After 2 weeks at work in BNE, it was time to travel again, this time to SYD and MEL for my quarterly visits to my clients offices there. I love visiting both offices, particularly the staff in MEL office who are a lot more friendly (and I get more business from them, no guesses why).
This time however, I wanted to fly down to SYD for the weekend (and an FT meet) and make use of the First Class lounge access I get at BNE's International Terminal.
Turning up at the airport courtesy of my wife and my dog wondering where we were going (she loves drives in the car), I fronted the First Class check-in at 8.30m, which had only 1 pax being processed. Because I was on a domestic sector, I gave my QF Plat card and Drivers Licence (thankfully photo ID is all you need, so didn't have to pack my Passport). 4 mins is all it took before I was walking to the escalators, down to C&I who are quite used to "D" stickers on BP's and through final security check before turning right and heading for my sanctuary...
The Qantas BNE F lounge isn't large (only seating for 18 plus 2 chairs at the sole computer access); but the facilities make up for it. Parking my FF bag next to a single seat, I surveyed a workman with a ladder looking at a leak coming from a light fitting in the ceiling...hmmm, nasty
- there was already a small bucket half full underneath. He was saying to the Lounge Dragon that he couldn't fix it now and would need to find the point in the upper roof where the leak was emanating. The LD had looked around when I entered, apologising she wasn't at the Front Reception Desk and hurried over to make sure I was allowed access. She relaxed when I flashed my Plat card and BP.
The food bar isn't big, however it is always full - soft cheeses, feta, fruit platters and individual cereal boxes...together with the small Bar fridge topped up with beers, soft drink (pop/soda), white wine and Piper Heidseick Champagne this morning (what, nothing better
); so I had to get my money's worth. Somehow, a couple of HP's found their way into my bag for an evening drink sometime....
Boarding was called for Gate 77, so knowing it was in the LHS section of Gates (75 to 79) with a 500m walk from the Lounge, I started the walk...
Airline & Flight Number: QF26 BNE/SYD
Mileage: 468 miles
Rego: VH-??? (B747-400)
Sequence: 111
Seats: 26C
SDT: 9.30am
Pushback: 9.40am, ADT: 9.50am
For those unaware, this flight is the last sector of the LAX/AKL/BNE/SYD flight. The Captain was John Daley (no, not the golfer) and Geoff White was F/O. The CSS was Itolo with CSD in J being John. The FA's in Y were Suzanne, (another) John, Kiri, Paul, Freddy Costa and Alan Nguyen.
An announcement that winds were NE 25 km/h with scattered cloud and rain, ETA being 11.10am and with a forecast 21 degrees C scarcely dampened my spirits. What did unnerve me was my seat-mate in 26D reading Psalm 119 in a muffled voice after push-back. I busied myself with the IFE system instead of taking notice of him (in case he preferred not to have an audience), which could have kept me entertained for a lot longer than this short flight (at least, once it was re-booted as initially it was only had 1 channel working).
This mornings flight consisted of a Snack Box - my special meal was diced fruit (orange and 3 melons - rockmelon, watermelon and honeydew) instead of the museli slice and banana's that everybody else had delivered to them. An Alison Curry design was on the box and a surprise awaited - new service after the snack - a mint run by the FA's...which was a noticeable lift in the service standards.
Touchdown was as announced and pulled into our gate next to VH-EBU but my view of the other planes was blocked. Long walk to the C&I ensued, through the newly-altered Downtown Duty Free (now you can choose to either bypass it down the LHS or walk straight through it to pick up those last minute items). I wondered how much they paid to alter their shop to stretch across almost the entire walkway area; as I took the LHS bypass. The Domestic stickered pax have a dedicated line on the LHS and I was 2nd in queue. Through in 30 seconds with my Drivers Licence, then down the steps to collect my bags and go through the Green Channel.
This is where things got a little interesting and heated. Giving up the larger part of the BP with the D sticker on it (I had already detatched the small section to keep for my flight records), the officer looked suspiciously at me and asked "why did you fly domestically?". Thinking that I should always be honest, I told her the reasons why some of us Plats do that as a matter of course (F lounge access, alcohol, bigger plane, possibility of op up's). She simply couldn't understand any of my reasons and/or didn't believe me so called for her supervisor. Walking slightly to the side so other pax could come through, the three of us had an animated discussion - I'm sure she thought I was a drug courier; so she asked me to put my bags up on the counter for searching. Now if anybody here in Australia has seen the new TV series in Australia called I think "Customs" (narrated by Grant Bowler), that was like me... I honestly was bewildered by the treatment (done nothing wrong, nothing to hide) but realised it was useless arguing any more verciferously than I had, in case they really got too serious.
So, out came the gloves and 3 officers went through my bags. They quickly found nothing untoward in my FF bag (although they looked at the beers thinking perhaps thinking I might have injected some drugs into the liquid) and then went through my clothes in my main luggage. I sat down with a neutral look on my face - as much as I wanted to tell them they were idiots and they should be looking for real people flouting the laws, I held it in.
They pulled out all my clothes (even commenting on how neatly folded and arranged they all were - I simply commented "I'm a Virgo") and then x-rayed my empty bag, looking for something they weren't going to find. Puzzled when they didn't find anything, I rejected their offer to re-pack my bag - I had been violated enough for one morning, I wasn't going to let them simply toss it all back in. I re-packed it probably quicker than they could anyway, closed it up and asked "Happy now...Can I go?" with just enough sarcasm in my tone to show my displeasure of having 45 minutes wasted. As expected, none apologised for the inconvenience and I dropped my luggage onto the floor, extended the handle and walked out without a backwards glance at the objects of my derision. Thankfully, nobody was meeting me out in the Terminal, so nobody was worried...