Even our flight’s captain got sick of waiting for luggage

Captain’s call

On Saturday, January 4, at Sydney Airport, my daughter and partner were returning to the US on United Airlines. Departures did not start well with long queues, and we observed a bank-up of checked bags on the conveyor belts, which also clogged and slowed the check-in process. Men in hi-vis were taking bags off the conveyor belts and manually filling large bag trolleys.

Delays with luggage at Sydney Airport saw one reader’s flight take off without most of it.Credit: Bloomberg

On boarding, my daughter and partner’s United flight was delayed nearly two hours with the captain indicating that the whole Sydney Airport baggage system was down and they could not guarantee all bags would be loaded on the flight. In the end, the captain had to make the call to depart, indicating there was no information on further bag loading and that one third of the flight’s bags had not been loaded. They were informed that their bags had been loaded on another United flight 24 hours later.
Craig Boyle, Lane Cove North, NSW

Letter of the week: Hanging offence

Disturbed by over-complicated changes.Credit: iStock

Technology in travel changes too quickly. A recent stopover in Doha for two days meant taking a full day’s touring, back to the hotel by 4pm to find our room was not serviced. The front desk sent up two housekeepers to rectify. Why wasn’t it serviced, I asked? Well, it was explained, there is this light panel near the door and among the four buttons there is a “DND” button which means “do not disturb”. There was nothing in the room to explain this and the chap who took us to the room didn’t explain because we looked too tired. We eventually discovered that it was apparently pressed inadvertently when turning on a bathroom light. Bring back the sign you can hang on the door now, please. But not like a stay in Barcelona where the only item to hang out was a small rope, and it meant “do not service” (beaten again, no serviced room there either).
Phillip Kerrigan, Speers Point, NSW

Removing moments

There doesn’t seem to be any standardisation of what goes into the trays at airport security. Are belts, shoes, watches left on, or off? Are computers left in the backpack, or taken out? Does this apply to tablet devices as well? The signage is usually hopeless, and it’s not obvious what to do when you are anxious, stressed or tired. How about airports develop some proper infographics to help the poor occasional traveller? And better yet, these could be standardised worldwide. Who knows, it may even speed-up the process.
Ray Gilmour, Blaxland, NSW

Degrading experience

I bought an extra legroom seat on QF43, Sydney-Bali, but after a six-hour delay and a switch of planes, Qantas “upgraded” me to a middle seat with even less leg-room. Now they won’t refund me the upgrade fee. I’m flying home with Virgin Australia.
Duff Watkins, Chatswood, NSW

Arabian delights

Chris Roylance’s letter about his visit to Saudi Arabia is disappointing (Traveller Letters, January 4). Personally, I am willing to adapt to Saudi culture and its mores. Adapting to a foreign country is, after all, part of what travel is about. I found the Middle East to be superior in terms of personal safety, a lack of crime and also an absence of graffiti.
David Thomson, St Kilda, Vic

Ancient landscapes, welcoming mosques, camel markets and the historic city of Jeddah left us more than satisfied on our just completed 12-day small group tour of Saudi Arabia, which also included Riyadh, AlUla and Medina. The country is a welcome surprise. It’s full of unique sites and colourful, welcoming people keen to share their traditional way of life. Highly recommended.
Matthew Platt, Doha, Qatar

Been there, done that

Saffire Freycinet Oyster Farm experience.

Well done, Lee Tulloch, as two of my own standout memories, Phinda, South Africa, and Saffire, Freycinent resort Tasmania, featured in your favourite travel experiences list (Traveller, December 24). Having lived in South Africa and stayed in all the private camps of Mkuze, Phinda does take some beating. Having a mum and dad lion with four cubs scraping past the vehicle with not a care in the world was memorable, as was waking up to find a buck drinking from the swimming pool. I discovered Saffire on a visit to Tasmania and, as part of a signature experience, waded into the local oyster beds to have fresh oysters shucked and served with a glass of champers. Heaven.
Rod Ross, North Lakes, Qld

Major disconnect

I write from QF37 at 42,600 feet on New Year’s Day. We are approaching Broome, having traversed the continent north-west, en route to Singapore from Melbourne. This trek was all the more interesting with the side notes, accompanying a 3D map, accessed on the Qantas-provided iPad, providing current and historical information on places of interest (estimated at about 50) over which we have flown. All Qantas needs to do now is to extend its in-flight Wi-Fi capability, as have its major competitors, beyond the Australian coastline.
Andrew Romer, Melbourne, Vic

Giving back

When we arrived at Tokyo Station on the shinkansen we quickly grabbed our bags and mistakenly left an unlabelled paper bag, containing souvenirs, in the overhead compartment. I quickly returned to our train which was still at the platform, but all the doors were shut and the next thing I saw was the train departing the station. A guard said I should lodge a lost and found inquiry with the station, which I thought would be useless, but with a few hours to spare before leaving Tokyo, I thought I’d try. A station staff member took down my description of the bag, went to the holding area, checked, and came back, saying nothing of that nature had been found. Check back in an hour, she asked. On my return an hour later, the staff member recognised me, went back to the holding compartment and, beaming, bowed and handed the bag to me. Efficiency personified, and such honesty. It could only happen in Japan.
Mark Jevremovic, Alphington, Vic

Tip of the week: Crowd control

Yokohama – just a 20-minute train ride from Tokyo.Credit: iStock

To see recent photos and statistics of crowds at popular tourist destinations in Japan is alarming, to say the least. The suggestions to choose alternative places to visit are not only practical, but make for a more pleasant experience. When I had to change plans at the last minute for the winter break (one of the busiest times to book accommodation and get around here), I couldn’t get anything in Tokyo. Everything was either too expensive or unavailable. I was able to book a hotel in Yokohama immediately and had a great time, and it was only 20 minutes away by shinkansen from Tokyo.
Margot Pope, Kiryu, Japan

Banh mi, myself and I

Paraphrasing the old nursery rhyme, “Something old, something new ...” reflects my travel highlights for 2024 and acts as a useful guide when planning my 2025 travel adventures. Last year I travelled to Vietnam for the first time (something new). There, I discovered there was more to Vietnamese food than pho and banh mi, and that Vietnam gives Melbourne a run in the coffee stakes while wandering the streets of central Hanoi – a wonderful way to spend a day. For “something old” we hit the highway for some favourite destinations closer to home. Marysville, Victoria, was stunning as usual, showing off her autumn hues, while a weekend in Kyneton, Victoria, is always full of great food, eclectic shops, and a couple of winery stops. So bring on 2025 for “something old” (Far North Queensland) and “something new” (road tripping on Victoria’s Great Alpine Road).
Jerome Otton, South Melbourne, Vic

Staying power

Linger longer at the Cinque Terre for a better experience.Credit: iStock

I truly believe a destination like Cinque Terre can live up to its lofty reputation, but only if you dare to be different. Wave goodbye to the mainstream “day trippers” and stay a while. It’s then you’ll discover quieter, more authentic villages and they’re all yours. With time on your side, you can hit the trails on foot between the five picturesque towns (as the time-poor use the train service) and you’ll pass century-old vineyards selling their wines and limoncello by the glass, as you rest along the way.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Bump ahead

On a recent flight returning to Sydney from Auckland on a well-known New Zealand Airline, as we checked in at the kiosk with our passports to obtain our boarding passes, my husband’s request was rejected. I had booked the seats four months prior and our carefully selected seats were allocated then. On inquiring, it evolved that hubby had been bumped off the flight to one that had left the night before, and his seat had been re-allocated. We had not even been informed. Furthermore, the flight was fully booked. On protest, he was offered a broken seat. Ultimately, they managed to find an unbroken seat, squeezed into a window seat down the back. No explanation has been given since, just a cursory reply from customer service, giving us absolutely no confidence that it may not happen again. Be warned.
Lindy Batterham, Fountaindale, NSW

Going troppo

I just spent a week solo in Darwin during the Christmas break. Having grown up in the northern tropics, I am of the firm belief that the wet season is the best time to travel to this region. Everything is lush and green, the storms are wild, the prices are discounted, and the bush is teeming with wildlife. Fogg Dam at 6am on Christmas morning was the highlight.
Dave Butler, South Yarra, Vic

All set

When in Rome… stay at Hotel San Francesco, a moderately priced hotel in an elegant square in the Trastevere district. Breakfast is a choice from three set menus. All come with fresh juice, and coffee served at the moment of your choice, arranged on your individual tray. Delicious and no waste. This is the only hotel out of the dozens I have stayed at which has offered this breakfast model. And as a bonus there’s a chic roof terrace for an aperitif, and half a dozen small restaurants nearby.
Janet Fitzhardinge, Redfern, 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