Traveller Letters: This premium economy is not worth the money

No knowledge

Our Singapore Airlines premium economy flight in June, and returning in July, between Melbourne and Frankfurt was not worth the money. Premium economy dedicated check-in was not provided in Frankfurt. In the air, the food was poor, and the toilets shared with economy class. The only advantage was a bit more seat space and, being closer to the front, faster disembarking.

One reader was unhappy with Singapore Airlines’ premium economy.

However, our biggest complaint was that we called SIA customer service five weeks before our return flight to notify them that we’d be bringing an urn with human ashes of a much-loved family member back to Melbourne. The staff at Frankfurt Airport had no knowledge about the airline’s policy on travelling with human ashes and left us standing at the counter for over an hour, exacerbating an already stressful and emotionally difficult journey.
Doris Dehm, Deepdene, Vic

Arrivals pall

If there’s a plus side to the new ultra-inefficient immigration system that greets you when returning to Australia from your overseas trip, it’s that the eternal waiting time is a good opportunity to chat to your fellow passengers to agree that our arrival system is the worst in the world.

How can we get it so wrong? First, the signage is poor and my daughter and I witnessed many tired overseas tourists with young children getting in the wrong queue, only to be told they weren’t eligible to go through the e-gates due to their party having a child under 10.

Secondly, we had to complete questions at a kiosk before being allowed to go through a further electronic barrier. For those of us who are eligible for the e-gates, we often wait behind the more digitally challenged who struggle to complete the questions at the first electronic kiosk, further adding time. Surely, these questions could be asked ahead of time, as they do in Singapore.

After the thrill of getting through immigration and seeing your bags do their third loop of the carousel, another long customs queue awaits where we are barked at by not-so-friendly staff to have our paper documents ready. There is at least some friendly banter while waiting in this second line when a young backpacker, not so fresh from an overnight flight from Bali remarks: “It [the queuing] makes you not want to go on holiday.”
Pru Clements, Parkdale, Vic

Quote, unquote

One chooses accommodation based on location, price and facilities, so price is significant, and when booking motel accommodation through a well-known online booking agent, I was quoted one price. However, on arrival, the price had gone up by 10 per cent, and it was too late to back out. I’ve experienced this with Airbnb in France and don’t use that site any more, but surely under Australian law, a quote is a quote? On writing to both the motel and the booking agent, my complaint was dismissed as “normal procedure”. Is it really normal? How do we know what we will be charged?
John Davies, Mullumbimby. NSW

Letter of the week: Day on the tiles

The Douro by train.Credit: Getty Images

Reading about the new Australian-owned ship set to cruise the Douro (Traveller, July 13) reminded me of why a train trip along Portugal’s Douro River is a quick, pleasant and easy way to experience it if you haven’t time for a cruise.

On what proved to be a magical day, my husband and I took the 9.10am train to Pinhao from Porto’s beautiful blue-tiled station, sitting on the right-hand side of the carriage with the Douro beside us for most of the two-and-a-half hour journey. On arrival, we travelled up the Douro itself in a rabelo, a flat-bottomed small boat used to take port wine barrels to Porto, with views of vine-covered hills. Then we tasted local wines at the train station before catching the 2.20pm train back to Porto.
Patricia Harrington, Kerang, Vic

Don’t stray from Stayz

Reading “Pillow squawk”, (Traveller Letters, July 20) and Jacqueline Wilkes’ Airbnb complaints just confirms my belief in Stayz and Vrbo as superior options. I have not used them in Europe but the two properties my husband and I chose in England were exceptional. Friends and I have used the service extensively in both New Zealand and Australia and have never been disappointed in a property. There is always the chance that the northern and southern hemispheres just have different standards or that I have been lucky in my choices, but whatever the reason, I continue to recommend Stayz to whoever will listen.
Daniela Scalcon, Cabarita, NSW

Fares fair

Qatar Airlines offers four different versions of their business-class fares. If Ross Duncan (Traveller Letters, July 13) had wanted a flight that included access to the airline lounge and free seat choice he could have selected “Business Comfort” but it would have also cost him about $2500 more for a trip to London. Many travellers are prepared to forgo lounge access and seat selection (all business flat-bed seats are excellent) and use the savings elsewhere. It’s called offering customers choice, and Qatar should be applauded, not criticised, for it.
David Parker, Geelong West, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE: Our Tripologist, Michael Gebicki, has taken a detailed look at so-called “unbundled” business class fares and the value (or not) they offer. Read more here.

Be prepared

Rachel Burns (Traveller Letters, July 20) refers to the impact of inadequate meal services on her husband’s type-1 diabetes when travelling. I believe someone who travels with a life-threatening chronic condition must prepare their own nutrition and not expect airlines to manage this vital health aspect.
Lisa Lashansky, Elsternwick, Vic

Shining light

Exploring Palau.Credit: Getty Images

Rebecca McGowan’s fears (Traveller Letters, July 20) that she may ruin Palau by highlighting its under-touristed beauty overlook the country’s strengths as a destination. I also flew the direct Nauru Airlines Brisbane-Palau route recently and experienced a spectacular, immersive, oceanic wildlife safari. I’ve seen places of abused and trampled former beauty, but Palau exemplifies sustainable tourism. Palauans protect their ecology and require visitors to pledge respect for the environment and culture upon arrival. This commitment is actively upheld with gentle kindness by locals, ensuring Palau remains a haven of unspoiled beauty and a profound lesson in sustainable tourism. A destination you have to see to believe.
Kell McGregor, Mittagong NSW

Tip of the week: Putting the fast in Belfast

A Dublin-to-Belfast trip means a hire car or bus – to tear up the busy motorway – or, as I discovered recently, a ride on the fast train. It’s plush, cheap, frequent and quiet, with reliable Wi-Fi and device chargers. Rock up to Connolly station (on the suburban Dublin train route), find the Belfast platform and enjoy a pleasant two-hour express ride along the coast to Lanyon Place Station. Large suitcases won’t fit in the overhead luggage nets and, as I discovered, even the conductor can’t find a spot for the big ones, so try to travel light.
Andrea Breen Hobart, Tas

Vacuum bags suck

I agree packing cubes are essential but vacuum bags – while a great idea in theory – seemed heavy after packing coats and clothing for the freezing cold in Banff, Canada, last winter. Also, chasing a vacuum with the appropriate nozzle in some hotels was a pain when it came time to repack.
Thi-Anh Smith, Lennox Head, NSW

Patience exhausted

I agree with John Evans (Traveller Letters, July 20) about QR codes. In Chile last year QR codes were prevalent in bars and restaurants. All well and good, but you need to have mobile roaming activated to access them and not every venue provides their own Wi-Fi. It makes for a lot of hassle just to order a beer. The final straw came after a lengthy queue for the Santiago cable car. At the gate, we were directed to a QR code. When I finally managed to access the ticket page, the transaction would not translate into English and the transaction was rejected. The gate attendant eventually directed a small group of unhappy tourists to a cafe where we could buy paper tickets. We salute the green intentions, but QR codes are exhausting, particularly in a foreign language.
Julie-Anne Justus, Box Hill South, Vic

Flying the coupon

I’m curious to know if anyone else has experienced Agoda’s at best confusing, and at worst dodgy, coupon discounts on accommodation bookings? I recently had several coupons saved and Agoda says I just need to apply for one on their payments page. Alas, when I get to that page there is nowhere in fact to apply any coupon code/discount. For Agoda, and some hotels, that might be a good thing.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

Track stars

Cirque de Mafate, Reunion.Credit: Alamy

Further to your story (Traveller, July 21) on unsung wonders of the world, in the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean, the “Postmen of the Peaks” trek 140 kilometres every week on goat-like tracks, delivering mail and essential supplies to more than 300 households in the Cirque de Mafate, a valley more than 1000 metres deep. This cirque, or valley, has no roads, cars or electricity and is home to 700 descendants of slaves, who fled the sugar cane plantations back in the 19th century. A French territory, it remains unknown to most travellers (except for our French amis) and these adrenaline seeking souls test their limits in the island’s interior, hiking this “unsung wonder of a mail route”.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Statements of facts

A distracting and often time-consuming task when travelling is checking credit and debit card statements against the myriad different forms of receipts (electronic, paper, or none at all). The time limit to challenge a disputed card charge is generally only 60 days (although some credit card providers allow longer periods). When travelling for an extended period we do a quick check of our card statements to see if they look reasonable. In particular, we look at: large ticket items (typically accommodation, restaurants and travel expenses) and any duplicate amounts on the same date. If these are from the same provider they can be easily corrected by your card provider. Applying these guidelines has meant we’ve never incurred any fraudulent charges on our cards
Paul Blume, Petersham, 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