Traveller Letters: Worst business class seat ever? I loved it

Best in class

I have to respectfully disagree with Rob Morgan (Traveller Letters, December 21), who labelled Finnair’s business class seat the least comfortable in the sky. I also recently travelled Finnair business class from Doha, Qatar, to Helsinki, Finland, and found its seat to in fact be the best business class seat I have ever flown in. I loved its sense of cocooning, finding all the adjustments (seat, table tray and electronics) really intuitive, with the flatbed arrangement the most comfortable sleep ever. The staff were superb, and I had an excellent conversation (while flying over the Nile) with an engaged and friendly steward.

To each their own: One reader rated Finnair’s business class seat the best she’s ever travelled in.Credit:

The flight was part of a code-share with Qatar Airways, so I had a direct comparison with Qatar’s Q-suite on both legs (Sydney-Doha). Finnair won hands down for me. My husband gave his vote to Qatar, so I guess it’s each to his own.
Jeanne-Marie van der, Toowoomba, Qld

Letter of the week: Fall guys

Here’s a novel idea to entertain the kids while waiting to board the plane at Sydney Airport. See how many bags you can count falling off the tractor trailer units onto the tarmac. Last night, I counted five suitcases falling off two trailers (here’s a photo of four of them. Recognise your bag?).

One reader spotted a bunch of bags strewn all over the tarmac at Sydney Airport.Credit: Peter Burton

I saw a lonely cardboard packing tube all nicely labelled gently rolling across the tarmac (just as well it wasn’t raining). In one instance the tractor driver grabbed onto the suitcase handle and dragged it across the tarmac using the suitcase wheels as he drove at high speed back to the terminal while at no stage getting off the tractor.
Peter Burton, South Melbourne, Vic

Case dismissed

I recently discovered an unattended bag in a busy area of the international terminal of Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. I was told by a fellow passenger it had been left unattended for some time. Who to tell? No security officers to be found. I told two ground staff and requested they alert the appropriate people. Their response? “Oh, you’ll need to find security. No, we’re ground staff, we can’t call anyone.” Seriously?

There were no security officers to be found, though another airport worker did call someone, then left. Meanwhile, the fellow passenger had found an airport volunteer who, upon checking, gave the bag a gentle kick. He called security. It was another 15 minutes before a woman arrived, stating that security had told her to pick it up. She left with the bag. Was it a bomb? Was it drugs? Who knows? Was there a complete lack of interest, care and organised response? Absolutely.
Colleen Sweeney, Pennant Hills, NSW

Tip of the week: Let there be lights

Why was I wandering around a Sydney CBD hotel room near midnight with a torch? I was trying to turn off lights, without flooding the room with a blaze of lights and wake my sleeping husband. The bedside light I could manage, but the switch next to the door triggered other lights, and as for the “courtesy” light over the kettle area? Totally elusive. I eventually did achieve a dark room. There was no “how to” booklet in the recently refurbished room to assist me, and at that time of night, I hesitated to disturb check-in staff. The answer, when staying in any hotel, is simple. Pack a torch.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW

Treasure quest

Taiwan’s Chimei Museum.Credit: iStock

Brian Johnston recently described the splendours of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum in the capital, Taipei (Traveller, November 26), which are rightly recognised worldwide. However, any visitor to Taiwan would also do well to visit the amazing Chimei Museum, a little way out of Tainan City and about 2½ hours by train south of Taipei. We discovered it on a visit in October last year and were amazed at the depth of the collection (covering Western art, musical instruments, weaponry and natural history), let alone the neo-classically inspired building and the Versailles-like fountain in the grounds. Apparently, the founder made his fortune in rigid plastics and wanted to inspire local youngsters with global culture even where they couldn’t afford to travel.
Andrew Dye, Prahan, Vic

Now hear this

A tip for any investigative journalist. Just hang out at any of the domestic Qantas business lounges and you’ll get some scoops. Having been in six different lounges in three days, the number of intensely private phone discussions being broadcast loudly around the lounges was astonishing. It may necessitate Qantas enforcing specific phone zones so that those blabbing business travellers can talk as loudly as they want without annoying others.
Neil McDonald, Greenslopes, Qld

Charm offensive

It’s really inspiring to read about people’s favourite destinations – my feet start itching. However, let’s get real when describing locations. I baulked at reading about “the colonial charm” of a famous hotel in India. Is it worth visiting? Yes, but colonialism isn’t, wasn’t and never will be charming.
Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown, NSW

Northern Jetstar

Be careful when booking business class to Europe using more than one airline. We booked a combination of Singapore Airlines and SAS to Rome, but when we arrived in Copenhagen, our SAS Plus seat was basically a standard Jetstar-like seat with a meal, not ideal for a sleep-deprived, weary traveller. To add salt to the wound, we were stung for excess baggage fees flying home because SAS did not recognise the journey as business class. This is common for most European carriers flying within the EU, so do your homework before booking.
Peter Daniliuc, Dulwich, SA

Japan rules, not OK

It is strange that the Japanese government advertises for Japanese tours with a constant barrage of advertisements in many developed countries and must be spending a fortune to attract tourists. In general, it is a well-organised and disciplined country for managing tourists, but at the same time, it is a stickler for the rules and not ready to compromise.

When you arrive at the airport with thousands of tourists, you can’t get through customs quickly, something we have experienced after a long flight and five-hour layover in Singapore. It’s deadly, both to your legs and your general health, with no water bubbler available and no fresh air. It’s a shame, as Japan has a lot to offer, but its inflexibility in the name of discipline is not helping tourists. I do not want to travel there again with sheer hassles at the airports.
Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill, 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