This was published 1 year ago
Traveller Letters: Qantas delays, baggage issues - add price gouging to the list
Some readers are unhappy with Qantas' current fares and charges.Credit: JAMES MORGAN
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
In addition to the current woes Qantas is experiencing due to cancellations and lost luggage I would like to add price gouging to the list. Next month, I am booked from Adelaide to Cape Town, business class with Qantas. Subsequently, needing to delay my return by two days, Qantas wanted to charge $1250 to make the change to the later flight. I declined. Qantas recently informed me of a flight change from Johannesburg to Cape Town, now arriving very late in the evening. I decided to stay overnight in Johannesburg at my own expense and catch a morning flight the following day. Qantas wanted to charge $350 to make the change, when the fare on the South African Airlines website can be bought for as little as $115. Once again, I declined. Need I say more?
Craig McGrath, Erindale, SA
LATIN LESSON
We were told by the airline industry years ago that airlines code-sharing flights would lead to efficiencies, more competition and lower fares. We fell for this line (not that we had a choice) and now find that these "alliances" have really been a smokescreen for less competition, fare fixing and fewer choices. A perfect example is the Qantas/LATAM codeshare duopoly from Australia to South America. Search for a fare on that route but sit down first. Air New Zealand has ceased flying this route, leaving Qantas and LATAM to gouge the market with grossly inflated fares. There are plenty of other examples.
Wayne Murphy, Bardon, QLD
LETTER OF THE WEEK
CROCK NOT CROCKERY
I read Lee Tulloch's airport lounges piece (Traveller, August 6) with interest but wonder why our once iconic national airline failed to rate a mention? Perhaps it was because its offering, like all aspects of the airline's ground operations and services, is so hit or miss. I recently flew Canberra to Darwin via Sydney return business class and offer two examples. The Darwin Qantas Club was bright, clean and airy with hot drinks and an extensive lunch menu served on crockery and bar offerings in glassware. In Sydney, both club and domestic business class lounges were crowded and in desperate need of a makeover. Brews were served in cardboard cups, drinks from the bar came in tasting-sized plastic holders and the meals - which no self respecting chef would put his or her name to - came on cardboard. Still, my luggage made it both ways and the flight attendants provided old school standards, particularly the crew on QF841 who were outstanding.
John Moore, Braidwood, NSW
WAITING GAME
After waiting nearly 14 weeks to have my passport renewed, I am desperate to understand how some applicants have been lucky enough to receive their passports in the "reasonable" time of six to eight weeks. My application of May 2 seems to have simply disappeared into the ether. On ringing the passport office to enquire, the first question I was asked was "what is my travel date?" It now occurs to me that cluey people are simply giving a nearby date and thereby getting their application expedited. The passport office call-centre people have no way of checking your travel date claim. In good faith, I submitted my renewal application with months to spare, but unfortunately am still waiting months later, with no knowledge of where I am in the queue, and apparently no fair system being applied in a first-in next-processed manner. I am powerless to change this and may lose thousands of dollars on a long-planned holiday. Is there any solution to this mess?
C. Murphy, Port Macquarie, NSW
TOURS DE FARCE
I write to you from a position of total, utter frustration. I and many others who are in a similar situation have nowhere to go for urgent help. We need a travel industry ombudsman, right now. Many of us have had to use travel credit (before it expires and we lose it completely ) from cancelled tours caused by COVID-19. At the time of having to make the new bookings, planes weren't even in the air. Tour companies have set the rule at zero refund if cancelled. But where do we stand as passengers who gave these tour companies lots and lots of money up to four years ago? Tours to Japan that we committed to using our credit have altered dramatically to what we originally paid for. We will likely have to pay even more money for a tour that isn't what we agreed to, and if we ask to change our travel dates, the reply is a flat "no". What rights do tour clients have? None at all, it seems.
Marg Huxley, Murwillumbah, NSW
VAN MAN
I left Australia to travel in Europe in 1972. My wife and I drove to our native Hungary for our first return trip, arriving in Budapest in our 1963 VW Kombi van. We looked up my ageing relative, (a well known actress) and we spent some time with her, driving her around in the van. We thought she was very cool and broad minded to get into an old bomb with her long-lost hippie relatives. So it was satisfying to read in your report (Traveller, August 28) that the now restored opulent Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel is offering its pampered guests trips around Budapest in a vintage VW van.
Robert Sebes, Dulwich Hill NSW
ACT UP
I was disappointed to read (Traveller Letters, August 6), about a woman with a physical disability allegedly being "hectored" by airport scanning staff, when she was unable to raise her arm. If your complaint to those in charge is not resolved, you may wish to consider a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission under the Disability Discrimination Act.
Matthew Hamilton, Kew, Vic
LOW RENT
Following on from Michael Gebicki's article on car hire (Traveller, August 6), during a recent trip to the UK, I wanted to book a car from Scotland and gave my country of residence as Australia. I was quoted £3600 ($6130). My son-in-law then did the same search, but used his country of residence, Scotland, and the quote came back as £1600.
Lynda Cronshaw, Narrabeen, NSW
FLOUT LOUTS
I was equally disturbed by your correspondent's observation (Traveller Letters, August 6) that it was disturbing that Thais still go around fully masked while foreigners can go about unmasked. Being vaccinated does not give us the ethical licence to lose the mask; more so when we are visiting other countries where the norm is to use one. One of my best friends is a Thai medical doctor and she is infuriated that many tourists visit her country and blatantly flout mask rules. Let us all be responsible travellers please.
Cristina Corleto, Stanmore, NSW
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
Many years ago my husband and I were travelling in South America. We were in Bariloche Argentina visiting our daughter who speaks fluent Spanish. She took us on a bus to visit the famous Llao Llao hotel. A woman on the bus spoke to her and said how wonderful to see a famous actress, Glenn Close travelling on public transport and invited us to stay at her home. Next was Cusco airport where the manager came to greet us off the aeroplane. He was almost bowing and said he was so happy to have a famous movie star in Cusco. On our flight to Santiago the flight attendant wanted to move a man with an oxygen bottle to the back of the plane so we could have his seats up the front! Of course we declined. When we landed in Santiago we were asked to wait until everyone disembarked. Then the whole crew came out and wanted a group photo with Glenn. I also had to sign autographs for all of them. I signed Glenn. I wonder if the real Glenn ever heard about me, the imposter. I had many more cases of mistaken identity in South America but these were the standouts.
Ann Thorburn, Blairgowrie, Vic
TIP OF THE WEEK
FRESH EYRE
With an overseas family holiday twice thwarted, we decided to holiday locally instead, travelling from Melbourne to South Australia (southaustralia.com) for a three week road trip taking in the Flinders Ranges and the Eyre Peninsula. We travelled in winter and experienced mostly blue skies and had the roads, wild coastlines and mountains pretty much to ourselves and were able to explore the stunning destinations with ease and tranquillity. I've a renewed appreciation for the Australian landscape and was stunned by the beauty of the Flinders Ranges. A scenic flight is highly recommended to appreciate the vastness & fascinating geology of the region. We returned home feeling rejuvenated & inspired by our magical country. SA is an underrated destination.
Melody Bidwell, Diamond Creek, Vic
KEY TO THE KINGDOM
Your writer Julie Miller loved the magical lands of Disney (Traveller, August 21) in her cover story and, having been there myself, I too can confirm its title of "the happiest place on earth". However, the high cost of ticket passes were not mentioned in the article.
Andrew Krisenthal, Blazland, NSW
EDITOR'S NOTE A standard one-day ticket to Disneyland, California and Disney World, Florida, start from $US104 to $US109 ($150 to $158) a person respectively, depending on the booking date. We've added the information on the costs of a Disney visit to the online version of our story. We invite readers to offer their best money-saving tips for a holiday there with the best advice published here.
TEED OFF
We recently spent a few weeks in the US and needed a SIM card for our mobile phone for emergencies and navigation. After negotiating a hire car out of Dallas, we bought an AT&T SIM (att.com) at Walmart and had trouble activating it. We called into a small AT&T office the next day but the sole operator also couldn't get it to work after two hours of swapping SIMs. We kept travelling and made our way to an AT&T corporate office. Two hours later and at the close of the store we were still unconnected but had a customer service ticket indicating we would be contacted within 24 to 72 hours. No contact was forthcoming. The story continued with no promised contact, more store visits and customer service calls from borrowed phones. No service and no satisfaction from AT&T. We've returned to Australia now with a $50 balance on our unserviced SIM and no recourse for getting a refund. Our advice? Beware of AT&T prepaid.
Anthony Sullivan, Walwa, Vic
HALO EFFECT
I am a fairly seasoned traveller, and I have to say that the Bankwest Halo (bankwest.com.au) credit and debit-cards are by far the most convenient way to handle money while travelling. Halo refers to the fact that they are literally rings with a chip embedded. I have a white one on one hand (credit) and a gunmetal grey one on my left hand (debit). It means that I can go out without a bag or a purse and pay for goods and services with a tap of my fist, and no internet required. It's brilliant and also discreet. The only downside is that I have yet to find an ATM in the UK that will allow me to withdraw cash by tapping but I expect that will come soon. Until then, the old fashioned debit card will have to do.
Helen Edwards-Davis, Kingscliff, NSW
PLANE SAILING
Australians are great travellers, as evidenced by the stories each week in Traveller, but we also have sights and scenery close at hand to rival anything around the world. Recently, my wife and I chose to make the scenic flight with Sydney by Seaplane (sydneybyseaplane.com), departing from the Palm Beach Wharf in a historic de Havilland Beaver seaplane. The view from the air on the way down the Coast over the Northern Beaches is mind blowing and I believe is unrivalled anywhere in the world. After we flew over Manly we turned and did a circuit of Sydney Heads and then a figure-eight around the harbour, then over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House at 500 feet (152 metres). Our flight path took us back to the north to land at Cottage Point Inn on the Hawkesbury for lunch and to greet our family and the celebration of my wife's birthday. It is a fantastic flight and one that we'd recommend to anyone.
Dennis Rutzou, Palm Beach, NSW
FINANCIAL ADVICE
My international travel career began almost 50 years ago when your money choices were cash or those ubiquitous travellers cheques, usually in a variety of international currencies (British pounds, US dollars or Swiss francs). Today my travel money consists of three types of card: my CBA Mastercard; a CBA Mastercard debit card; and two CBA Visa Travel Money cards. The last two have two separate PINs and are usually loaded with US dollars and euros. I invariably travel with three or four days cash and the adoption of the euro has made this aspect a lot easier. My other tip is always inform your bank or financial institution when you are travelling overseas, including most countries you are visiting, and reduce the daily limit for ATMs and credit card transactions. I also have my bank's 24 hour call centre loaded into my mobile phone favourites.
Michael Hayden, Kiama Downs, NSW
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.
The Letter of the Week writer wins Hardie Grant travel books worth more than $100. For September, that includes We Live in a Caravan; Life Unhurried; and Paris or Die. See hardiegrant.com
The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three great Lonely Planet travel books, including Epic Hikes of Australia and New Zealand, Epic Road Trips of Europe, and Epic Road trips of the Americas. See shop.lonelyplanet.com
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