Traveller Letters: Add Uber rank mayhem to Sydney Airport’s problems

Steps too far

I have read the recent letters about the dramas at Sydney Airport for international arrivals but didn’t believe how bad it was. Arriving at 7am on Saturday morning to be met with a sea of people that threatened to crush me as I tried to get my “step one” card. After 40 minutes in queues, I entered “step two” to find another sea of people, standing confused in the line again. Noticing a staff member, I asked, “Surely we don’t have to queue again?” He pointed to an unmarked lane and said, “go through there”. What used to take 20 minutes at most took an hour, and then I had to deal with the Uber rank debacle.
Chris Ryan, Camperdown, NSW

It was a debacle at the new Uber rank at the International Terminal.Credit: Nick Moir

For what it’s Worth

I just got back from the US and I didn’t even need to use my passport. I was through the flawlessly efficient Dallas Fort Worth Airport within minutes and you don’t even need to show your passport upon entry as they just use facial recognition. And you don’t need to go through immigration on departing the US either, just facial recognition at the gate. Then I arrived back in Melbourne to fill in the ludicrous arrival card followed by a total scrum for the passport kiosk machines. Australia deserves better. Why do we accept the shambles of our airports and the continued incompetence of Border Force? When will the government do something about it?
Simon Benedict, Moonee Ponds, Vic

Letter of the week: Poor model

Model behaviour?Credit: Alamy

I arrived at Beijing airport in good time for an 00:12 flight to Istanbul, only for the Turkish Airlines desk to brusquely inform me that I was not in their system. I was forced, on the spot, to buy a new ticket for that sector, or they would not let me fly. But for the assistance of other Star Alliance partners, I was in danger of being classified a no-show on the Turkish sectors and, as a result, forfeiting the rest of my onward flights. The only way to complain at that time was to submit a “customer feedback form”. After much to and fro, Turkish finally admitted in writing that the incident was due to a systems breakdown that night. Even so, I have still not been recompensed for what is in effect a double payment. In desperation, I visited the airline’s Sydney office where I was given a model aeroplane and encouraged to negotiate. A few days ago, I received the following: “Our customer relations team will not be able to offer compensation as the ticket was not issued as part of Turkish Airlines stock number”.
David Mabberley, Mount Victoria, NSW

Just genes

Tim Richards’ article about sending postcards (Traveller, September 21) is so true. I have found a stash of old postcards, mostly to my mother, born in Sydney in 1907. Her father sent a card from every town he visited as a bookseller and her Uncle Fred sent cards from France and England during World War I. Her Aunt Vera sent cards from every place she travelled to including Egypt and Palestine in the 1920s. Is the travel bug genetic, as I have it too?
Ainslie Morris, South Durras, NSW

Tall story

Being a somewhat vertically challenged senior female, I always station myself in a quiet gap by the luggage carousel at airports. Invariably, groups of taller, younger passengers choose to stand right in front of me and obscure my vision. Should I seek therapy to deal with the murderous fury this behaviour engenders in me after a long flight, or should I celebrate my new superpower of invisibility?
Vikki O’Neill, Ashburton, Vic

Short answer

Your correspondent mentions that there are limited options mid-week for a short break (Rants + raves, September 28). In regional areas it’s simply not feasible to operate seven days a week with limited staffing options, so opening hours tend to skew towards peak weekend times. That said, in our neck of the woods there are fine dining options every night of the week (pop into the Visitor Information Centre for a handy guide on where to go on a particular night) with a cheeky visit to some of the wineries in the day.
Zalan Filip, Rutherglen, Vic

Taking a strand

My wife and I enjoyed the story by Christine Retschlag (Traveller, September 14) about the shell necklaces of Malaita Island in the Solomons. We lived for some years in the Solomons in the 1960s and had a good relationship with a Malaita man who worked for us as a cook. So much so that when we finally left, he generously presented us with a Tavula (multiple strands arranged in a harness that fits over the shoulders), which contains seven metres of shell strands. He was not married at that stage but was prepared to reward us for our time together with a gift sufficient to have been a dowry offering, as its value would be about $753, as quoted by your writer.
Mike Foale, Maleny, Qld

What a pane

I paid full price for business class travel with Qatar Airways in April, and I can confirm that Qatar does indulge in price gouging in demanding that you pay extra for window seats. I am travelling in 2025, and will be doing so with Singapore Airlines.
Margaret McMullan, Box Hill, Vic

Blinded by the lite

I refer to the “Shining a Lite” letter from Jeanette Mollenhauer (Traveller Letters, September 28) and can report that “lite” fares apply equally to European rail travel. I purchased a Trainline Europe first class ticket, Vienna to Munich. At the Vienna railway station, I realised I did not have a seat allocation. I went to the lounge with my ticket and was advised I had a lite ticket with no lounge access and no seat allocation for the three-hour plus trip. So be aware that all first class tickets may not be the same.
Laurie Dunn, Albury, NSW

Pointed thought

Everyone knows that commercial aviation is an immense contributor to atmospheric pollution. Could we start a new loyalty scheme where people are rewarded for not flying? People could earn “infrequent flyer points”.
Dennis O’Hara, Wanniassa, ACT

Tip of the week: Capitol gain

The Capitol, Washington DC can be viewed on a self-guided tour.Credit: Getty Images

Your columnist, Michael “The Tripologist” Gebicki, was asked for his advice with tours of Washington DC (Traveller, September 29). I would suggest that the reader also looks into the free self-guided public tours of the White House. It is a relatively simple procedure, though it may initially appear daunting, and is well worth doing. You get to go through some of the main rooms of perhaps the world’s most historic property. I still remember my excitement when receiving the invitation from the president and first lady while sitting at my computer. The free tour of the Capitol building is also not to be missed.
Neale Meagher, Malvern, Vic

Who you gonna tell?

Ben Groundwater thinks that the federal government’s Smartraveller.gov.au site has improved a lot these days (Traveller, October 6), but he doesn’t explain how that can be when it has done away with the ability to register individual travel details. I always thought it was prudent to tell my government where I was going and when, lest a war or natural disaster or similar crisis unfolds. But since it is no longer interested in knowing, I can only assume the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was never going to come looking for me anyway. In any event, some explanation as to why the travel plan register was abolished, and how that apparently constitutes an improvement to ensuring safe overseas travel for Australians, would have been a more useful inclusion in Mr Groundwater’s piece than what he did on his 21st birthday.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

No balcony scene

We took a small cruise ship trip last year from Glasgow to the Scottish islands and into the Arctic including Norway. We decided to book a cabin without a balcony (much cheaper). With no balcony, we had a lovely day bed next to the huge window. As the weather was sunny but very cold, we could use many outdoor decks at our leisure. That decision saved us a lot of money with no regrets.
Peter Evans, Apollo Bay, Vic

Bula, suckers

Beware of extra bank and issuer charges at Fiji’s ATMs.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Fiji holds many delights for tourists: a credit card surcharge is not one of them. Resorts, shops, tour operators and restaurants welcome cash, which tourists can find in local ATMs – but beware. We used the ATM in our hotel to get the cash to pay for a taxi to the airport. Fine, except for the $FJ10 ($6.60) surcharge whacked on by the ATM provider in addition to any bank fees payable. In terms of credit cards, there may be Fiji bank rules that necessitate card fees, but be prepared for a good 3 or even 4 per cent surcharge on your purchase, plus any fees from your own bank. Over a week’s holiday, it can add up to a considerable sum. We ought to have heeded advice we got before our trip; load up with Fijian dollars before you leave Australia. Use up any remaining cash on your resort bill or have fun in duty free seeing how close you can get to spending it all. The remainder can go in the charity bin at the airport.
William Turner, Port Macquarie, NSW

Lane ways

In addition to Ben Groundwater’s 10 Aspects of Italian life and culture we should adopt (Traveller on Sunday, September 29), I’d add patience when driving. On a recent trip to Sicily, I loved the way drivers in the narrow one-way streets would wait patiently while the car in front of them stopped to let a passenger out, or park into the side of the roadway to make a small purchase from a nearby shop, allowing only just enough room for a car to squeeze through. No yelling or horn tooting, just silent understanding.
Diane Maddison, Parkdale, Vic

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