The jet bridge

The jet bridge

Arrived in Reykjavík this morning, uneventful transfers to get here, for which I'm truly grateful.  Only glitch was the 20 minutes, no, let's say more like 30, waiting in the plane for the jet bridge to roll over to the plane.  My window view was perfect to watch how it happens.  Or is supposed to happen.  

Very nice looking blonde wearing the standard airlines steward uniform scarf and she's having quite a time driving the bridge over properly.  She's using a joystick to move the jet bridge, so she has the joystick pusht forward and the bridge comes closer ... and .... closer ..... and ...... closer to the plane.  Let's do this slowly, careful not to bang the fuselage.  And just as it's about a meter before connecting, the bridge begins to convulse .. and ... convulse .... and ..... convulse .....  She's pushing the joystick back and forth and left and right and back and forth and right and left and side to side and actually every possible compass direction she can get that joystick to go.  She's getting nowhere.  Well, not exactly, when she can get the bridge to go as far as it's going to go, it convulses like crazy.  Pause and breathe?  No, she's very frustrated and is expressing that to a colleague. No matter which direction she's pulling and pushing that joystick, all she's getting is a jet bridge convulsing.  

Pause.  She guides the bridge back a bit by pulling the joystick towards her, to give it another go, and then, forward again.  It gets closer and closer (etc), and suddenly the bridge begins to convulse again, just a meter away, she's moving that joystick side to side and forward and back and it's just not going to get there.  Just about there, just about, about, but not quite.

So, she's backs up.  Pulling the joystick way way back towards her causes the jet bridge to move away from the plane.  Way away.  Way way back.  Then she tries again.  She's determined.  So, she's pushing that joystick forward.  Yes, I can see all this going on.  When she and the jet bridge and the joystick are close and closer and close enough to the plane and then everything starts convulsing, you can't tear your eyes away.  She's at the control panel just behind glass doors.  She's gonna do it this time.  I got a good feeling.

Slowly, and slowing down, and even more slowly and I'm gonna milk this for all its worth, and I'm having to stifle laughing.  I say to the gentleman next to me, who cannot really see all this, I explain that she's having a problem with the joystick moving the bridge.  He didn't quite understand.  Icelander.  The word "joystick".  So I explain, and with a fist, I can show how she's having problems with the "joystick" and I wave my fist back and forth and side to side.  Pause.  Still a blank look. Then he got a knowing look. And a big grin.  Like a joystick on a universal, there's a universal sense of humour.

I really cannot believe and I'm not complaining that she tried no less than three times to get that jet bridge over to the plane.  I enjoyed really enjoyed watching. 

So, the solution was to move the plane. Yes, the plane. It was moved it back and then moved over a bit and then back forward again. Then the jet bridge again.  To cut to the chase, it connects.  Doors open.  We disembark.