A twenty-three-year-old Duch student has enjoyed a short but unexpected holiday in Dubai. Mr Frank Vreede, a business student, had taken a part-time job at Schiphol Airport to help pay for his studies. 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 and 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 air. There was a terrible noise from the engines, and he tried not to panic. It was dark, uncomfortable 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 a much noise as possible. He banged on the ceiling of the baggage hold and shouted at the top of his voice. Luckily, a passenger heard the noise and called a flight attendant, who immediately informed the pilot. Once the captain understood what was happening, he ordered hot air to the pumped into the hold.
When the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, an ambulance was waiting to take a very cold and frightened Mr. Vreede to hospital. Doctors examine 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 Dubai’s top hotel offered him a free room for the weekend. ‘He must have wanted to come to Dubai very much if he was prepared to travel in the hold!’ joked the MD.
‘Everyone’s been so kind,’ said Mr. Vreede. ‘I’m really enjoying my stay in Dubai and I’m getting a lot of rest, so I won’t fall asleep on the job again!’
When Frank returned to Schiphol Airport on Monday, his friends and relatives were overjoyed to see him. ‘When he didn’t come home after his evening shift on Friday, I called the airport – but nobody 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 wouldn’t want to do it again. Next time, I’ll catch the regular flight.