Traveller Letters: Frequent flyer points promotions are a sham

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Traveller Letters: Frequent flyer points promotions are a sham

It's impossible to get a Qantas business class seat to London on frequent flyer points, claims one Traveller reader.

It's impossible to get a Qantas business class seat to London on frequent flyer points, claims one Traveller reader.

TIP OF THE WEEK

WHAT'S THE POINT

Maybe you've noticed that Qantas reward points are easier to get these days and you only need to look at credit card applications, health insurance and much more. Why? Because they are less rewarding than they used to be. It is now impossible to fly business class from Melbourne to Europe using points. Invariably, the longest leg will be in economy and the routes are far from direct. The heavy promotion of frequent flyer points is a sham because the value is no longer there.

Alan Thomas, Hawthorn, VIC

LETTER OF THE WEEK

TAKE COVER

I just had a couple of weeks in South Korea. If it's got a roof there, you wear a mask and 95 per cent do so in the streets. How embarrassing, then to see the performance recently of a selfish, middle-aged group of three in holding up a flight in Sydney because they wanted to be exempt. They got their way, even after fellow passengers were telling them to put a mask on. It was my luck to be sitting behind them all the way to Singapore. Empty vessels make the most noise often.

Philip Dowle, Willina, NSW

MARVELLOUS MELBURNIANS

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On a short trip to Melbourne, I realised after getting off a tram that I had left my backpack containing my iPad on a seat. I boarded the next tram going in the same direction and told the driver who radioed a description to the base. A call went out to all drivers and within five minutes I was told the bag had been handed in by a passenger. The driver who had made the report told me to wait for that tram to come back in the opposite direction. He also gave me the route number and vehicle number to look out for. It all went exactly as he said and within 10 minutes my backpack was returned to me. A big thank you to Melbourne tram drivers and honest passengers.

Stephanie Lee, Willoughby, NSW

SEVERE TURBULENCE

In the May 21 edition of Traveller Letters, three of the letters involved justifiable criticism of Qantas and, in particular, the letter of the week about the failure to uplift any passengers' baggage on a flight to London was horrendous. I am a proud former ground staff employee of Qantas for almost 30 years and reading of failures in customer service, many pre-COVID, in the last few years saddens me greatly, because they are coming from not just the public in general but from all parts of the travel industry, too. I sincerely hope Qantas management will take these criticisms on board and restore this fine airline to the true "Spirit of Australia" where it once belonged.

Richard Davies, Hawthorn East, VIC

FLIGHT CREDIT

Some of your correspondents have recently complained about Qantas service. Here's a positive story: several weeks ago we were at Perth Airport waiting to return to Melbourne. The flight at the next gate was not boarding on time, and we realised that a family of three on that flight was experiencing difficulty with the behaviour of their two boys. As frustrations grew, one of the children physically attacked one of the Qantas ground staff, who at all times remained calm and in control. I was very impressed by the professional way in which the ground staff handled this extremely distressing situation.

Jenny Abraham, Vermont South, VIC

PAD UP

I enjoyed Lee Tulloch's carry on column (Traveller, May 14). One carry on tip is to take two or three padded envelopes which allows you to post items back to yourself. We never had a problem receiving Turkish cushion covers, pashmina, new (or old) clothes back in Sydney. Buying padded envelopes is often too complicated overseas but using a post office is always another interesting cultural experience. Over years of serious or fun travel I used colour-coded clothes. It can become boring but it makes you appreciate coming home.

Diana Blom, Turramurra, NSW

STOW TIME

Your columnist Lee Tulloch wrote (reluctantly) that there was no excuse for using checked luggage. I beg to differ. People who take masses of carry-on luggage into the cabin take space away from others and are more likely to block up the aisles stowing, accessing and un-stowing their luggage. Some of them actually expect the flight crew to lift their massive packs into the luggage bins for them. Carry-on luggage should be restricted to items that you really need on the flight itself or are otherwise unable to be checked in.

Andrew Newman-Martin, Coombs, ACT

A TIME TO HEAL

I was both puzzled and taken aback by Glen op den Brou's letter (Traveller Letters, May 21) accusing Europe travellers of ignoring the war in the Ukraine through their travel to Europe. I fail to recognise how not going to Europe would motivate Putin to cut short his "special operation". He most likely would love us to boycott Europe. Glen's position also fails to recognise the emotional toll inflicted by the COVID travel ban on many Europeans who made Australia their home and need to heal in the company of their family in Europe. I lost my Dad to COVID at the start of the pandemic and recently flew back to Holland for the first time in two and a half years; both to pay my respects to my late father and to help celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. While I am sickened to the core of my being by the disgraceful war being waged on a sovereign nation by a despot who is on the way out, I do not see how I am dishonouring the people of the Ukraine by travelling - like many thousands of my compatriots with roots in the old world - to my former homeland

Hans van den Tillaart, Mount Colah, NSW

BIRTH PLACE

Your One & only guide to Corfu Greece' (Traveller, May 21) missed a fascinating historical building. Visit Mon Repos, the birthplace of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, just a short walk from Corfu City in a scenic cliff top location.

Mary Hoffmann, Richmond VIC

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the tip though you'll find a full report by Traveller on this fascinating aspect of Corfu, published before the pandemic, here.

GIVE THEM A BREAK

Apropos hotels accommodating dogs and other animals (Traveller, May 7), after touring Canada several years ago I couldn't get my head around why guests going on vacation had to bring their canine with them. Surely petotels were established to enable the mutts to take a break from their owners.

Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

PILLOW TALK

Whenever I travelled I used to take a couple of pillow slips to provide another layer of comfort and sometimes, peace of mind, with accommodation pillows. Once when caught short handed, I realised my spare T Shirt made a great alternative. Forget the P-slip and take another T-Shirt.

Geoff Geraghty, Crows Nest, NSW

EDITOR'S NOTE We'd love to hear from readers about what other items they love to take with them when travelling in order to add another element of comfort.

NEW NORMAL

In regards to the "Oh Canada" letter from Greg Cornwell (Traveller Letters, May 21), I too have just returned from overseas and I had to do both pre-flight and on-arrival PCR testing. However, all results are obtained and retained in a digital format so I fail to understand why Greg and his wife were required to spit into a vial each day. Surely they had results on their phone? Or on a computer? And as for Australia's Digital Passenger Declaration, which has been in existence for months, our airline messaged me about a week prior to our return home reminding us to fill it out online or via the app. We are told of these hurdles, and whilst it is an inconvenience, it is wonderful to be able to travel again.

Debbie Wiener, East St Kilda, Vic

RISKY BUSINESS

I recently returned from a much anticipated holiday at a remote lodge in Western Australia, accessible only by air or sea (I travelled there via Melbourne, Darwin and Kununurra). Unfortunately, well into the holiday, I tested positive for COVID. It was necessary to be airlifted from the lodge by a COVID safe flight to Kununurra, at an upfront cost of $4810. No insurance (private, credit card, Medicare) covered COVID-related expenses. While COVID is so widespread in Australia, are such remote experiences really worth the risk?

Hugh Corr Hoppers Crossing, Vic

GATE CLOSED

With reference to Michael Atkin's "Open the gate" letter (Tipometer, May 29) and his difficulty in obtaining a refund from gotogate.com, we resorted to contacting our bank's credit card division and went through the process of retrieving the funds that way. Our argument was that we had not received the service that we had paid for. Gotogate argued the point but the bank has paid us the money back. Good luck, fellow traveller.

Kerry Vincz, Haberfield, NSW

TOP TIPS

A big thanks for the help, ideas, tips and inspiration you have provided on this page (Lonely Planet, the subject of your weekly prize, is my "bible" for my travels and it never failed me). Here are some of my own favourite travel tips: always book accommodation that is central, allowing you to be able to readily return to it during the day or night; do learn basic words in the language of the country you are visiting (it is respectful and courteous); familiarise yourself with the culture's dos and don'ts; always carry with you the address and phone number of the hotel where you are staying.

Annabel Fegan, Mornington, VIC

BUY AUSTRALIAN

I learnt from friends who learnt the hard way, only book online with agents accredited in Australia. I always check on atas.com.au to ensure that they are. You are then covered by Australian laws to receive credits or refunds.

Michele Sharp, Queens Park, NSW

WIN A SET OF TRAVEL BOOKS

The Letter of the Week writer wins Hardie Grant travel books worth more than $100. For June, that includes Ultimate Cycling Trips: Australia by Andrew Bain; On the Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill; and Rewilding Kids Australia by Melissa Mylchreest.

See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three great Lonely Planet travel books, including Ultimate Australia Travel List, The Travel Book and Armchair Explorer.

See shop.lonelyplanet.com

HOW TO WRITE TO US

We give preference to letters of 100 words or fewer and they may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Please use full sentences, don't use textspeak and don't include attachments. Email us at travellerletters@traveller.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.

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