Traveller letters: Airline's baggage fees cost twice as much as my airfare

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Traveller letters: Airline's baggage fees cost twice as much as my airfare

One reader faced huge baggage fees after booking a flight through a third-party site.

One reader faced huge baggage fees after booking a flight through a third-party site.Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

WEIGHT, THERE'S MORE

Checking a flight comparison website for Malta to Sicily, I found two tickets for $A135 on Air Malta via booking service travel2be. Booking of baggage needed to be done later, so we went ahead with the flight, prepared for a small extra expense for our bags.

We could not access the Air Malta website, and so asked travel2be for the baggage cost. It was two bags for €160. That's $250, almost double the cost of the flights alone. Never again will I book a flight not knowing the baggage cost.

Graham Hand, Cremorne. NSW

SUSPICIOUS IN MAURITIUS

We are currently on holiday in Mauritius, a beautiful place. Trouble is we booked our trip through Tripadvisor for a six-week stay in an apartment in the town of Pereybere and on arrival found the place to be nothing like what had been advertised.

There is no pool, the photos were probably taken 10 years ago, no hot water or pressure and after requesting a place no more than up one flight of stairs we had four flights to contend with and at our ages of 76 that is impossible. We emailed the owner, who lives in France, and explained our thoughts and that we would vacate the following day as the apartment was not as advertised.

He told us to claim our refund from Tripadvisor but how in the world do you contact them? There are no email or phone numbers even though they send us plenty of advertising material. I doubt whether we shall see our refund for the six weeks. If you're booking a holiday, make sure you can speak to a person somewhere, anywhere it will make you feel more confident that things may happen.

John Hart, Bright, VIC

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LETTER OF THE WEEK: ROADS MUCH LESS TRAVELLED

I've been amazed over the years, that by doing some research on some of the less visited countries around the world, just how amazing they can be.

I recently visited Georgia and Armenia, thinking they might be quite difficult countries to travel in. Instead I was met with local hospitality and a can-do attitude in both countries that at times made me feel almost guilty of travelling there.

When one hotel had closed and failed to contact us, half the town scrambled to find us a new guesthouse. From the wine in Georgia to the old monasteries in Armenia, I highly recommend a trip to these countries. I'm glad I broadened my research enough to decide to visit.

Justin Watson, Bonython, ACT

HIP REPLACEMENT

On a recent trip to Berlin we checked into a "hip hotel" for a few nights of pampering at the end of our trip. At check-in the clerk told us it was room 125, level one. We searched level one for a good 10 minutes to the point that we thought it was a joke.

Eventually room 125 was found by looking in the fire escape where a single door led to a tiny room so small that I had to stack the chairs to get our cases in the door. A new room was requested and given.

Doug Purdie, Darlinghurst, NSW

GUNNING IT

Reading Catherine Marshall's report of her experiences of flying to Kigali via Entebbe (Traveller, June 23) reminded me of my wife and I travelling from Entebbe back to Australia. We were driven into the main car park which was surrounded by a wire fence and entered through a wooden structure which, among other things, bore the sign "No guns beyond this point".

We were taken to the terminal, where the outgoing baggage conveyor began in the car park and went through a hole in the terminal wall while passengers were screened outside and then walked into the terminal through a door near the baggage conveyor. Above the passenger entry door was another sign reading, "Definitely no guns beyond this point".

Do I need to report on how many heavily-armed police, security and military personnel we saw when we entered the terminal? It seemed every second person was carrying a weapon of one sort or another.

David Davies, Callala Beach, NSW

PILLOW TALK

In reference to Doug Brown's dislike of doonas (Traveller letters, June 23), my wife and I concur. We make a point of asking for blankets in the "special requests" field for hotel on-line bookings.

On most occasions these requests are ignored so on arrival at our room we dash for the wardrobe to see if there is a blanket then remake the bed. Otherwise, reception receives a call.

We are unsure if doonas are in response to public preference or a sign of lazy housekeeping. Caring hotels provide both options.

Darren McClelland, Moonee Ponds, VIC

Remove the doona from its cover, or the two sheets either side of it (as in most hotels), discard the actual doona and use the cover or extra sheets for warmth.

Helen Caldwell, Ashburton, VIC

I love the duvet and can't stand tightly tucked in sheets. In fact, I travel with my own lightweight duvet cover into which I can slip a blanket, a sheet or even a coat if necessary. (I can sleep anywhere at any time). This allows my husband to enjoy the heavier blankets or duvets that we find along the way in our travels.

My husband is two metres tall with fairly broad shoulders so when he turns over with a blanket and a sheet, I am left in the cold.

Heather Brown, Pearl Beach , NSW

Twenty-eight days touring glorious British Columbia and Alaska and yet Doug Brown feels compelled to complain about the bed linen.

Anne Ackroyd, Melba, ACT

PUTIN THE RECORD STRAIGHT

With a great deal of anxiety we two seniors travelled independently to Moscow and St Petersburg and, like Innes Hutchison (Traveller letters, June 16), we found the people in both cities, especially Moscow, to be friendly, helpful, and exceedingly well-mannered.

Over the 10 days every time we stepped onto a metro we were immediately offered seats; people assisted with maps and currency (lots of hand language and drawings); a young man looked up his iPhone and walked us to an obscure museum entrance; many smiles and fun laughter, and warm curiosity about us as Australians.

Sandra and Barry Willis, Beecroft, NSW

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

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