Most frivolous flight you've taken?

[Febs]

Hi guys,

Apologies if this has been done before, but I thought it might provoke some interesting discussion.

Status/mileage runs aside (including creating huge DONE4 itineraries for status/mileage purposes), I'm wondering who's taken a flight for something frivolous, excessive, over-the-top etc...?

Something like "I flew to ADL once because I couldn't find Coopers Pale Ale on tap in Sydney".

The reason I ask is - on the very off chance that I'm one of the select few who "wins" the opportunity to purchase Led Zeppelin reunion tickets, I'm seriously considering flying to London to see them play with a mate. That's ~$2,200 in airfares (I'm saving my QFF points for 2 x Award explorers in '08), $300 for the concert ticket, plus accommodation, food, sight-seeing, transportation etc...

Utterly stupid (some said that last year when I flew to MEL to see the Stones play, after already seeing them in Sydney )...but hey, I always said if they do do a reunion concert, I'll try my hardest to be there.

So...prove I'm not insane.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[moa999]

Flew QF73/74 to sample the new F lounges a couple of wks after opening
(and I'm not alone on this front)

Flew RTW with 6 days in Antigua and 2 days in London to see the 4th Test v the Windies in 2003 (before I came cross AFF and FT u/f)

 

[Evan]

Well its funny you should mention it,....

Last year i went to U2 in Melbourne, then flew to Japan MEL-SYD-NRT-SYD-NRT and watched them twice more In Japan they were excelent, and much better venues.

E

 

[Febs]

Well its funny you should mention it,....

Last year i went to U2 in Melbourne, then flew to Japan MEL-SYD-NRT-SYD-NRT and watched them twice more In Japan they were excelent, and much better venues.

E

Love it.
It's great when the shows are different too. The Melbourne Stones concert was very different to the Sydney one (I wouldn't say better, but different), so it was definitely worthwhile seeing both.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[alect]

When living in SYD on work projects, I used to fly back to MEL to get a haircut

And ultimately it was my Concorde flight to LHR for a weekend and a friend's birthday.

 

[Shano]

I flew to Sydney for a house warming party

 

[Keith009]

Do DOs count?
I flew to KUL for a DO over the first weekend in August. It was also my friend's birthday. Other people flew in from places like LON and YVR, so I'm not totally insane I guess...

 

[JohnK]

Flew QF73/74 to sample the new F lounges a couple of wks after opening
(and I'm not alone on this front)

I am also one of the culprits of an F lounge run on QF74/QF73 a few weeks after they opened.

Also an award flight earlier this year SYD-ADL-ASP-AYQ-PER-BME-DRW-GOV-CNS-SYD to visit some new airports and the opportunity to fly on a 717-200 and EMB120.

I am also attending the FT Kiwi Mainland DO in Queenstown in November.

 

[Travel Guru]

I've flown interstate for lunch several times, and the quick overnight trips for concerts.

You're not alone on the Led Zep concert, i've got a family member who's planning on doing the same thing.

TG

 

[serfty]

Back when it cost 9000 points return (zero +++), a mate and I flew MEL to CBR and back. Took a cab to Queanbeyan Serviceman's Club for a few drinks then back to the QP for a few 'ere out flight home.

 

[Maca44]

In about 1970 when living in Newcastle I went to a club & played Crown & Anchor. Didn't matter what I did, I won heaps even buying a bottle of champers for each table when I thought I might loose, so when the club closed just after midnight and everything else in N'cle was closed a mate and I took a cab to Sydney for more drinks at Kings Cross and when most of the bars closed there in the "very" early hours of the morning went to the International Terminal and took a flight to Auckland (did not need passsports in those days), just to get another drink on board. My wife (at the time) was not impressed when I called her from Auckland that night, but hey we were young and the alcohol made me forget I was married for 24 hours so that was a bonus.

With DJ happy hour, in recent times, have also taken flights to the Gold Coast for lunch and flown back that evening. You can't beat those $88 rtn flights.

 

[spiggy_topes]

Flew Brisbane to Cairns and back last year in a 24 hour period to climb a mountain (Bartle Frere, highest point in Queensland). The best bit was turning up at the QP before the last flight of the day, covered in sweat and mud, taking a shower, and then devouring most of the buffet. To their credit the staff took it in their stride...

 

[straitman]

.... there was the time ....

But that was in my Air Force days and I probably shouldn't repeat it publicly

 

[dajop]

Most frivolous .. when JQ first launched, we booked a day return MEL-HBA, leaving at 6am (ish) and landing back in MEL at around 11pm (In the earlier days of JQ, they actually had services from HBA-MEL later than 5:15pm. Now it's just pathetic that the QF group do not offer later flights on this route.) Used a $50 off car voucher, travelled up to the area around Lake St Clair for a bit, back to Hobart to a friends place for dinner before heading back to the airport.

As for most spur of the moment.... went to local flight centre at 12pm to book flights to Thailand, flying out at 11:30pm that night (was offered the 4pm flight but that was just a little bit tight on the timing.)

 

[Febs]

Love these responses.

Just remembered another one I did late last year. Flew up to OOL on the first flight out of SYD, met up with my parents who were doing the Dreamworld Tiger Walk that day (you pay for 4 people regardless, and there were only 2 of them, so why not?) After that, spent some time soaking up some sun, then drove a Lamborghini Murcielago up and down Seaworld Dr, then caught a late flight home.

Was a great day...and on a work day too!

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Yes guilty flew to hobart for the week end via sydney and melbourne and returning via melbourne albury and sydney. Flown to christ church via auckland and wellington to fly on the pacific blue inaugural flight. Flying to sydnen to look at the F lounge flying to perth in october via newcartle sydney canberra melbourne mount gambier and adelaide and flying on to first a380 flight out of australia plus a side trip

 

[Starship]

I believe there are only 20,000 Zepplin tickets, so best of luck.


During the banking heydays of the '80's with long lunches, at my bosses cost, we flew the Learjet from Melbourne (of course after the helicopter ride from the pad on the Yarra to Essendon) to Sydney, picked up some friends and then headed to Hayman Island for lunch. Lunch was very enjoyable, and then flew back the same way later that afternoon.

Not much recall of the flight back, the wines with lunch were too good.

 

[Platy]

Have flown from Cairns to Sydney just for dinner at Quay Restaurant with friends visiting from overeas, overnighted and then back in the morning a few times.

Oh yes, I do try to get that haircut in Sydney on the same overnight trip as the aforementioned dinners - my hairdresser is good, but not worth the trip alone!

Took a CNS-AYQ-PER instead of a CNS-PER direct one time (on my way to a house warming party in Mandurah), hired a car for 4 hours to go round Uluru during the stop over just to see the thing once and for all.

Been on SYD-MEL a few times on day trips to lunch with mates.

Had to fly SYD-CNS return once just to pick up a set of keys and check the house because my mate , who had been house sitting for 6 weeks, was too paranoid to leave the house without me inspecting it to ensure he hadn't stuffed anything up - pretty well burned through all the rental cash from that 6 weeks he had been there on the one trip there and back!

Should have taken a plane instead of a car some years ago to bypass a 14 hour each way road trip from New York to Aurora (North Carolina) to spend a few hours looking for fossil sharks teeth - left Friday night, back Sunday arvo and despit that level of commitment couldn't any of the prized giant great white teeth!

 

[sr81]

MEL-CHC-MEL. Just to have dinner with a mate. Good night out and we wound up at the casino so didn't even make it near the hotel before I was back on the plane.

Best JQ flight ever on the way home because I slept pretty soundly.

 

[bambbbam2]

Late last year was living in Sydney and bored on a Satruday morning.. a friend from Perth rang and said "Come for a drink tonight at the Casino".. so was on a flight Sat arvo Syd-Per, had a couple of drinks, then took the first flight back to Sydney on Sunday morning..".