Luggage, contact lost
My husband and I had a recent holiday in South-East Asia. We flew from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia and when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, we discovered my husband's suitcase was missing.
Since January 14, we have not received any communication from AirAsia. Because the airline does not have an operational office in Australia, trying to contact them involves costly daily phone calls to Kuala Lumpur.
As we have now reconciled ourselves to the fact our personal belongings are long gone, we want to put a claim to our insurance company. But we are unable to do so because we cannot get in touch with AirAsia to obtain a report from them that the case is missing.
If you travel with AirAsia, make sure what you pack is dispensable because there is no guarantee your suitcase will arrive or that you will get any customer assistance if your luggage goes missing. Once you return to Australia, you are forgotten.
- Marguerite Hoiby
Row cramps style
Anyone who flies on a Jet Airways (India) 737-800 should make sure they are not in row 12. As I found on my flight from Delhi to Singapore, on such a plane the seats in that row do not recline because they are in front of an exit row.
Perhaps this is an official requirement but, if so, some allowance should have been made in the design of the seat. In fact, a line from the back of the seat to the front of the headrest would be near vertical so I was obliged to sit leaning slightlyforward for six hours.
Worse, no allowance is made for the fact that the seats in row 11 can fully recline. The only way I could make myself even slightly comfortable was to assume the crash position.
It is unfortunate this ruined an otherwise pleasant first experience of Jet Airways. Check-in at Delhi was friendly and efficient and the meal (South Indian vegetarian) was possibly the best I have had in the economy section of a plane.
- Keith Sweatman
Back-seat bungle
This is a suggestion for anyone planning their trip of a lifetime in the coming months to the Bungle Bungles (or Purnululu, to give its correct name). Be aware that the larger sightseeinghelicopters have three rear seats. The middle seat will not give you the experience of a lifetime.
We travelled with Outback Spirit and booked a chopper ride through its guides. The disappointment of being seated in the middle seat at the back was devastating. Visibility was poor thanks to a male shoulder on each side and a wide, solid metal panel in front.
I took a flight at El Questro in a helicopter with only two rear seats and it was exhilarating.
Did we enjoy our trip? Yes, it was so amazing to see and be in the Kimberley.
- Marian Eyers
PIN dropped
I note statements by the Commonwealth Bank's executive general manager of retail products, Michael Cant, (, March 6) who recommends travellers use a PIN-protected credit card or the bank's PIN-protected TravelMoney Card.
I have both a Commonwealth Bank PIN-protected TravelMoney Card and a PIN-protected Mastercard, which I have used extensively during the past two months in London.
Aside from ATM withdrawals, not once in the past eight weeks have I been asked to enter a PIN for in-store transactions; they have proceeded with signature only. This is the case whether I or the sales assistant did the transaction.
A TravelMoney Card has no other identifying feature aside from the signature on the back to prove the money is indeed my own.
If my "PIN protected" card isn't actually PIN-protected in Britain, why should I assume it is PIN-protected anywhere else?
- Claire Campbell
Exit locked
While waiting to board a flight to Christchurch on February 3, an urgent message on the public address system at Tullamarine Airport instructed all passengers, crew and staff to evacuate the terminal by the nearest exit.
We hurried to an exit point and ran down the staircase to find the door locked. I am still waiting for an explanation as to why a clearly marked exit is not an exit.
There was no emergency, just a "system glitch".
- Pamela Anstee
Safety first
I was in Santiago, Chile, last month when the earthquake struck. As a tourist guide, one of the first things I always do on arrival at a hotel is to check where the closest fire-exit stairs are on my floor. Having now experienced the terror of having to make a quick exit, I would like to emphasise the importance of this safety check.
- Angela Turek
We welcome your travel-related opinions, experiences and letters. Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Email us at travellerletters@fairfax.com.au including your name, address and phone number.
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