We (won’t) be Home for Christmas

Just as the evening service was starting, everything changed in our plans. A sudden extreme turbulence hit the plane, caused by a thunderstorm. We hit an air pocket, plummeting what seemed like thousands of feet. There was no reference to the drop other than the seconds that passed. It was long enough to go from surprise to extreme terror as the fall didn’t stop. My rise towards the ceiling of the plane was only halted by the sloping fuselage, as I was in the window seat. L had fortunately kept her seatbelt on. Others were not so fortunate. The trolleys were thrown upwards, along with the cabin staff. Other passengers also started flying before crashing back to their seats or the aisle as the plane finally found purchase in more stable air. It was carnage. Screaming pierced the cabin, we were in terror wondering what was going to happen next.

It was only after more seconds passed that the normality of flight resumed. The seat belt lights illuminated, everyone who could strapped in, including the cabin staff until we could be sure that we were through the worst. Sobbing was the only noise other than the engines grabbing at the air to keep us airborne.

Even as I write this I am welling up at the enormity of what happened. I really thought we were going to die as we plummeted downwards.

Slowly the realisation that we were still alive and flying forwards. Nothing from the cockpit, one could only imagine their thoughts as they came to terms with what happened and checked systems. Cabin staff started to check on passengers and it soon became apparent that there were injuries. A call out for any medical professionals and for any other people with injuries to make them selves known to the crew.

It was the head stewardess, Lisa, who had come and spoken to us about our bags yesterday, who first spoke to the plane, asking everyone to stay seated with seatbelts on while checks were made. From the windows on the other side of the plane, regular flashes of lightning could be seen, slowly diminishing.

The captain finally came on to say that because of the serious nature of injuries we were diverting to Bermuda, about 2 hours away. It was eerily quiet in the plane, everyone deep in their own thoughts and mortality.

We arrived in Bermuda just after 3:00 am. Emergency personnel came on board to tend to the injured. We were asked to stay seated while they evacuated these passengers. Inevitably there were the odd people who felt themselves more important and didn’t comply. They were completely outnumbered by others and you hope, vainly, that those selfish people felt a sense of guilt for their actions.

Into the terminal, we were kept informed of the next steps and after immigration we were transported to the Grotto Bay Resort to stay until our forward travel. We finally made it into a hotel bedroom just before 6:00 am, hungry and exhausted. Hunger won out and after just a couple of hours asleep we headed for the buffet breakfast.

The rest of the day was taken up coming to terms with what had happened. Text messages from P&O made vague suggestions of a flight back in the afternoon and then evening. Neither transpired. In modern times, information is king and other passengers found details of a flight with our number leaving midday on Christmas Day from Bermuda to Manchester. Frustratingly P&O’s text messages only confirmed this many hours later.

There is discussion that some passengers do not want to get back on the same plane. Unfortunately, even before this flight there had been a lot of social media chatter about the basic offering from the carrier contracted by the cruise company to fly people to and from the Caribbean. They are older planes, possibly from Emirates (suggested by someone because of the signage and languages used), rebranded to Maleth Aero, a Maltese company.

We just want to get home, despite missing Christmas Day with family!