Welcome to this week’s Traveller news spotlight, where we sift through the feedback, rants, and raves from readers, and provide a selection of travel tips sure to brighten your week. So let’s dive right in and see what’s making headlines in the world of travel.
First on our list is a mixed review from a passenger experiencing Jetstar’s Airbus A321neo for the first time. Boasting of a brand new aircraft with extra stowage space in the overhead lockers, the airline failed to live up to its promise. Unfortunately, the overhead compartments were already occupied by the time this passenger reached their seats row. To add salt to the travel wound, the crew had to stuff their luggage into a separate overhead bin, adding anxiety to their supposedly promising flight experience. Even as much as they are encouraged to indulge in the extensive range of delicious, ambitious, and nutritious treats from “The Cafe”, dealing with the cramped conditions and the poorly organized cabin space by the aft toilets dampened their overall experience. A big advice for future passengers is to avoid the rear section of the A381 to avoid such inconveniences.
Next up, let’s talk about a quick update about Qantas Frequent Flyer program. It came as a surprise for a loyal customer who had their status downgraded from Platinum to Gold membership. With several business class returned trips made to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Sydney over the past year on Malaysian Airlines, it was quite disappointing to learn that business class flights on Malaysian Airlines were now considered equivalent to economy class flights for Qantas points, regardless of the similar fare cost with Qantas and Malaysian.
Moving on to an interesting story about a friendly interaction on a holiday in Durres, Albania where the language barrier was beaten by a simple act of kindness. After being limited to a basic greeting of “hello” and “thank you”, a traveller diligently used Google Translate to send a warm “have a good day” message to a female worker. The woman, touched by the traveller’s effort, responded with a genuine embrace, proving that kindness can cross the language barrier and make an indelible impression on people’s hearts.
Let’s switch scenes to the St Lawrence River in Canada, where a solo female traveller in her 70s just returned from a splendid journey touring Montana and Idaho in the US. Using Greyhound and Jefferson buses moving through the Prairies, the Rocky Mountains right through to Idaho, the Glacier National Park and the Going to the Sun Road, she was amazed by the scenic beauty of massive lakes, huge numbers of pine trees, alpine meadows, and deep green hanging valleys. This travel experience was a reminder of how welcoming and helpful Americans can be.
Finally, there’s an interesting tale revolving around a car hire company who lost a customer’s details, following a data breach. Unfortunately, Avis took an entire month to inform customers of the breach and even worse, to this day has failed to respond to queries vi email or over the phone.
And that wraps up this week’s chapter of captivating travel stories from the world. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting travel insights in the coming week. Safe travels everyone!
