our prosecco delivered straight after the run of free drinks. Salut! France we are on our way.

Approaching *Aeroport de Lyon-Saint-Exupéry*

After the most turbulent flight we’ve ever encountered, Aeroport de Lyon-Saint-Exupéry was quiet. Perhaps a tad too quiet. After securing our suitcases, we had to try and locate the oversize luggage area to collect our bikes. No staff in sight. Finally discovered the sign tucked away and a couple of other customers waiting in anticipation of the arrival of bikes etc.

Arrived at *Aeroport de Lyon-Saint-Exupéry*. Now to find the rental van.

However, having missed the signage for where the car rental was located, we headed off on a wild goose chase, dragging our 2 suitcases and 2 bike boxes, in the wrong direction. It started to rain. Not a great start to our summer holiday. When we finally got it right, we had to pile everything onto the free shuttle bus. Hanging on for dear life, as the driver careered around the precinct roundabouts and finally delivered us to the Enterprise Rental station to collect our van.

We were hot, bothered and a tad wet as we entered the onsite office. When it was finally our turn, it was another lengthy delay, as the customer service office quizzed us on the length of the booking, fussed over the credit card, and struggled with his internet connection to complete the transaction. Frustratingly others seemed to come and go. Time was ticking and we had organised a late lunch booking in the old town of Lyon. In hindsight, this was a mistake but due to our short stay in the city, we had not wanted to miss the opportunity.

When the van was finally ready, we were seriously behind schedule, so despite the dirty interior we loaded up and headed into Lyon. More about this van in future posts.