Traveller Letters: If you think Qantas is bad, try flying this airline

DEPRESSED TURKEY

One Traveller reader was deeply unhappy with his British Airways business class experience.

Further to the “bad business” correspondence, nothing can beat British Airways business for bad. Months ago we flew Sydney-London-Sydney on BA. Good price, but our agent couldn’t do seating for the Sydney-Singapore leg. We did it ourselves, discovering that we had to pay hundreds for the two remaining seats, where they had managed to cram the restrictive fore and aft seating aboard its Dreamliner aircraft. I was jammed in the middle of three climbing over others with little more width than economy and no convenient storage, other than an unreachable drawer housing the headphones. The final straw was breakfast on the return to Sydney: a dry roll with pressed turkey and something that was supposed to be scrambled egg. The flight attendant said: “That wasn’t a hit was it” on seeing the uneaten scraps, adding, “I hate to think what they’re getting down the back.” Never again!
David Wakeley, Ryde, NSW

BUBBLES TROUBLES

I agree with Simon Benedict’s assessment of Qantas Business Class (Traveller Letters, April 15). On a recent overnight flight from Singapore to Melbourne, I declined the boarding glass of champagne but was offered no alternative. At breakfast, scheduled for an hour before landing, with my muesli I could choose juice or a hot drink, but not both and no refills. Really? It made me wonder what was served in economy class. Bread and water?
Ros Shennan, Mentone, Vic

PLANE DISGUSTING

We recently flew from Los Angeles to Sydney business class with Qantas. One toilet was decommissioned and the other was so dirty. Urine was on the loo seat and all over the floor mid-flight with the small bin overflowing as well. It made holding on until landing a good option. Why can’t people clean up after themselves? There is a tiny message suggesting it. Maybe airlines could have disinfectant wipes to use in the loo instead of hand cream?
Kimerley Brown, Bowral, NSW

GROUND CONTROL

A recent trip planned for Lord Howe Island some three years ago was an anxious time for myself and family as the departure day approached. Over that time, my wife’s mobility had declined significantly and boarding the plane was a concern. Prior contact with Qantas gave the assurance there would be no problem – and there wasn’t. A wheelchair and caring ground staff ensured a painless passage through security and onto the plane for both departures and arrivals. A big thank you to Qantas staff for their efforts.
Peter Dowling, Orange, NSW

LETTER OF THE WEEK: FILLING A KNEAD

The green fields below Gdas Bali Health and Wellness resort, Ubud.

As I pack my bags for yet another trip to Bali, I’m delighted to read all about the island of the Gods’ burgeoning wellness industry (Traveller, April 15). Penny Watson’s story paints a picture of blissful spa treatments in spectacular settings. Designed to not only restore, rejuvenate and relax, Bali’s wellness retreats are all about building connections between mind, body and soul. No longer considered a luxury, these heavenly pampering sessions are as much about your mental health as they are about making you feel good. Add in breathtaking locations, the most delicious and nourishing food and prices to suit all budgets, it’s no wonder that Bali provides a healing sanctuary like no other. I can’t wait to book a wellness treatment or two. I may just never come home.
Jann Burmester, Byron Bay, NSW

NOT SO REVOLTING

Having spent the last two weeks in Paris and Bordeaux, we have witnessed some marching down the avenues and had our route redirected once. Apart from that, it has been enjoyment-plus as we’ve visited museums, chateaux and mingled with the locals. It’s business and pleasure as usual, here in France.
Glenn McLeod, Ascot Vale, Vic

SQUEEZED OUT

After my passport my next essential travel item is a tube of Vegemite. Sadly it appears that this item has disappeared from supermarket shelves and is also unavailable online. Plenty of glass jars of variable sizes, but these are unnecessarily heavy and I dropped the last one I had on a Sri Lankan tiled floor. Please bring back this Aussie icon. It turns a baguette or slice of bread into breakfast and has many cooking applications.
Eric Sekula, Turramurra, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE Traveller contacted the Bega Group, manufacturers of Vegemite, and it seems the yellow travel-friendly tube of the famed spread has indeed been replaced by a “squeezy” bottle, introduced in 2020, which Bega says still makes for the “perfect travel companion”. Spread the word.

JUST MASK

Thank goodness that the Japanese are taking their approach to COVID-19 so seriously (Traveller, April 8). Having just reopened, they want to ensure it stays that way. As well as the measures mentioned by Ben Groundwater in his article on onsens, other things appear at every turn that are surprising and clever. Most Japanese wear masks; the non-mask wearers are the visitors. There are clear plastic curtains to separate taxi drivers from passengers, pedal-operated sanitiser pumps everywhere, and cafes have clear perspex screens at each table to separate customers. And make sure you register at Visit Japan Web before you go, or you’ll be doing it when you land.
Margot Pope, Lewisham, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE Those entering Japan on or after May 8, according to the Japanese Embassy in Australia, will not be required to present a valid vaccination certificate or pre-departure inspection certificate. For further details, please visit mhlw.go.jp

WINGING IT

We are not opera buffs but we went to see Madama Butterfly at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour recently. Wow. We arrived early and ate at one of the pop-up bars and restaurants which sit beneath twinkling, fairy lights. Listening to an opera outdoors with the Harbour, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House in the background was magical. The Opera itself was amazing – a tragic story sung in Italian but with English subtitles. The tickets were affordable with ours costing $81. An extraordinary experience.
Leonie Jarrett, Hawthorn East, Vic

TIP OF THE WEEK: PEAK VIEWING

In late 2022, like many Australians, we decided to travel to scenic New Zealand. By far, my favourite destination was the national park and the walking trails surrounding Mt Ruapehu which rises to 2797 metres. The winter ski area of Whakapapa was a wet, cold and foggy whiteout when we arrived for the summer season but over four days the weather improved and we were treated to fantastic walking in beautiful forests and fabulous views of Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe (the Mt Doom of Lord of the Rings fame), Mt Tongariro and with Mt Taranaki poking out above the cloudline some 97 kilometres away. We didn’t attempt the Tongariro Crossing but could have spent at least another week walking around this glorious part of the world. I’m sure it’s a great place to ski in winter but it’s equally fantastic as a place to hike and enjoy in summer.
Vicki Copping, Oatley, NSW

LOW RENT

Renting a car from Avis in the UK should come with a big caution. We booked a car for August to find we accidentally paid in advance. We immediately cancelled and rebooked. Months later we are still waiting for a refund with no response or recourse to effectively complain. After a lifetime of using Avis, never again.
Ralph Hanson, Broughton Vale, Vic

NAH TO NARITA

Beware of travelling to Japan at the moment as they ramp up to the huge volume of tourists returning after COVID. Our JAL flight arrived at Narita at 4 pm, and as soon as we disembarked they put a barrier across the passageway and held us there for two hours. There was no communication and people got really upset and agitated. Eventually they let us into the immigration hall and that took another two hours. That ended up being a total of four hours to exit the airport. It would really make me think about returning to Japan, at least in the short term.
David Allen, Neutral Bay, NSW

STRAIT TO THE POINT

My wife and I along with our two children 12 and 16 have just returned from a week in Tasmania. Our two children loved Tassie and are looking forward to our next trip. We caught the Spirit of Tasmania and while it was a long trip across the Bass Strait we were able to take our car and brought so many things back that you could not do on a plane. A couple of must visit places are the beautiful Coles Beach, Devonport where we spotted over 100 crabs, Avenue Records in Launceston, where we bought some rare vinyl at reasonable prices and Ross Bakery Inn which not only the best vanilla slices in Australia there’s link between this tiny littles bakery and the inspiration to Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Antony Hoogenboom, Chirnside Park, Vic

RUNNING ON EMPTY

Recently we travelled by car from Beaune in France to the Swiss border on the backroads and villages of the Jura. We left Beaune with fuel on a quarter of a tank of petrol expecting to refill enroute. We stopped three times, finding only self-service pumps taking no cash and declining our Australian credit and debit cards, which we had no problem using everywhere else for everything. In the end, after a nail biting trip, we reached the Swiss border and the first Swiss station pumps took cash and every card imaginable and instructions in all languages. We had a similar experience a previous year in France but fortunately on an autoroute where there was a cashier who was able to arrange our needs. We’re not sure if this only happens with Australian credit and debit cards but be warned.
Grant Clementson, Byron Bay, NSW

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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