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Postman, if I told you about my trip to the UK four weeks ago you would not believe it. Cheap airlines (Ryan Air, EasyJet etc will not take firearms). I was going to the UK to camp at a small farm in Devon. I have already got fed up with having to pay 100 quid each time I take a firearm so I leave 2 shotguns on the farm in the UK so I can use them when I get there. This time I took a rifle to leave there, just a .22. Having to travel Vuelling (owned by Iberia and British airways) since they would take a firearm, me and the two kids went to Seville. Checked in the rifle and their luggage. (I leave enough stuff in UK so I don't have to take luggage) Due to the airline screwing up the baggage tags we missed the connection in Barcelona BUT they put the bags and the rifle on the plane despite the fact we were not on it !! After 5 more hours (no breakfast, lunch, just water moving between terminals in Barcelona Vuelling finally got us on a Ryanair flight to Birmingham. We arrived at the terminal at 1.00 am (originally we should have been there at 1.00 pm) Customs office shut, no baggage clerk, no baggage. By now I was a little miffed, I saw in the customs office a RED phone. Now if you pick one of those up I figured something would happen. It did, "WHO ARE YOU" was the question ? I am Mike Bailey I replied. "What the fuck was your rifle doing on the public carousel hours ago"? came the reply. I told the customs police, for it was they, that Vuelling had put it there and furthermore I wasn't even on the plane. He bought it round, I showed him the paperwork but he was incredulous. My kids baggage (aged 17 and 10) didn't turn up for another 4 days and since they had flown in bathing shorts and flip flops I had to spend a load on clothes in the meantime. I personally would not go on an IMPORTANT hunt without my own rifle but I have to accept there will be times of pain. I could tell you about Mozambique and a nearly new Holland .375 Royal but it would take me to long to type !! Good luck |