As I write this the time is 10:10am (UK Time). Following on from my previous post, I may have been a bit quick to judge DHL on their ‘performance’ yesterday. It turns out that after I had clocked off for the day, the Planet Tag made it’s way around the M25 to DHL International UK Head Office right outside of Heathrow Airport.
I was not sure of the DHL scheduled departures from the UK to the USA. Nor was I sure of whether it would be a DHL cargo plane or not. Plus time was getting on and I got bored of checking on it’s location.
I was awoken at 00:05 this morning by a notification that my Smart Tag has been found. Since Concorde retired in 2003 and to my knowledge, there is no other form of supersonic transportation across the Atlantic, the Planet Tag must have just pinged off of someone’s phone at Heathrow. However to my surprise, the location of the tag was actually…
Brussels!
Not the intercontinental, transatlantic , multi thousand mile journey I was expecting. However I guess now it’s within the rules to add Belgium to the list of countries the Plant Tag has visited.
Further investigation (a 6 second google search) has shown that DHL opened it’s “State-of-the-art” hub in Brussels in 2018. Very posh!
Their website boasts the following information:
-State-of-the-art hub almost quadruples DHL Express capacity in Brussels
-Automated sorting technology allows later pick-up times, additional flexibility and higher service reliability for Belgian shippers
Exciting stuff (sarcastic laughing emoji) but the Planet Tag is now geographically further away from it’s intended destination than it’s ever been since the start of this extremely weird and geeky experiment.
What this does tell us is that the original 3,666 mile journey, is now going to be a whopping 4,835 mile journey. I have notifications set up to enlighten me once the Planet Tag is able to communicate again, however it’s now been a whole two hours since it’s last location update. Meaning there are few Samsung Galaxy holders in and around Brussels Airport, or the Planet Tag is on the move again!
It also as a learning curve for me throughout this experiment shows that I should be updating this blog with a 24 hour delay, detailing the journey the Planet Tag has been on the day before. I was very quick to judge DHL who have so far, stuck to the arrangement 🙂
For now DHL, we shall hold fire on the criticism!
Further to the above, from checking the cargo departures from Brussels Airport, it appears that their was due to be a flight today to Miami International (M68320) which is showing as cancelled. From looking into future departures, there is nothing heading in the direction of the USA until Sunday 22nd January at 17:50. A flight titled ‘Miami Intl via Bangor’. Amerijet flight number M68620. This would explain why the Planet Tag seemed to be making great progress, however DHL at the time of booking advised the parcel would arrive in New Orleans on Monday 23rd January. It could be that the above is correct and that the Planet Tag will rot for the next three days in a warehouse in Brussels. However, it could be (and more likely to be) that I’m completely incorrect and have no idea what I’m talking about.
Time (and the Planet Tag) will tell.
Matt
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