Traveller Letters: This Australian airport is an international embarrassment

Denise Fletcher, Randwick, NSW

TOP SECRET

Shush Jodi Clues (Traveller Letters, September 17). Don't let everyone in on the secret. I recently discovered Rex, too, and it is now my first choice, even though I have frequent flyer points languishing with both of the other airlines and have received the risible $50 Qantas voucher. Rex is a brilliant airline with great staff, who even (gasp) offer assistance at check-in and bag drop with a call centre where people answer promptly and resolve issues on the spot. I'm definitely a Rex flyer for the foreseeable future.

Rosemary Swift, Leichhardt, NSW

EMPTY FEELING

Your correspondent (Traveller Letters, September 17) complained that they had to dispose of their water before boarding a Scoot flight from Changi to Melbourne claiming to have never encountered this before. I reckon they must have been on Mars since 9/11 not to have been aware of this near universal requirement. Further, Traveller itself was remiss in not pointing out the error, thus leaving some to believe the rule no longer applies.

Peter Price, Southbank, Vic

SPEED THRILLS

After reading for months of disastrous delays in getting passports, and being deeply worried that I'd left it too late to get a new one (with application involving name change certificates, ordering duplicate citizenship certificates and explaining typos in my name across different forms of ID), imagine how thrilled I was to lodge my application in person at the Canberra GPO on a Saturday and collect my passport from DFAT on the Tuesday. Thank you Australia Post and Australian Passport Office.

Cristina Huesch, Michelago, NSW

MORE IS LESS

Earlier this year we booked a holiday to Fiji in August. We had taken out our travel insurance with CoverMore (Traveller Letters, September 17) for this trip. We then booked another holiday in February 2023 and needed insurance for that trip as well. I wondered if it was possible to combine the two trips into one policy. So, I called CoverMore's customer service desk. Like a lot of similar organisations, I waited for over two hours and when the call was finally picked up, it dropped out. So I decided to email the Enquiries Team with my query as we had plenty of time before both trips. I did that on May 29. On September 15 (some three and a half months later) I received the following response: "...We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience as we missed to answer your query in a timely manner as we are receiving extreme volume of enquiries and due to pandemic. We really appreciate all your patience and understanding." It also noted that the first policy had expired but if I did want further assistance to either email or call the customer service team. It's fair to say, I did neither

Steve North, Mona Vale, NSW,

In reference to the letter regarding CoverMore insurance, my partner and I have used them regularly and found them to be extremely helpful and easy to deal with. On a trip back to my partner's native Vietnam a few years ago she unfortunately needed a hospitalisation. CoverMore was fantastic, checking her progress regularly and offering much appreciated medical advice. We needed to stay longer, they covered all expenses including upgrades for our return flights. They are our go to insurer for overseas travel.

Paul Soanes, Doncaster, VIC

CONTRAIL TALES

Thanks to Michael Gebicki for his article on the world's longest airline route (Traveller, September 3). It reminded me that like-minded keen-eyed plane spotters in the southern suburbs of Melbourne can often enjoy the pleasure of watching QF63 high in the sky as it tracks almost due south across the coast on its path between Sydney and Johannesburg. When the sky is cloudless (quite often in Melbourne, actually), the sight of that distinctive plane glinting in the sun with its long contrails streaming out over 10,000 metres above is all some of us, me included, need to feel part of the wider world for a moment. It's easy to track this plane with a quality app such as Plane Finder (planefinder.net).

Jonathan Breedon, Prahran, Vic

SEMANTIC ANTICS

Could someone please explain when and why airline "passengers" 'became "customers"? Woollies and Coles have customers. Airlines used to have passengers. In this time of queues, cancelled flights and lost luggage, could we please restore at least the illusion of glamour in travel and restore the "passenger" moniker to the human cargo in the seats?

Jenny Mooney, Karuah, NSW

TIP OF THE WEEK

DANUBE BLUES

It's not quite "where the bloody hell are you?". But the locals in the pretty Austrian town of Dürnstein on the Danube are worrying why Australians are no longer coming to visit. According to the weekend edition of the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, recent restrictions on river cruises between Passau and Vienna has meant the Australians - apparently the largest group of tourists to visit the area - are no longer coming to this part of the Wachau Valley. Dürnstein is of course famous for the attractive blue and white baroque church, as well as the fact that King Richard I was imprisoned in the local castle. Durstein is definitely well worth a visit, if only to reassure the locals!

Merran Loewenthal, Vienna, Austria

EDITOR'S NOTE Hopefully Europe's concerning and disruptive summer dry spell will correct itself in time for next year's seasons with delightful Durnstein, which has featured in Traveller over the years, as a beneficiary.

SINGULARLY UNIMPRESSED

My guess is that Louise Kloot (Traveller Letters, September 17) has never travelled as a single person. If she had she would know the number of times the hapless single is relegated to a tiny room in the basement or next to a lift, anything to show that singles are definitely not welcomed by hoteliers. I have been given rooms the size of a cupboard or hidden away in the bowels of the hotel. We are immediately treated as a nuisance and as inferiors despite the colour of our money being the same as that of couples.

Judy Hungerford, North Curl Curl, NSW

DEAR DIARY

I totally agree with Anne Ring (Traveller Letters, September 17). I also enjoy taking lots of photos on my travels and creating photo books upon my return home. I am careful to savour the moment as well though and ensure I don't only see the world through a lens. May I suggest one addition to Anne's system? I also write a diary just about every night when travelling, taking care to mention the little things that happened along the way, such as funny interactions with another person, or a language misunderstanding that may have caused confusion.

Susan Rowe, Epping, NSW

ROOMS FOR IMPROVEMENT

In reference to your story on affordable hotels (Traveller, September 18), what people want from hotels and what they receive are a chasm part . Things like opening windows, especially in these plague-riven times, are still a rarity. Good lighting, including a central light and proper reading lights are largely lacking . Why hotel designers seem to think people like stumbling around in the dark - sorry, make that mood lighting - and being unable to read in bed due to inadequate bedside lights beats me. One shouldn't really have to use the torch function on your smartphone to see your way around a room or read a book while el cheapo hairdryers are nother pet hate. Young hip people want to use the lobby for networking, as your story mentioned, but most of us want a room with good bedding and pillows, great towels, lights and opening windows. Oh, and a Nespresso machine.

Debbie Wiener, East St Kilda, Vic

EDITOR'S NOTE What's your own advice to hotel room designers for improving rooms for guests? Write to us and we'll publish the best responses.

SOUTH POOR

Last year we spent three weeks road-tripping around the South Island (Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand (Aotearoa). I booked multiple accommodations, restaurants and activities across multiple travel sites over a few weeks months before the trip and used my email as a central repository. At one point, I was sure I had booked accommodation in Lake Tekapo but couldn't find the booking and rebooked. Much to my suprise, a few days into my trip, I got a message from Expedia requesting I rate my check-in experience at a hotel in Tekapo. However, they had never sent a confirmation of my booking (no, it wasn't in the spam folder). Contacting them was a nightmare on a slow and painful phone line and they deferred to the accommodation provided who declined to refund me the night's accommodation. I sure learnt my lesson: keep a list of all your bookings and never rely on email confirmations as they don't always come through….

Nicole Kramer, Brisbane, QLD

HOW TO WRITE TO US

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The Letter of the Week writer wins Hardie Grant travel books worth more than $100. For October, that includes Ultimate Walks & Hikes Australia; Pasta Grannies; and Kinfolk Islands.

See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three great Lonely Planet travel books, including Offbeat by Lonely Planet, Where to go When and The Weather Book.

See shop.lonelyplanet.com