Perth to Cairns - the hard way

[DinkumDave]

Well, I’ve learnt so much from the trip reports on this site, whilst being entertained at the same time, so I thought it only fair that I should contribute something in return. So welcome, dear reader, on the momentous occasion of my first trip report.

I hope to be able to add a little bit of knowledge to the incredibly diverse repository that already exists here, so that others can benefit from my experiences. However, some of the report will likely degrade into blatant ranting, so be warned.

Here’s the deal. I needed to get from Perth (PER) to Cairns (CNS) for a family wedding, then back again. The obvious solution would be to choose one of the many domestic carriers that are available to us here in Aus. But I’ve never been one for the obvious.

My preference is, naturally, to fly with SQ wherever possible. Not because I think they are the best airline (which they may or may not be), but because I am familiar with them, and know what to expect. A predictable journey is a stress free journey. So my first thought was SQ Perth-Singapore-Brisbane, followed by a drive up to Cairns.

Then I looked at a map of Australia. I hate to confess how little I knew about the geography Queensland, but flying to the moon would probably be quicker than driving from Brisbane to Cairns. Couple that to the crazy prices that SQ charge for flights in and out of Australia, and it soon becomes a no-brainer.

My second thought was Star Alliance partners, so that I can at least earn some points in my KF account , or save some money by redeeming points.
Air New Zealand could fly me to CNS via Auckland (AKL), but that seemed like a long way to go for no good reason. A stopover in NZ would be nice – I’ve never been there before – but not in the middle of winter.

Then somebody told me that Fiji is close to Queensland. I have never been to Fiji before, and a few days relaxing there sounded appealing. So I decided to fly Air NZ via Auckland to Nadi, Fiji (NAN).

I chose to redeem a reward for this flight, so I waited until the magical 330 day mark and logged in to ANA to check availability. ANA showed plenty of award availability, so I called KF member services, and 10 minutes later the booking was complete. Yippee. Part 1 of the master plan was locked in place.

Top Tip #1: Any KF members living in Perth? Because of the way KF organize their zones, Star Alliance redemptions from Perth to the South Pacific are an absolute bargain. On top of that, Air NZ don’t charge the ridiculous YQ charges that SQ seem to think are acceptable. My flight from PER to NAN, in business class, cost a grand total of 17,500 KF miles + SGD79 (one way, per passenger) – what a bargain! Of the SGD79, the vast majority is Australian departure tax, so it would probably be even cheaper coming back!

And for the real tightwads amongst us, you can even fly as far as Papeete for the same price. This was not for me however, as I still had to get back to Cairns somehow, and I thought it would be easier from Fiji than from Tahiti.

Enough waffle. Let’s get on with the first flight.

[DinkumDave]

Flight: NZ176, PER-AKL
Date: 28/05/2011
Departure Time: 19:20
Flying Time: 6hrs 30minutes
Aircraft: B767-300
Class: Business

This was my first ever flight with Air NZ, so I was looking forward to it.
Me and the Mrs arrived at Perth International Airport, and made our way to the Air NZ check in area.

We lined up in the premium lane. There were a couple of young lads in the queue ahead of us. They weren’t travelling in business, but must have been Koru Club members or some such. With three desks serving premium pax, I thought we wouldn’t have to wait long. I was wrong. When we were eventually called to a desk I found out the reason why.

Check in with Air NZ is very, very slow. First the check in agent asked for the booking ref. Then she spent several minutes typing on the computer. Are you flying to Nadi? She asks. Yes, I say. More minutes on the computer. Then she comes back with - “I will be able to check your bags through to Nadi” – said as though she is doing us a big favour here. Was there ever any doubt? It should be a given on an Air NZ connection.

Then the formalities are commenced. Security questions are asked. Bags are weighed and tagged. Then, out of the blue, she asks us to place our cabin bags on the scales. Whoooaaaa! What’s going on here? I’ve never been asked to do that before.

Now I know that my carry-on bag is, ahem, somewhat more than 7kg. Luckily the wife only has a holdall with a change of clothes for a shower in Auckland, and it weighs next to nothing. So a bit of quick thinking, and I place both bags on the scales at once. The total is under 14kg, and the check in girl is happy. The bags are tagged with green “approved” stickers, our boarding passes are issued, and we are on our way.

Technically, we are allowed two pieces of cabin baggage each, but we are travelling light – for reasons that will become painfully obvious as the trip report progresses.

A 10kg+ bag, with a green “approved” sticker attached



Actually, if push comes to shove, I can make the bag conform to the 7kg rule, by hanging various contents around my neck, or placing them in my pockets.

Air NZ priority tags.



Bright red in colour. No Star Alliance logo.

Next we are through security and into the departures area.

Now Perth airport is a funny old place. If you are used to Changi, then you are in for a shock. There are a few rip-off, erm I mean duty free shops, a couple of small eateries, and a total of (I think) six boarding gates. Here is the Mrs (looking pretty P’d off at me for taking photos) sitting outside the SKL. Behind her you can see the cafes/eateries (yes, that is ALL of them!).



Here is the entrance to the SKL (SKL is on the left – the MH lounge is on the right).



Unfortunately the SKL is only open prior to SQ flights. We’ve missed the previous flight by about an hour, and the next flight is still 8 hours away. So, to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld’s soup nazi, it’s “no sushi for me” today!

Some snaps of aircraft, because I know there are people on this board who like that kind of thing.

South African.



The sun is beginning to set. Behind the aircraft you can see the runway, and beyond that some planes parked at the domestic terminal. Over in the distance, on the left, you can just make out the Perth city skyline.
Garuda.



I can’t tell you what kind of planes they were. I can only recognise the Boeing 747. I can tell you that they were not 747’s.

They were the only two planes at Perth International Airport at the time. Quite different to Changi.

[DinkumDave]

Off to the lounge. Air NZ passengers have access to the Qantas Club.



Some views inside the lounge. Once you are past the reception area, there is a magazine rack.



The corridor on the left leads to the dunnies & showers. (That’s a mirror at the end of the corridor, not some Crazy taking photos of the lounge).

Looking right, there are some comfy chairs and a TV.



Behind the wall on the right is the computer area.

The next photo is taken from the far corner of the lounge.



In the foreground you can see a self service coffee/tea bar, with some biscuits and nibbles in the jars.

On the middle left, you can just see the magazine rack, which is where we came in.
In the background is the main food/dining area.

You can just make out the Mrs sitting at the table in the middle, still looking very P’d off

Looking left.



The coffee bar is still in the foreground. The comfy chairs are behind the slats in the middle right. At the end of the corridor you can see somebody using one of the computer terminals. There is also a display showing the latest stock prices. There didn’t seem to be much point to this on a Saturday night. Footy results might have been more useful.

Here’s the Mrs helping herself in the main food area.



Time to get down to the serious business – eating. Let’s see what we’ve got.


Tomato Juice, Orange Juice. Tomato & Basil soup with bread roll. For the Mrs, a selection of cold meats and some salad items.

Round 2



A selection from the salad bar for me. Some roasted capsicums (very nice), artichokes, beetroot, and a selection of fruit.



And for the Mrs, the main dish of chicken curry and rice (only one dish on offer). She also decided to try the soup, with a sprinkling of parmesan.

I got her to smile for me in the last photo. She’s obviously not going to do it twice !!!

Round 3



On the left, macadamia and caramel slice. On the right, chocolate biscuits and dried paw paw. In the centre, mixed nuts. Plus a cup of rosie. There was also the usual selection of beers, wines, and some spirits. But I paid little attention to these as I am a non-drinker. (Sorry if that is un-Australian of me!).

[DinkumDave]

The departures board.



Not much in and out of Perth at any time of day.



Ah, another smile! The tea and fruit must have put her in a good mood!

Frankly, the F&B options in this lounge were a little disappointing. There was one main dish, the chicken curry. Now I am not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat meat (I do eat fish, and apparently reptiles – as we will see later in this trip), so all I could do in this lounge was pick at the salad items from the cold meats & salad selection. There were no sandwiches, no noodles, nothing that would really fill you up. Luckily I still had a full meal to come on the flight ahead.

Time to investigate the toilets (sorry, no photos – who takes photos in a toilet?). My impression was a very clean and spacious toilet. Lots of creams and lotions (can’t remember which brand). Paper tissues were very thick and soft, quite luxurious in fact. I also noted that ends of the loo rolls had been folded into triangles. Was I just lucky? Or is there somebody who waits for customers to come out so that they can quickly nip in and re-fold the loo roll?

I also stuck my head into one of the shower rooms – all for the sake of completeness. Everything seemed to be in order. It was clean and spacious, with all the bits and pieces you would expect.

Popped outside the lounge to see if our “ride” had arrived yet. She had.



Sorry about the photo. It was very dark outside, very bright inside, and lots of glass between me and the plane!

Back to the lounge, and time for some more food.

By now most of the original food items had been cleared away, and replaced by pizza/Turkish bread.



This was very nice, but by the time I started to think about seconds they had already disappeared. The staff were making no effort to bring out more food at this time, so I suspect the lounge was winding down for the night.

Time to inspect the boarding passes.



A funky design for Air NZ. Same colour passes issued, regardless of class, unlike SQ.
Now that things are quiet, it’s time to mull over some thoughts.

Why does Air NZ check in take so long? It took us around 20 minutes all up. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but 4 times longer than my average SQ check in at PER, and for exactly the same result.

Anyway, Top Tip #2: Air NZ weigh your cabin bags at check in. So if you need to put things in your pockets, or get friends/rellies to hold them for you, etc, do it before queuing up for the check in.

On a related note, there used to be a person who would weigh your cabin bags before security at PER. If your bags were over 7kg, you would be turned back. I noticed that person never used to be there very early in the morning or late at night – I suppose our departure taxes aren’t high enough to pay somebody a bit of overtime. However, since the introduction of LAGs restrictions, I have never had my bags scrutinised. The same person is now there to ask you if you have any LAGs. No doubt the unions put their foot down on that one, and wouldn’t allow one person to do two different things!

Our fun didn’t end there today. After passport check and X-ray, the Mrs was randomly selected to be swabbed for explosives (she gets picked every time!). The security staff always ask their targets if they are prepared to undergo the test first. They also hold out a card with the very same question written on it (as though somebody who can’t speak English would be able to read it, right?). The card clearly shows that you can answer YES or NO (they are written in VERY large capital letters).

Now I’ve seen this done dozens of time before, and I’ve always wondered what would happen if somebody answered no. So this time I decided to ask the security lady. The conversation went something like this:

Me: What happens if somebody answers “no” when you ask them if they agree to be swabbed?
Her: They are escorted from the premises, and not allowed to fly.
Me: So what’s the point of asking?
Her: We’re just being polite.
Me: You mean by giving people the opportunity of being escorted from the premises?
Her (getting defensive now): Why do you want to know?
Me: I’m just curious.
Her: Why would anybody refuse to co-operate where security is concerned?
Me: I’m sure they wouldn’t – if you asked them that directly, instead of the roundabout question that you do ask.

At this point I think she was getting ready to call in the heavies to have me thrown out, so I decided to pull my head in. Shame, because I wanted to ask her how many people have been escorted from the premises, and also how many of those didn’t understand English. I will have to save those questions for next time

Top Tip #3: If you are passing through security at an Australian airport, and they ask you if you are prepared to undergo a swab test for explosives, just answer yes. Don’t be curious as to why the ask the question. Just nod your head and get on with it.

Well that’s enough ranting for now. Let’s get back to business.

Soon it was time to head to the departure area.



Yes, departure lounges at PER are in the main concourse area, along with all the other passengers, shops, etc!

You see the number “3” hanging from the roof (the gate number)? To the left of that is a TV screen with the flight details. Just below there is the door through which passengers have to pass before heading down a narrow staircase (you gotta love Perth!) to board the plane.

There was no premium line for boarding, so we queued up with everybody else. The line moved very quickly, and we were soon on board.

[DinkumDave]

Well, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the Air NZ cabin. I believe the planes used on the PER-AKL v.v. run are quite old. So I was expecting a well worn cabin. In fact, the cabin was very modern and fresh looking. The leather seats did not look worn at all. I am guessing they must have been refurbished fairly recently.

Already laid out on the seats were an amenity kit, noise cancelling headphones, blanket, and pillow. There was also a bottle of water provided in a special carrier hanging from each seat (although the crew have to run around stowing these for take-off – which seems like a bit of an effort). Menus were located in the seat pockets.

Bags were stowed in the ample overhead bins, and we settled down to a welcome drink.



OJ for me, water for the Mrs. Notice how one of the screens has been extended. The cabin is set up this way as a convenience so that you can watch the safety video. The screen then has to be stowed for take-off.

Hot towels were handed out.

On a side note, can somebody explain to me what the point is of a hot towel? I find that in hot and humid countries they can be very resfreshing – for about 10 seconds – before leaving you feeling even hotter and sweatier than before. In cooler climates they seem to make no sense at all. So I always skip the hot towels. If somebody can explain to me what I am missing, then please do so.

NZ newspapers were also offered, but I declined.

Time for a (SQFG tm) legroom shot.



No complaints from me. Plenty of room to stretch out.

The safety video was played during push back. In keeping with Air NZ’s fresh, young approach, the safety video is a humorous parody of an exercise video. I’m sure it will be on YouTube if you haven’t seen it before.

Take-off was smooth and uneventful. Sorry, no photos – it was pitch black dark outside, and would be for the remainder of this journey.

Once the seat belt signs were turned off, the crew came round to take orders for post take off drinks. On SQ they take the orders before take-off, then deliver the drinks as soon as the seat belt sign is turned off. So Air NZ is slightly less efficient that SQ there.

The FA taking my order got my name wrong. Ordinarily I would ignore this, but I was concerned that my drinks would go to the wrong seat, so I corrected her. After that, she didn’t call me by name at all. I must have confused her. Apart from that minor slip-up, the crew were faultless throughout the flight.

In fact, it has to be said that the crew go a long way to making the flight special. They are very friendly, and take time to chat with each person in turn. I heard them say several times “if there is anything at all you need, just ask”. That should be a given with any good crew, but it’s nice of them to keep re-affirming it.

Post take off drinks.



Chamomile tea. A plain old bag of Twinings, not as nice as TWG, and no little side bowl to collect the teabag. It’s little touches like that which make SQ special!

At this point the wife decided she was going to forego any further service and try to get some sleep instead. Here she is wearing the novelty eye shades from the amenity kit.



Is it just me, or do those eye shades make her look like a certain cartoon character? - “Cowabunga, dude”

The crew make an announcement that the meal today will be a choice of lamb or “fush”. However, I think the announcement was for the benefit of the economy passengers, as the business class passengers have a more comprehensive menu to choose from.

DINNER
Perth to Auckland

Starter
Seafood tasting plate of peppered seared tuna with ratatouille,
salmon mousse and sautéed prawn with saffron aioli
By Geoff Scott

Bakery
Garlic bread, shell rolls or baguette rolls

Main Course
Cabernet braised beef with mini mushroom pastry,
root vegetable and rosemary gnocchi by Rex Morgan

New Zealand king salmon with macadamia nut crust, ginger
and lemon butter fondue, crushed peas, carrot courgette medley
and baby potatoes by Geoff Scott

Stir fried chicken with hoisin sauce, ginger abd Chines chive roasted
butternut, broccolini and steamed rice by Peter Gordon

Desert
Gourmet ice cream dessert of chocolate honey nougat ice cream
and strawberry ice cream with almond wafer

Passionfruit panna cotta with roasted pineapple and star anise compote
by Peter Gordon

Cheese and Fruit
A fine selection of cheese and fresh seasonal fruit

Hot Drinks
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea
or hot chocolate

WAKE UP REFRESHMENT
Perth to Auckland

Prior to your arrival your crew will offer you for your enjoyment
A fruit smoothie, hot beverages and a selection of muffins and pastries


I had pre-ordered an ovo-lacto meal. I had to ring Air NZ to do this. Because it was an award booking made with KF, I was able to log in to the Air NZ web site to select seats by myself, but I wasn’t able to select a meal.

Unlike SQ, Air NZ crew don’t come round to confirm special meal selections with you after boarding, so you have to wait until the meal is delivered to see if it has been loaded. (Though I find that sometimes on SQ they come round to tell that your special meal hasn’t been loaded, which can be a bit of a disappointment).

Now I had read about something called the concierge service on board Air NZ, and I wondered what this was all about. Whilst we waited for the meals to be prepared, one of the crew members, wearing a special uniform, came to each passenger in turn and discussed their onward travel arrangements with them – making sure they knew where they had to go upon arrival, and answering any questions they might have. That was a nice touch.

My ovo-lacto appetizer.



Can’t remember what all the different nibbles were, but they were very nice. I find that appetizers are a bit hit and miss on SQ when you order an ovo-lacto meal.

One of three things can happen:
1. (best case) a specially prepared ovo-lacto appetizer is served.
2. (middle) when serving sate, the FA realizes that you can’t eat meat, and goes off to quickly prepare an alternative.
3. (worst case) they ask you if you want sate, you say no, and you miss out on the appetizer.

All 3 options appear to happen in roughly equal proportion.

This is my first flight with Air NZ, but it’s good to see that they have opened their account with a nice big tick in this particular box.

The starter.



Again, I can’t remember the details of this (I really should take notes). But I do remember that it was delicious. The asparagus on top was cooked to perfection – nice and crisp, and full of flavour. The green layer below was avocado flavoured. I can’t remember what the bottom layer was, but it was very nice.

A selection of bread was also offered. As you can see, I chose garlic bread.

Main course.



Spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Once again the vegetables around the side were cooked perfectly, and full of flavour. This dish was a little too cheesy/rich for my personal taste, but full marks to Air NZ for putting together a great ovo-lacto meal.

Dessert.



Rounded off with some NZ ice cream. Very nice.

Cheese and fruit were also offered, much the same as on SQ, but I declined.

Chocolate mints came round after that.

I also noticed there were no toothpicks in with the rest of the cutlery. I thought that was a little strange, or is it only Asian cultures that use toothpicks?

[DinkumDave]

At this juncture the passenger in front (Who, by the way, had been very loud up to this point. I think his name must have been Peter ) decided he was going to get some rest. So he reclined his seat as far as it would go.



Feeling a bit cramped now. The seat in front is only a couple of inches from my knees. Do we pay less royalties to SQFG if there is less legroom?

Movement of my TV screen is also restricted now. But I can quite comfortably watch the screen in the row in front.



Just angle it slightly more this way – that’s it – now hand me the remote, thanks.

Time to check out the dunny.



Nothing special to report. Amply spacious. Pacifica branded amenities. No toothbrushes, combs, or razors in the cupboards. You have to make do with whatever is in the amenity kit.

The taps were very awkward. You have to keep the lever pressed down firmly for the water to flow, which makes it nigh on impossible to wash your hands properly.



A random view across the cabin. As you can see, it is quite roomy. Config is 4 rows of 2-2-2. The middle seats are offset slightly from the outer seats, which improves the feeling of privacy. As I already mentioned, the seats and cabin are in good condition, and fell quite new.

Load up front was about 85%. Mostly kiwis returning home. I didn’t look in the back.

I chose to sit in row 2 as SeatGuru lists the bulkhead seats as having limited legroom. Actually, they looked fine to me, and I would probably choose those seats next time. I also noted that the overhead bins in row 1 are available for passengers to use, and are not full of technical equipment like on SQ.

Now this was always going to be a difficult flight sleep wise. Leaving Perth at 7.20pm, my body clock is not set to sleep for another 3-4 hours, which only leaves 2-3 hours more flying time to sleep, if you’re lucky, before arrival in New Zealand. Arrival is in the early morning NZ time, so it is time to wake up again. I usually avoid red-eyes, but there is only one flight per day with Air NZ out of PER, so it’s Hobson’s choice.

I wasn’t feeling tired at all by this point, so I decided to check out the IFE instead.



Since when did Sting become a classical musician?

IFE is very comprehensive. PTV’s are touch sensitive, and very responsive.
In the end I decided to watch “Made in Dagenham”. All about the ladies working in the Ford Motor Company’s Dagenham plant, who are fighting to get the same pay as the men. On a few occasions, they head off to the Warley offices to talk to the management. I used to work there! Albeit in a very different era to the one portrayed in the film.

As the flight progressed, I noted that the crew came round frequently, asking those passengers that were still awake if they wanted more drinks, or any other service. Full marks to the crew there.

About an hour before arrival in NZ, the crew came round offering pastries and muffins. I chose a muffin. It was fresh, warm, and moist. Very tasty. For some reason I neglected to take a photo of it – must have been the lack of sleep.

At 05:30 local time, about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, we touched down in Auckland.

[DinkumDave]

Head to Head – Air NZ vs SQ

Let’s compare the Air NZ flight to a similar flight with SQ, e.g. SQ226.

Flight Details
NZ: NZ176, PER-AKL, 6hrs 30 minutes
SQ: SQ226, PER-SIN, 5hrs 25 minutes

Aircraft
NZ: Boeing 767-300
SQ: Airbus A330-300

I believe the SQ A333s are newer than the NZ planes, but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to the passengers as both have clean and modern interiors.

Seats
NZ: Leather seats, not enclosed. Reasonable recline.
SQ: Leather seats, enclosed in plastic shell. Recline to (angled) lie-flat bed.

Both types of seat are perfectly comfortable. If anything, I would say the NZ seats are better for sitting in, but the SQ seats are better for sleeping.

IFE
NZ: AVOD. Comprehensive selection. Touch screen, stows in armrest.
SQ: AVOD. Comprehensive selection. Screen is in seat back, or bulkhead wall.

The NZ touch system was nice. It was intuitive, and displayed no noticeable lag. I always struggle a bit to find my way round the SQ system, and there is a lag which means I usually end up hitting buttons twice before getting used to it.

Storage
NZ: Ample overhead storage. Front bins are available for passengers. Bins are fixed in place, with doors that open upwards.
SQ: Ample storage, except for front seats where bins are used for flight equipment. Bins drop from ceiling and have to be lifted, contents and all, in order to be closed.

For passengers in the front row, it is nice to have your own bin space on NZ. Of course, SQ crew will always take your bags and stow them for you, but it is nice to be able to do it yourself.

The NZ design, where the bin remains in place, seems much more logical and less likely to cause problems with heavy bags dropping down.

SQ seats, being enclosed in a shell, do have some cubby holes to store smaller bits and bobs. However, I find these also provide spaces where things can drop, never to be seen again.

Amenities
NZ: Eyeshades, toothbrush, toothpaste (Colgate), La Prairie branded creams (moisturiser, lip balm, eye contour cream), socks, ear plugs, Air NZ pen. All presented in a nicely designed cardboard box.
SQ: Eyeshades & socks, in a small tie up pouch. Toothbrushes & toothpaste (Colgate), disposable razors, and combs are available in the toilets.

SQ could learn something from Air NZ here. The NZ kit is much nicer. Obviously it costs the airline a couple of bucks more, but they are buying passenger goodwill.

Meal Service
NZ: Full service – appetizer, starter, main with bread basket, desert, fruits & cheeses, chocolate mint.
SQ: Full service – appetizer, starter, main with bread basket, desert, fruits & cheeses, praline.

After just one flight with NZ, maybe I got lucky, but my impression was they put a lot more effort into their ovo-lacto meal than SQ. Ovo-lacto meals on SQ are usually good, if a little uninspired. The meal on NZ however was excellent.

Drinks
NZ: Full range available.
SQ: Full range available.

Didn’t pay any attention to wines, champagnes, beers, spirits. Never do. I did notice that Air NZ were serving up NZ wines – whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I wouldn’t know.

It’s nice of NZ to provide a bottle of water for each passenger at their seat. On SQ we always have to ask for a bottle.

However, SQ have to be commended for TWG teas. I usually take them for granted, but when they are no longer there it brings it home just how nice they are.

Crew
NZ: Excellent. Friendly, efficient, helpful.
SQ: Excellent. Friendly, efficient, helpful.

From the above, you might think SQ and NZ crews are very similar. In fact, they are very different. It’s hard to put it into words, but I think the interaction between crew and passengers on SQ is very formal, whilst on NZ it is much more informal.

For example, the Air NZ crew referred to champagne as “bubbles”, and the called the stir-fried chicken dish “Chinese chook”. I can’t imagine that happening on SQ.

Whilst the two sets of crew are very different, I wouldn’t say that either set of crew is better or worse than the other. The NZ crew made me feel very welcome on the flight, and looked after me extremely well. However, SQ crews regularly manage to do that as well, albeit in a very different style.

[DinkumDave]

Coming up next:

The Koru Club lounge at AKL.
AKL airport.
Followed by herringbones to NAN.

[sqdazz]

enjoying this so far! keep it up

[SQflyergirl]

Nice report Tom. Send our love to Nicole please

[SilverChris]

Thanks for the report I didn't know PER-AKL is even longer than SIN-PER!

[Kyo]

I didn't realise the crew would have a problem pronouncing either of your Hollywood A-lister names, for shame!

Great TR, really enjoying this

[Pinkfloyd]

Great TR looking forward to the rest of it!

[DinkumDave]

Nice report Tom. Send our love to Nicole please

I didn't realise the crew would have a problem pronouncing either of your Hollywood A-lister names, for shame!

Ha ha, yes. There might have been a little bit of Photoshop involved there

I really didn't think anybody would notice. I obviously underestimated my fellow eagle-eyed SQ Talkers.

Thanks for the report I didn't know PER-AKL is even longer than SIN-PER!

On the schedule it's about an hour longer, but our flight must have had a tail wind as it came in early. All in all the deffierence was about 30 minutes - not really noticable.

enjoying this so far! keep it up

Great TR, really enjoying this

Great TR looking forward to the rest of it!

Thanks for the encouragement. You've convinced me to write some more.

[calvinoeh]

Thanks for sharing. Do continue to share!