Spider
Dec 18, 01, 8:22 am
I was ticketed on QF-43 leaving on 8th December at 11.30am. Arriving 2 hours prior to the departure was way too early in my opinion since there were hardly any queues even at coach check-ins while biz check-ins were empty. A very friendly agent advised me that my flight was on proper QF metal on a 742 and not a Canadian 'wet lease' where some of the announcements were still made in french despite numerous protests from the pax.
It took less than 10 mins to clear the customs and security and I was off to some last minute duty free shopping. A few small (375ml) bottles of vodka and scotch was all I got since the rest of the prices seemed to be a little bit higher in comparison to the city and suburban duty free stores. After this I was off to the Qantas Club lounge which was a bit crowded due to the numerous departing flights during this time of the day. All flights were delayed as a result of the industrial action by ground staff which did not help make things any better. I was hoping to have something for breakfast but surprisingly there was only some tinned fruit there, so I took a few slices of pears since this was the only fruit available. The only other edible item were bread rolls which IMO did not go too well with fruit, so I skipped them. A very disappointing breakfast as far as I was concerned. About an hour later a platter of cheese was brought in and it was cleaned out in the matter of minutes by hungry patrons. My flight was announced 10 minutes prior to departure and since nothing was said about it being delayed then I proceeded to the gate.
My seat was 2B and for pre-flight drink I chose champagne. The flight was delayed by exactly one hour and all the time the excuse given was "incorrect paperwork", however as soon as we cleared the gate we were advised that the delay was due to the industrial action.
After about an hour into the flight the food cart arrived. We were given ham and salami with bread and a salad. After about 15 minutes the FA-s arrived to offer some more bread and since they mentioned nothing about any further food then most pax thought that that was it due to the strike by ground staff and grabbed as many bread rolls as they could. There was some serious general dissatisfaction about paying US$1000 and more for the trip and getting only bread rolls, salad and some salami and ham when all of the sudden more food arrived. Hot food was greeted with a great sigh of relief and the choices were beef, spicy chicken and (cold) salmon. I chose the chicken. For dessert there was a choice of a cheese plate or mangoe ice cream. Unfortunately the FA serving A and B seats forgot about me and after everyone else was served I was left waiting for a good 10 minutes. When I asked another FA about the dessert for row 2 then he snapped in a rather unfriendly manner but nevertheless deliverd the ordered ice cream. We landed in AKL 15 minutes late.
In Auckland I stayed at Stamford Plaza Hotel which was recommended by a friend. I had made my original booking at Rydges but was advised against it by the same friend. At Stamford I found everything superb and in order. I stayed in a suite on level 7 which had a very limited view of some water as it was surrounded by other sky-scrapers. I would rate the stay 9 out of 10 and this only due to the fact that there was no ice in my fridge for the drinks. I should also mention that on my latest credit card statement a mysterious charge of US$7.00 appeared from Stamford. Since I took nothing undeclared from the mini-bar then I have to treat this as an unauthorised transaction and have to take it up with my bank.
On Sunday morning after the breakfast I headed off to Rotorua which is about 130 miles away. The trip took a good 3 hours despite fast driving due to the road being busy and with limited overtaking facilities. At Rotorua I chose to stay at Rydges which turned out to be well below my expectations. It was on the main street alongside cheap motels and next to the racecourse. I stayed in one of their most expensive rooms on level 1 (4 levels altogether, I think) since rooms on higher levels 'were not yet ready'. Entry to the hallway leading to the rooms was through a fire door which resembled one of an old hospital. The room was quite dark and the bathroom was dirty. Apart from the spa the room resembled a better motel like say Koala motel on Oxford street in Sydney except costing twice as much. At night there were some issues with people slamming doors and other related noise. There were signs everywhere advising guests that if they take anything then it will be billed to their room. Looks like the patronage consists largely of 'souvenir takers'. It seems to me that Novotel would have been a much better choice being on the lake shore and a highrise. The trip back to Auckland on the morning of the 10th took 2 hrs 30 mins.
My flight QF-44 was scheduled to depart at 6.30pm. There were no queues anywhere whatsoever and boarding was very smooth. Upon presenting my boarding pass which said 1A to the FA I was given the warmest welcome and guided to my bed-seat in the front of the plane. The aircraft was a 744 and there was a significant difference in the cabin crew's attitude in comparison to my flight from SYD. For the pre-flight drink I chose champagne and after we took off I decided in favor of several Bloody Marys. The purser personally greeted everyone in the front cabin with a handshake and gave us the menus. Main choices were beef, chicken and fish. I opted for chicken. The flight was really enjoyable thanks to the wonderful seat which I took full adavantage of especially since I did not have to worry about reclining into anyone's lap. We arrived on time and I can confidently give 10 out of 10 to the flight crew on my flight from AKL-SYD on QF-44. I most certainly am looking forward to flying Qantas again in 1st class.
It took less than 10 mins to clear the customs and security and I was off to some last minute duty free shopping. A few small (375ml) bottles of vodka and scotch was all I got since the rest of the prices seemed to be a little bit higher in comparison to the city and suburban duty free stores. After this I was off to the Qantas Club lounge which was a bit crowded due to the numerous departing flights during this time of the day. All flights were delayed as a result of the industrial action by ground staff which did not help make things any better. I was hoping to have something for breakfast but surprisingly there was only some tinned fruit there, so I took a few slices of pears since this was the only fruit available. The only other edible item were bread rolls which IMO did not go too well with fruit, so I skipped them. A very disappointing breakfast as far as I was concerned. About an hour later a platter of cheese was brought in and it was cleaned out in the matter of minutes by hungry patrons. My flight was announced 10 minutes prior to departure and since nothing was said about it being delayed then I proceeded to the gate.
My seat was 2B and for pre-flight drink I chose champagne. The flight was delayed by exactly one hour and all the time the excuse given was "incorrect paperwork", however as soon as we cleared the gate we were advised that the delay was due to the industrial action.
After about an hour into the flight the food cart arrived. We were given ham and salami with bread and a salad. After about 15 minutes the FA-s arrived to offer some more bread and since they mentioned nothing about any further food then most pax thought that that was it due to the strike by ground staff and grabbed as many bread rolls as they could. There was some serious general dissatisfaction about paying US$1000 and more for the trip and getting only bread rolls, salad and some salami and ham when all of the sudden more food arrived. Hot food was greeted with a great sigh of relief and the choices were beef, spicy chicken and (cold) salmon. I chose the chicken. For dessert there was a choice of a cheese plate or mangoe ice cream. Unfortunately the FA serving A and B seats forgot about me and after everyone else was served I was left waiting for a good 10 minutes. When I asked another FA about the dessert for row 2 then he snapped in a rather unfriendly manner but nevertheless deliverd the ordered ice cream. We landed in AKL 15 minutes late.
In Auckland I stayed at Stamford Plaza Hotel which was recommended by a friend. I had made my original booking at Rydges but was advised against it by the same friend. At Stamford I found everything superb and in order. I stayed in a suite on level 7 which had a very limited view of some water as it was surrounded by other sky-scrapers. I would rate the stay 9 out of 10 and this only due to the fact that there was no ice in my fridge for the drinks. I should also mention that on my latest credit card statement a mysterious charge of US$7.00 appeared from Stamford. Since I took nothing undeclared from the mini-bar then I have to treat this as an unauthorised transaction and have to take it up with my bank.
On Sunday morning after the breakfast I headed off to Rotorua which is about 130 miles away. The trip took a good 3 hours despite fast driving due to the road being busy and with limited overtaking facilities. At Rotorua I chose to stay at Rydges which turned out to be well below my expectations. It was on the main street alongside cheap motels and next to the racecourse. I stayed in one of their most expensive rooms on level 1 (4 levels altogether, I think) since rooms on higher levels 'were not yet ready'. Entry to the hallway leading to the rooms was through a fire door which resembled one of an old hospital. The room was quite dark and the bathroom was dirty. Apart from the spa the room resembled a better motel like say Koala motel on Oxford street in Sydney except costing twice as much. At night there were some issues with people slamming doors and other related noise. There were signs everywhere advising guests that if they take anything then it will be billed to their room. Looks like the patronage consists largely of 'souvenir takers'. It seems to me that Novotel would have been a much better choice being on the lake shore and a highrise. The trip back to Auckland on the morning of the 10th took 2 hrs 30 mins.
My flight QF-44 was scheduled to depart at 6.30pm. There were no queues anywhere whatsoever and boarding was very smooth. Upon presenting my boarding pass which said 1A to the FA I was given the warmest welcome and guided to my bed-seat in the front of the plane. The aircraft was a 744 and there was a significant difference in the cabin crew's attitude in comparison to my flight from SYD. For the pre-flight drink I chose champagne and after we took off I decided in favor of several Bloody Marys. The purser personally greeted everyone in the front cabin with a handshake and gave us the menus. Main choices were beef, chicken and fish. I opted for chicken. The flight was really enjoyable thanks to the wonderful seat which I took full adavantage of especially since I did not have to worry about reclining into anyone's lap. We arrived on time and I can confidently give 10 out of 10 to the flight crew on my flight from AKL-SYD on QF-44. I most certainly am looking forward to flying Qantas again in 1st class.