This was published 8 years ago
Traveller letters: Airlines should charge passengers per kilo of bodyweight
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Your reader's demand (Traveller letters, October 24-25) for Singapore Airlines to provide a proportionate refund of 20 per cent for loss of access to a pencil-thin shared arm rest and incursion into personal space by an oversized passenger encouraged me to take up the clarion call on this issue.
Airlines should charge per kilogram of passenger weight or unit of body mass index, and per thousand kilometres flown. Airfreight is already similarly priced, and this policy "sits comfortably" with paying according to carbon footprint incurred by the large bodied passenger. It may also lead to public health benefits by incentivising weight loss.
Joseph Ting, Carina, QLD
WAY TO GO, BRO
I was returning to Australia from the US on an emergency flight to visit my Mum who had taken a fall. Unfortunately, I learned that she had passed away while I was still in transit at Los Angeles airport. My distress was obvious and the staff at Air New Zealand, especially Matt and Colin, were amazing, kind and compassionate and looked after me in private until my flight was due.
Not only did they take care of me, but informed the two other Air New Zealand flights that I was on, who in turn looked after me in a wonderful way as I made my way home.
I cannot thank them enough.
Jan Wilkinson, Geelong, VIC
FREE PLUG
In your article about Berlin (Traveller, October 17-18) Kerry van der Jagt recommended the Arte Luise Kunshotel where we recently stayed for a week. The hotel is in a terrific location (an eight-minute walk from the Reichstag) and reasonably priced.
However, it is right next to the railway line. It is the only hotel I have stayed in where earplugs are complimentary. If you are booking and want a good night's sleep, make sure you get Room 522 or 521.
Chris Golis, Mosman, NSW
PLANE CONFUSED
My wife and I sat along side each other at home and booked online at the same time, but on different computers, flights from Perth to Mauritius for next July in business class.
My fare came up as $3483.20 while hers was $3708.20. We were on the same flight, same aeroplane, sitting next to each other in business class and booked at the same time.
Why the price difference?
John Hart, Bright, VIC
GOLDEN DAYS
On a recent trip to India we thought the Taj Mahal would be the highlight of our trip. While it did live up to expectations, the place most unexpected was the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, in the state of Punjab.
Situated in the original lake, this is a working religious Sikh temple where they go to pray, eat and do good deeds. On any given day they feed thousands and then donate their time in the kitchens as repayment. It's a place of great beauty and spirit, where westerners feel included and as welcome as the locals.
Meg Wilson, Mona Vale, NSW
STRANGE CUSTOMS
I flew in to Hong Kong recently to discover after exiting customs that there was no pre-arranged hotel shuttle rep holding a card with my name. Never assume "outside customs" is all the same place. Both ends of the customs exits have a different label, namely "Arrival Hall A" and "Arrival Hall B".
Lynne Oliver, Brunswick, VIC
FREE WI-FI, BY JOE
I stayed the last two nights at a small $12 a night hotel in Udon Thani in north-eastern Thailand and enjoyed fast and free WiFi (Rants & raves, October 17-18).
Australian (and UK) hotels want you to transact your business with them online but charge for the service when you try to do it from the premises of their industrial colleagues.
In Joe Hockey's words, they are leaners not lifters.
Doug Foskett, Vientiane, Lao PDR
MY OH MYANMAR
Myanmar is often referred to as an impoverished country with a harsh, undemocratic, dictatorship. People and politics are different. Most people that we met in a five-day trip in Bagan and Yangon in September were smiling and beaming with energy.
The beauty of my trip culminated with my travelling companion wanting to buy some food for the only lady that we saw begging in the street. She was totally oblivious to our status as travellers and chatted away in Burmese while munching on some sweets. And her beaming smile at the end of her small feast said it all.
Go visit Myanmar.
Toby Razeed, Waterloo, NSW
SHYSTERS SANS FRONTIERES
Why the recent letters about the "great Australian credit-card rip-off" as though it's a uniquely Aussie impost? In the last few weeks my credit-card payments have been surcharged by a British and an Italian travel company, a Japanese airline and (for Janelle DunLany's information) a Boston hotel.
It's an international issue, not just a local one.
Max Oliver, Belrose, NSW
SALUTATION NATIONS
To those objecting to greetings such as, "how ya going?", preferring instead "good morning" (Rants & raves, October 24-25) note French, that most beautiful of languages, has corresponding greetings of "comment allez vous?" and the informal "ca va?" Both literally mean, "how are you going?"
But the French have the intelligence to receive them as expressions of good will. In Australia, we have an amazing variety of formal and informal greetings to choose from and we seem unusually prepared to use them. When strangers use greetings you would not, view this with pride regarding the diversity of our vernacular and our egalitarian social structure that results in people feeling free to be friendly.
Chris Cantor, Noosa Heads, QLD
I empathise with Brian Holley (Traveller letters, October 24-25) about the Aussie "How ya going?". The UK's cringe-worthy version is, "y'right?" After you've heard it four or five times at the check-out, you're ready to scream "No, I'm NOT".
Pam Morris, Potts Point, NSW
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 valued at almost $90, it includes The World's Best Brunches, The World's Best Spicy Food and The World's Best Street Food. See www.lonelyplanet.com.
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