Qantas not giving you a refund? Do what I did

Legroom for improvement

In relation to the letter from Duff Watkins about Qantas refusing to refund a non-supplied upgrade fee (Traveller Letters, January 18), five months ago, I had similarly paid for extra legroom seats on a domestic Qantas flight and I received an email confirmation. But at baggage check-in we were allocated different seats for “operational reasons”. The check-in clerk, the senior flight attendant on the flight and Qantas ground staff at our arrival airport all assured me that the refund would be automatically applied to the credit-card account used for the purchase. One month later there was nothing from Qantas, so I began calling Qantas.

One reader paid for extra legroom seats but was moved to a different seat upon check in.

Despite numerous reassurances and supplying boarding passes and a copy of the confirmation email, nothing eventuated. I then reported it to my credit-card provider bank. One month later the fees were credited back to my account. The moral of the story? Go straight to your credit-card provider. Don’t trust Qantas to do anything.
Paul Wylie, Wahroonga, NSW

Letter of the week: Father and son

Silver ossuary (chest) with a gold wreath of oak leave found in the tomb of Philip.Credit: Alamy

Your feature on Thessaloniki (Traveller, January 18) left out one of the best things to do there: a day-trip to Aigai, the site of Philip’s tomb, just under one hour’s drive south-west of the Greek city. Philip was the King of Macedon (buried in 336BC) and the father of Alexander the Great. His untouched tomb and others were excavated and finally opened in 1997. His tomb is beautifully presented, as the Greeks do so well. You can see the treasures found there including his golden wreath crown, his superb suit of armour, his funeral articles and other fabulous items.

Also under the tumulus [a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves] are other tombs including a tomb with similar treasures, such as the golden crown of Alexander’s son who was murdered by a usurper. Nearby sites include the ruins of the palace and the theatre where Philip was murdered and a museum. Another superb one is at Thessaloniki, one block up from the White Tower.
Elaine Hoyle, Avalon Beach, NSW

On a roll

In response to Lee Tulloch’s column on “packing hacks” (Traveller, January 21), the last time I travelled overseas I was proud of the amount I packed. Rolling clothes, using packing cubes and everything snugly fitting into a relatively small backpack on wheels. However, having a penchant for the odd bit of shopping, it left absolutely no room for a few purchases. I then ended up looking like the travelling bag lady. So next time it’ll either be fewer clothes or a bigger case to have room for that odd purchase, which, by the way, is always a gift for someone (nudge, nudge).
Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay, NSW

Ins and outs I

I sympathise with Ray Gilmour’s frustration (Traveller Letters, January 18) at the widely varying security requirements in different airports of what to do with shoes, belts, laptops, watches, tablets and the like when going through security. I may be wrong, but I think this is down to the different levels of X-ray and scanner technology being used. Some newer and more powerful machines can cope with laptops left inside bags for example, while older models would still see that as a solid blank rectangle that needs separate checking. I have caused an alert in some airports (metal plate in one foot) but not in others. It seems unlikely that all airports worldwide will ever be equipped exactly the same, unfortunately.
Melinda Dawson, Bairnsdale, Vic

Ins out outs II

As I understand, all Australian airports have been told by CASA to upgrade their scanning machines but it’s a slow rollout. So in Brisbane it’s laptops out, in Sydney it is laptops in, and in Melbourne it could be anything as they undergo extensive terminal renovations and upgrades.
Jo Lees, Rockdale, NSW

Editor’s note: the rollout of new scanners at Australia’s major airports has been long delayed. Traveller has written about the issue several times, most recently in November.

Emissions omission

Your review of Etihad’s “hotel in the sky” business class flight (Traveller, January 21) between Sydney to Abu Dhabi seemed fair enough, except for the section on sustainability. Etihad may have been twice named “Environmental airline of the year” but in an extremely polluting industry [from a global warming standpoint] it’s not much of an accolade.
Gerard Sullivan, Camperdown, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE We’ve since added more detail to the sustainability section of the online version of the review in question. We also link (from every flight review) to the International Air Transport Association’s page on sustainability, which answers common questions and has a calculator that allows passengers to see the carbon emissions on particular flights. See iata.org

Open and shut case

It can be quite frustrating when some people who are waiting for their luggage at the airport arrivals carousel crowd right up to the conveyor belt, making it difficult for more considerate individuals to pick up their bags. Some overseas airports have a repeating message over the PA system asking all passengers to wait behind the coloured line, which is usually at least a metre back from the carousel. And I have found most people comply. What’s the problem with introducing this at Melbourne Airport?
Graeme Daniels, Balwyn North, Vic

Food glorious food

I was lucky enough to dine at two exceptional restaurants in south-east France (Traveller, January 23) in September, 2024. Lunch at Philippe Bouvard’s restaurant at Balanod, was classily casual and the food superb. An evening meal at La Huchette, with one Michelin star, at Replonges, consisted of three substantial courses interspersed with seven “amuse bouche” items of one or two tasty mouthfuls. Extraordinary homemade bread was also served, along with special wines with every course. On a Thursday night, La Huchette, in the middle of nowhere, was full, and we were there for five hours, savouring every mouthful.
Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights, NSW

Tip of the week: Best of loch

On the road in Scotland.Credit: iStock

I highly recommend Scotland as a fabulous place to visit. This ancient land is full of fascinating things to see with airlines that fly direct to Glasgow or Edinburgh, thus avoiding the huge English airports. Allow a week in Edinburgh and a week in Glasgow. Then spend another week travelling the highlands and islands with small touring companies covering different routes. There are also day trips from both cities covering interesting areas. The proud Scottish folk are friendly, helpful and cheeky. The food is good and well priced with the high teas not to be missed. Summer months are to be avoided, if possible, because of high accommodation prices and crowds. My friends and I had a wonderful time and would love to return.
Annette Short, Briagolong, Vic

Take a sticky

The Murtoa Stick Shed.Credit: Vince Caligiuri

I loved Brian Johnston’s Australian story (Traveller, January 17) showcasing less obvious Aussie objects still well worth visiting. I would add The Stick Shed in Murtoa, Victoria. Standing inside it is truly eerie, like being in a bush cathedral. While this is definitely an outsized building rather than a small object, it feels like a treasure that is both ordinary and unique. It is the only remaining emergency grain store built during World War II. And the bonus? It is near the Silo Art Trail.
Anne Markovec, Middle Park, Vic

Gang’s all here

Anthony Dennis, you don’t need to regret bypassing Glenrowan, Victoria (Traveller, January 19) which has no genuine Kelly memorabilia. The town you should visit is Benalla, 24 kilometres to the south. The Costume and Kelly Museum is a gem. The Ned Kelly display includes his 1870s green silk sash which he wore at the Siege of Glenrowan, an accurate replica of Joe Byrne’s armour, a police cell in which Ned Kelly was once held, and much more. Readers, take the turn-off to Benalla next time you travel the Hume Highway.
Jenny Monger, Benalla, Vic

Dearest diary

Extend your trip by years and keep a diary. I have a collection encompassing 25 years of diaries and representative photo albums. Old-fashioned, yes, but it’s a source of great enjoyment in re-reading. My travels began at retirement, mostly alone, including Asia, East and West Europe, Scandinavia and Canada. Each 10-hour day ended with a two-page diary entry which still reminds me of interesting fellow travellers, funny incidents and fabulous places. No entries about what I had for breakfast. I’m still in touch with some who were companions for a day or so. I’ve made return visits to some, and they’ve been my guests here. All trips with Lonely Planet in the pack.
Irene Charles, Mornington, Vic

Farm grate

Travelling through France last November we were keen to do the often-recommended local market shopping, particularly after time in Paris where strawberries were $13 a punnet at the (albeit very nice) local grocer. After two weeks’ travel where we had never needed cash we arrived unprepared for an Aix-en-Provence farmers market where €10-20 was the minimum card spend. Problematic if your goal is to save money, and you only want €3 worth of produce from each vendor. Cursing our naivety and wandering off to find an ATM, we stumbled upon a retail fruit and vegetable shop. Prices were well below that of the market, produce was fresh and appealing, owners were wonderfully friendly and there was no issue with card payment. This experience was repeated throughout the rest of our trip. It is safe to say I now consider the much-touted farmers market experience to be seriously overrated.
Leeann Abbott, Warrnambool, VIC

Go local

On our recent trip to Malta, my wife and I were encouraged by the tourist office to use the island’s hop-on, hop-off bus. While this may be a good way to see the island, the length of the trip means you really only have time to get off once and hope that you can get back on the crowded buses. I would suggest researching where you would like to go and, for a fraction of the cost, catching a local bus to your destination.
Peter Miniutti, Ashbury, 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