Royal Swazi Airways

In 1995, I was working for a large agriculture machinery company. I had been successful in selling a lot of farm equipment to several countries in the Middle East. That year, my company selected me to travel to Africa with the hope that I could open new markets in and around Southern Africa.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same success I’d had in the gulf. Things in South Africa were extremely different. One of the first things I discovered was that our German competitor had pretty much locked up the majority of business. I hadn’t anticipated just how much of an unsuccessful endeavor this trip would be. It had been a disaster from start to finish full of mix ups and mishaps at every turn. At one point, I had lost my briefcase in a taxi in Capetown, which contained, the few precious orders that I had managed to get. After a long and stressful 48 hours, and $300 later, I finally got back my briefcase. It was a string of bad meetings, and horrible business dinners, watching bloated purchasing managers engorge themselves silly, all on my company’s dime.

By the time I finished all my appointments and meetings, I had been in South Africa for over a month. I was exhausted. I traveled all over South Africa. The last part of the trip took me to Durban. I was having a drink with one of our few customers, when they suggested I should shoot over to neighboring Swaziland. A country which I knew very little about. My client had offered to make a few introductions. The next day I boarded a flight to Mbabane. Looking back, I should have cut my losses and gone home. After four unsuccessful days, spent meeting with low level government officials, not making one sale, I finally called it quits and headed home. While in Mbabane, there was some animal, I think a hyena, right outside my hotel room that kept waking me up every hour. I was fantasizing about my 18-hour flight back from Johannesburg, where I could sleep in peace without being disturbed by wild animals.

The day I left Swaziland, I trudged through the airport, lugging my heavy suitcase, all I could think about was getting back home. As I approached the check-in counter at Royal Swazi Airways, I was greeted by a distracted airline agent who asked for my destination. I told her Durban, but she was in the middle of some kind of intense discussion in Swazi, which I couldn't understand. I watched her closely as she typed the letter DUB, rather than DUR, into her computer. My heart sank as I saw the bag tag she printed out - it said DUB, not DUR.

I tried to get her attention, but she was too busy arguing with someone else. She threw my suitcase onto the baggage conveyor belt and told me to go to gate 5. I watched helplessly as my bag disappeared down the belt, my work documents and the paperwork for the few sales I made over the course of my trip, now lost forever.

Dejected, I contemplated, arguing with her, or just leaving it up to fate. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and carried on. I made my way to my gate. All I could do now was hope that my suitcase would somehow make it to Durban and that I'd be able to retrieve it when I landed. But I knew better.

Two weeks later, on a Tuesday afternoon, a van pulled up to my house. I couldn’t believe it. I was finally reunited with my luggage. My bag had gone on an extended holiday, from Mbabane to Dublin and back to South Africa, and eventually to Chicago. Thank you Royal Swazi Airways!

M. Richards

10-02-1995

(for Layover Goods)

Comfortable and light, this premium fitted short sleeve is a classic choice. High quality print adds a statement to one's workout or everyday routine.

.: 100% combed ringspun cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors)
.: Light fabric (4.3 oz/yd² (146 g/m²))
.: Premium fit
.: Tear-away label
.: Runs bigger than usual

GPSR information: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY

Product information: Next Level, 3600, 2 year warranty in EU and UK as per Directive 1999/44/EC

Care instructions: Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F), Do not bleach, Tumble dry: low heat, Iron, steam or dry: low heat, Do not dryclean