Today I'm flying back to the Netherlands to visit my wife and kids. It's been 2 weeks since I've last seen them. Well actually 11 days, but still. Since I always take the same flight back to the Netherlands (KL554), I have a routine on Cairo Airport. It pretty much means that I'm not really thinking when I get to the airport, I just go where I need to go, hand over my passport and the proof that I already checked in online, get the exit-form, fill it in, go through immigration, get a double espresso and a San Pellegrino and wait for the boarding procedure to start. This is my routine, this is what I always do, this is why I feel so comfortable on Cairo Airport.
Not today. I get to the check-in desks and there's nobody. I check my watch and agree with myself I'm not too late. And I am not too early either. But maybe my watch doesn't work as it is scheduled to be sent back to Suunto for repairs because every time I go scuba diving the battery dies on me. So I check the time with one of the police officers that walk around. And my watch is telling the correct time. So where's the check-in for Amsterdam. The displays tell me that it is some other location in the airport and my routine is getting screwed up already.
I find out where I need to go and start walking. I'm being told to make a detour 3 times because I'm not supposed to slip under some 'red tape'. I now realize that there's an awful lot of policemen in the airport and a lot of men carrying guns but not wearing a uniform. Weird I think, but determine that maybe I should walk around the taped-off areas.
At the check-in I ask what's going on. My Flying Blue Silver status allows me to check-in at the business desk and the guy probably feels obliged to answer my question. The full area where I typically check-in is now reserved for El-Al only, there's extremely heightened security and extreme luggage control.
Hmmmm, why could this be? But obviously because of the raid on this convoy with aid to the people in Gaza earlier this week and the fact that the whole world at least stated that this was at least unfortunate. I'm trying to be politically correct here. I never consider violence to be a solution and now it becomes crystal clear to me. The Israeli commando's that raided the convoy have screwed up my airport routine. So this is how it feels to be 'collateral damage', well it sucks.
Oh and just for the record: I have no idea as to what actually happened on those ships, so I have no idea as to whether or not these deaths was justified. So I'm not saying who is right or who is wrong, I'm just saying that violence is never a solution.
Iwan
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