I do so agree with Pip Valder (Traveller letters,June 30) about informing passengers of inflight meal service times. What also needs to be added is a polite reminder that seats need to be upright during meal service for the comfort of all passengers. Recently,I travelled to Spain and back with Emirates on a deal where you get premium economy on the longer leg and economy from Dubai to Madrid. The premium economy flight was very enjoyable,the economy sector not so great. The person in front of me often went to sleep immediately,tilted right back,and stayed asleep the whole way (I wish I could sleep on planes like that). However,on one economy (cramped) leg when the meal service arrived,the flight attendant would not ask the passenger to put their seat upright and suggested I should wake them myself. I was not impressed,and it was an uncomfortable meal indeed.
Tatiana Podmore,Cremorne,NSW
Meat in the sandwich
Buyer beware. Purchasing Travel Insurance Direct’s “The Works” policy is the equivalent of buying a burger with “The Lot” only to discover there is no meat patty. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the airport to find my international flight was cancelled indefinitely and my The Works travel insurance did not cover flight cancellation due to mechanical breakdown. If a policy is marketed as providing cancellation cover,a reasonable person would expect it to protect purchasers against financial losses (like prepaid hotel expenses) that occur as a consequence of aircraft breakdown or maintenance,given the regularity of this occurring. However,this exclusion is buried in the fine print,below unlikely events such as complications from a clinical trial or nuclear fallout. Clearly reading the exclusions from bottom to top is required in future.
Lauren O’Brien,Coogee,NSW
Lost in space
Ninety per cent of the time over the past 10 to 15 years I have been able to travel with carry-on luggage,much to the admiration of my family and friends. Jenny Latimer’s letter (Traveller letters,July 8) generated lost luggage envy for both the service she received and the retrieval time. I arrived back from Vancouver via Fiji Airways two weeks ago and,on arrival,it was announced that 149 pieces of luggage had not made the flight. However,by contrast,there was no offer of immediate spending money,no property irregularity report number provided (not necessary,said the person at the desk) and no follow-up contact details provided. There has been no answer to any of the phone numbers listed for Fiji Airways luggage issues either in Sydney or in Fiji. It seems that my bag is continuing to have its own holiday – I just wish I knew where and for how long.
Gwen Higgins,Rozelle,NSW
Nostalgia trip
From Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) to London.Credit:Alamy
In these days of getting from A to B in the fastest and least painful way,I thought you may be interested in my first-ever plane trip aboard a Central African Airways Vickers Viking made in 1956 from Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) to London when I was six months old. The journey was carefully recorded by my father,who was working as an agricultural officer in Northern Rhodesia. Day one:Lusaka Zambia then Northern Rhodesia to Entebbe for lunch then to Nairobi for the night. Day two:Nairobi to Khartoum for lunch and then Wadi Halfa (Egypt) for the night. Day three:Wadi Halfa to Benghazi for lunch and Malta for the night. Day four:Malta to Nice for lunch and on to London. I spent the trip perched precariously atop a carry-cot packed to the brim by my mother with items she considered far more useful than a baby.
Amanda Jennings,Bellingen,NSW
Clamber alert
Our flights were Sydney to Dubai then London and then Paris to Dubai with a transfer to Abu Dhabi. A pickup and transfer back to Dubai to fly home was when the whole excellent business class trip fell apart. The plane was a 777 with a 2-3-2 business configuration. It was an overnight 13-hour flight,crowded with travellers all trying to chaotically swap seats in the cabin. The whole point of business class is not having to climb over someone to use the bathroom. It all felt cramped and unpleasant – nowhere near the really terrific A380 experiences we had previously enjoyed.
Annie McCarthy,Austinmer,NSW