TravelCommentator

Category: Air Travel

Air Travel / Loyalty / Tips & Advice

Is Pursuing Status Worth It?

Depends. There are several perspectives to this and it can get complicated. Let me explain. The occasional flyer Those that don’t fly often, mostly people going on holiday once a year (and rarely twice a year), wouldn’t muster enough miles or points to reach a status that allows the best perks, such as: priority listing, priority boarding, extra weight allowance, complimentary seat selection, lounge access, etc. The answer here is pretty straightforward. Not worth it. So what should the occasional flyer do? In my opinion they are better off chasing bargain priced flights and saving their money. If they want, they can purchase some of the perks associated with status, like: better seats, use of lounges and extra baggage allowance. The only perks they...

* Review / Air Travel / Tips & Advice

The Worst Seat Imaginable

Yes, I finally had the opportunity to score the worst seat on a long haul flight. How did this happen? I took a gamble by switching seats before my recent long haul flight from Singapore to Rome with Singapore Airlines. Why did I do this? Well, because I thought if I scored three seats I could lie down and get sleep during the 12.5 hour flight. Knowing those seats were bad also should’ve worked to my advantage. I thought no one with a sound mind would ever select them. I originally was located midway down the tail of the Airbus A350-900. In the aisle seat of the middle row of three. When I booked a couple of months earlier there were a lot of...

Air Travel / Airlines / Airports / Routes / Tips & Advice

Routes: Adelaide-Singapore / Singapore-Adelaide

My first post in the Routes series and I’ll start it off with the international route I fly the most ADL-SIN/SIN-ADL, in other words, Adelaide International Airport (ADL) to Changi Airport Singapore (SIN) and back. Airlines At present only one airline offers this route in and out of Adelaide, Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines is part of the Star Alliance. In Australia Singapore Airlines codeshares with Virgin Australia. The Singapore Airlines flights are designated SQ278 (ADL-SIN) and SQ279 (SIN-ADL) and fly daily, all-year round. A second service runs only in December and January designated SQ276 (ADL-SIN) and SQ277 (SIN-ADL) and fly four times a week (Tue, Thu, Sat, and Sun). Schedule SQ278 Northern Summer: ADL 09:10 – SIN 15:10 Southern Summer: ADL 10:35 – SIN...

Air Travel / Routes

Routes

I’ll be introducing a new series of posts about international airline routes to and from Adelaide, my home town in Australia. I’ll add as much information as possible about the route, the airlines that fly it, the airports, flight schedules, etc. If I have flown the route I’ll add some comments; perhaps with tips and advice but not a review. Reviews will be in separate posts. In time I will also add routes connecting other Australian cities to overseas destinations, where travellers from Adelaide are required to transit before final destination. Many of these are hubs for the respective airlines that fly out of Australia, such as: Air New Zealand/Auckland, Qatar Airways/Doha, Emirates/Dubai, Cathay Pacific/Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines/Singapore, etc. Cheers

Air Travel / Tips & Advice

Empty Seats? Yes please. Then Disappointment

On one flight from Singapore to Milan (Italy) several years ago, I asked at check-in whether the flight was full and was told no, there were seats available. Reason why I asked is when I booked my forward section seat in Economy I had a whole row to myself but then when I checked a day or so before departure someone took the window seat. I had the aisle seat and was hoping to score all three to myself. So I decided to change seats at check-in. By doing this I was wasting the money I spent for the forward section seat. No big deal as an empty row anywhere, even in the tail section, trumps a single forward section seat. The check-in agent...

Air Travel

Duty Free Shopping and Air Travel Safety Questions

I’ve always wondered about the safety issues of buying duty free items after clearing security and passport control at some airports. This all done after checked luggage has already been shipped away to be security scanned and ready to be loaded onto the plane. So the question is; why are we allowed to carry alcohol, perfumes and other flammable liquids on board the aircraft and why aren’t these items banned from the cabin? The solution would be to only be able to purchase duty free alcohol, perfumes etc., before luggage is checked-in. Correct? In fact no. Reason is that it is best to have anything flammable in the cabin where it can be put out by the crew. In the cargo hold these items...

Air Travel / Opinion

Snippet: Should You Dress Up or Down on Your Next Flight?

Recently there was an article about dressing up while flying and explaining why it was good to do so. The writer started the piece by describing how air travel used to be glamorous and goes on with the example of old films where you’d see passengers handed a cocktail seemingly enjoying themselves while in photos movie stars striding off the plane with their small, classy luggage. They had a good thing he says. I agree, in those days only the ones that could afford to fly would dress up, like movie stars and the well heeled. Glamorous for sure. How else would they be able to fly? I doubt they wouldn’t have it any other way. He goes on to say since the demise...

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Air Travel Etiquette: Some Basic Rules

To me etiquette, in the context of air travel, starts way before getting on board the plane. It starts as soon as you enter the airport terminal. Good etiquette alleviates frustration, anger and conflict. Issues that have become more common with air travel. What is etiquette? Etiquette is basically a code of conduct, an unwritten set of rules that govern behaviour and social interactions. Principles such as: respect, kindness and consideration, or the proper and polite way to behave are the mainstay of etiquette, but also decorum, manners and attitude play their part. Applying etiquette to air travel I suppose like in any situation where one has to interact with others in a comunal setting certain rules need to apply. So before stepping into...

Air Travel / Opinion

Unruly Passengers to Confront or Not?

Should you get involved in situations where there’s a problematic passenger on board? I would say no. Let the cabin crew do their job and sort things out. Flight attendants are trained to handle all kinds of situations even those when someone becomes unruly and violent. Are there exceptions to the rule? If the cabin crew ask for assistance and if you are capable of holding your own in a situation like this, then yes. Especially if you have experience or are trained in crowd control or mediation. Otherwise if you have self-defence knowledge, perhaps ex-army or police, speak to the cabin crew and assist. On some aircraft among the passengers they may also be an air marshall or a law enforcement agent. So...

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

How to Survive Jet Lag, My Take

The scourge of the long haul flyer. Yes, the loss of sleep, the heavy head, the tired eyes, the feeling of fatigue and irritability. These are the psycological and physiological effects that will weigh you down for several days. Is jet lag avoidable? Or can it at least be managed so that it doesn’t wreck travel plans? Here’s what I think… I will be honest, in my early days of crossing multiple time zones I too suffered the occasional jet lag. The only way I knew how to counteract the effects was to just go to sleep at my earliest convenience. I basically tried to sleep it off, but of course that caused other issues. I would be out of kilter for a few...

Air Travel / Opinion

Snippets: Have We Forgotten How To Travel?

…Flew to Europe and realised I’ve forgotten how to travel With mandates and restrictions easying or withdrawn and some normality coming back to travel after about two years, have we forgotten how to actually go about our favourite leisure passtime? The question was implied in a recent article with the writer going through the motions, feeling excited, nervous, anxious and confused. Forgetting how to pack when he was always ready at a moments notice, having bags pre-packed. He was trying to figure out what he needed. I don’t blame him especially for someone who travels to earn a crust. Packing is one of the most frustrating things. He didn’t need this extra aggravation. He goes on to explain he has forgotten how things were:...

Air Travel / Opinion

Snippets: Mask Mandates on Planes, Keep or Scrap?

Mask Mandates on Planes… The writer in this article explains which airlines are dropping the mask mandate and those that are continuing this requirement. He asks the question in a sub heading, “Does masking wearing on aircraft work?”, and then mentions HEPA filters and the airlines claim of 99.9% efficiency. So another question, “If so, then why bother with a mask?” No mention so far why anyone should wear a mask but the writer is implying they should and tries to back this up with several medical articles which he gives the links to. However none of these articles specifically mentions the efficacy of mask wearing but concentrate on whether there is transmission of COVID-19 in the airplane cabin. Which we know has been...

Air Travel / Opinion

Snippets: Lying Down Across Economy Seats Not Recommended

Don’t lie down across empty economy seats… In a letter response to an article mentioning passengers appropriating themselves empty seats and lying down across them in rows of three or four, an aeronautical engineer made his concerns known that it was dangerous to do so as passengers could not restrain themselves properly and in turbulence could be launched from their seats. He also wrote passengers should not switch seats without the FAs being informed as they could upset the aircraft’s trim. Name of letter writer witheld…says there’s no way one can be restrained properly lying across three or four seats. Depends what is meant by properly. I’ve done it by attaching the straps closest to each other from two seats. The strap with the...

Air Travel / Opinion

Snippets: Economy Pax Upgrade Forces Flight Turn Back

Flight turns back after economy passengers upgrade themselves… A couple of Economy Class passengers decided to move into Business Class. A standoff ensued with cabin crew and the captain was forced to return the flight to its departure point where those passengers were subsequently arrested by police. The writer goes on asking, “Who even thinks they can self-upgrade?” He then makes some fair comments about the self-righteous and then asks, “Who does get upgraded?” Explaining that airlines don’t upgrade economy passengers just because there are empty seats, it’s the frequent flyers with status that do or you pay at check-in. No sweet deals. “What if economy class is full but not business?” Here he’s spot on explaining the rules with upgrades with platinum or...

Air Travel / Opinion

Airport Rage

Do airports really send people into a rage or is it just an unlucky coincidence anger happens there? Causes Getting frustrated at airports is understandable. I think we all have at some stage. There are a lot of things happening. The slow check-in process, the long lines, the scanning, probing, identity checks, being monitored, etc. They all take time. One needs to be constantly alert and aware of what’s going on, and be on your feet for a while. This can weigh on a person’s mind and can get tiring. I think many of us agree on these points. We would rather this whole operation be more streamlined if it were possible. The less time standing, waiting and snaking around queues the better. Then...

Air Travel / Opinion

Changi Airport COVID-19 Arrival Rules

I knew things wouldn’t be easy for international travellers with all the COVID restrictions, mandates and directives, which aren’t all the same everywhere, but after watching the YouTube video “Guide to on-arrival procedures at Changi Airport” released (on December 9) by Changi Airport, it truly demoralised me. It put me off travelling to Singapore, a place I love visiting. Now these are the rules required for entry into Singapore and not for those in transit at the airport which I understand are more relaxed, however there’s no mention what happens if someone tests positive and has to quarantine. Where will they do this, if it is a specified hotel(s) or in a purpose built facility and how long for and how much it is...