Airports that resemble purgatory

[here2go]

A quick decision at work to send me down to meet suppliers in Sydney sees me being forced to take a JQ redeye to get down south ASAP. This means being at DRW at 0030. As always, the terminal is depressing - packed to the brim with bleary-eyed passengers desperate to get on the plane so they can go to sleep, and the standing passengers waiting for the first flight to board so they can give their feet a rest, while others are just sitting against the wall of the very slowly morphing terminal expansion program wall. It is just blech, and there is no Club or Lounge to hide in either, as there is no Qantas flight, and the VA passengers don't even have a lounge.

My question to the AFF brains trust is, "Is this aviation purgatory, or is there another airport in Australia that is more unpleasant?".

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Without the QP, it really is a rather cramped and lacklustre airport, I agree!

However during the day it's not too bad IMHO.

 

[harvyk]

That doesn't sound too different that PER just before the red eye...
MEL can feel a little like purgatory when your flight gets in at 3am, and your connecting flight doesn't leave until 8am... (the same experience was had in AKL as well, except it was worse as we stayed airside at the INT terminal, couldn't even get a coffee and it was in the days before iPads existed)

 

[richie9x]

I think it is probably more to do with that time of night. Even Singapore can get very quiet and boring after midnight.

 

[ozmille]

I loved the quiet night times when I used to work at the airport, turn off the speed control on the golf carts and race along the departure gates :shock:

 

[11sjw]

Regional airports are pretty ordinary in WA. Special hellos to PBO, ZNE (especially yesterday with a 3 hr delay due to a FA receiving bad news and determining she couldn't work) and GET.

 

[here2go]

Thursday night/Friday morning was certainly interesting at DRW. In amongst the bleary-eyes, the police presence was huge courtesy of the Hells Angels convention in town. The Hells Angels use JQ.

The flight going to Sydney was not pleasant - and was indeed an extension of purgatory. A drunk AJ from Armoured Corps was heading south on leave, had to tell everybody about it, (especially the FIFO worker next to him who had just gotten off a 48 hour shift). The AJ sat behind me, and proceeded to kick me and in his drunken stupor fondle my hair at times while I was in half asleep. I hope I never have to get to Sydney in a hurry again when the only option is JQ. Not to self though - if forced to do this, pay the extra for the exit aisle (which I did), BUT also make sure it is the first row (ie row 12)

 

[eastwest101]

Thursday night/Friday morning was certainly interesting at DRW. In amongst the bleary-eyes, the police presence was huge courtesy of the Hells Angels convention in town. The Hells Angels use JQ.

The flight going to Sydney was not pleasant - and was indeed an extension of purgatory. A drunk AJ from Armoured Corps was heading south on leave, had to tell everybody about it, (especially the FIFO worker next to him who had just gotten off a 48 hour shift). The AJ sat behind me, and proceeded to kick me and in his drunken stupor fondle my hair at times while I was in half asleep. I hope I never have to get to Sydney in a hurry again when the only option is JQ. Not to self though - if forced to do this, pay the extra for the exit aisle (which I did), BUT also make sure it is the first row (ie row 12)

Sounds quite a horrible flight, and the OP with the Darwin midnight JQ horror may still have it in the bag I think, but as far as arrivals go - what about arriving in ADL on Rex?

 

[Pushka]

Darwin on the late night flight back from Bali through to Adelaide. With several hours between flights. I ended up sleeping on the beach I was so exhausted waiting.

Bali airport. Hopefully they don't still do it but the water turns off at midnight. Flights depart at 1 am. And everyone has a touch of Bali belly, no toilet will flush and you can't wash your hands. Just. Gross.

 

[smeacs]

Agree Arriving in ADL on REX is pretty close to it. I wasn't sure if the carpet had been vacuumed.

 

[JohnK]

Darwin on the late night flight back from Bali through to Adelaide. With several hours between flights. I ended up sleeping on the beach I was so exhausted waiting.

And you survived sleeping on the beach?

 

[Cabbage]

Melbourne T4 FTW. Budget terminal shouldn't mean third world terminal

 

[Pushka]

And you survived sleeping on the beach?

I wasn't alone.

 

[here2go]

Melbourne T4 FTW. Budget terminal shouldn't mean third world terminal

That chicken wire at luggage collection is special.

 

[Hvr]

I wasn't alone.

You slept with someone on the bench?

 

[here2go]

You slept with someone on the bench?

I now understand why those benches are so sticky.

 

[Pushka]

Yes. Mr Pushka was with me. Too damn hot though for anything else. It was BEACh not bench by the way.