27th June 2019
TL117 MCV-DRW
1900-2020
Air North E170
Seat 7B



This was my ticket out of Borroloola however having never taken the flight before I stuffed up and missed out on the executive lounge (namely, a freezer full of pies and sausage rolls you’re supposed to heat up and eat. Instead I went straight through security to departures and made the most of the fact that the mine has proper 4G




The flight itself is actually a mine charter but 5 seats are made available for sale to the general public- I believe this number includes seats available to the NT government for various purposes but apparently more seats are able to be opened up by the government if required


Thursday is the main shift change day so the flight is usually rammed and it was a minor miracle that I was able to get on at all. That said we ultimately left with empty seats

My driver was breatho-d driving into the mine. It is a dry site and blowing positive results in a ban



“Give way to road trains”

However the flight was very much not a dry flight… 100 odd FIFOs were intent on decompressing and having fun, The in flight catering was limited to a can of pringles (plain or sour cream) and soft drinks, but basically any booze you could desire was available for purchase (I think $6).

This was one of the most unpleasant flights I’ve ever been on.


The nature of QBT bookings means the pricing is a bit opaque but I’m told the sector costs $800 EACH WAY if booked by the public









Pros:
Air north’s E170s are very modern, clean and comfortable
It’s a direct flight and takes an hour. The only alternative egress from Borroloola is a bus that takes about 12 hours


Cons:

Drunk FIFOs
McArthur River executive lounge not well signposted