CAIRNS to GOVE (CNS-GOV) on Qantas Link 717-200 operated by National Jet Systems
The arrival gates lead to landside so I head through security to the lounge to await my next flight. Unlike Sydney the food on offer is pathetic – consisting of crackers and cheese. That is all. The bar is open and many lounge patrons seem happy enough just drinking wine or beer while they wait for their flight. The lounge is fairly full but no one is on the sole computer so I hop on to start this report. I don’t get very far as boarding is again called rather early.
The way to the prop gates are marked off with colour coded lines much like they have in some hospitals. Green is gate x, black gate y and so on. That is probably just as well, for there are multiple flights leaving in a short period. Up the stairs and onboard. Again I hear dogs in the hold below.
The 717 is all economy, with no IFE. Seating is 2-3 and with a light load the 3 side has no more than 2 people in any given row. We wait in the humid evening air for a few stragglers to board and then wait further while the cabin crew try to decide if we are missing 1 or 2 passengers. Eventually they close the door without anyone else boarding. We have a long wait at the edge of the runway, waiting for some arriving aircraft. For some reason I am unsure of, we don’t use the taxiway and instead taxi the length of the runway, turn and then take off back the way we came.
My hopes of viewing the northern Australia scenery are dashed as the sun rapidly sets while we are on the ground.
Dinner offered consists of a meal box. A pasta feta and tomato salad, roll, mini mars bar. Juice, soft drinks and water are free. Alcohol is A$5 or $6. This contrasts with similar length domestic Qantas flights in New Zealand which offer a biscuit muffin or pastry, free water, juice and soft drinks NZ$2 and alcohol NZ$4 or NZ$5.
The ratio of crew to passengers is very high – 5 cabin crew to about 50 passengers.
In the dark tropical night there is no view until we see some lights moments before landing at Gove airport. Everyone deplanes, even those continuing through to Darwin.