Traveller Letters: Virgin bumped me from flight because my fare was cheap

Lite not so easy

Due to an overbooked flight, I was unable to board my Sydney to Denpasar, Bali VA65 flight, on Tuesday, June 25, departing at 5.45pm. Virgin unapologetically informed me of this news over the public address at 5.15pm, telling me that “your options are a refund or another flight, not direct, from Sydney to Melbourne, Melbourne to Singapore, and then Singapore to Denpasar”. This was unacceptable as my initial six-hour and 45-minute flight was now tripled in duration, notwithstanding the extra carbon footprint. All other flights I could find on my laptop were over $1000 for a one-way ticket. I found another Virgin flight for the next day at the same time, but the same staff member informed me that this was not an option.

Another passenger asked, “Why us?” with the response being that we’d paid for an “economy lite” seat. Pressured to decide between a refund or an alternative flight, I chose the refund. I received numerous emails before and on the day of my missed flight to “get ready for your flight”, was able to check in at the counter as usual, and received a boarding pass with an assigned seat. At no point were volunteers requested over the PA.
Clementine Py, Coogee, NSW

Letter of the week: Rising Dampier

Western Beach, Kooljaman, Dampier Peninsula.

I was stoked to read Sue Williams’ article on the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia (Traveller, June 22) and to learn the road is now paved. I visited as a solo female before COVID-19, and the adventure I had, from Broome to Cape Leveque, was unforgettable. This Sydney gal learned the hard way that driving on red dirt requires one to deflate her tyres (it took me 12 hours to drive the 200 kilometres north, and it was worth it). I stayed in the Indigenous community of Kooljaman where the excellent bush tucker tour went a small way towards “closing the gap” on my ignorance. I went crab hunting, dune driving, and chatted to Indigenous women about their desert birth stories. An incredible adventure I would recommend to anyone.
Tanya Lake, Bilgola Plateau, NSW

Shove actually

Qantas applied group loading on a recent flight from Melbourne to Cairns. We were loaded through the rear in row 16 but had passengers loading from the front pushing well past us to the rear. Not impressed.
Michael McKenna, Warragul, Vic

In prod we trust

I had to laugh at your columnist Lee Tulloch’s experience of massage in China (Traveller, June 22). Like her, I’ve had my share of laughable experiences (in hindsight) as I tried to recuperate after long-haul flights or adventurous treks. But, happily, the best has been the recent painful yet life changing feet-first encounter in Beijing at a large touristy-looking establishment, near the Australian Embassy. Footsore and weary after the endless steps necessary to navigate visits to the must-see Great Wall of China and Imperial Palace, we noticed a “foot massage” sign that irresistibly called us in. The staff were welcoming and friendly with enough English spoken to establish our needs. Tea was served and then the prodding began as we reclined in comfortable lounge seats. What was remarkable at the end was the feeling of rejuvenation and calm, not to mention the happiness and relief that knee pain from previously damaged ligaments was gone. I would pay a return visit just for that.
Frances McLean, Croydon, NSW

Mind your French

The French do appreciate it if you try to speak to them in French (Traveller, June 22) but it is important to use a title when saying “bonjour” and “au revoir”, for example “bonjour madame or “bonjour mesdames” for a group. When you enter a shop or restaurant the French always give you a title, and it is only polite to reply the same way.
Virginia Callcott, Noosaville, Qld

Gogh the distance

Arles old town.Credit: iStock

Having sat in Cafe La Nuit (Traveller, July 1) less than two years ago, I enjoyed your article on Arles. The cafe still looks like that famous van Gogh painting, but to fully experience the Vincent van Gogh landscapes do not miss the nearby village of St Remy de Provence and the walk to St Paul de Mausole (the asylum where van Gogh lived and painted near the end of his life). Metal discs mark the footpath with signposts of his paintings and words. Walking through the beautiful grounds of the asylum and Van Gogh’s room is a moving experience.
Ferne Pardey, Palm Beach, NSW

Return serve

John Millard (Traveller Letters, June 22), I hear you, and, along with visiting in the “off” or shoulder season, I have nearly never returned to places that I have really fond memories of. But sometimes you need to compromise, especially when your partner has never been to a particular place. He’d done that for me when we travelled through Central America and then later to South America. In principle though, I agree that re-visiting is almost always a disappointment and I would rather retain my untainted memories. We aim to travel to new (to us) places that are off the well beaten path.
Vicki Copping, Oatley, NSW

Good as old

In regards to John Millard’s letter (Traveller Letters, June 22), I was in Jerusalem last month and can confirm that the city, including the Old City, is as alive, vibrant and atmospheric as it ever was. Jerusalem is one of the great cities of the world with history on every corner and yet still being a modern bustling metropolis. Of course, it is not as busy as normal, due to the dreadful war, however, everyone is grateful for tourists and overwhelmingly welcoming. Comparing your own visit to photos online is a recipe for disaster in any location. If you love a destination and have means to revisit it, do so, but go with an open mind. Every time you go you will find something new and amazing to cement that destination in your heart.
Tmne Blair, Randwick, NSW

Herd mentality

John Millard may think the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is “organised to cope with crowds” but friendly to women it is not. I was horrified to find that my impression from photographs was quite wrong – men have a large area of the wall to pray, but women are herded in a crowd to a tiny area on the right.
Jennifer Saunders, Bywong, NSW

Rock solid

I totally disagree with the “don’t go back” assertion regarding revisiting the beauties of our natural world. There may be some minor changes in the landscape, but scenes like those at Uluru are still as breathtaking as they were during my first view in 1967 and were again during my more recent visit a few years ago.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW

Total disconnect

I lived in Papua New Guinea for many years and have visited the places featured in the article by Brian Johnston (Traveller, June 22) a few times. He is wrong to say Alotau has no land connections to anywhere. Sure, there is no paved highway, but a four-wheel drive can make it there like many places in Australia. The article makes me wonder did your correspondent get off the ship? No descriptions of the wonders of Alotau, a dusty, South Seas town with great charm.
Tony Saunders, Hunters Hill, NSW

Tip of the week: Stop right there

Some of Dubai’s older neighbourhoods have been maintained.Credit: iStock

After five weeks in Europe, my partner and I had a three-day stopover in Dubai and I agree the shopping malls can be a bit overwhelming, even if you are just window shopping. Instead, we opted for what turned out to be a private (just the two of us) half-day tour of Dubai. Even for someone who has been there 15 or times I found it interesting. My partner, a first-time visitor, was really impressed with both Dubai’s development and that some of the older original areas had been retained. And, yes, there was the almost obligatory visit to a small craft shop. But even there we were impressed with the range of goods, prices and quality.
Michael Hayden, Kiama Downs, NSW

Something fishy

In February, 2020, just before borders closed, we travelled to South Korea. Among the many great coffee shops (Traveller, June 23), a standout in Seoul was Coffee Hanyakbang in a narrow alleyway. On one side were the baristas, while the sitting area and bakery were across the alley. We could see three pastry chefs baking a beautiful selection of cakes and pastries. There were two other elaborate rooms up a narrow staircase, one contained a fish tank with expensive looking white fish swimming in it. My husband declared it was the best coffee shop he had ever been to.
Judi Rosevear, Wantirna, Vic

The other M&Ms

An epic fail in hotel bathrooms (Traveller Letters, June 29) is a lack of space to put all that... stuff. Medications, moisturiser, make-up. Only one hotel, in my experience in the last four years, bucks the trend. My room at the refurbished Victoria hotel in Melbourne had an unadorned tiled shelf along the wall – for all that stuff. It made me feel very comfortable and, boy, did I spread it out.
Colleen Johnson, East Maitland, NSW

Quilty as charged

We found Brian Johnstons’s list of “travel fails” (Traveller, June 9) to be particularly amusing and unfortunately mostly too true. The constant battle with doonas overseas could be added to the list. We frequently resort to removing the cover from the doona to get a top sheet and some flexibility.
Chris Close, Doncaster East, Vic

Just hangin’

In reply to “Hanging offence” (Traveller Letters, June 29), I must commend the cruise ship Seabourn Pursuit on addressing both wardrobe problems. There were at least 20 clip-style trouser hangers and 20 normal coathangers in my cabin wardrobe. Wonderful to see.
Margaret Kennedy, Church Point, NSW

Legging it to Legian

Here are my three tips, based on a trip with my partner, Tom, to Legian, Bali, for a holiday. First, we hired a local driver, who provided valuable local knowledge for sightseeing – it cost us $60 for a full day. Second, to prevent “Bali belly”, we opted for bottled water, were cautious with ice and salads and chose well-reviewed restaurants. And finally, we travelled to Bali in September to avoid crowds and enjoy the better rates.
Jen Walsh, Docklands, Vic

Falling for Africa

The sensational Victoria Falls.Credit: iStock

We’ve just returned from an amazing three weeks in southern Africa. The trip was five years in the making, due to the intervention of COVID-19, but it was well worth the wait. A wonderful train journey through South Africa and Zimbabwe, the sensational Victoria Falls, Botswana on safari, and South Africa’s wine district. We kept having to pinch ourselves as it just seemed so incredibly surreal. We couldn’t have imagined fitting so many moments of awe into one short holiday. Wow.
Craig Marcombe, Copacabana, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com