I FLEW by PIA from Karachi to Islamabad on May 5 at 11am. My adventure started as soon as I reached the airport. A senior citizen awards plus passenger in a wheel chair waited for 45 minutes to check in.

A gentleman in front of me was neither a senior citizen nor an awards plus member, nor a special person. He had five big bundles of baggage. The ground hostess did not tell him to go to a regular counter.

Why to have special counters if they are not serving passengers for whom they are meant? On the plane the snack served tasted funny. I had half of this strange looking bread, and then left it. By the time I got to my hotel I had severe nausea.

After an hour, I had vomiting and diarrhoea for the rest of the day and night. I missed my evening meeting.

On May 12, I got to the airport at 5.30pm for PK-309 for my return trip. I checked with the ground hostess if the flight was on time. She said it was. I requested her an aisle seat and, if possible, not too far from the entrance because of my difficulty in walking. She gave me seat J 23.

At 6pm the man who was pushing my wheelchair said: “Let us go. The lifter is here.” I was very surprised because at 6pm the PK 308 was to land, and usually boarding does not start till 6.30pm. I asked if the flight had arrived and he said it had.

The ambulator was there. I was put in it. A rough driver drove me around for 15 minutes looking for a plane which was still in the air. He brought me back happily announcing that the plane was late.

Back in the departure area, I was left alone near the place where the business class lounge used to be. No one could tell me what was going on. There was no PIA staff around.

There was no announcement of delay. No announcement for boarding. Eventually, at 7pm the porter appeared to take me to the ambulator. When I got into the plane, I was told to walk to J 23, which was at the tail-end of the plane, almost near the toilet.

Imtiaz Kamal

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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