Traveller Letters: Qantas business class far superior to this Asian airline

Onward Qantas soldiers

I’ve been a rusted-on Virgin flyer until recently since I fly less, have deliberately run down points and am less keen on its new “Ryanair plus” model. I had to go to Kuala Lumpur at short notice recently and Qantas offered far and away the cheapest and most convenient transit through Changi, an enjoyable experience, then onward with Malaysia Airlines. It worked the same in reverse.

Qantas has a “wet lease” arrangement with Finnair to Singapore (and Bangkok, I believe) which involves Finnair crew, safety cards and plane but Qantas food. I have no entitlements with Qantas but was pleasantly surprised at the service, convenience and cost. Life after Joyce.
Andrew Brown, Sydney, NSW

Waiting game

Did I read this incorrectly or has Qantas really lifted its game? In November, I cancelled my flight to South Africa due to illness. This was two days before the departure date. Since the booking was made through a travel agent, I submitted the required medical reports substituting my claim for a refund. Five months later I am still waiting for the refund. A call to Qantas customer service advised me that the travel agent has to contact the Qantas department, especially for agents. This was done. We are still waiting.
Thaversie Pillay, Hunters Hill, NSW

Letter of the week: Passage ways

How lovely to be reminded by your writer, Steve McKenna, of the passages couverts of Paris (Traveller, April 19). On a trip in 2019, our B&B host, Laurent, had designed a pamphlet illustrating these walkways, showing features along the way. From the 9th arrondissement at the gorgeous little Square Cite de Trevise, you can trace almost all the way to Le Louvre via these interesting arcades. Through Passages Verdeau, Jouffroy, des Panoramas, Galerie Vivienne, you follow a loosely connected route for hours of browsing galleries, studios and bijou shops. Finally you emerge at Palais Royale, for lunch at Le Nemours. Paris at its best.
Sally Pope, Five Dock, NSW

On the buses

My wife and I were visiting a “small town” (only about a million people) in Gujarat, India, and hardly saw any other tourists while we were there. We were standing in a crowded bus when we saw a seated woman talking at us angrily in another language. As most young people in India speak English, I asked the young man next to me, “What is she saying?” He said, “She is saying, why do you foreigners come here and make it so crowded? ”
David Ginsbourg, East Bentleigh, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE Have you had a remark directed at you in your travels that was amusingly interpreted, or which you understood? (A Traveller editor once learnt, with the help of an accompanying fluent Japanese speaker, that a woman at a mountain lodge had referred to him as a “white asparagus”). Write to us and we’ll publish the best letters.

Top advice

Thank you, Brian Johnston for reminding me about the seven wonders within Ephesus, Turkey (Traveller, April 9). I have two hings to add. First, I suggest that you start exploring Ephesus from the top gate. It is far easier to go downhill and there are plenty of guides well worth haggling a price with to secure someone with good knowledge of what you are going to see. Second, Harbour Street, also known as Arcadia, needs a mention. Emperor Arcadia dictated that he wanted a pedestrian-only street winding down to the harbour that contained a row of shops on both sides. It is from here that we have the common terminology of a “shopping arcade”. Ephesus is outstanding and should not be missed on your travels in Turkey.
Hans van Roosendaal, Prahran, Vic

Point of view

The photo marked number four in Brian Johnston’s otherwise excellent “Seven wonders within…” piece on Ephesus, Turkey (Traveller, April 9), is not of the Temple of Hadrian but is Hadrian’s Gate in the old Roman wall in Antalya. In this view, one is looking east out from the old section, Kaleici, to the newer areas of Antalya. Hadrian’s Temple is about two-thirds of the way down Curetes Way (the main road down the ruins of the Roman town area) on the right-hand side, almost opposite the roofed-enclosure of the Terraced Houses.
Roger Cameron, Marrickville, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE Thanks to our reader pointing out this error. The online version of the story has been amended.

Tip of the week: French lesson

In Ask the Tripologist (Traveller on Sunday, April 14) a family of four with children 11 and seven sought tips on visiting France and Italy for three weeks. My own advice is that three weeks is too short to see two countries properly, so spend all three weeks in France. With kids, concentrate on activities and sights they will enjoy and remember. Go in May to June or September to October when there is beautiful weather and no crowds.

You will need a car and for accommodation, consider either camping, which is popular in France, or youth hostels for accommodation as the kids will make heaps of new friends and won’t bother you. Expect most French people you encounter to be hospitable, speak English and want you to have a great holiday.
Keith Brown, Armidale, NSW

Spread the word

I’ve just landed in Bangkok with my two sisters, sans kids, to celebrate a big birthday. We’ve arrived early, are hungry and can’t check in to our rooms yet. Solution? Buffet breakfast. It’s been 10 years since my last trip to Thailand but the breakfasts are etched in my memory and they’ve only got better. At the Carlton Hotel in Sukhumvit, there’s a European cheese station, Japanese teriyaki and sashimi station, traditional Thai food station and then the usual egg, pastry and tropical fruit stations. I’ve had three servings of the bread and butter pudding already.
Georgie Foster, Thornbury, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE: What are your own tips for best breakfast buffets around the world? Write to us (travellerletters@traveller.com.au) and we’ll publish the best and most appetising responses.

Spun out

I have to agree with Jan Naughton (Traveller Letters, April 13) , regarding the entertaining nature of cruise ship onboard laundries. My husband and I remember a few cases of “laundry rage”, when a young man tried to use three washing machines at the end of a cruise and got roundly told off by the ladies in the laundry. He removed his clothes from two and used a single machine. We have seen a few disputes over driers and the removal of clothes, if dry, by irate passengers.
Eira Battaglia, Seaforth, NSW

Crabby over cabbies

Due to a missed-flight delay, Qantas paid for overnight accommodation in the Ibis Hotel at Darling Harbour, Sydney and a $60 cab voucher to get there. However, the driver took us from Sydney Airport via the longest possible route at 10.30pm.

On arrival I thanked the cab driver for his city tour, asking him why it took 40 minutes and not 15 minutes. He then presented us with a charge of $95. I refused to pay and explained we lived in Sydney all our lives and he was taking advantage of us, thinking we were dumb tourists.

All I presented was the $60 voucher and proceeded into the hotel where I was told it had no control over the cab company though they listen to complaints about them all the time. Sydney runs a shonky cab service that nobody is prepared to do anything about and, as a footnote, getting a taxi back to the airport in the morning, peak hour was $48.
Phil Binfield, Cotton Tree, Qld

Crowd control

Every 25 Years Vatican City hosts a Jubilee in which pilgrims from all over the world come to Rome to walk through the Holy Door. We were advised that, as well as the normal and ever increasing number of visitors to Rome, a further 35 million pilgrims are expected to visit the city next year. Worth considering if planning a visit in 2025.
Ray Czajko, Kensington, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE: Further to our reader’s tip, Jubilee 2025, a tradition dating to the 14th century, begins on Christmas Eve this year and runs until January 6, 2026.

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com