Excess Baggage
So we were laughing and joking on the flight to Gatwick and I was telling the story about the time we went to the Sony Awards and the airline lost some luggage and one of our producers had to do a mad dash down Oxford Street to buy a new frock and shoes for the big night.
What a laugh! Until, that is, we got to Gatwick and 87 pieces of luggage failed to materialise on the baggage belt...including the one belonging to my PA, Joanne.
A man in a yellow t-shirt had the words "I'm here to help" emblazoned across his chest, but he didn't see to know what had become of the missing bags. He told the thirty or so distraught passengers they would have to enquire at the airline desk.
So, off we all trooped. I explained to Joanne that we operate a 'buddy' system at the 91Èȱ¬ and there was no way we would leave her behind. At least, not until the bar opened at the awards ceremony.
The airline staff made phone calls to Inverness airport and confirmed the bag had been put on the plane...but that someone had forgotten to take them off. We all trooped back to the baggage belt where the man in the yellow t-shirt took refuge inside a little cubby hole and tried to hide the 'here to help' slogan.
Finally, after many calls back and forth, the missing bags appeared. All was well and the smile returned to Joanne's face.
But, as I explained, it wouldn't have mattered. She could easily have turned up at the ceremony in t-shirt and jeans.
People would have simply assumed she was one of the celebrities.