It is better to be an hour early than five minutes late, is a sentence that was drilled into me through my formative years. And it is a slogan that I have tried to follow. Sometimes though it goes spectacularly wrong.

So last week I had a flying visit to Zagreb to celebrate the “official” birthday of King Charles III.

What does official mean? I can hear you ask. His mother Queen Elizabeth and many British monarchs before him, King Charles celebrates two birthdays annually. His real birthday is in November.

I glanced at the plane ticket I was sent via email on my mobile. “What time is your flight?” asked my wife. “At around 14.40, I think,” came my reply. So I set off and arrived to the airport at 13.00 so as not to be late.

“Excuse me which is the check-in desk for Zagreb?” I asked one of the ladies at the desks as I couldn’t find one that said Zagreb. “What time is your flight?” she asked. “At around half past two,” I said. “Oh, ok, that would be check-in desk number 21,” she smiled.

So I killed time.

I wandered down to the WC. I sat outside and people watched. I even did some window shopping. And then I sat down to check my emails. It was then that my eyes were drawn to the flickering departures TV screen. But what happened to my flight at 14:30!?!

It was then that I double checked my online ticket. F***!!

Who else hates to be late?

I had been telling everyone that my flight was a half past two, but in fact I had scrolled enough on my mobile, and instead I was actually looking at the time my flight landed in Zagreb. It took off at 13:50. S***!!

So what time was it now? 13:40.

I ran back to the lady I had been speaking to at the check-out. “I am stupid and have made a terrible mistake, my flight leaves in ten minutes, is there any chance I can get on,” I pleaded.

She gave me that facial expression that says “I don’t think you’ve got a chance but to be polite I will ask.”

There were lots of looking at watches, tapping of keyboard keys and more strained expressions. “OK, but you’ll have to be quick,” she replied.

“I will take the Englez up through the priority gate,” said the kind lady sitting next to her.

So we ran. Through ticket control in a flash, and then through some express security and customs. With all the time me thanking the staff I flashed past. I then saw a possible hitch. A huge queue at the gate to enter the plane, a queue that I presumed was waiting for the plane after mine. F***!

I ran up to the front, much to the clear annoyance of tourists waiting patiently. “Sorry, I might have missed my plane,” I asked the lady at the gate. “What time was your flight?” she asked. I looked at my watch, it was already 13:53. “Three minutes ago,” I said defeated.

It was then that the angels looked down at me. “No, the plane was late from Zagreb, so this is the queue,” she answered. Allelujah! Yes, I was wet with sweat from head to toe, but I hadn’t missed my flight.

Credit where credit is due 

This was the first time I had been late for a flight in my life and the first time I had heard my name called over the loudspeaker in an airport.

About half an hour later we entered the plane. My mistaken take-off time of half past two proved to be pretty much on the money. I squeezed past my fellow passenger on my aisle and collapsed into my seat. “Oh, are you that Englishman who lives in Dubrovnik,” she turned towards me. I nodded. “I live in Zagreb but I’m a real fan of your writing…here please take a sweet,” she smiled and handed me a chocolate.

“Did I see you running through the airport?” she asked whilst handing over another chocolate. I nodded again. “Oh, isn’t it horrible when you are late for a flight,” another chocolate came my way. Should I explain what had happened? Probably better not to. So I nodded and smiled.

So I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Dubrovnik Airport for going that extra mile to help me, to my fellow passenger for her sweets and most of all to the Croatian Airlines pilot for being late!

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author
Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik