Airline refunds: Beware travel agent fees when booking through a third party
Each week Traveller publishes a selection of rants, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below on how you can contribute.
Roadside rage
A caution to those booking flights through a travel agent. Read the fine print. I booked an Emirates business class flight with the travel department of a well-known roadside assistance organisation. Belatedly, I discovered that, if I chose to cancel, there was a 15 per cent cancellation fee, plus any fee from Emirates. In my case, $1312 plus Emirates’ $600. Due to the current crisis, Emirates cancelled my flights, offering a full refund, as they cannot get me home as booked. Imagine my surprise on learning that the travel company still intended to take their $1312 from the Emirates’ “full refund”. I will be booking flights via the appropriate airline app in future.
Yvonne Trevaskis, Battery Point, Tas
Sound of silence
My wife and I are booked on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Rome and return next month. The flight is operated by Emirates, on behalf of Qantas, through Dubai. However, DFAT has a “do not travel” warning for Dubai. Qantas insists that the flight will operate as scheduled. When I asked how this was possible given the DFAT warning and the war I was met with silence. We can transfer to another Qantas flight on the same day via Perth. However, Qantas wishes to charge us more than $6600 for the privilege. This will make our economy tickets rise to more than $11,000 in total cost.
Steve Griffin, West Coburg, Vic
Letter of the week: Take a peak
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The piece about travelling by train at high altitude took me back to our honeymoon in Huancayo, Peru, with that city not the most romantic place in the world. We took the 11-hour rail journey from Lima to Huancayo and the writer of the piece, Sue Williams, was right about the train and the scenery. The food was fantastic and the scenery unbelievable, soroche [the Andean term for altitude sickness] wasn’t a problem for us. However, there was a gent in a white coat next to a bottle of oxygen, just in case. This is a trip everyone visiting Peru should go on, there is so much to see, the people are hospitable and there are other places to see like Huancavelica and Ayacucho. The former city has a great market on Sundays, plenty of woollen goods, plus it’s the home of that great Peruvian dish papa a la huancaia. Once tasted, never forgotten.
Robert Pallister, Punchbowl, NSW
Above all
Travelling to 3454 metres aboard Switzerland’s “Top of Europe” Jungfraujoch railway I did not react with laughter as Sue Williams did, just with a slight feeling of nausea. Pleased to have had lunch as soon as we alighted at the top station, I was fascinated by the sights of the glacier and the mountains stretching away. My son was completely unaffected by the altitude, but I was happier when the train returned to Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 metres.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW
Agent of mercy
Ross Duncan (Traveller Letters, March 28) needs to get a personal travel agent that allows 24/7 emergency access. Big agencies offer rudimentary service, generally only in business hours. We are just back from a cruise in Europe that, I thought, was going to be impossible to join due to the Iran situation. Our agent worked night and day to get us there and back with assistance from Silversea Cruises. Sue finds fares cheaper than booking online or with airlines directly, holds the fares and seats for up to a week while we decide, and then we pay. Any booking fees charged are minimal that make up for the measly, if any, airline commission. A good agent is indispensable. We never leave home without advice and service from Sue. We always get a welcome-home call to hear how everything went.
Lindsay Somerville, Lindfield, NSW
Major disconnect
We booked flights to Sri Lanka with Qantas and were only alerted to our cancelled connecting flight to Sri Lanka with SriLankan Airlines on arrival in Singapore. SriLankan Airlines listed 300 cancelled flights on their website due to Cyclone Ditwah late last year, including ours. As it was late and cancellations due to weather didn’t invoke meal or hotel vouchers, we exited the airport to find a room to discover all hotels at the airport and near vicinity were full.
After eventually settling into a hotel, I called the local number supplied to rebook our flight. I was 80th in the queue and got to 40th position when my Telstra mobile announced my allocation for calls was used, and I was disconnected. Telstra’s Global Roaming at $10 a day is much more expensive than alternatives. I thought I was getting a superior service. If I’d known there were call limits, I’d have used the hotel phone. Defeated and depleted we went to bed, rising at 3am to renew attempts and succeeded in securing an alternative flight. But who knew Telstra would waste another 30 minutes of my life?
Anne Matheson, Gordon, NSW
Love it or loathe it
I felt so proud of our “big backyard” as I read Ben Groundwater’s story on Australia versus the world – that I felt compelled to suggest a favourite of mine. Instead of Tate Modern in London, visit our own MONA in Hobart. Love it or loathe it, the experience begins the moment you board the ferry that transports you to another world. Showcasing old and new art (yes, some pieces are provocative and push artistic boundaries), the breathtaking architecture, innovative dining and performance-winning cocktails, will leave you giddy. Having saved on an overseas airfare, indulge in one of MONA’s luxury dens and spend the night, but only if you dare.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic
Teen angst
Reading about Mexico’s cenotes, or sinkholes, near Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula brought back a memory of being there as a teenager, peering into the murky water, and being told that young people were sacrificed into these “cosmic gateways” to appease the Mayan gods and restore balance. From that moment on, I walked a straight path, knowing that other, ancient teenagers hadn’t made it beyond those watery graves. The Mayan ruins, along with the sinkholes, are an excellent stop on anyone’s trip to the Yucatan.
Shira Levine, Melbourne, VIC
Tip of the week: Penh friend
Yes, Jane Martin (Traveller Letters, April 4), Cambodia is indeed a fascinating destination. We first visited in 2008 and visited Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, which many travellers tack on to a visit to Vietnam, as we did. On our most recent 15-day trip we were treated to the wonders of the Irrawaddy dolphins in Kratie, the magnificent Tonle Sap, the bamboo train on a single track in Battambang, and numerous pre-Angkorian and Angkorian temple ruins in addition to the amazing main draws of Angkor Wat, the Bayon and Ta Phrom.
There were so many cultural highlights too, from Apsara dancing performances to Phare Ponleu Selpak, a circus performance in Battambang more in the style of Cirque du Soleil than a traditional European circus. Just fabulous. So many beautiful colonial buildings are now operating as hotels and restaurants and there are a number of social enterprises providing hospitality training to young Cambodians to help lift them out of poverty around the country.
Vicki Copping, Oatley, NSW
Udder coincidence
Your “Tip of the Week” advice about needing to use conventional cameras (not mobile phones) when photographing tigers in India (Traveller Letters, April 11) reminds me of a visit to see greater one-horned rhinos in the Chitwan National Park in Nepal several years ago. We were advised by our guide to be extremely quiet, lest we disturb the rhinos. Whilst watching a rhino, our guide’s mobile phone loudly rang, he answered the call and a loud conversation followed in Nepali. It was his wife, asking him to buy milk on the way home.
Ian Stevens, Little Forest, NSW
Fascinating phasmids
We travelled to Lord Howe Island last February on a Dash 8 propeller aircraft, enjoying wonderful service and a glass of wine heading home. The experience was made richer by the sight of Ball’s Pyramid, rising 551 metres from the Tasman Sea. While climbers in the 1960s found a few remains, a daring 2001 expedition revealed a live prehistoric secret: the Lord Howe Island phasmid. Declared extinct in 1920, these stick insects, or “tree lobsters” were found clinging to Melaleuca shrubs on precarious ledges. Equally fascinating were the Mount Gower hiking tracks, pristine beaches, and world-class fishing on Lord Howe.
Roland Persson, Caringbah South, NSW
Soldier on
My nine-year-old granddaughter is extremely interested in the history of war, so I booked an ANZAC Memorial highlights tour for us both at Sydney’s Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park during the first week of the recent school holidays. Conrad, our guide, gave us an excellent one-hour guided tour. Free of charge, the tours operate five days a week and there was so much to explore, including a multitude of well-curated displays, dioramas, videos and devices to listen to soldiers’ stories. I highly recommend a visit at any time of the year.
Carol Horton, North Sydney, NSW
Royal rebuke
Anthony Dennis’ article about the new, luxury Aurora Australis suites “aboard long-distance trains such as The Ghan”, the likes of which used to be “reserved for touring royalty”, made me feel sorry for those passengers willing to fork out $8390 for the “privilege” of not having to socialise with the plebs on board, since the suite comes with its own butler, bar and lounge area. Those who have experienced long-distance rail travel will know that meeting and chatting with fellow passengers, who hail from all parts of the globe, is one of the highlights of a rail journey: impromptu trivia quizzes, serenading musicians, and all manner of conversations to be had in communal areas of the train are often some of the most memorable moments of the trip. We made life-long friends on our journey on The Ghan. The old saying about knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing comes to mind.
Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown, NSW
Happy places
Editor’s note: In our series, My Happy Place, where Traveller’s writers reflect on the holiday destinations in Australia and around the world that they cherish the most. We also invite you to submit your happy places. Here’s a selection of your contributions.
My happy place would have to be MacMasters Beach on the Central Coast of NSW. We would go there for two weeks every Christmas holidays. I met one of my lifelong friends there as a four-year-old. We ended up going to high school together, and still maintain contact. Mum had dream of having a holiday house up there. We bought a block of land and put a kit home on the block. Mum, dad and nan painted the inside. We had 35 years of happy holidays up there including schoolies’ week for myself and three sisters; multiple Easters and Christmas; plus my kids, my nephews and nieces would all spend holidays there Sadly, for all of us, our own families had outgrown the house, and it was extra to mum and dad’s needs, so was sold two years ago. What memories. ‘Macs’ will always have a special place in all of our hearts.
Stuart Halliday, Rockdale, NSW
Our happy place is Nice, the city of azure skies and sparkling sea on the French Riviera. It’s a haven of calm. We first stroll along Promenade des Anglais, breathe in citrus-scented air, and let the sea lap away worries. Then we explore the old town’s narrow lanes, visit the iconic Negresco Hotel, and sip icy rosé at the beach clubs. The view from Castle Hill is pure magic – shimmering sea, red-tiled roofs and the Ligne Rosat hills. We sip coffee at a sidewalk cafe or simply people-watch. Nice’s charm is infectious. It’s a place to unwind, recharge, and soak up la vie en rose. Perfect.
Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW
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