Some observations flying in Australia
 

I thought I would share some random observations I had while flying with our friends down under. This is a Qantas-only view, so weight it as you will:

1. Don't wait for an upgrade. On Qantas, the ticket you buy is the ticket you fly. There is no last minute upgrading at the gate, and no fingers-crossed hoping for the standby list. You either got it already, or you don't.

2. Don't miss your flight, or expect to standby. There seems to be no "same-day standby" down here, unless you're traveling on a full fare ticket. They know exactly who's going to be on each plane, and expect it to stay that way. I enquired about standing by for a more convenient flight, and was told (very politely), that allowing me to fly on a different flight than booked would be unfair to the full-paying passengers. Seems reasonable to me.

3. 30 minutes? Not necessary. Boarding would begin 15 minutes before scheduled departure time, and without rushing, without people milling about in front of the gate, and without hassles. People seem to be able to manage this down here. Why does US boarding seem like such a horror show in comparison?

4. Male FAs I flew some long domestic legs in Australia, but also short ones, and I noticed most of all that male FAs are very common. And it's not just gay male FAs like in the United States (no offense intended, just an observation). In fact, they seem to occupy purser/head "steward" positions and hold their duties in high regard (especially different from the US is the presence of a senior, male "head FA" greeting you as you board). I would have to compare their behavior on board to cruise ship stewards or head waiters -- they seem to carry the job with respect and courtesy.

5. Humor and straightforwardness. I don't know whether it's my misperception, but it seems that from cabin announcements and greetings, to pilot's announcements and information, the crew seem to get my attention much more than in the US. They announce things straightforwardly, much more clearly, and often with light aussie humor.

6. When will Star Alliance flyers get a lounge to use domestically??

Please comment and offer different opinions if you will. Things like this have made me enjoy my experience with Qantas (at least domestic). I would be interested if this is not typical?




[This message has been edited by TA (edited 11-17-2002).]

Why would Star Alliance need a domestic lounge? We can only access it when flying Star which means we'd have to be flying internatinally.

goodo

Mostly because baggage is restricted to a reasonable amount here, so getting on board and settling in is quick and easy. US airlines allow passengers to carry large, heavy, dangerous roll-aboard luggage.

Putting a briefcase or other small case into the overhead takes, what, 3 seconds? For some people, lifting those overweight roll-aboards over their heads requires a lot of space clear around them and a good minute of lifting, manoeuvring, shoving, etc. Multiply that by the number of people on a full 767. Then add the time that's needed on some flights in the US to find somewhere for the luggage that's been brought aboard but won't fit because all the overhead space is already taken.

I remember once on QF8, which used to be LAX-SYD-BNE, boarding in SYD for the 1 hour hop to BNE with all the sleepy international pax. Just about all the pax went straight to sleep upon boarding. The (male) FA did the safety story, then got to "...and a whistle for attracting attention"...

and he blew it as hard as he could.

Yes - the humour is pretty good at times.

Your other points are pretty good as well, I guess we all just take it for granted!

Thanks for a good post.

In April, I was upgraded on three out of four legs on QF within Australia as an AA EXP, despite traveling on two separate, heavily discounted coach tickets and without requesting any change in cabin.

That reminds me of a fun experience on QF once. ADL-PER, I think. 2 male FAs both hammed up the safety demo ... presented the safety cards with a flourish worthy of a game show hostess, twirled the whistles, etc. Nicely choreographed.

The first post appears to be balanced by mentioning how flights in Australia are better and worse.

QF is very rigid in making passengers fly on the flight that they booked. They also restrict carry on baggage much more than is necessary, particularly the strict weight limit (which is almost as much as some bags weight empty!)

As far as chaos while boarding, it's worse in some European airports where everyone rushes to the plane when the agents yell "GO!"

Two years ago, when I was already comfortably seated in business class, a flight attendant asked me to colledct my belongings and escorted me to first class. I'm AA EXP and do have an executive friend at QF.

Ahh, ok. I'm nothing special on AA or Qantas, so no high expectations of upgrades here.

But for those of you who have gotten them, it was a surprise, right? Not like you can put your name on the list as in the US?