Showers, damp conditions
It must be relaxing to fly first class on the Emirates A380 and be able to have a mid-flight shower, but less so for my fellow economy passengers on a recent 14-hour flight from Sydney to Dubai.
The plane had "drainage problems". Smelly, dirty water overflowed from sinks, soaking the carpets in the cabin and large volumes of soapy shower water came through the ceiling and into the galley food-preparation area.
My blanket was even requisitioned in the crew's futile attempts to stop the tide. It was not a pleasant experience.
- Michael Milnes
Special delivery
During a recent trip from Kenya to Cape Town, I lost my wallet containing credit cards, ATM cards, my driver's licence and cash.
Through email, I contacted the hotels, lodges and airports I used and found that I had left the wallet in a safe at a lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The lodge manager didn't want to risk posting the wallet with cash and cards, so he arranged for one of his staff, who was travelling to South Africa, to deliver it to our travel agent in Cape Town. I cannot thank enough the operator of the lodge, Desert & Delta Safaris, and our travel agent, Go2Africa, for their wonderful service. What a relief not having to replace all those cards.
- Peter Hyde
Cruising with free wi-fi
Conditions around wi-fi access appear to vary between cruise lines (Traveller, June 30). On a recent Hurtigruten cruise on the Norwegian coast, I had free wi-fi on my smartphone and internet access via the ship's computers.
- Judith Armstrong
Beating the system
At Qantas business-class check-in on a recent trip from Melbourne to Glasgow, my husband and I were told that we would have to clear customs at Heathrow and rebook to Glasgow, due to a system issue. During the journey, my husband told a flight attendant what had happened; the flight attendant then spoke to ground staff at Singapore and arranged for our bags to be found in the hold, retagged and boarding passes issued to us when we stopped in Singapore.
- Andrea Syme
Avoid tolls and enjoy the ride
I have found it is possible to travel through Europe by car without paying tolls (Traveller, June 30). The no-toll roads, though slower, are more interesting.
Regarding the issue of tall travellers, might I suggest they consider flying with Asiana Airlines if heading to Europe. To my knowledge, Asiana is the only airline with the old 86-centimetre seat pitch in economy. At 82, I am flying with them for the third time shortly.
- Gerard Leahy
Great southern LAN
I have just spent eight weeks travelling in the US and Central and South America. On LAN flights in South America, there were no delays, the staff were friendly and helpful and couldn't do more to accommodate my long-legged husband. I can say none of these things about American Airlines. And the taxi driver took us to the wrong terminal in Miami, causing us a nail-biting delay.
- Toni Borrett
Shuttle fails to launch
Arriving at Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, we opted to take a Blue Van SuperShuttle transfer to our Manhattan hotel. It was booked by the ground transportation office and we were advised that we would be collected in about 20 minutes. When the van arrived 30 minutes later, two other passengers and my wife and I were transferred to the van and we drove to Terminal B, where we waited; the driver said he could not leave until more passengers arrived. In the end, we waited at the airport for more than an hour.
- Trevor Taylor
We welcome your travel-related opinions, experiences and letters. Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Email us at travellerletters@fairfax.com.au including your name, address and phone number.
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