Traveller letters: Tigerair's in-flight service slammed

The subtle action by me by covering my food and drink when she engaged in this behaviour did not have the desired effect. While it was open to me to make a request to this passenger, in such a confined space I did not want to embarrass this passenger or myself with conflict.

Airline passengers: good hygiene is critical in confined spaces such as aircraft, and covering your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing demonstrates a conscious decision not to inflict your germs on fellow passengers.

I now understand why some passengers wear face masks. It will be my default position in future airline travel.

Robyn Thompson, Ashtonfield, NSW

READY, SET ... SCHNELL

You may be aware of the chaos currently creating impossible congestion in the Frankfurt airport transit area. What you may not be aware of is the way the Lufthansa service desk in the transit area is using that congestion to gouge additional money out of its customers who miss their connections because of the congestion.

We were hit with a €384 bill for tickets to Rome on flights booked by Lufthansa in Australia. It would seem the service desk is running a non-negotiable policy on all flights missed despite their admission that security checks and immigration make delays inevitable and despite their awareness that the airline made all the bookings for flights to Frankfurt and connections out of Frankfurt.

I am 72 and my wife 68. Apparently we did not run fast enough to get to Gate A17 in time to catch our Rome flight. We tried valiantly but obviously failed the Lufthansa speed test.

We are currently in Rome and will head to Tuscany tomorrow for my son's wedding. Our concern is that on October 13 we return to Frankfurt and face the same race to make our flight to Sydney. Perhaps Lufthansa can offer us some running training for this.

Ross Player, Newport, NSW

DAYS OF WINE AND SNOOZES

A group of friends were staying in San Sebastian and all five of us wanted to visit La Rioja wine area but no one (sensibly) wanted to drive. La Rioja Wine Trips came to the rescue and organised a personalised, private wine tour plus transfers.

We were picked up at 8am from our accommodation and two hours later we were in Donastia with the fabulous tour guide Mel. Over the next eight hours we visited three wineries and learnt so much from Mel about the terroir, wine-making techniques, local food and, of course, there were lots of wine tastings. A highlight was lunch in a wine cave.

We all slept on the way home.

Fran Haarsma, Prahran, VIC

PENALTY SHOT

As an avid golfer and traveller, I am perplexed as to why airlines impose additional baggage charges for bags designed to carry clubs. I travel with one bag that accommodates clothes and clubs and weighs less than 20 kilograms yet I'm penalised on the basis that I have excess/oversized baggage.

Places such as New Zealand, Pacific Islands and south-east Asia all vie for the "golf" tourist dollar yet all the airline carriers (Air New Zealand, Thai, Garuda, Singapore, Fiji Airways) representing their destination countries, frustrate travellers with this inconvenient and pedantic fee.

Touring golfers generally will spend thousands of dollars on accommodation and golf-related matters. It seems that the airlines and tourist boards are missing the bigger picture.

John Davison

BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE

My partner has just had major knee surgery (ouch) and wanted to buy a spare (economy) seat so she could lie sideways on a flight to Canada.

The travel agent advised us that first we had to book our seats for the flight and then the airline would come back regarding whether they would sell us the extra seat and the cost. Based on assurances from the agent, we purchased two seats and waited. The cost of the extra seat was about 2½ times the cost of our economy seats.

What's the go with buying spare seats?

Ron Yuen, Annandale, NSW

BORDERING ON FARCE

I was amused by the letter from Elly Howse (Traveller letters, July 17) relating to the comparative services afforded by Australian passports versus Italian passports. The letter does not appear to be based on fact or example but on the premise that if it is Australian it must be the best.

Our example is different. My wife lost her passport in Britain on the day we were due to leave. Fortunately, we encountered a British Airways check-in supervisor who was exceptional in his knowledge and attitude. He rang the Australian passport office in Canberra and advised of the lost passport. Eventually my wife was cleared to travel.

On arrival at Brisbane she was interviewed at length by immigration about the lost document before being allowed entry. It was of some surprise that when an application was lodged for a replacement my wife received a telephone call from the passport people asking why she required a new passport. The lost document was still current and had not been cancelled or its loss recorded.

So much for the diligence of Australian border security.

John Cawson, Merrimac, QLD

Send us your travel-related opinions and experiences

Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Preference will be given to letters of 50-100 words or less. Email us at travellerletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.

See more: Traveller Letters