This was published 7 years ago
Traveller letters: Carry-on luggage rules are never followed
Passengers are taking more and larger bags as carry-on luggage.Credit: iStock
WHAT A CARRY-ON
We have noticed that people are taking more and larger bags as carry-on luggage rather than checking it in, no doubt due to airlines charging extra for checked luggage. Despite signs to the contrary, they allow passengers to do this, leaving later boarders without overhead storage and leading to inevitable air-rage.
We now ensure that we board early, even if that means ignoring their other rule regarding priority order of boarding. If they won't apply one rule, we won't comply with their other rule.
Offering a helping hand.Credit: Design Pics Inc / Alamy
Ray Pilbeam, Canterbury, VIC
LETTER OF THE WEEK
While I can't match Sue Williams' receipts of anonymous kindness while travelling (Traveller, October 22), we experienced three close kindness encounters while visiting Hong Kong for four days.
The first was a Chinese lady asking if we wanted help when doing the initial load of our Octopus cards at a station machine (we accepted), and then twice over the following days we had people ask if they could help while we were standing in the street studying a street map.
One was an English man and the other a Chinese lady, and again we accepted the offers gratefully. With those offers in such a short time span we decided we would show the same hospitality when we are in familiar territory, and so far we've helped one German tourist in Sydney.
Thank you Sue for your story.
Bruce Fairhall, Dapto, NSW
RIGHT POLICY
My husband and I have recently returned from an extended trip to Europe, where I was unlucky enough to have to go to hospital briefly, and then later, to another doctor.
Somehow we managed to lose the front page of the invoice showing a substantial cost, although the remaining pages we did have. Upon our return, a claim was submitted to Covermore (which we've had insurance with each time we've travelled), explaining that we'd lost the front page, but had included a transaction record showing the amount at the relevant hospital.
Within two days, Covermore had processed our claim, and the money deposited into our account. Amazing, prompt and efficient service from an industry often lambasted for nitpicking, obstructionist behaviour.
Kerri Parsons, Eleebana, NSW
TELLER ALL
I would like further information re Jilly Campbell's experience of ATM fraud in Bali (Traveller letters, October 22). Is this just an isolated incident? Or are Balinese ATMs insecure?
Bill Hardy, Caddens, NSW
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At last organising old photos into archival albums, I came across 40-year-old photos of my then 11-year-old daughter in Venice, with hardly a tourist in sight (Traveller, October 22).
Numerous visits since and we always found quiet areas and were thrilled when getting lost near the Zattere to find the 17th-century gondola boatyard. However, last year it was shattering to suddenly see a cruise ship towering over the historic building.
Sheila Benning, Bowral NSW
NO ROOM AT THE INN
At the end of an overseas holiday we decided to have a three-night stay in Singapore on our return journey. Aware we would be short on funds, we booked and paid for our accommodation in advance.
We received our accommodation voucher, our receipt for money paid and confirmation of hotel booking from the hotel. When we arrived at our accommodation, the Ramada Singapore Zhongshan Park Hotel, after a long-haul flight, we were informed the hotel no longer did business with the booking agency and therefore had no obligation to honour our booking.
A manager was unavailable to speak with us and were told to go out and find another hotel and were refused a refund.
Due to our circumstances, surely the Ramada hotel was under a moral obligation to provide us with accommodation, even if just for one night.
Judith Godard-Rowell, Brunswick West, VIC
CASHLESS SOCIETY
Sorry to say that paying in cash at hotels is not the answer as all hotels ask for your credit card imprint (Traveller letters, October 15). On our trip to Budapest last year we opted for an extra three nights in the Budapest Marriott after our river cruise.
As it was the end of our trip and Hungarian currency was not euros – we opted to pay in cash on checking out to use up the Hungarian money. However, when I checked my credit card the hotel had not issued me a refund – because it was not paid on credit card.
I had to go to great lengths and complete a statutory declaration to get our refund. We were not placed in jeopardy in respect to funds as we had sufficient money to carry the more than $1000 costs for accommodation and meals. But it is always a case of traveller beware.
Elizabeth Brookes, Leumeah NSW
WHITE NOISE
I'd like to encourage your readers to persist with tracking down items left on Qantas planes after my experience this month.
I inadvertently left behind a pair of noise-cancelling headphones on a Qantas domestic flight to Sydney. On my way home from the airport I called one of two lost property numbers on the Qantas website and left a message.
The recorded message said that I would be contacted if my item was found. I left messages on this number twice. I was then advised by Qantas via Facebook to persist calling the second number listed. I tried calling for an entire week at different times of the day and the phone rang out each time. I then decided to visit the airport and baggage services returned my headphones within minutes.
I was delighted that I got them back but not so happy that I never received the phone call that was promised and that the other number that I was told to persist with went unanswered after dozens of phone calls.
My advice is if you've left behind a valuable item, go in person to Sydney airport.
Janine van den Tillaart, Mount Colah, NSW
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