Qantas has been criticized for outsourcing its baggage handling services during the pandemic. Photo: Phil Carrick
JOYCE’S CHOICE
Traveling recently at night on a very late and late Virgin Australia arrival from Melbourne, I encountered several baggage handlers on the shuttle to the car park who may have explained to me one of the reasons why the luggage is a problem. They all worked for Qantas and lost their jobs. All were reoccupied by [the aviation services company] Swissport after a period without work, although some received Jobkeeper. They had nothing good to say about disloyalty and lost profits and more. Has Alan Joyce plucked his golden goose?
Paul Gerrard, Kellyville, NSW
HARD SALE
If Qantas wants to up its game, it should stop flogging wine, insurance, healthcare and god knows what else and just focus on the air travel business.
John Swanton, Coogee, NSW
LETTER OF THE WEEK
GONE IN 60 SECONDS
Sue Williams’ article ‘the art of outsmarting scammers’ (Traveller, 9 July) was an excellent reminder of the difficulties Australian travelers can face overseas. When my wife and I were boarding a train from Lisbon to Porto, Portugal, I was struggling to lift two heavy suitcases onto the train when a man offered to help me. A minute later the train pulled away and I put the cases on a rack and we found our seats. That’s when I realized my wallet was gone. I thought it must have fallen on the floor of the train, but eventually I realized it had been stolen. The driver’s assistant said he saw two male suspects run away as the train pulled away. By the time the train arrived in Porto a few hours later, the thieves had used my credit card and cash card with a considerable amount of cash missing that was also in my wallet. We went to the tourist police in Porto the next morning but it was a waste of time. Tourists being robbed at train stations is a regular occurrence and our travel insurance company refused to accept my claim because I wasn’t vigilant enough. A lesson learned.
John Aarons, Brighton East, VIC
WARRIOR OF THE TOMB
I disagree with your Buenos Aires guide’s choice of Recoleta as the only cemetery to visit. To visit Evita’s tomb, yes, but if you want to pay tribute to Carlos Gardel, the “king of tango”, you must visit the Chacarita cemetery. A train or bus ride from central Buenos Aires takes between 30 and 40 minutes. Then it takes 10 minutes to find the grave and the statue of the great man. When we were there someone had put a carnation in her dress and a lit cigarette in her hand. It was worth the time to pay tribute.
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Robert Pallister, Punchbowl, NSW
SUCCESS OF THE NIGHT
Regarding Ray Ward’s comments (Traveler Letters, July 9) regarding his stay at the Fiumicino Airport Hilton in Rome, we encountered the same problem of an early morning flight and chose to stay in the same city of Fiumicino. We were picked up by a free shuttle from the airport station to our accommodation. Fiumicino is a city seemingly devoid of architectural merit, but with no shortage of cafes and restaurants. We spent an afternoon walking around the village, along the promenade and along the canals of the village where the fishermen sold their catch. Later we had pizza in a small cafe before returning to our accommodation. The next morning we were shuttled back to the airport in time for check-in. It was an interesting and quite different way to spend our last night in Italy and cost less than half of the airport hotel.
Dawn Lumley, Fitzroy, VIC
I am sorry that Ray Ward is disappointed with the Fiumicino Airport Hotel. Our experience, admittedly not so recent, was quite the opposite. Efficient and comfortable, our stay there was exactly what we needed for an outing the next day.
Graham Hannaford, Ainslie, ACT
My wife and I recently returned from our third tour of Italy, this time mainly in the Southwest. Like Ray Ward, we too took an early morning flight from Rome Airport (Rome-Doha-Melbourne) and as always chose to stay at the Best Western, Rome. The hotel is easily accessible from the airport with a bus service, even for early flights. The hotel itself is clean and modern, the staff are friendly and helpful and the restaurant offers good food and wine at very reasonable prices.
Brad Downs, Bairnsdale, Vic
My only stay at an airport hotel was wonderful. Our flight from Johannesburg was delayed overnight and we were transferred to the Southern Sun Airport Hotel at midnight. The dining room was kept open for us and the next day we enjoyed a mixture of South African delights for breakfast, tea and lunch. The direct train to Sandton City Mall was an added bonus for last minute shopping.
Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW
REQUEST
Well done, Lee Tulloch, for pointing out the ageism and misguided assumptions in the travel industry about older travelers (Traveller, July 9). Consider also for single older travelers. Travel articles and advertising put a lot of emphasis on couples, but among the over-50s there are plenty of paid singles who would appreciate the recognition that they exist and have particular accommodation needs. Articles, advertising, and photographs almost invariably promote king-size beds and “romantic getaways.” Older singles usually only need a double bed at most, and singles traveling together appreciate double rooms where the beds are not so close together that they might as well be doubles.
Liz Edwards, Orange, NSW
TIP OF THE WEEK
MAPPING STREET
We are in the middle of a 10 week trip to Norway and Iceland. An app called Maps.me has transformed our travels. It is a free app, so you can download different countries and use it offline. It has detailed information including hotels, ATMs, gas stations, tourist spots and grocery stores. The app offers options for driving, walking and other transport routes and estimated times. It has helped us hike the highest mountains of the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway with most hiking trails and parking spots marked and the ability to track your progress. Essential for the traveller.
Jenni Davidson, Balmain, NSW
BETTER
Ute Junker, in his story on free attractions and experiences around the world (Traveller, July 10), may not have heard of the International Greeter Association (internationalgreeter.org). Visitors to 130 destinations (including Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane here in Australia) can meet a local Greeter for a free walking tour to explore the greeter’s hometown. They will discover places known only to locals and get an inside perspective from someone who lives there. It’s a great introduction to the city you’re visiting without any expense.
Joanne Karcz, Dangar Island, NSW
SET THE “FREE” AT LIBERTY
Another great free experience to add to the list is Boston’s Freedom Trail. This self-guided walking tour will take you through 16 of Boston’s most important historic sites. There are organized tours for a small fee, but it’s easy walking and there is information at each site to read. There are also wheelchair accessible routes. The website (thefreedomtrail.org) has many resources to help you prepare for your visit. I lived in Boston for eight years and this was my favorite activity to visit friends and family and it was always a big hit.
Kay Hartman, Willoughby, NSW
LOW BALI
I recently flew to Bali for a relaxing break that was expected, but the Bali airport was haunted with queues and chaos. First there is a long queue to show the vaccination certificate. Australians then have to queue again to pay $35 for a visa – a fee recently reinstated by the Indonesian authorities – with huge queues at immigration. My advice is to stay calm because even though the process took almost two hours, I also had to wait for my bag before facing the fourth line to go through customs. It’s a shame because the Balinese people really need our support at the moment and are being let down by their airport.
Simon Benedict, Docklands, Vic
ROAST
I recently returned from a trip to Alice Springs where I had booked a rental car 12 months ago. The day before I was due to collect the car, I received an email confirming my booking. Upon closer inspection, I fortunately realized that the charges had increased by 50 percent. After a phone call, adjustments were made to credit the original charge. Even with this modification to the car rental fee, it turned out to be an expensive trip to visit the Red Center, but the beauty and magic of it was compelling. I can’t wait to go back.
Jane Buckingham, Apollo Bay, Vic
CONDITIONS APPLY
We recently rented a car in Italy through the aggregator rentalcars.com. When renting, pick up was clearly in Rome and drop off in Naples. Be careful because in all the terms and conditions there was a clause saying that the used car company (Locauto) can effectively charge you whatever they like as a delivery fee, although we thought this was covered by the collection and delivery nomination. switched off. Finally, my credit card was charged an additional €100 or so.
Vince Vozzo, Blairgowrie, Vic
FREE ADVICE
One of your recent Traveler articles mentioned that Australians don’t understand the US “tipping culture”. As an explanation when traveling to the US, it’s important to note that service staff such as waiters and baristas, unlike here in Australia, are not paid a living wage. Americans doing the same jobs are paid such a pittance that they are completely dependent on the generosity of patrons’ tips.
John B. Quinn, Solicitor, Vic
WRITE TO US AND WIN
Letter writer of the week wins Hardie Grant travel books worth over $100. For July, it includes Vantastic by Kate Ulman; Great World Wonders by Michael Turtle; and Ultimate Weekends Australia by Emma Shaw.
See hardiegrant.com
The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three great Lonely Planet travel books,…