This was published 7 years ago
Traveller Letters: 'The captain won't take off with these seats occupied'
Good customer service gets Tigerair the thumbs up.
PLANE RUDE
On a recent Air Canada flight while transiting to Toronto from a Sydney flight in LA I was seated, seatbelt on, with doors about to close pre-take-off when myself and three other travellers were tersely told by a flight attendant "to gather our belongings and move to the front of the plane!"
We all moved as requested to the front of the plane (with the attendant in hot pursuit). Upon reaching the gangway, she then waved us off the fully-booked plane, again in a terse voice, "off the plane, off the plane!" No explanation was offered other than "the captain won't take off with these seats occupied".
We were all placed on a later flight which left 90 minutes late. Three of the four had flown from Sydney. On arrival in Toronto, six hours after my original arrival time, our Gang of Four discovered our luggage was still located in Los Angeles.
It was not delivered until over a day later – at 2.20am, waking up a household which includes two infants. And my claim for CAD51 ($A51.46) for a pair of shorts, shirt, undies, socks and a pair of thongs has yet to be acknowledged, four weeks after lodging.
Chris Holmes, Camden, NSW
WEIGHTY MATTERS
Our family recently spent a week in Thailand travelling via Jetstar. We booked 15 kilograms each of checked baggage, making a combined 60 kilos. On the way home to Australia the check-in clerk rushed the weigh-in and told us we had 66 kilos and wanted quite a lot of penalty baht.
I suggested she reweigh the bags individually as she may have double weighed the bags. This went back and forwards a few times and eventually she allowed me to stack the bags on top of each other. Lo and behold the weight was 58 kilos. To her credit, she did apologise and we were on our way.
I wonder how many people blindly pay the excess fees when faced with the "authority" of a digital scale.
Stuart Box, Mt Waverley, VIC
LETTER OF THE WEEK
The letter regarding the small child who started to cry on an aircraft's descent (Traveller Letters, July 23-24) prompted me to recommend a remedy of which many parents may not be aware.
Many children and babies start to cry at this time (and also on take-off) due to the change in cabin air pressure affecting their middle ear.
They are unable to equilibrate the pressure due to blockage of their poorly developed Eustachian tubes (the narrow passage between the middle ear and the back of the throat) and this causes pain in their eardrums. Adults can deal with this by pinching their nose and/or swallowing.
Giving a small child a sweet, or a baby a bottle, to suck on at these times, will help in unblocking the ear due to the movement as they swallow.
Dr Michael Richards, Castlecrag, NSW
EARNING THEIR STRIPES
Booked a trip from Melbourne to Adelaide and return to take a mate (who had never flown anywhere and is 55) but he damaged his back and couldn't fly. Tigerair were great, simply said provide medical certificate and credited ticket. Now can use ticket at later date.
Great service, will stick with Tiger.
Kevin Roberts, Benalla, VIC
FINE PRINT
We recently booked flights on Singapore Airlines to make our annual visit to elderly parents in the UK with a stop off in Greece on the way back. It used to be easy as Singapore Airlines had direct flights from Athens to Australia but these have stopped and are now directed out of Istanbul. Inconvenient, but being happy and loyal past customers we booked.
This was prior to the bombing at Istanbul Airport, attempted coup and ensuing three month state of emergency with upgraded warnings from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT). Here we have hit a brick wall. Singapore Airlines will not change the tickets without $400 fee per person – and this was when I finally got some kind of response to my phone calls (non-plussed operator in call centre halfway round the world) and non-reply to emails or computer generated replies.
Unlike the websites of other major airlines (Emirates and British Airways) it carries no information for their passengers regarding the situation in Turkey. Travel insurance won't help either – not covered for terrorism or "acts of war".
Diane Hart, Mullumbimby, NSW
BUY AUSTRALIAN
Be careful selecting agents foreign-based. We had to pay at the airport for a sector Abu Dhabi to Sydney when our e-ticket was rejected by the carrier. Cost to us: $5000.
After two months, we're still waiting for a refund. See the agent's website and read the reviews ... pity I didn't do so.
Lars Newman, Fairlight, NSW
ESPRESSO PURPOSES
I don't blame people not wanting on principle to pay $22 for a cup of coffee (Rants & raves, July 23-24) but there is a lolly on the market made from real coffee. It's called "Kopiko" and is available in supermarkets. Take a couple of packets with you when you travel.
Patrick Sayers, Woollahra, NSW
TOO MUCH TO BEAR
In last week's Bargains of the Week (Traveller, July 23-24) there was an offer for an eight-day Arctic cruise part of which included polar bear spotting. I haven't travelled much but when I have it was a wonderful thing to do but it seems ironic to travel via fossil fuel to a place where polar bears are diminishing because of greenhouse gas-induced climate change
It seems we're saying "Get in quick to see the wildlife before they completely disappear". I hope people travelling these days are trying to offset their fuel use.
Chris Hooper, Castlemaine, VIC
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
The writer of the letter judged the best of the week will receive a Lonely Planet prize pack. See lonelyplanet.com.
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