(SYD based) Frequent flyers, eternal suckers

[markis10]

Interesting piece.....

From the moment you arrive, the airport wants you to know exactly what it thinks of you. Its character assessment is utterly brutal. Here's what it is, in essence: ''Hello, loser. You're a LOSER. You know what? I think you are such a sucker that you will pay me $23 to park in this shed for an hour and a half. Or maybe stay until tomorrow! That'll be $112. Loser.''
Inside, the parade of petty indignities continues. At the check-in kiosk, for instance, where the two available answers to the crucial question - ''Are you carrying explosives?'' - are chosen via touchpad buttons so hilariously close together that a single moment's inattention converts a fat-fingered non-combatant into an inexplicably frank suicide bomber. (If you are a bomber, it's serious. You must report to the service desk immediately.)
Or at the baggage self-check-in, where you will be obliged to position your suitcase to the exact satisfaction of an extremely fussy and disembodied machine.
At every opportunity, the airport remorselessly reinforces its assessment of you.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/socie...nal-suckers-20120414-1x061.html#ixzz1s3CfLCS6

 

[pagingjoan]

Interesting piece.....

From the moment you arrive, the airport wants you to know exactly what it thinks of you. Its character assessment is utterly brutal.......

Read more: Frequent flyers, eternal suckers

And, in what must be the ultimate knockoff, the same piece appears in today's Sunday Age, ostensibly about Tullamarine, with only the introduction changed! Great journalism?

 

[serfty]

SMH & Age are the same publisher.

Do the two articles have the same by-line?

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[pagingjoan]

SMH & Age are the same publisher.

Do the two articles have the same by-line?

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

Yes, of course theY do have the sane publisher. But my point was that the article in the SMH relates to Sydney airport, while the Age version purports to relate to Melbourne (Tulla) airport.
Can't post the link here - but on my quick scan, it appeared that nothing had been changed other than the intro and perhaps the price of parking.

 

[oz_mark]

SMH & Age are the same publisher.

Do the two articles have the same by-line?

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

Most online articles from the SMH can be turned into TheAge articles simply by changing the URL from having "smh" to having "theage".

There is very much a common publishing system between them, with sometimes some editorial changes to reflect the local market.

 

[pagingjoan]

Most online articles from the SMH can be turned into TheAge articles simply by changing the URL from having "smh" to having "theage".

There is very much a common publishing system between them, with sometimes some editorial changes to reflect the local market.

The subject has changed:
SMH article is "describing" Sydney airport.
AGE article is "describing" Melbourne airport.
Text, however, remains unchanged.

 

[oz_mark]

The subject has changed:
SMH article is "describing" Sydney airport.
AGE article is "describing" Melbourne airport.
Text, however, remains unchanged.

That's just an editor or sub-editor change for the printed version. In any case, the thrust of the article doesn't change from airport to airport.

 

[TonyHancock]

The on line SMH and Age articles appear to be the same. I may be misreading something but the online articles are about the generic airport/air travel experience rather than airport specific. I have not seen the printed edition of the The Age.

 

[markis10]

Currently the Age has the same picture twice on its home page for two different story's, all the good journalists must be out chasing one direction!

 

[pagingjoan]

The on line SMH and Age articles appear to be the same. I may be misreading something but the online articles are about the generic airport/air travel experience rather than airport specific. I have not seen the printed edition of the The Age.

Interesting, indeed!
Seeing the responses here prompted me to go back to both online versions.
The Melbourne Sunday AGE version online now is the same as the SMH version. Earlier this morning, it "adapted" the intro to refer to Tullamarine specifically.
Discussion over.
My earlier post no longer applies and I can see where the confusion arose.

 

[oz_mark]

Interesting, indeed!
Seeing the responses here prompted me to go back to both online versions.
The Melbourne Sunday AGE version online now is the same as the SMH version. Earlier this morning, it "adapted" the intro to refer to Tullamarine specifically.
Discussion over.
My earlier post no longer applies and I can see where the confusion arose.

The older
Melbourne version is still here: Welcome to Tullamarine. Your humiliation begins now

 

[Mal]

Can someone provide a link to the age version please.

Edit. Thanks oz_mark.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[pagingjoan]

The older
Melbourne version is still here: Welcome to Tullamarine. Your humiliation begins now

No wonder we have confusion?

When "all's said and changed about", the points remain valid, I suppose.

As someone who uses Sydney airport frequently - but mostly without experiencing the downside described, I realise that we do live and travel in a relatively privileged way.

These days, we don't use the over-priced parking; all food and bev is courtesy of the QF lounge - or the DJ lounge, of late, with the added bonus of kerbside access. Often, we can use Priority Security and Priority Boarding. (Yes, I know there are issues from time to time. Just looking at the positives, here.)

Compared with many of the airports we find ourselves in across the globe, it's a pretty sweet deal, I find.

 

[pagingjoan]

Can someone provide a link to the age version please.

Edit. Thanks oz_mark.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

And here is the current AGE version, which is probably now the same as the original SMH version. Frequent flyers, eternal suckers

 

[TonyHancock]

The older
Melbourne version is still here: Welcome to Tullamarine. Your humiliation begins now

No surprise that this is also the version in the printed copy of The Age.

 

[pagingjoan]

No surprise that this is also the version in the printed copy of The Age.

Wonder if the online editor is reading AFF?