GUTTA KRUTT: Marius Haugstvedt, Thomas Seim Frotvedt, Nicolai Hegland Johansen and Sondre Eide fly east towards Gdansk to get home for Christmas. Photo: Private
The flight was canceled – twice. Now four friends are fighting against the clock to make it home for Christmas dinner. First leg: taxi from Berlin to Gdansk.
Published:
Less than 30 minutes ago
Updated just now
At the same time as the Christmas classics roll across the screens, four Bergens roll from Berlin to Gdansk.
– We are sitting in a taxi now, says Marius Haugstvedt.
With him in the car are his mates Nicolai Hegland, Thomas Frotvedt and Sondre Eide.
The final destination is Flesland in Bergen. Two canceled flights, one canceled rental car, and maximum bad luck have led the people of Bergen on a Christmas adventure they would have liked to have been without.
CHRISTMAS MARKET: The boys enjoy cocoa, oblivious to canceled flights and canceled rental cars lurking just around the corner. Photo: Private
The traveling party kicked off the Christmas celebrations with a boy’s trip to Germany’s capital – they thought it would be no problem to get home by Christmas Eve.
– It was like that we were actually going home on 22 December. Then we got word that that flight was cancelled, says Haugstvedt from the taxi.
As a plaster on the Christmas wound, they were given the opportunity to fly on the big day, 24 December – in time to make it to both Christmas dinner and package opening.
– We were at the airport early in the morning today, and when we had stood for an hour to deliver the luggage we were told that the flight had been cancelled. So then the mood was on the roof, says Haugstvedt.
Then the gang started the machinery.
– We looked around for all flights that went to Bergen, but we couldn’t find any from Berlin.
The closest they came was a flight where the tickets cost NOK 15,000 per ticket, says Haugstvedt.
– So what we did then was that we looked for nearby airports. Then we saw that there was a direct flight from Gdansk.
“Near by” in this context is a 572 kilometer drive that takes around five and a half hours. They scrambled around to hire a car. It was not quite according to plan.
The person who paid for the car had to have a driver’s license on him, which he did not have, explains Haugstvedt.
– We therefore had to cancel the order, and lost 200 euros.
Fortunately, it’s not just rental cars that can transport four guys to Gdansk. Sondre Eide in the traveling party came up with a proposal – a bit of nonsense. “Shouldn’t we just take a taxi to Gdansk?”.
THE RESCUE: After some back and forth, the gang found a taxi driver who takes them to Gdansk. Photo: Private
They found a taxi driver Haugstvedt describes as calm and pleasant. After some negotiation, he made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
– The driver said he could do it for 1,500 euros, but we managed to haggle that down to 1,300 euros.
This corresponds to just over NOK 14,600.
– So now we’re just crossing our fingers that the flight home from Gdansk leaves today, and won’t be canceled when we arrive. Now we have sat in a taxi for 3 hours and will soon be there with 2 more hours to go, says Haugstvedt at 11.18 on Christmas Eve.
EASTOVER: To get west, the guys must first get east – by taxi. Photo: Screenshot
Their flight is scheduled to take off at 15.30 from Gdansk. Three out of four still hope to get both meat on sticks and gifts. Sistemann Haugstvedt, on the other hand, is going straight from Flesland to Hardanger.
– I may be able to get the presents, but not the pork chops. That’s how it is.
They say that there has been a lot of trouble with customer service in recent days, and that they have had to cough up a lot of money themselves to get home for Christmas.
– When we talked about travel insurance before, it seems that we don’t get much support here. But it’s worth coming home for Christmas Eve. It is one for the history books, says Haugstvedt.
It is not certain that the drama for the four Bergens is over. VG calls Avinor to hear how the airspace over Poland is doing on Christmas Eve.
– There is a challenge in the air over Gdansk only, not Poland. It does not affect air traffic to and from Oslo Airport – it was certainly very local.
Marketing and communications manager at Avinor Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt tells VG that the local problem will not have an impact on flights from Gdansk to Flesland.
Published:
Published: 24.12.23 at 13:13
Updated: 24.12.23 at 13:41
2023-12-24 12:13:05
#boys #trip #Berlin #kilometers #taxi #catch #Christmas #dinner
