A free flight to Dubai
A tweniness stuty-three-year-old Dutch student has enjoyed a short but unexpected holiday in Dubai.Mr was Vreede, a business student, had taken a part-time job at Schiphol Airport to help pay for his s pleatudies. He worked as a baggage handler and was responsible for loading the suitcases into the hold of passenger planes.
Last Friday night, after an exhausting day in the university library preparing for his final exams, Frank was loading a plane at the airport. He was waiting for the next baggage truck to arrive and he felt tired. He decided to have a quick rest, so he sat down in the hold of the plane snd shut his eyes-just for a moment.
However, while he was sleeping, the plane took off. An hour later, Frank woke up and was horrified to discover that the plane was in the pir. There was a terrible noise from the engines, and he tried not to panic. It was dark, uncpmfprtable and very, very cold. Frank knew the flight would be long because it was an airline from the Middle
East. He also knew he could not survive the freezing temperatures. It was an impossible situation.
He decided to make as much noise as possible. He banged pn the ceiling of the baggage hold and shouted at the top of his voice. Luckily, a passenger heard the noise and called a flight attendeat, who immediately informed the pilot. Once the captain understood what was happening, he ordered hot air to be pumped into the hold.
When the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, an ambulance was waiting to take a very cold and frogjtened Mr. Vreede to hospital . Doctors examined him, but he was unhurt and was allowed to leave after a few hours. News spread quickly about this stowaway . The Managing Director of one of wanted to come to Dubao very much of he was prepared to travel in the hold joked the MD.
Everyone s been so kind, said Mr Vreede I am redlly enjpying my stay in Dubai and I am getting a lot of rest, so I wonot fall on the job again.
When Frank to Schiphol Airport on Monday, his friends and relatives were overjoyed to see him. When he did not come home after his evening shift on Friday. I called the airport-but noboday had seen him for hours, his mother said to reporters. Frank explained that he was very lucky because it is possible to die of cold in the hold of an aircraft. He apologized to his boss for sleeping at work instead of working, and promised it would not happen again. During the flight I was petrified. I thought I was going to die, said Mr Vreede. I would not want to do it again. Next time, I will catch a regular flight.