Justinf
Established Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Posts
- 2,011
OK, so I'd had enough of the daily grind and had plenty of annual leave up my sleeve, so I decided to take all of July off and look for an inexpensive destination to take my 12-year-old daughter for a short holiday. Queensland is overpriced, although I do love Queensland, it's really gone downhill in the tourism stakes in my opinion and is horribly overpriced. So it was cheaper to look at New Zealand than in my own country.
I chose Wellington. It was my first overseas trip back in 1990 and the thrill of getting my daughter her first passport and her first out-country-experience was too good to pass up.
I'm a bit of a Virgin regular. I have Gold status and while I will seek to fly them if either port has a Lounge, I am not unknown to search around and fly with another carrier if the price is right or if the time is more appropriate. The best I could do for this trip was to fly Virgin over (via AKL) and Qantas back (direct).
In hindsight I should have just taken the 8.50am direct WLG service, but when you are dealing with a tween, that extra 70 minutes in bed can make all the difference, so I chose the 10am to AKL. It was a mistake. I should have just taken control and booked it and told her to deal with it, but we live and learn.
This trip report is not really a report on the actual trips but more a comparison between the two experiences. I also didn't take a lot of photos like I normally do. Both flights were in a 738 and we've all flown on this cramped bird haven't we? I didn't feel the need to show pics of the cabin of an aircraft that everyone here reading would know like the backs of their hands. What I should have done, was take a pic or two of the Air NZ A320 bird, but I didn't due to exhaustion and not being bothered to get my camera of my bag from the overhead locker.
So here were go.
Thusday, July 5
Woke at 5am and ended up leaving the house just before 6am for the 75-minute trip to Melbourne airport fromour home in Barwon Heads. Well, it normally takes that time, but a truck had decided to break down on the West Gate, which added 15 minutes to the trip. Got to the long-term car park at around 7.30am. The parking attendant directed me to turn left, but as usual, I ignored him and turned right. I like to park near the front of the complex and walk to the terminal and I wasn't going to be told where to go unless it was actually necessary in which case I would have followed the rules. There are always one or two parks around that area and today was no exception. With a 10-minute walk to the terminal in the crisp early morning of outer suburban Melbourne, it woke us from our dreary slumber.
We arrived at the check-in counter and with Gold status I walked to the priority check-in queue and was processed almost immediately. Seats 3B and 3C for us on this 738 that had 8 premium econony seats, but no business cabin as is the usual status of these Trans Tasman journeys on Virgin. Priority security and customs cards were issued and we flew through security, but customs was a 10-minute wait and then we were into the duty-free area that seems to overwhelm once you are inside. I tried to really pump the whole 'international terminal' WOW factor to my 12-year-old and tried to make it as exciting as possible. You know, when you go through those doors it means you are going to another country kind of 'wow' but she didn't really buy it. It was early, it was her school holidays and she had been sleeping in for the first days of it and was not into this early morning thing.
As a Gold member, we had access to the Air NZ Koru Lounge, so with us both feeling hungry, we made a beeline downstairs. Once inside, I was quite impressed with the lounge itself. It wasn't very busy and it was quiet (for the most part) except for two young children (about 3 and 4 years of age) who thought it appropriate to yell and scream pretty much the whole time, with little intervention from their mother. Grrrrrr.
There was a reasonable selection of hot food including eggs, sausages and beans, with the obligatory pancake machine. No barista coffee though, so I had to make do with the machine, which churned out a very ordinary brew. The bar was also self-serve, including spirits, and although I will admit it crossed my mind, at 8.30am it was just too early for me at that stage.
Here's my heaping plate of eggs on toast with a very average machine-made coffee, which I didn't finish.
Boarding was called for the flight to Auckland and it seemed orderly enough. We went to the gate and went through the priority check-in lane. This is what makes my daughter impressed. Special treatment and while her dad can maintain Gold status, she is always happy to avail of the Lounge facilities and go to the front of all the queues.
Row 3 on this aircraft is just behind the two PE rows. It has more legroom and it is more roomy. We occupied the middle and aisle and there was a gentleman on the window side.
I knew this was basically going to be little more than a domestic style flight across the Tasman. Push back was on time and soon we were gone and out across the ditch. There was no IFE on this aircraft. Fortuntaley I had preloaded my iPad with movies for Miss 12, and the plan for me was to hire a dig-eplayer which I had looked at the movie selection in the July edition of Voyeur online and the Hunger Games was due to be shown on this contraption. At $15 to hire, they are expensive. But we soon were told that the July movies had not been loaded and the devices were still loaded with June's movies (which I took a look at and didn't see anything I liked). This was disappointing. If you are going to advertise something, do it. It's not that hard is it? So I had to be content with my iPod as Miss 12 giggled her way through Johnny English and Space Kids 3.
The 'meal' service came around and of course in economy, it is pay as you go. There was only one person in PE, in seat 1F.
I opted for a meat pie and a Bundy & Cola and Miss 12 had some crisps. This set me back $25. Ouch! I have to say,though, the pie was very nice. Real chunks of beef, although it was a while before I could dig my teeth into it, it was so hot. I guess they nuked it too long. But at those prices, it was my first and last order from the trolley.
The flight was smooth, and there was one other trolley run. What I found unacceptable was that there was no water run. As you can't take a water bottle onboard (unless it's purchased once you get past customs - I guess I could have filled one for free in the Koru Lounge - duh!) you rely on water being served onboard. I had to ask three times for water and the offerings were so meagre, I needn't have bothered. Yes, this is a criticism. About 20 minutes from Auckland, the captain told us that the airport was shrouded in heavy fog and it was at the minimum level required to land safely. He said there was a very good chance we could abort our landing and divert to Wellington. I wondered (as WLG was our final destination) if we would be allowed to disembark there and retrieve our bags if this was the case, but deep down I knew this was about a 0.00000001% chance of happening. I asked the FA anyway and she had no clue. I then asked the more appropriate of the two questions and enquired about what would happen if we missed our connecting flight from AKL to WLG on Air NZ (all booked on the one ticket) and she simply shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know. Great! Glad to know. For me, it wasn't so much the hassle of not knowing, it was trying to explain to Miss 12 what would happen if we would have to overnight in Auckland or be able to grab our luggage and just end the journey in Wellington and bypass Auckland altgother. In fact the entire crew had little idea and I don't think I saw a smile for the while 3 and a half hours.
Fortuntaley the runway appeared and the pilots were able to execute a perfect landing much to the relief of everyone onboard. Hooray!
Disembarking was swift (they allowed the sole PE passenger off first). So much for priority baggage. Both our bags (marked with 'priority' tag were one of the last onto the conveyer belt. Fortunately the process of rechecking our bags at the AKL international terminal bag drop was painless. It was then either wait for a bus to take us to the domestic terminal or walk for 15 minutes. We walked and it took more like 10 minutes in the crisp fresh Auckland air.
Upon reaching the domestic terminal it became apparent that the fog was playing havoc with all flights in and out of AKL. The line to get through security was immense but it moved surprisingly quickly (Australians take note! Prepare for this BEFORE you reach the conveyor belt, not when you get to the conveyor belt. Kiwis seem to have this all sorted and are very organised, unlike my fellow countrymen and women). We already had our BPs and being Virgin Gold, hightailed it to the Koru Lounge which resembled a zoo. We had to sit on the floor and it was obvious that many flights were affected by the fog. In fact they ended up closing check-in such was the backlog. Just closed check-in for all flights completely. Fortunately our 6pm service to WLG was scheduled as running on time. In the Koru Lounge I had a couple of Mac's Gold beers and some sausage rolls while Miss 12 availed herself of some of the delicious sweet slices. Our gate was just outside the Lounge so I could tell when it was ready for boarding even though there was no announcement. After a 45-minute hiatus of no check-in, this was lifted and people were now permitted to check in for their flights. After an hour in the Koru Lounge, I was glad to be out (it was just so busy) and in line boarding an A320 painted in all black. Seats 10B and 10C (again all black) and we settled in nicely. There was ample legroom here. 33in I am told and Miss 12 quickly curled up into a ball and fell asleep. Unfortauntely we had missed our place in the take-off queue and we ended up departing at 6.30pm. Miss 12 slept through take off and most of the 50-minute hop down to Welly. A simple snack of cheese and crackers and two grapes were served with a choice of beverage. I chose sav blanc and while it was nice, it would barely have filled a thimble. The flight was smooth and was full, mainly with businesspeople returning from doing their thing in Auckland.
Landing was smooth and we had a great view Wellington. Once again the concept of priority baggage was a contradiction. One bag was loaded quickly, the other was last (I was beginning to think it had gone missing).
Thumbs up to Air New Zealand. A big meh to Virgin Australia NZ.
So after a lovely holiday, we were ready for the Qantas flight back across the ditch and home.
Monday July 9
We arrived at the airport at 11.30am for our 3.10pm QF38 to Melbourne. Check in didn't open until noon so we sat and chilled.
Once check in did open we got up and were 2nd in line. There was also a QF flight to Sydney leaving just after ours. We could have upgraded to business for an extra $450 each. Trust me, I considered it, but albeit briefly. Mrs Justinf would not have approved at spending $900. We were assigned seats 20E and 20F and wasted time in the domestic part of the airport spending our remaining NZ$ on beer (for me) and knickknacks in the shops for Miss 12.
The international boarding gates were not open until about 90 minutes before our flight. Eventually we went through and got sucked in to the temptations of duty free and I bought a NZ$249 pair of Panasonic noise-cancelling headphones and bought the wife a bottle of Johnny Walker.
Once into the international terminal area we sat at the cafe-bar for a while and then it was time to board.
It soon became obvious to me once the 738 aircraft door had closed then Miss 12 and I had the row to ourselves, which meant I was able to move to the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat vacant.
This proved to be a godsend for me as the legroom on this aircraft was not as ample as the previous two flights. 31in at an absolute maxiumum although I would be interested to know of the exact measurement. I am 6'1" so I am no giant, but I am not short either and thankfully the spare seat next to me meant I could stretch my legs out,otherwise it wouldhave been a very uncomfortable 4 hours indeed.
I chose Wellington. It was my first overseas trip back in 1990 and the thrill of getting my daughter her first passport and her first out-country-experience was too good to pass up.
I'm a bit of a Virgin regular. I have Gold status and while I will seek to fly them if either port has a Lounge, I am not unknown to search around and fly with another carrier if the price is right or if the time is more appropriate. The best I could do for this trip was to fly Virgin over (via AKL) and Qantas back (direct).
In hindsight I should have just taken the 8.50am direct WLG service, but when you are dealing with a tween, that extra 70 minutes in bed can make all the difference, so I chose the 10am to AKL. It was a mistake. I should have just taken control and booked it and told her to deal with it, but we live and learn.
This trip report is not really a report on the actual trips but more a comparison between the two experiences. I also didn't take a lot of photos like I normally do. Both flights were in a 738 and we've all flown on this cramped bird haven't we? I didn't feel the need to show pics of the cabin of an aircraft that everyone here reading would know like the backs of their hands. What I should have done, was take a pic or two of the Air NZ A320 bird, but I didn't due to exhaustion and not being bothered to get my camera of my bag from the overhead locker.
So here were go.
Thusday, July 5
Woke at 5am and ended up leaving the house just before 6am for the 75-minute trip to Melbourne airport fromour home in Barwon Heads. Well, it normally takes that time, but a truck had decided to break down on the West Gate, which added 15 minutes to the trip. Got to the long-term car park at around 7.30am. The parking attendant directed me to turn left, but as usual, I ignored him and turned right. I like to park near the front of the complex and walk to the terminal and I wasn't going to be told where to go unless it was actually necessary in which case I would have followed the rules. There are always one or two parks around that area and today was no exception. With a 10-minute walk to the terminal in the crisp early morning of outer suburban Melbourne, it woke us from our dreary slumber.
We arrived at the check-in counter and with Gold status I walked to the priority check-in queue and was processed almost immediately. Seats 3B and 3C for us on this 738 that had 8 premium econony seats, but no business cabin as is the usual status of these Trans Tasman journeys on Virgin. Priority security and customs cards were issued and we flew through security, but customs was a 10-minute wait and then we were into the duty-free area that seems to overwhelm once you are inside. I tried to really pump the whole 'international terminal' WOW factor to my 12-year-old and tried to make it as exciting as possible. You know, when you go through those doors it means you are going to another country kind of 'wow' but she didn't really buy it. It was early, it was her school holidays and she had been sleeping in for the first days of it and was not into this early morning thing.
As a Gold member, we had access to the Air NZ Koru Lounge, so with us both feeling hungry, we made a beeline downstairs. Once inside, I was quite impressed with the lounge itself. It wasn't very busy and it was quiet (for the most part) except for two young children (about 3 and 4 years of age) who thought it appropriate to yell and scream pretty much the whole time, with little intervention from their mother. Grrrrrr.
There was a reasonable selection of hot food including eggs, sausages and beans, with the obligatory pancake machine. No barista coffee though, so I had to make do with the machine, which churned out a very ordinary brew. The bar was also self-serve, including spirits, and although I will admit it crossed my mind, at 8.30am it was just too early for me at that stage.
Here's my heaping plate of eggs on toast with a very average machine-made coffee, which I didn't finish.
Boarding was called for the flight to Auckland and it seemed orderly enough. We went to the gate and went through the priority check-in lane. This is what makes my daughter impressed. Special treatment and while her dad can maintain Gold status, she is always happy to avail of the Lounge facilities and go to the front of all the queues.
Row 3 on this aircraft is just behind the two PE rows. It has more legroom and it is more roomy. We occupied the middle and aisle and there was a gentleman on the window side.
I knew this was basically going to be little more than a domestic style flight across the Tasman. Push back was on time and soon we were gone and out across the ditch. There was no IFE on this aircraft. Fortuntaley I had preloaded my iPad with movies for Miss 12, and the plan for me was to hire a dig-eplayer which I had looked at the movie selection in the July edition of Voyeur online and the Hunger Games was due to be shown on this contraption. At $15 to hire, they are expensive. But we soon were told that the July movies had not been loaded and the devices were still loaded with June's movies (which I took a look at and didn't see anything I liked). This was disappointing. If you are going to advertise something, do it. It's not that hard is it? So I had to be content with my iPod as Miss 12 giggled her way through Johnny English and Space Kids 3.
The 'meal' service came around and of course in economy, it is pay as you go. There was only one person in PE, in seat 1F.
I opted for a meat pie and a Bundy & Cola and Miss 12 had some crisps. This set me back $25. Ouch! I have to say,though, the pie was very nice. Real chunks of beef, although it was a while before I could dig my teeth into it, it was so hot. I guess they nuked it too long. But at those prices, it was my first and last order from the trolley.
The flight was smooth, and there was one other trolley run. What I found unacceptable was that there was no water run. As you can't take a water bottle onboard (unless it's purchased once you get past customs - I guess I could have filled one for free in the Koru Lounge - duh!) you rely on water being served onboard. I had to ask three times for water and the offerings were so meagre, I needn't have bothered. Yes, this is a criticism. About 20 minutes from Auckland, the captain told us that the airport was shrouded in heavy fog and it was at the minimum level required to land safely. He said there was a very good chance we could abort our landing and divert to Wellington. I wondered (as WLG was our final destination) if we would be allowed to disembark there and retrieve our bags if this was the case, but deep down I knew this was about a 0.00000001% chance of happening. I asked the FA anyway and she had no clue. I then asked the more appropriate of the two questions and enquired about what would happen if we missed our connecting flight from AKL to WLG on Air NZ (all booked on the one ticket) and she simply shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know. Great! Glad to know. For me, it wasn't so much the hassle of not knowing, it was trying to explain to Miss 12 what would happen if we would have to overnight in Auckland or be able to grab our luggage and just end the journey in Wellington and bypass Auckland altgother. In fact the entire crew had little idea and I don't think I saw a smile for the while 3 and a half hours.
Fortuntaley the runway appeared and the pilots were able to execute a perfect landing much to the relief of everyone onboard. Hooray!
Disembarking was swift (they allowed the sole PE passenger off first). So much for priority baggage. Both our bags (marked with 'priority' tag were one of the last onto the conveyer belt. Fortunately the process of rechecking our bags at the AKL international terminal bag drop was painless. It was then either wait for a bus to take us to the domestic terminal or walk for 15 minutes. We walked and it took more like 10 minutes in the crisp fresh Auckland air.
Upon reaching the domestic terminal it became apparent that the fog was playing havoc with all flights in and out of AKL. The line to get through security was immense but it moved surprisingly quickly (Australians take note! Prepare for this BEFORE you reach the conveyor belt, not when you get to the conveyor belt. Kiwis seem to have this all sorted and are very organised, unlike my fellow countrymen and women). We already had our BPs and being Virgin Gold, hightailed it to the Koru Lounge which resembled a zoo. We had to sit on the floor and it was obvious that many flights were affected by the fog. In fact they ended up closing check-in such was the backlog. Just closed check-in for all flights completely. Fortunately our 6pm service to WLG was scheduled as running on time. In the Koru Lounge I had a couple of Mac's Gold beers and some sausage rolls while Miss 12 availed herself of some of the delicious sweet slices. Our gate was just outside the Lounge so I could tell when it was ready for boarding even though there was no announcement. After a 45-minute hiatus of no check-in, this was lifted and people were now permitted to check in for their flights. After an hour in the Koru Lounge, I was glad to be out (it was just so busy) and in line boarding an A320 painted in all black. Seats 10B and 10C (again all black) and we settled in nicely. There was ample legroom here. 33in I am told and Miss 12 quickly curled up into a ball and fell asleep. Unfortauntely we had missed our place in the take-off queue and we ended up departing at 6.30pm. Miss 12 slept through take off and most of the 50-minute hop down to Welly. A simple snack of cheese and crackers and two grapes were served with a choice of beverage. I chose sav blanc and while it was nice, it would barely have filled a thimble. The flight was smooth and was full, mainly with businesspeople returning from doing their thing in Auckland.
Landing was smooth and we had a great view Wellington. Once again the concept of priority baggage was a contradiction. One bag was loaded quickly, the other was last (I was beginning to think it had gone missing).
Thumbs up to Air New Zealand. A big meh to Virgin Australia NZ.
So after a lovely holiday, we were ready for the Qantas flight back across the ditch and home.
Monday July 9
We arrived at the airport at 11.30am for our 3.10pm QF38 to Melbourne. Check in didn't open until noon so we sat and chilled.
Once check in did open we got up and were 2nd in line. There was also a QF flight to Sydney leaving just after ours. We could have upgraded to business for an extra $450 each. Trust me, I considered it, but albeit briefly. Mrs Justinf would not have approved at spending $900. We were assigned seats 20E and 20F and wasted time in the domestic part of the airport spending our remaining NZ$ on beer (for me) and knickknacks in the shops for Miss 12.
The international boarding gates were not open until about 90 minutes before our flight. Eventually we went through and got sucked in to the temptations of duty free and I bought a NZ$249 pair of Panasonic noise-cancelling headphones and bought the wife a bottle of Johnny Walker.
Once into the international terminal area we sat at the cafe-bar for a while and then it was time to board.
It soon became obvious to me once the 738 aircraft door had closed then Miss 12 and I had the row to ourselves, which meant I was able to move to the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat vacant.
This proved to be a godsend for me as the legroom on this aircraft was not as ample as the previous two flights. 31in at an absolute maxiumum although I would be interested to know of the exact measurement. I am 6'1" so I am no giant, but I am not short either and thankfully the spare seat next to me meant I could stretch my legs out,otherwise it wouldhave been a very uncomfortable 4 hours indeed.
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