Stay Report: Marriott Sydney Hyde Park, now Pullman Hyde Park (Sydney, Australia - April 2012)

Stay Report: Marriott Sydney Hyde Park
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Photo courtesy of Pullman Sydney Hyde Park

In looking for a hotel in Sydney, I was looking for a comfortable room that had easy access to transportation and was not too far away from the city center.  In doing research, I came across the Marriott Sydney Hyde Park (which has become the Pullman Hyde Park).  This hotel overlooks Hyde Park and provides a nice, comfortable room in a location that is quiet but is connected to transportation and services. 

The hotel is located directly across from Hyde Park – there is an entrance to the underground (Museum Station) on one side of the park, and on the other side of the park is the entrance to the hotel.  It’s a 2-minute walk across the park as the park is not wide.  Depending on how high your room is located, you can see the entrance to the underground from your room.  The hotel entrance faces the park, and as you enter into the hotel you pass by two lounges to get to the check-in desk straight ahead of you.  On either side of the entrance, they have small lounges where you can sit and relax and enjoy the nice park views.  Further up the stairs, on one side is the bar/restaurant while on the other side is a larger relaxing area/lounge and in between is the check-in desk.  The lobby is large and open and feels relaxing.  Check-in was efficient and I proceeded to my room.  The elevators are located to the left of the check-in desk, behind the large relaxing area. 

photo courtesy of Pullman Sydney Hyde Park

The rooms of the hotel are very large and spacious, and the view of the park adds to the comfort of the room.  As you enter the room, on the right hand side is the bathroom while on the left is the closet and storage area.  As you enter into the room, on the right hand side is the TV with storage underneath and a fridge and next to that is a desk.  On the other side are the two double beds with a desk on either side of the bed.  The beds are very spacious and comfortable, and provide a nice sleep.  Across the wall is a large window which allows for nice views over Hyde Park.  The room is nicely sized and allows for decent movement, it’s not too big but you are not cramped in.  The bathroom is very spacious and allows for a lot of room.  The bathroom contained a nice jacuzzi tub, a toilet, a sink and a shower.  It was extremely spacious and felt more like an apartment bathroom versus a hotel bathroom.  Both the bathroom and the room were nicely decorated, but did not look updated.  While the rooms did not look old or worn out, they were not updated either so it was in the middle.  Overall, it was a comfortable room to stay in.

photo courtesy of Pullman Sydney Hyde Park

The hotel provides a couple of facilities that I was able to take advantage of.  On the second floor of the garage, they have laundry facilities available where you can do your own washing.  This was very convenient, especially for long-term travelers.  There was also free wifi – both in the room and better wifi in the lobby – which was decent speed as well as a decent fitness facility.  The hotel also provided a restaurant and a pool, but I was unable to try these.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Marriott Sydney Hyde Park (now the Pullman Hyde Park).  The hotel provided a spacious room, with comfortable beds, a nice view of the park, and good customer service.  I liked the area because it was quieter and more relaxed but still had easy access to transportation services and was within walking distance to restaurants and services.  The only negative was that the hotel looked a bit older so could benefit from an upgrade (while the rooms looked older, the furniture and other items within the rooms had been updated).    

Stay Report: ibis budget Brisbane Airport (Brisbane, October 2013)

Stay Report: ibis budget Brisbane Airport
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photo courtesy of Accorhotels

I had overnighted in Brisbane many times and had stayed at different places.  I once spent the night in the airport (lots of noise and lights); while another time I went into the city (long transfer time).  This time, I decided to try and find a hotel which was close to the airport for a more comfortable sleep, but also wasn’t too expensive (as it would only about 12 hours and just to sleep).  The ibis budget Brisbane Airport is a perfect transit hotel as it cost-effective but also provides a comfortable sleep.  The only downside is the location as it is not connected to the airport, takes about 15-20 minutes by car, there is no shuttle, and there is not much around the hotel. 

At the time of booking, it was my first experience with Accorhotels and with the ibis brand so I was unsure of what to expect; I have booked the hotel solely based on price and location.  The hotel is part of the Accorhotel’s ibis brand which includes ibis budget, ibis, and ibis styles to suit travelers from the lowest price range to the highest.  With each brand, some items are complimentary while others need to be paid for.  The ibis budget brand provides the least complimentary items but they also have the lowest rates.  To get the best rates, its best to book online and well in advance (as better prices are available in advance online, and sometimes the hotel is sold out).  Booking online was easy and efficient and I booked myself into a standard room for one night.

As the hotel does not provide a shuttle, I had to book a third party shuttle from the airport to the hotel (or take a taxi).  When the shuttle arrived at the hotel, from the outside it looks like an old motel from the 1980’s so first impressions aren’t great.  Despite the older looking outside, the inside has been renovated and updated.  As you enter, on the left hand side is the check-in desk.  This is where you can collect your key as well as purchase extras, including breakfast.   Across from the check-in desk is the restaurant/sitting area where there are tables and chairs (decorated with Ikea-like chairs and tables) and this is where breakfast can be purchased. There are also vending machines available with drinks and food so these can also be purchased and consumed in the sitting area.

The hotel consists of two floors with a stairs in the middle and two long hallways on opposite sides of the stairs.  There is no elevator to get to level 2 so if you have a lot of luggage or do not climbing stairs, request a 1st floor room.  The hallways and the stairs also have the ‘outdated’ look as well, but luckily the rooms have been updated.

As I was transiting at two different times, I was able to try out two types of rooms – the first room had two single beds while the second room had a double bed underneath a bunk bed that was on top.  Both rooms are tiny, these are not plush rooms, but they are nicely decorated (again with Ikea-esque furniture) and looked updated.

photo courtesy of Accorhotels

For the 2 twin bed, as you entered the door on the left was the basic bathroom (more about that below).  Right next to the bathroom was the first twin bed, a night stand, and then the second twin bed (with very little room between the beds so I doubt both people could stand up in the middle of the beds at the same time).  Across from the beds was a desk and in the corner was a nice, raised TV that provided a lot of channels and in which you could plug your USB cable into.  Overall, while it was a plain and small room it provided all the basic amenities you could need.  What the rooms also provided were comfortable beds.  I did not expect the beds to be comfortable (given the price and size of the room) but they were actually very nice and very comfortable (in fact more comfortable than some of the American hotels I have stayed in).  The second room had the same basic set up but was arranged differently.  As you entered, on right was the bathroom and beyond the bathroom was the double bed underneath a bunkbed.  Next to the beds was the desk which faced a window that looked out onto a parking lot.  Against the other wall, across from the beds, was the TV.  The room size was only slightly bigger than the one with the twin beds.

The bathroom was very compact with a stand-up shower whose only separation from the toilet was a shower curtain - but you can touch the sink from the shower.  The hotel provides a bar of soap and a very thin towel, other amenities such as shampoo and conditioner need to be provided by you (also, bring a better towel if that is important to you). 

photo courtesy of Accorhotels

Ibis hotels usually do not provide many amenities other hotels usually provide, and the ibis budget provides even less amenities.  Even though they did provide breakfast in the morning (for a separate charge), there was no restaurant in the hotel so if you were hungry in the afternoon or evening then you had to get food from the vending machines provided.  There is no gym and no pool either.  The only other amenity I noticed was the wifi.  As with all Accorhotels, the hotel provides free wifi – it is basic but decent enough to check and send emails.  You can pay for faster internet speeds if that is necessary, and you can also pay to access the computers downstairs if you do not have a smartphone or computer.

Overall, the ibis budget provided a decent night’s sleep in an updated room at a low cost.  While the rooms were not lavish nor plush, they provided enough for a good transit hotel.  The downsides of the hotel are the lack of shuttle and the lack of amenities near the hotel (as there is almost nothing in walking distance – so bring your own food and water with you).

Stay Report: Travelodge Hotel Southbank (Melbourne, Australia - April 2012)

Stay Report: Travelodge Hotel Melbourne Southbank
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photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com.au

I was planning my trip to Melbourne and the hotel prices there were very expensive, no matter what type of hotel you were looking for.  The prices were so high that I decided to save myself some money – we were going to arrive into Melbourne in the evening, so instead of paying for that first night at the Holiday Inn (which was more expensive) I decided to stay one night at Travelodge Southbank.  This property was located across the bridge from the Holiday Inn so it provided easy access to the hotel I wanted to stay at, and it was less expensive so I would save some funds. 

This property was located across the bridge from the Holiday Inn so it provided easy access to the hotel I wanted to stay at, and it was less expensive so I would save some funds.  The Travelodge is a budget hotel and you get a budget experience.  The rooms are nice and decent, but the bed is not as comfortable, nor spacious, as a standard hotel.  The property is located in what looks like an office park so there are not many services around it, except for convenience stores.  As you enter into the building, straight ahead is the check-in desks and to the left are the elevators to the guest rooms.  To the right are chairs for sitting and relaxing, the business center, as well as a restaurant.  The restaurant was mainly open for breakfast only, and had vending machines if items were needed at other times.

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

Check-in was efficient and I took my key and went to my room.  The room was basic but provided all the standard details of a hotel room.   Some of the Travelodge rooms had been updated, but this room had not been updated and look a bit dated – both the furniture and the look.  As you enter the room, on the left was the bathroom.  The bathroom was standard and provided basic amenities and was of decent size.  On the right was a closet, storage area, as well as a kitchen area.  The kitchen area included a sink, a fridge on the bottom and a microwave on top.  This was very convenient and added to the economical value of the room.  Next to the kitchen area was a TV with storage underneath and a desk next to it.  Across from the TV were the beds.  This is where the hotel felt very economical, as the beds were not that comfortable and the blanket and comforter on the bed were equally as uncomfortable.  A plus point of the room were the windows which stretched across the wall, and these provided light into the room and also provided a nice view of the town.

photo courtesy of Travelodge Hotel

As it is a budget hotel, the were no additional amenities except for the business center and the restaurant.  The business center had computers available, but when I went there was a charge to access the computers.  The hotel did provide free, basic wifi and this was good enough for me.  

Overall, the positives of the hotel were the lower price (as compared to other hotels), the free wifi, the ‘kitchen area’ in the room, and the location near downtown.    The negatives included the outdated room and uncomfortable bed.   It was a good sleep for one night, but not sure I would do a longer stay.

Trip Report: Malaysia Airlines, Sydney to Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur (Oct 2013)

Malaysia Airlines - Sydney to Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Note: this trip occurred in October 2013, before the disappearance of MH370 and the tragedy of MH17.  My thoughts and wishes go out to the families of those flights 

Malaysia Airlines is a small but important player in the aviation market, but it has struggled.  From its base at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it competes with low-cost carrier Air Asia - so Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has to figure out whether it wants to be a full-service airline, a LCC, or a hybrid of both.  I believe Malaysia Airlines has found a balance - medium service availability with a lower costs- but not sure how profitable that balance will be maintained. 

In terms of the Asia-Pacific market, Malaysia Airlines is one of the more affordable full-service airlines if you consider Singapore Airlines, Qantas, and Cathay its competition.  While I may not put Malaysia Airlines in that same category, it is these airlines that Malaysia is competing with - and winning with a lower airfare.  

I was flying from Australia to Jakarta and looked around to find an inexpensive alternative.  There are many LCCs flying from Australia, but they fly to Bali (where I did not want to go) and the other airlines seemed very costly.  It came down to a choice between Malaysia Airlines (via KUL) or direct on Garuda Indonesia (with its upgraded service, I now consider as competition to Malaysia Airlines).   I choose Malaysian based on their past experience and dedication to service...I was not wrong in my choice.

I had booked my trip through an online site as they were offering a better price than the Malaysia Airlines site.  Even then, I could go online and choose my seats and update my information - this is something I appreciate as not all airlines allow this and this is something extremely customer-friendly and focused. 

I was booked on MH134 which departs Brisbane (BNE) at 11:20pm and arrives at Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 5:50am.  I was already in BNE from an earlier flight so when boarding opened up 9:00pm, I was ready and in-line.  Check-in was easy and efficient, and MAS is very generous in allowing one bag up to 30kg per passenger.  After going through security and immigration I proceeded to the gate and waited for the boarding to commence.  The plane was already at the gate, as MH134 is the return flight with the originating flight arriving into BNE at 7L50pm.  Boarding commenced around 10:50pm and all passengers boarded the plane.

The interior:  The plane looked relatively brand new and was a very modern and updated Airbus A333, with 250 seats and a seat pitch of 34 and width of 17 - it was very nice and spacious and suitable for the 8hr 30min flight.  The seats itself were slim and comfortable enough for the duration of the flight.  Seat amenities included a game controller, AC power and USB connecting ports, a foot rest, and as well as an IFE.  Each seatback included an IFE and the IFE was touchscreen as well as worked with the remote.  

The IFE on Malaysian was very nice and up to date.  They had a lot of new and interesting movies to choose from, along with TV shows, music, games, and features on the company.  In my opinion, Emirates provides the best IFE so they are the standard to which I compare other airlines to --- and in that regard Malaysia does not stack up; however, when comparing them to other carriers such as Etihad or Qantas then I believe Malaysian wins.  Their IFE's were more up-to-date, had a wider selection, and had a more interesting selection than some of the other 'bigger carriers' and for that they get high marks.

The food: Since this was an evening flight, about an hour after we took off the airline started its dinner service.  The food on Malaysian is good, with nice portions and decent flavor.  After dinner, drinks, tea and coffee were served, the lights were dimmed so passengers could rest as the flight continued.  During this period, the FA's came around multiple times to provide water to the passengers.  About an hour or so prior to decent into KUL, a small snack plus drinks were served.  The snack was all that appetizing and was very small but a nice gesture from Malaysian.

the model planes at KUL

Transition: We were scheduled to land at KUL at 5:50am and we landed on time and taxied to our gate.   In our flight, the passengers were split down the middle with half connecting to other flights and half spending time in Malaysia.  KUL has a main terminal and a satellite terminal (and from what I can detect, most wide-body planes use the satellite terminal and short-body planes use the main terminal).  The two terminals are connected by a train (which was an improvement as in 2007 there were only buses and no trains) - those with connections got off at the main terminal while those collecting bags had one more stop.  The main terminal at KUL is very large and has some great plane-viewing windows.  There is a lot of duty-free available and some food options, although the food options were some-what limited.  There is free-wifi in the airport, but the service and reception was spotty and depended on where you were.  Since it was about 6am and I had been travelling all day, I was tired so I went to my gate where they had nice big couch/benches on which you could lay out and rest (I saw a lot of people sleeping on them.)  On the couches near my gate, the wifi was not good but if I moved two or three gates down the wifi service improved.   I was connecting in KUL to my next flight to Jakarta, which was scheduled to leave at 7:50am - which means that gate to gate I had about 2 hours transit (less if you consider taxi time, transfer to gates, and security and boarding for my next flight).  The connection time did not seem tight, but rather perfect for the early morning.

the seats on Malaysia (Boeing 737)

Connections: My next flight was MH713 on a Boeing 737 and is one of the many daily flights Malaysian has to Jakarta.  Our scheduled departure time was 7:50am and we boarded on time and even though the flight was generally full, I had the entire row to myself (very nice).  There were many FA's on board serving the passengers, and all of them were friendly and had a smile on their face.  The flight time to Jakarta is 2hr 15mins and it was overall a comfortable seat.  Even though the plane looked older, inside it had been refurbished and updated with leather seats.  Each seat also had its own IFE, which was a nice addition.  The options were not as wide as what was available on longer flights, but still had enough of a wide selection to easily pass the flight time and it was a nice addition on this short flight.  Shortly after take-off drinks and meals were served.  Since it was early in the morning, breakfast was served and there was a choice of either western or Malay/Indonesian.  'When in Rome, do as the Romans' as the saying goes so as I was going to Indonesia I chose the Indonesian options.  The food was generally quite good and the best part was that because people have different spice preferences, the spices were presented in a separate container which you could add to your liking (a nice touch).  The meals were cleared, drinks along with tea and coffee were offered, and the passengers were left to enjoy the remaining portion of the flight.  We were scheduled to land at 8:50am and we landed on time and had a short taxi to the gate.  Immigration and visa on arrival were cleared easily and then I proceeded to the luggage area --- this is where I did have some problems.  

CGK - where you get your luggage

Apparently only one of my bags made it onto the Jakarta flight while in transit in Malaysia.  I am not sure how only one bag shows up and the other does not, but that is what happened - and it seemed to happen to a lot of people who had regular (i.e. less than 3 hours) transit times in KUL.  There was a group of 7 of us who did not get some or all of their luggage when we landed.  When we went to the claims office, we were told that the luggage was still in KUL and had already been put on the next flight to Jakarta - which was scheduled to land in 3 hours.  Not receiving my luggage has happened before, but normally when my luggage does arrive the airline will transport it directly to where I am staying and I do not need to wait at the airport.  I assumed this would happen this time as well so I provided the address of where I was staying --- a hotel near downtown and from the airport to downtown is about 30-45 minutes without traffic -- however I was told that it would just be easier if I waited at the airport for my luggage and then just took it with me.  I asked that, instead of me waiting 3 hours in the arrivals hall (prior to clearing customs and exiting) if they could just send my bags -- they said 'it would just be easier to wait'; so I waited.

Luggage Hall @ CGK

Jakarta Airport:  The arrivals hall (where you get your luggage) at CGK or Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has some facilities for passengers - but not a lot.  There were no food options available in this section, but there was a technology store available where you could purchase SIMs.  Since I needed to do this anyway, I took the opportunity to get the SIM here - NOTE: I always get a cheap, pre-paid SIM wherever I go as its easier if I need to make any local calls, and I can give the number out to friends and family who can use calling cards to call me.  Most countries also have it to where you can use the SIM to check your mail so that is also convenient.  After waiting for 3 hours, the next flight from KUL eventually landed and I received my luggage.

CGK main area

I returned about 4 days -- my flight from Jakarta was very early in the morning at 4:40am so I spent the previous evening on the other side of the airport.  On this side - the Departure side - there are plenty of luggage carts available.  They also have many food options available as well, but these are not open all night.  Almost all of the businesses closed around midnight - including restaurants and kiosks.  There is a pay lounge which had AC and was quieter, but the food did not look all that appetizing (you basically paid for quiet, less people, and some AC).  What was lacking were power points - I found one on the far side of the terminal next to the administrative offices - and places to sit/lounge.  The area prior to going through security and checking in is not very big, yet there are tons of people.  They have about 8 wood benches/loungers there in which you could spread out, if you like sleeping on wood and want to fight for your space; it was not a comfortable place to rest.  My flight was scheduled to take off at 4:40am and we departed on time and landed in KUL at 7:40am.  Again, I had 2 hours to transit as my next flight departed at 9:45am (this is a daily flight Malaysia has from Brisbane that departs KUL at 9:45am, arrives into Brisbane at 7:50pm and departs at 11:20pm back to KUL).                                   
Conclusion: Overall, despite my luggage incident, I enjoyed my experience with Malaysia Airlines.  They provided nice, clean airlines with decent leg space, good amenities, decent food, an easy to use and navigate site, and on board it was a great service that got me to my destination without spending a lot of money -- and that is where I see the problem for Malaysia. They are trying to be a full-service airline - to compete with Qantas, Singapore, and Cathay - at reduced fares to compete with the LCC's - Air Asia, Scoot, Tiger, and Cebu.  Malaysia needs to figure out who they want to be -- as I stated earlier the majority of the passengers of my flight were transit passengers as Malaysia provide a good service at a decent price; but the question is for how long can they have this 'hybrid' model of full-service and discounted prices.  

Would I fly Malaysia again? Definitely!
How does their service compare? Not as good as Singapore or Cathay (and both SIN and HKG are better airports) but I thought this was better than Virgin Australia or Qantas or Air Asia

How do their fares compare?  They are more economical than Singapore, Cathay, Qantas, and Virgin Australia but not as cheap as AirAsia -- however they fly more places and KUL is nicer than KLIA!

Happy flying! 

A Trip Report: Qantas, Brisbane to Los Angeles (October 2013)

Trip Report: Qantas, Brisbane to Los Angeles
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Qantas Airlines is the national carrier of Australia and flies to many major cities within Australia, and connects Australia to many parts of the world - and is now connecting to more of the world with its partnership with Emirates.  There is a lot of competition in Australia, as Qantas not only competes with Virgin Australia but also with many Asia-Pacific airlines for its market.  Qantas is a full-service airline, meaning your ticket price includes baggage and meals and IFE; given all this, their prices tend to be a bit higher.  They have started a LCC brand called JetStar (on which you can use your Qantas miles, but cannot earn Qantas miles) which flies to many vacation destinations and other locations which may be more budget-friendly.  I have flown Qantas a couple of times, both domestically and internationally.  Internationally I have flown from the U.S. - both LAX and DFW - to Brisbane (I had the opportunity to fly on the longest flight in the world - on Qantas from Dallas (DFW) to Sydney via Brisbane).   Domestically, I have flown on Qantas from Sydney to Brisbane and on JetStar from Melbourne to Sydney.  This experience relays my most recent experience, from Brisbane to LAX in October 2013.

My experience on Qantas was my return flight - I had flown on Qantas from LAX to BNE in August and was now returning home.  Work arranged this flight, but when I did arrange my own flight for the holidays, I found that Qantas (in partnership with American) was cheaper in terms of flights from the U.S. as they would have sales from Dallas or LAX (versus Virgin Australia and Delta).  

TIP: If you want to use your miles and you are a member of AA miles, you can use those miles for the Qantas flight - they are the same flights and you use less miles.

Overall, Qantas is a nice airline but they are starting to show their age and they need to upgrade in order to keep up with the competition.  The perfect example of this is the airplane used from BNE to LAX (which was also used to and from Dallas).  Qantas still uses the B747 - which are nice airplanes but are older planes and they show their age in terms of comfort-ability and noise.  Qantas have upgraded the seats and each seat comes with a personal IFE, a USB charger, and a decent legroom, but the B747 cannot compete with the comfort of an A380 or some B777 - especially on the 16hr flight time from DFW to BNE or the 13hr flight time from LAX to BNE.  For extra legroom, Qantas has installed Premium Economy which provides additional legroom as well as other benefits.  You can also purchase bulkhead seats or exit row seats which also provide additional legroom

The flight from Brisbane departs is scheduled to depart at 10:35am so that means one needs to be at the airport by about 8am to check-in.  The flight goes from BNE to LAX and then continues on to JFK (although Qantas cannot sell seats from LAX to JFK so only those who boarded in BNE can continue on).  There were lots of check-in counters available so check-in went smoothly - passengers to and from the U.S. are allowed 2 bags of 23kg each but be wary of hand carry because the airport authority are very strict about only 7kg hand baggage allowance!

Seats: This flight was not very full - in fact we were only 40% occupied - so many people had the entire row to themselves.  At the time of booking, if you want to select a seat assignment it is going to cost you.  You can select it for free 24-hours prior to your flight when you check-in online, or you can pre-pay to select your seat or pay a little more and select an exit row seat or a bulkhead seat.  I am tall and so due to the length of the flight - I paid 25AUD to get a bulkhead seat with extra legroom.  The price can range though from 25 to 75AUD (other airlines have also started to charge such as Singapore Airlines).

Boarding: Because it was a light load, the boarding was quick and efficient and we took off on time (when I flew in July on a full-flight to LAX, we were late boarding by 1.5 hours - with very little explanation by the crew as for the reason for the delay - and then when we got on board we sat at the gate for another 1 hour making us not 2.5 hours behind schedule - essentially making the majority of passengers miss their tight connections!)

On Board: As you board, on your seat is a pillow (pretty big by airline standards) and a blanket.  An amenity kit is passed out which provides socks, eyeshades, and toothbrush/toothpaste.  We left at 10:35am so after we reached our cruising altitude, menus were passed out and a lunch service started.  Drinks were served prior and during lunch.  Tea and coffee were served afterwards, and a special treat, hot chocolate (either mint or regular) with marshmallows were served.  This was a special treat as the hot chocolate were served from cadbury pitchers and they were delicious (a nice touch for Qantas).  

After the trays were cleared, an overnight packet were served which included a bottle of water, an apple, and a protein bar - this to help keep you refreshed through the long journey. Additionally, in the back of the plane Qantas keeps a stock of fruits - apples mostly - and small snacks such as mini cookies (which were good) and biscuit/crackers.  There were also dispensers where you can access water.

After the meal service was completed, the lights were shut off to make the plane dark so that you can get some rest.  Even though most passengers were sleeping, flight attendants would pass through the aisles (using mini flashlights to see) to pass out apples, water, mini pizzas, and other light refreshments.  As I said, Qantas is a full-service airline and they keep you well-fed.

IFE: In addition to eating, Qantas has 'Q' - its IFE.  In terms of availability, Q is not bad.  I expected little more selection from Qantas, especially in terms of movies and tv shows.  There were some, but selected episodes - it is definitely not up to par with Emirates selection - but still a decent selection.  I would say this is something Qantas needs to improve on, as its competitors (Singapore, Emirates, Malaysia) have better choices.

As the cabin is dark, you can either watch movies or sleep until about 2 hours prior to landing.  Since we would land at 6:40am US time, Qantas served us breakfast - either hot or cold.  Hot consisted of omelet with potatoes and sausage while cold was cereal and milk.  Both were served with fresh fruit (decent), a warm croissant (very tasty), and your choice of beverage - along with tea or coffee.  After the meals were done, trays were cleared and preparations were made to land.

My flight was from Brisbane to Los Angeles, and then connecting to Washington Dulles.  QF15 goes from BNE to LAX and lands at 6:40am - in time for the early morning connecting flights to other cities.  I had 2.5 hours to get my bags, go through customs, immigration, rebook my bags to my domestic flight and then transfer to the American terminal.  When Qantas was on time (which this was) this was just enough time to do everything that I needed to do.  When Qantas was late once (by over 2.5 hours) I missed my connection entirely (almost everyone did).  Even in Australia, Qantas provides very tight connections with marginal room for error (and their on-time performance is good but definitely not great!  And when we were delayed, there was very little communication about the delays).
Overall: Qantas is a very nice full-service airline but it is definitely showing its age in terms of its fleet.  Qantas recently said that it is switching from the 747 to the A380 on the Dallas to Brisbane flight - which is a welcome change.  Qantas would need to keep this innovation up to continue to be relevant - especially in the growing Asia Pacific market where other legacy carriers have the same full-service with modern aircraft competing against newer LCC's with modern aircraft.   Qantas is a decent airline, but I am not sure I would go out of my way to choose it - but maybe with the partnership with Emirates, Qantas will retain its legacy status!  

Trip Report: AirNiugini, Brisbane to Madang via Port Moresby (January 2013)

Trip Report: Air Niugini, Brisbane to Madang via Port Moresby

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Air Niugini is the national airline of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and is the only airline that flies to/from Papua New Guinea and other international destinations besides Australia (Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, and Fiji).  Air Niugini has a codeshare with Qantas meaning that if you are booked on a Qantas flight to PNG it will be operated by Air Niugini (except to Cairns which is operated by Qantas).  I was booked on Air Niugini as a Qantas codeshare, which allowed for an easy baggage transfer and allowed for collection of my boarding pass from Qantas once I arrived into Brisbane (meaning I did not have to go through customs and recheck my bags, as I did in Hong Kong as Air Niugini and Cathay Pacific do not have such codeshare).  I had previously flown this sector – Brisbane to Port Moresby – but then I checked in with Air Niugini at 9am for the 10:40am departure (the counters were manned by Brisbane Airport personnel, which was the case in Hong Kong where the Air Niugini counters were manned by Hong Kong Airport personnel).  As I had a seamless transfer, I was able to stroll through Brisbane International Airport (and duty free).  We were instructed to be at the gate no later than 10am and we started boarding immediately as the plane and crew were ready.  When I had previously flown the sector, the operating aircraft was a Fokker 100 for the 3 hour journey; however this time the operating aircraft was one of Air Niugini’s three Boeing 767s.  The plane was only 50-60% full thus boarded happened quickly, but we still had a late push back and were finally in the air by 11am. 

Air Niugini is a full-service airline so the plane contained both business and economy section (although no one was in the business section) and had a 2-4-2 layout in economy.  All of Air Niugini’s Boeing 767’s are used planes, many former Iceland Air planes, and their age and sound are well apparent.  In spite of that, Air Niugini has refurbished all the planes with new seating and interiors to make the journey pleasant (also a plus is that the older planes have more legroom and bigger overhead bins).  Once airborne, the in-flight service commenced which first included a beverage (alcohol is available and free on all Air Niugini international flights) followed by lunch – a choice of either chicken or pork.  I choose the chicken which consisted of 3 pieces of chicken (with bones), rice, vegetables, bread, cheese and crackers.  The chicken was bland did not look appealing so I stuck to the side dishes.  Dessert was also present, but as none of the passengers could figure out what it was, I left it to the side. After serving the main meal, the flight attendants came around to offer tea or coffee and also came back to refresh any alcoholic beverages (choice of beer or wine).  To pass the flight time, a movie was shown on the main screen (no personal IFE) or you can read the in-flight magazine (which also contains duty free options).  We landed in Port Moresby right on schedule at 13:45.

There is a process if you are connecting to a domestic flight within Papua New Guinea: once you clear immigration and customs, collect your bags, go through security, exit out of the international terminal and walk to the domestic terminal (about a 5 minute walk), and then go through security again and stand in line to check your bags for the domestic flight.  This can be a hassle, especially if you are unfamiliar with the layout or with the procedure, and can definitely be a hassle if enough time has not been allotted for the transfer.  The luggage allowance for domestic flights is 16kg but if you are coming off an international flight then the domestic counter will honor the international allowances.  (Side note:  when flying within PNG, even though you have an electronic ticket the passenger must hold and keep a paper copy of your itinerary with you as that is what is utilized for check-in).

After I checked-in my baggage and received my domestic boarding pass, I went through security and waited in the lounge for my flight.  Because of delays in flights, Air Niugini usually allots a long layover at Jacksons Airport, Port Moresby (POM) to ensure passengers make their connections (90% of the flights are to/from Port Moresby).  In spite of the long layovers, there is very little to do while waiting for your flight.  Cushioned chairs (not in the best condition but still comfortable) are available to sit and there is a kiosk that sells soft drinks, water, tea, and light snacks in the back of the waiting area (they only accept PNG currency, but there is a bank kiosk located in the international terminal which will exchange foreign currency).   Roads are not very accessible within PNG so to get from one domestic city to the other is done mostly through flying (in spite of this, domestic fares are relatively expensive).  Most flights within PNG are about 1 hour (the longest being about 1.5 hours) and because of the short distances most planes utilized by Air Niugini are either a mix of new and older Fokker 100’s, Dash 8’s, or Q400’s (they recently required a brand new Boeing 737 to be utilized on domestic markets and for special international flights).  All domestic flights have both business and economy class, with business class usually contains a bigger seat (similar to a lazy boy in feel and size) and passengers are served a light snack/meal.  In economy class, the seats are smaller (but equally comfortable and this 6’1 author fits in comfortably) and you are served only juice and a biscuit (on early morning flights coffee or tea is also offered).  Given the short duration of flights, the flight attendants are quick and efficient in serving all passengers and collecting all trash and still have time to relax before landing.  

For my flight to Madang, the domestic lounge has a TV screen to show which flights are boarding but most people just wait to listen for airline representatives to yell out the flight number and destination before they start heading to the gate.  There are no bridges for any domestic flights so all passengers must board and deplane via stairs and this is how we boarded the flight.  I have flown Air Niugini many times many times passengers have been called to board the plane well before schedule, but the plane will not depart until the scheduled time.  We departed on time from Port Moresby, received our biscuits and juice, and 1 hour later landed in Madang (most Air Niugini flights have a short turnaround time within the city before it heads back to Port Moresby).    

While Air Niuginis is the only international carrier, there are three domestic carriers: Air Niugini, Airlines PNG, and Travel Air.  Air Niugini has the biggest and most extensive domestic network, consistently flies to these destinations, and has not had a crash or fatality in its 40+ years of flying.  The other two – Airlines PNG and Travel Air – do not have as extensive network, do not fly consistently to their destinations, and are constantly delaying or cancelling flights (Airlines PNG also had a fatal crash in 2011 killing all passengers on board).  This is the main reason why many people choose to fly Air Niugini and overall Air Niugini’s service is pretty good, but more importantly its reliable.  This is especially important in a country where reliability and efficiency is not always present.  Given the relative monopoly Air Niugini has on the PNG aviation sector, the fact that they maintain a decent level of service (and have an excellent safety record) is a testament to Air Niugini.  While the fares are high (due to the monopoly, flights in and out of PNG to any destination besides Australia are very expensive), and sometimes flights are cancelled, what you find on Air Niugini is a scheduled flight that will eventually get you there and will provide decent service on route.