An artist's impression of the planned Qantas check-in terminals.
Starting in Perth next week, Qantas is trialling its "Next Generation Check-in" system, based on chip technology.
It is anticipated that by the second half of 2011 all Qantas platinum, gold and silver frequent flyers and Qantas Club members will have been issued with new frequent flyer cards embedded with the smart technology and these will then operate as their permanent boarding passes.
Before year's end, Qantas will also introduce what it is describing as an airline first, the Marc Newson-designed Q Bag Tag, which will enable all passengers to check-in and tag their own baggage.
Meanwhile, Qantas has opened a new domestic transfer facility at Sydney International Airport. Located in terminal 1, it is for incoming passengers transferring from international flights on to Qantas domestic routes. There are 14 check-in counters - double the previous number - and two bag-drop points. A shuttle bus between the two airport terminals will continue to operate. The facility for Qantas domestic passengers connecting to international flights out of Sydney remains unchanged and there is no word from Qantas as to whether that area will be upgraded.
Follow the Tour de France
If you're a fan of the Tour de France and think you'd like to take a closer look at those steely thighs, quaint villages and vertiginous mountains, then jump on your bike and start pedalling - you could ride the Tour de France route next year.
Brisbane-based Bikestyle Tours is one of only four bike touring companies that offers cyclists the chance to ride the official route during the race.
Riders who opt for the company's premier package can ride along the official route before the peloton comes through, stand on the podium in yellow jerseys and get to mingle in the official enclosures at the beginning and end of the day's cycling.
The good news, according to Bikestyle Tours owner Lawrie Cranley, is that you don't have to be super fit to ride the tour course.
"We get all shapes and sizes on the Tour de France trips and you really don't have to have ridden hundreds of kilometres a day to cope," Cranley says. "We've got blokes who cycle a couple of kilometres to work three times a week and pick up the pace as the tour gets closer. In the end it's about a holiday."
This year, Bikestyle Tours had 12 tour options, starting in Amsterdam and ending at the race finish on the Champs-Elysees.
For cyclists who veer more towards fun than fanaticism, Cranley recommends the tour's early sectors before climbing gets serious in the Alps. "There is always a flatter part that is doable for most recreational cyclist," he says. "We also get a lot of partners who don't want to ride at all."
A keen cyclist, Cranley started his company with his wife, Natalie, in 1996. They spend five months each year in Europe, as they also offer tours of the other major events on the world cycling circuit, the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Spana.
This year, the 25-night Amsterdam-to-Paris trip was $12,250 and a seven-night Alps tour was $2390. Next year's prices will be similar.
Norfolk on song
Singer Helen Reddy will host four tours of Norfolk Island in December. Reddy has lived on the island since returning from the US a decade ago and the seven-night tours will include a visit to her home and garden. The tours are priced from $2810 a person, twin share, from Sydney and include return airfares, accommodation, tours, daily breakfast six dinners and a full itinerary of touring hosted by Reddy.
Ship to shore
A new cruise website, operated by Cruise 1st Australia, has gone a step further than other cruise-related websites by enabling hotels and flights to be booked online. The capability to book land tours will be added within two months.
Prospective passengers can search for cruises by destination, cruise line, ship, duration, date and port. These categories are broken down further and include suggestions for families, the youth market, seniors and first-timers.
Cruise 1st also has a retail outlet at 15 Blue Street, North Sydney.
See www.cruise1st.com.au.
Send news items to smarttraveller@fairfax.com.
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