TRIP REPORT: Another four hours at Oslo Airport – Growing Old in Style
Another four hours at Oslo Airport
Growing Old in Style
It’s time to re-enter Norway and deal with a four-hour transit as I switch from Turkish Airlines to SAS. And an unwelcome phonecall to make this trip a little more challenging.
In this mammoth trip report
- Yes. I’m that old. Next.
- Off to Heathrow, Terminal 3 and Cathay Pacific Lounge
- BA768 London Heathrow to Oslo Airport (Club Europe)
- The Best Laid Oslo Plans, and the OSL Lounge
- TK1754 Oslo Airport to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Welcome to Istanbul Airport… Wait, where’s my passport?
- TK054 Istanbul Airport to Singapore Changi (Business Class)
- Welcome back to Changi and the Ibis Budget Ruby, Geylang
- Back to Changi Terminal 4 and AirAsia AK710 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur International
- Into Malaysia and the Holiday Inn Express KLCC
- Exploring the Batu Caves
- Exploring more of Kuala Lumpur in the Dry, Wet and Nighttime
- Heading back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge
- MH627 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore Changi (Economy Class)
- Intercontinental Singapore, Bugis (Frasers House)
- For the love of Nasi Lemak, Laksa and Hawker Markets
- Exploring Singapore in bite-sized bits… whilst not getting soaked
- Glasses in a Hurry (Or, New Spectacles Time)
- Pokémon Centre Singapore and a bit of The Jewel and Changi at Night
- A Quick return to Changi Terminal 1, and the Marhaba Lounge
- TK209 Singapore Changi to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Into Turkey and the Sheraton Levant, Istanbul
- Back to Istanbul Airport and the Turkish Airlines Lounge
- TK1753 Istanbul Airport to Oslo Airport (Business Class)
- A four-hour Oslo Transit, switching airlines in the process
- SK815 Oslo Airport to London Heathrow (Economy Class)
- Of Luggage, Coffee, Coaches and a Walk
- Older, Never Wiser
Exiting the aircraft, I headed back into the cold of the Nordics and into Oslo Airport.
Off we go.
Painted lines
It be wet in Oslo.
Everything you didn’t want to know about EES, but were afraid to ask
Healing to the upper levels, it was a short walk to the Schengen Border.
I was one of the first to meet the agent, who confirmed I came from Istanbul. I was questioned about my intentions for Norway. I gave them the next flight I was scheduled for, and I was stamped into the European Union, with my biometrics captured again.
I thought the point of EES was to capture biometrics once and done, and not constantly redoing it? Never mind.
To arrivals.
And the duty-free shop. Can’t escape that thing
I proceeded through the terminal to arrivals and the duty-free shop, heading to Belt number 9 for the baggage to spit out.
It’s art. Allegedly.
As I’m still unfamiliar with the suitcase (as one black suitcase resembles another), I was tracking my baggage with an AirTag. Thus, when it drew near, I rang the AirTag and could identify which bag was mine.
The belts
I need to be more creative with bag colour choices – or add Hello Kitty Duct tape on it next time.
One bag, with all wheels intact. How nice.
With my baggage in hand, it was time to exit the secure area and repack, as I had picked up a few little things on the way.
To the Ut.
Repacking is a fact of life – the more trash I can carry back in the suitcase and not the rucksack, the better.
Into the arrivals malestorm.
Wasn’t I here six days ago? Probably
With that done, I headed upstairs, as whilst I had time (a good three hours of transit), it was moving on.
I therefore headed up to the departure level, trolley in hand, bags loaded.
Passing the dog coffee shop
I had completed my initial check-in in Istanbul on the SAS app and had been assigned an aisle seat for the two-hour flight. Not bad, but if I could snag a window seat, I’d be a lot happier.
SAS Check-in and drop off.
I went to the queue and was processed straight away, given that Oslo Airport was quietening down for international departures.
See you at Heathrow. Hopefully with all the wheels.
Trolley drop.
With my bag accepted for travel and a boarding pass printed out, I headed to the only security checkpoint that was open, whilst fiddling with the app.
During that fiddling, I found I could change my seat, so I moved from the aisle seat for 13D to seat 8F – a window seat with an empty middle seat.
Good enough
The airport security team didn’t like my backpack, as it was too densely packed, so they had to empty half of it and rescan it. Sigh.
Of course, I could’t find a damn thing after I put the bag back together, so I spent some time near the rip-off ATMs re-packing and checking where stuff was. What a fun way to spend time in-transit.
Domestic Gates
With that done and bits re-located to where I could find them, I headed back through the duty-free shop and its pain.
Through to international and duty-free.
They do love duty-free shopping at this airport, and they’re good at selling stuff from around the world.
Wine
Classy wine
Gin.
And something for your flight… even though duty-free is meant to be consumed off the aircraft…
Passing towards the Schengen Border, my phone went off. Not unusual, but reading the message, I had an emergency in the UK I needed to deal with – and not the pleasant sort.
Thus began a series of telephone calls, WhatsApp messages and trying to work out what the hell is going on.
All fun things in the world.
I got to the bottom of things and helped ease the emergency to the point that if I needed to grab a car at Heathrow to get to Essex, I could, but with people knowing what’s going on and clear communication lines established, I decided to head back to Birmingham instead and see what needed to be done over the next few days.
It added an unwelcome wrinkle to the trip.
Guarding the entry to the border.
With only two flights left for the departures from the non-Schengen zone that evening (and both heading to the United Kingdom – one to Heathrow, one to Stanstead), I was asked where I was travelling to. With my confirmation that I was heading to Heathrow, I was allowed to pass through to the border.
Such long queues
I was greeted and stamped out of Schengen, with the boarding gate not far away. I toddled through.
With everything that had gone on, my phone urgently needed a splash and dash. Thankfully, I had a high-speed charger and cable on me, so I took the opportunity to do a splash and dash on the smartphone before heading to the gate area, as I suspected this would be one of the last times I got to charge my phone before I got home.
That €19 65watt charger? Probably the best travel investment I made.
With a strengthened battery and enough power to last me until I got to my front door, I headed to the boarding gate. My pass was scanned, and a paper slip notifying me of the seating change was approved.
With that, it was time to wait. Thankfully, I had timed it so I arrived a few minutes before boarding commenced.
Except this time, I would wait in the gate area, as I was boarding in Group 4. That’s the first time in some time that I’ve been low in the priority groups for years.
However, the boarding groups moved at a pace. With Group 4 called, it was time for the final flight for this trip.
It was time to head back to the United Kingdom.
Next:
Scandinavian Airlines SK815 to London Heathrow (Economy Class).
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