Turkish Delight: TK A359 SIN-MEL in Economy, VA Domestic Biz MEL-PER, Mining Charters

[yflyer]

My flight was VA679 MEL-PER, a 9.15am departure that would get me into Perth at 10.30am, with a block time of 4 hours 15 minutes.

Today's flight was operated by Boeing 737-800 registration VH-YIW, a 10 year old aircraft first delivered in late 2014.



On time boarding...



The Business Class cabin was laid out in 2 rows of 2-2.



The leather seats looked comfortable enough, but obviously this was an old-style domestic product, not a modern lie-flat seat.



Legroom was generous.



Recline was not great. In fact recline was minimal. Thank goodness this was a daytime flight and not a red-eye.



A/C power was available.



Female first officer in the cockpit today.



The cabin crew came round with pre-departure beverages...



Sparkling wine? Yes please!

[yflyer]

Take-off to the North, on Runway 34...



Much of this flight would take place over water...



The business class section was roped off after take-off.



There was one bathroom in the front of the cabin for the exclusive use of J pax (and the pilots).

[yflyer]

Complimentary internet for business class...



Another glass of sparkling wine after take-off...



2 choices of main for breakfast. They were out of the bacon option by the time they took my order, so I had to settle for the egg frittata. Oh well. It happens. Not something I was going to kick up a fuss over...



Still the bacon looked great from across the aisle...



More sparkling wine helped mitigate the disappointment...



The frittata wasn't too bad...



Always nice to drink coffee from a proper cup...



Later on, the cabin crew came round with a tray of snacks...

[yflyer]

Nice views of the city as we made our final approach...



Flight time today was 3 hours and 32 minutes. We landed at 10:13am, 17 minutes ahead of schedule.



This was a good flight on Virgin Australia. I thought cabin crew and catering were very good. In line with the Virgin brand, and perhaps also with Australian service culture, the cabin crew were very warm and friendly in a nice and informal way.

As for the hard product, this was an old-style 737 domestic business class seat, with minimal recline. The best J seats on the MEL-PER sector are still the Qantas A330 J seats, which are lie-flat international business class seats.

Off the plane, I emerged into the spacious and airy terminal at Perth International Airport.



Outside, it was a blistering 34 degrees Celsius, climbing to as high as 38 degrees later in the day...



It felt like an oven outside, and I was still in Perth.

The next day, I would be headed to the Pilbara, a remote region in Western Australia, where conditions were even harsher.

Tomorrow would be interesting...

To be continued!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

My hotel was the Four Points Sheraton Perth (Previously covered in this TR). The Four Points was a decent business/value hotel quite centrally located in the Perth CBD, directly opposite the RAC Arena.



I got to my hotel just before lunch time. Thankfully my room was already ready, despite it being a little earlier than the normal check-in time.



The room was spacious and quite new looking.



The bathroom was large...



...with a generously sized shower stall.



A couple of years ago, when I was still working for big tech companies who put me up in 5 star hotels, I would have considered this to be an ok room, but nothing special. Nowadays I work for a tech startup, with much more limited budget available for travel, so recent hotels I have stayed in have been comfortable, but fairly basic.

So today I was very happy to be staying in a large, new and modern hotel room, part of a big chain like Marriott. Funny how everything is about expectations. In the past, I would have thought "meh" when I stepped into a hotel room like this. But today, it was "wow, what a nice room".

[yflyer]

I dropped my luggage in my room and headed straight to Cottesloe Beach, a 30 min Uber ride from Perth, for lunch.



My lunch venue was The Shorehouse, located just steps from the pristine beaches.



What a stunning spot for lunch.



Their selection of wine was a welcome sight on a blistering hot day...



The dining menu...



The cocktails here were excellent too. I began with their take on the Bloody Mary...



A couple of oysters, with drops of Chardonnay vinegar added via a dropper...



Delightfully refreshing cured kingfish...



...then a wonderfully satisfying Blue Swimmer Crab & Prawn Linguini...



I opted for the starter sized portion, which was generous enough for a main portion for me.

I could only glance a the dessert menu...I was too full to order anything else.



What a wonderful meal in an idyllic setting. I would highly recommend coming here for a meal, and also for the spectacular beach.

[yflyer]

Early the next morning, I headed to Perth Airport T2 for my charter flight to the Pilbara.



Perth Airport was a major hub for mine charters to various mines in resource rich Western Australia.

The Pilbara region of WA is rich in iron ore and other minerals and natural resources. There were many major mining operations in the region. Workers there typically worked on a FIFO basis (Fly-in, Fiy-out), because there was literally nothing out in these remote regions except the mines.

They flew in typically for 2 weeks, worked 12 hour shifts each day, then returned to Perth for 1 or 2 weeks off. It was a tough working environment, but financially very rewarding, and many of the FIFO workers enjoyed the extended breaks on their time off.

This was my first time visiting one of these remote mining sites, and I was quite thrilled at the prospect.



These charter flights were typically operated by Virgin Australia or Qantas narrowbodies...



Although this was a charter flight, which was not eligible for SQ Krisflyer miles, they did honour KF Elite Gold lounge privileges, and I was eligible to enter the VA Lounge.

[yflyer]

The Virgin Lounge was a long walk away, in T1...



....but I needed coffee, so I made the long walk there anway.



The lounge wasn't too busy at 5am in the morning...



Inside, more folks in hi-vis than in civvies...



Continental breakfast selections...



...as well as hot selections, comprising sausages...



...and eggs.



Pancakes...



Barista coffee...



No beer or wine till 12pm...

[IMG}https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54345242315_5f5a35abe6_h.jpg[/IMG]

Good shower facilities...



I had a quick coffee and a snack before heading to the gate...

[yflyer]

At the boarding area, a sea of hi-vis...



My ride to the Pilbara...



Boarding via stairs...



This was a 737-700. Seat pitch was decent.



Charging port, with both USB and USB-C.



A full flight today.



No flight info on the inflight captive wifi (i.e. no external internet)...



...but the entertainment options were available.



Window shades came down almost immediately after take-off, and many pax onboard slept.



I was pleasantly surprised to find that on this flight, a full hot breakfast was served.



Bacon, egg frittata, and beans...



...along with a croissant with butter and jam...



Apple juice with ice...

[yflyer]

To respect client confidentiality, I won't mention the specific location I visited, but this is where I was, according to Google Maps.

This was one of those places which I had previously only flown over at cruising altitude enroute from Sydney or Melbourne back to Singapore.



I was ecstatic to be experiencing this remote part of Australia at ground level...



It was unusually wet and cloudy when I was there. There was cyclone nearby, and the area had been subject to very heavy rain in recent weeks.



Initial impressions: It was greener than I thought it would be, and less flat.



I was there a few weeks later as well and snapped some pics as we drove around the area.



I believe the mounds in the picture below were ant nests. There were many of them...



There was a sense of openness and desolation that I had not encountered ever before.

I was there just to visit, but for those working there, what an incredible place to call your "office".



I did not visit the mine itself, but stayed in the so-called mining village, which housed the administrative offices, worker and visitor accommodations and recreational areas.

As workers stayed there for weeks at the stretch, the accommodations and recreational areas were actually quite impressive, with private air-conditioned rooms for each worker or staff member, each with attached bathroom and a decent internet connection (Even in such a remote place). The rooms were small, and not luxurious by any means, but I have stayed at hotel rooms in Japan smaller than these, and the rooms were clean and comfortable.

While all-you-can eat catering was provided in a large dining hall, there was also a separate clubhouse/restaurant which served food on a paid basis, as well as beer/wine (Each person had a quota of alcoholic beverages they could order per day). There was also a large gym, playing field and at this site, a swimming pool, for workers/staff on their time off, although when I was there, I did not see anyone using the pool.

So while this was a remote location, the comfort of workers and staff at this site looked to be a high priority, especially given the gruelling daily 12 hour work shifts.

I was told that the quality of accommodations and resident's facilities at the mines in the region did vary, and that this was an example of one of the better ones, perhaps even one of the best.

I only stayed one night at the mining village on this occasion, but I thought to myself that I would not mind a work schedule like that, 14 days on shift, living in a mining village, then taking 7 or 14 days off after that back in the city. Not that I had any plans to do so, but it was an interesting lifestyle and career choice, especially if the remuneration was good.

[yflyer]

I flew back to Perth a day later.



My flight back was another Virgin Australia charter, this time an A320.



The flight landed in the mid morning, disgorged FIFO workers arriving for their shift, then picked up pax who had ended their shift.



This A320 was configured much more tightly than the previous 737. Seat pitch was miniscule!



But we were heading back to civilisation, so I don't think anyone onboard really minded.



Quick taxi onto the single runway...



Amazing views on take-off...



A nice view of the massive mining operation from the air as we climbed out...



Just a snack and a drink on this flight. It was mid morning, after all, and we could eat all we wanted when we landed in Perth.



Nice views of Perth City and the Swan River as we descended...



On the ground in Perth...



It was nice to be back in the city, but what an amazing 2 days in the Pilbara!

[yflyer]

I was just in transit in Perth for several hours. I had a flight on Virgin Australia back to Melbourne the same evening.

I had just enough time to head to the city for lunch at Balthazar, before heading back to the airport.



Really plump oysters to start...



...followed by cured market fish...



...and Wagyu beef tartare with crème fraiche and potato crisps...



I am a fan of beef tartare and would order it almost every time I see it on the menu. This was a tasty version of the dish, perhaps with more potato crisps layered on top that I would have cared for, but with very tasty beef.



After lunch, I caught an Uber ride back to the airport for my flight back to Melbourne.

[yflyer]

The massive Virgin check-in area in PER Terminal 1...



I headed to the same Virgin Australia lounge as my previous VA charter flight...



The daytime crowd in the lounge was more typical of an airport lounge..no hi-vis in sight.



Wine and beer were now available!



There was barista coffee...



A selection of red and white wines, including sparkling wine.



I sampled the Tatachilla Brut NV...



Salads and cold starters...



Potato, leek and bacon soup...



Chicken & egg fried rice...



Thai vegetable green curry and steamed white rice...



I was quite happy with the F&B selection in this lounge. I just had small portions to taste, as I would be eating (again!) on the plane...

[yflyer]

My flight from Perth to Melbourne was VA692, with scheduled departure at 4:55pm, and arrival into Melbourne at 11:30pm.

The day's flight was operated by VH-VUT, a 15 year old Boeing 737-800.



While this was an old aircraft, the interior had been refitted with the new Virgin Australia 737 business class seat, which looked much better than the older seat on my previous MEL-PER sector.



Just two rows of 2-2 J seats.



While this was not a lie-flat seat, the recline felt better than on my previous sector.



There was a foot/calf rest...



Fold-out tray table...



...which expanded to a fairly large dining/work top...



Pre-departure beverages were served...this was a sparkling wine...



Free wifi for J pax...



I always enjoy peering into the cockpit on the rare occasions the cockpit door is open...



Great views of Perth city out the right hand side windows on take-off...

[yflyer]

A glass of red wine after take-off...



This was a Petaluma Pinot Noir from Central Otago...



Dinner was served. There were 2 choices for dinner, and this time I got my choice, which was Asian-style noodles with chicken...



This was a very tasty meal!

Later, I asked for a G&T, which really hit the spot.



We landed 7 minutes behind schedule at 11.37pm.

Overall I thought this was a good flight on Virgin Australia. Cabin service was great, and so was the catering. I thought the cabin product was fine for short sectors, but given that this was a 3+ hour flight, it would have been nice to have a lie-flat seat for better rest. Would I want to fly J again on this sector? Not sure, as the lack of a lie-flat J seat made the additional cost of J a little harder to stomach. Still it was nice to have a proper meal, and a larger seat, on this sector.

After that, I spent another day in Melbourne before flying home on Turkish Airlines.

To be continued!