Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Posted (1 year 11 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 7055 times:
Project “Get on a B717”: three days of not really visiting Australia
Let it be said that I look forward to the lunar new year festivities as much as I do a bout of the flu. Even as a child I found it tedious. Back then I could at least enjoy the food; now that I am approaching mid-life, the dietician in my mind threatens to slap my wrist as I reach for one more cookie. Last year work-related travel provided a convenient excuse. The start of this year promised the same initially. No thanks to a project delay, that promise evaporated two weeks before. Thankfully, mother was sympathetic, and I successfully negotiated an exemption from this year’s fun and games in exchange for more frequent home visits. Jetstar Asia’s SIN-KUL service received my custom two weekends in a row as a result.
My housemates had already planned their escape. I had originally figured I’d be happy to have the apartment to myself for once. But then one quick routine visit to a.net worked up an itch to fly. The straightforward business of booking the SIN-KUL return flights on jetstar.com quickly transitioned into the hunt for my lunar new year escape. With jetstar.com, Australia soon presented itself as a leading candidate, especially once the image of a QantasLink Boeing 717 parked at the apron came into focus among my memories of last year’s trip to Cairns. My mind had registered at the time that my best hope of riding on a Boeing 717 probably lay with Qantas. My trip had found its cause.
Hours went by as I tried to link dots into an itinerary. Alice Springs or Ayers Rock? Darwin? Perth? Gove? How about returning to Cairns? (this idea thankfully remained at the bottom of the pile, for reasons that became clear starting around February 3rd ). A rather beautifully compact itinerary emerged: Jetstar Singapore-Darwin (DRW) red-eye arriving 4-ish Saturday morning, a 7-ish departure for Alice Springs (ASP), a reasonable amount of time including an overnight in Alice, getting back to DRW by around Sunday noon, connecting to the late afternoon Jetstar flight back to SIN. A source of concern was the number of hours in a tight low-cost configuration; I would pay for extra-legroom. The Jetstar fares were no longer cheap at barely two weeks before departure, but neither were they prohibitively expensive. Could I do better, I asked myself. In the day or two that I hesitated, Jetstar went about its business; when I looked again, all that remained on the outbound SIN-DRW was the highest fare and thus it was back to the drawing board for me.
With Darwin out of contention for “gateway to the QF B717”, my attention turned to Perth. SQ225 – the red-eye to PER – was still available for Friday the 4th. It crossed my mind that I could check another item off my airline/airliner wishlist – to ride on the Singapore Airlines B747 before its retirement. During this period, the type was assigned to one of the three daily Melbourne services; that it was operating the Sunday afternoon MEL departure fit right into the plan.
On the Qantas website, I considered various trajectories from PER to MEL involving a stopover in either ASP or Ayers Rock (AYQ). Stopping in both ASP and AYQ would be too costly. For reasons I do not recall, the departure times out of these central points for connections to MEL were not to my liking. The flight number QF1938 PER-ASP seemed familiar; when I checked the DRW-ASP flights again and found that QF1938 was a one-stop flight from PER to DRW. Excellent. Two sectors on the B717. Surprisingly, the red e-deal fare all the way to DRW was not much pricier. Soon a booking was made on the Qantas website for
QF1938 PER-ASP-DRW
QF757 DRW-ADL
QF692 ADL-MEL
I even threw a few dollars into the carbon offset program. It was like my little compensation to our planet for 6000+ km of joyriding within Australia alone.
Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Reply 1, posted (1 year 11 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 6993 times:
SQ225 SIN-PER (04FEB)
Scheduled: Dep 0110 Arr 0615
Economy Class
Airbus A330-300 (9V-STL)
9V-STL being turned around
By the lofty standards of Singapore Airlines, this was an unremarkable flight. A new-ish A330, polite well-dressed cabin crew, enough inflight entertainment system options to keep you occupied for days if you weren’t picky. On a 5-hour overnighter like this, I would have preferred a healthy snack pack distributed after take-off (plus discreet drink/snack-on-demand for those awake) to the elaborate breakfast tray at 4AM. The whole hot towel, meal delivery, beverage delivery and tray clearing song-and-dance à la SQ challenges even the most determined sleeper.
Perth airport transit
Past immigration and customs, the decision was made to stay at the airport for the 6 hours until my B717 flight – the raison-d’être for this whole escapade. Thus my first hour in Perth was spent parked at a table of a café at the west end of the international terminal waking up to some hot tea and a cheese tomato toastie.
On a TV screen, the news broadcast seemed to be running in a loop, mostly about on one topic. The epic cyclone Yasi had made landfall in northern Queensland the night before. The station offered footage of boats in a jumbled heap, flattened houses and drowned crops. No definite reports on human casualties, although there were one or two missing persons reports. Of the sites shown, I only recognized the Cairns esplanade, now appearing grey and flooded.
Upstairs at observation deck of PER international terminal, the view was crisp enough through the viewing glass although reflection made photography of the action slightly challenging. Below waist level there was no glass but netting, which allowed passage of fumes and engine noise – both effective stimulants. This international terminal was clearly A330 central this morning, the monopoly of the type contested only by a Garuda 737-800 on turn-around from Denpasar and an Emirates 777 that was waiting to take-off for Dubai as we came in. By half past nine the morning bank of international traffic had come and gone.
A333 conference at PER: SQ being serviced, D7 already about to leave
Our feathered friend has got better seats
One more: QF
Two more: CX and TG
The odd one out: GA B738
At the Qantas customer services counter at ground level, the agent looked at my printed boarding pass (online check-in) for QF1938 and told me it was all I would need to show for a complimentary (AUD8 otherwise) shuttle ride to the domestic terminal. I caught the 9:40AM shuttle – a mini-bus with a luggage caravan in tow. The terminal transfer service seemed rather infrequent (more than 30 minutes between runs); yet I was the only passenger. The driver did more than look at my boarding pass printout; she tore off the bottom portion, presumably to facilitate her claim of shuttle fare from Qantas.
PER tower
The transfer route took us outside the airfield perimeter, skirting the end of runway 03. On the way, an airline billboard caught my attention. It was Malaysia Airlines touting its new 3x weekly nonstop service from Kota Kinabalu on its new 737-800, an interesting move from an airline that was absent from the lineup of international arrivals/departures at PER this morning.
On the Qantas side of the domestic terminal, signs of the 21st century were apparent. It was self-service everything from boarding pass issuance to luggage tag and check. I checked in at one of the self-service kiosks for a new boarding pass to replace my torn printout. Under the seat assignment option, the unmistakable seat map confirmed, to my relief, that the flight was still a B717.
PER domestic terminal
Welcome to the 21st century. Help yourself.
Check-in and then baggage drop. All DIY now.
Self service baggage drop. These days you need to already have an education to travel.
Welcome to the 31st century. Elites only though.
Touch your elite card to the scanner and we will teleport you first to the lounge while your bag will be teleported into the underground baggage depot. Disclaimer: Qantas are not liable for any loss/damage suffered during the teleportation. Destination mix-ups are extremely rare.
Post security, I was soon treated to my first close-up view of the B717, one that was bound for Karratha. Two other B717s came and went in the time before we were called to board, while the view our B717 at gate 7 was limited by orientation and objects in the foreground. In the meantime, two A330-200s looking like giants at this rather compact terminal filled up on passengers and departed, one for Sydney and the other for Melbourne.
Boeing 717!
Boeing 717 close-up. Give me face, face…
An A330-200 wing provides some shade
The dome of the domestic terminal. The elites can glide up the escalator over the masses into the Qantas lounge.
Once boarding was called for our flight, a lady who was one of our cabin crew scanned our boarding passes at the common entrance to gates 7-12. Past the sliding doors, we descended to tarmac level and filed along a covered walkway. At the end of it was an exit to the right onto tarmac, where under the Perth midday sun we climbed the airstairs into VH-NXE.
QF1938 PER-ASP (04FEB)
Scheduled: Dep 1230 Arr 1640
Economy Class
Boeing 717-200 (VH-NXE)
Onboard! Hurrah!
Once aboard, we were instructed to stay seated, avoid using the lavatories and leave our seatbelts unbuckled as the aircraft was being refueled. 21C – the aisle-side of the seat pair on the left side of the cabin – turned out to be a good choice. This row was just ahead of the engine intake, while the last two rows (22 and 23) saw only the side of the engines. We departed less than half full on this leg; I had row 21 all to myself.
Legroom. No mistake it’s the B717!
Seats 2+3 across
We pushed back about 10 minutes past scheduled time. I sat in 21A, my face glued to the window, for the departure. Even at its height, the engine noise was more subdued than I had imagined – slightly tinny with a bit of buzzsaw. The climbout was not as steep as those of the MD-80s but still it was a respectable one. In any case, we made quick progress up to our cruising altitude in the low 30,000s.
Climbing out of PER
Study of overhead bins
Light load
Skydiving hatch. No, just rear exit. Pity we did not use it.
Inflight service commenced with nibbles and beverage. Soon after, we were served a satisfying lunch consisting of a fresh ham, cheese and mustard pickle wholemeal sandwich with salted crisps, along with cheddar and crackers and a pack of tasty lemon biscuits.
Deli-style
The aircraft was equipped with no entertainment system whatsoever. I read the inflight magazine, played around with my camera and enjoyed the video of the changing Australian landscape through my window accompanied by the continuous audio of the BMW-RR powerplants. This was after all a three-hour flight and I had had little sleep the previous night, thus after a while drowsiness set in.
I stirred as the PA system crackled to life and the captain mentioned something about Ayers Rock to the right and a passing Qantas A380 heading towards Sydney. What followed was a migration of passengers from the left side of the cabin to the right as the faces of some of the cabin crew registered slight amusement. No jokes about our B717 tipping over though. Barely awake, I scrambled to the three-seaters across the aisle and scanned the space above and below us. Sadly, I saw neither A380 nor Ayers Rock.
Red earth
Blue seat, white headrest cover with swift silver Qantas roo
Soon after, the landscape changed into dusty rock which took on an increasingly mottled appearance as we started our descent. The sign of vegetation. Ah yes, it was the rain season in this region that otherwise hosts a desert climate. There were patches of rain in the distance. As we crossed the threshold of runway 12, it was clear that a spot of rain had given it a wash not long ago.
Dry dusty desert with bits of vegetation
Cloudburst in the distance
A little rainbow beneath the wings
Over the threshold of runway 12
Just love airfields with little traffic so you get to make a u-turn on the runway
After decelerating down the runway, we made a 180° turn, taxied back and exited onto the apron where we pulled up alongside VH-NXN, a B717 in the revised QantasLink livery with the swifter roo on the tail. The taxi was accompanied by what seemed to be a rather lengthy cabin announcement of which I caught not a single word due to the engine noise. Would we be required to remain onboard or could we stretch our legs inside the terminal? The closest cabin crew was in conversation with the gentleman across the aisle as the engines wound down. Bits of information filtered out. Disembarkation with all bags. Change of aircraft. Cyclone Yasi had forced aircraft to remain at outstation and now the fleet schedule needed to be restored. Swell! Another aircraft, another registration. But it was clear that the crew were not especially thrilled as they were staying with us all the way to Darwin and switching aircraft meant extra work. So I kept my elation contained and flashed a sympathetic smile.
View of a B717 from another B717
The way to the Alice Springs airport terminal was a short walk across the tarmac, and then under a canopy with trees on either side not unlike a pathway to a country clubhouse. Stepping into the terminal, passengers were greeted by an evocatively carpeted departure lounge. The airside hosted a couple of shops of the typical airport souvenir/drugstore/bookstore variety and a café at the end of which a glass door opened into a smoking yard.
Departure lounge at ASP. You almost expect to see barbecue pits on the way to the aircraft.
Study of ASP departure lounge carpeting
Welcome to Alice Springs bird park. Look closely and you will spot a rare T-tailed species just beyond the trees.
… and some more common species running about at your feet.
QF1938 ASP-DRW (04FEB)
Scheduled: Dep 1720 Arr 1910
Economy Class
Boeing 717-200 (VH-NXN)
Bye bye NXE
I had barely spent a few minutes in the yard when boarding announcements were heard. Back at the departure lounge, boarding had commenced for both the Cairns and the Darwin flights. At the end of the canopied walkway, Cairns-bound passengers were directed towards VH-NXE while we Darwin-bound passengers turned right to head towards VH-NXN. By now the tarmac area was gusty. My boarding pass stub was flapping wildly and, a few steps from the airstairs, the wind finally tore it the rest of the way along the perforation. I watched, annoyed, as the stub flew tens of feet per second away from me. No complete boarding pass to keep then, sigh.
Hello NXN!
This time the cabin, all-economy as on VH-NXE, was full. The lady already seated by the window glanced up at me and asked if I would rather have the window seat.
“You don’t want the window?”, I asked.
“I thought you might want to take photos since you have a camera on you.”
Indeed, I was holding my little digital camera. I had had it on hand to take a few discreet snaps of the aircraft during boarding. Her offer was quickly accepted and I settled into 21A. Within minutes of the scheduled departure time, the door was closed and the engines were started, which was quite a commendable performance by the air and ground crew considering they had to move things from one aircraft to the other during this short transit. As we swung around to face the taxiway, I noticed that VH-NXE was already gone. On the taxiway, we held short of the runway briefly while within seconds VH-NXE thundered past and lifted off into the darkening sky. We then entered the runway, taxied to the threshold of runway 12 to make a 180° right before starting our takeoff.
Slimmer seats, more legroom
View of ASP tower from NXN
NXE lifting off for Cairns
U-turn for departure on runway 12
Past the airport terminal/clubhouse/birdpark… ok seriously it’s just a terminal
Quick scramble into the air
This time the climbout was closer to what I would expect of a B717. I paid scant notice to the goings-on in the cabin while I had my face, and occasionally the camera, in the window during departure. Now that we were above clouds, I felt obliged to show some civility and start a conversation with my seat neighbor who had kindly offered to exchange seats based on her observation that I would want to take photos. So I learnt that Darwin was home, and I did not have to wonder long about her accent; she was originally from France but had married and settled down in Australia. And she soon revealed her fear of flying.
“This is a small plane. Those guys going to Cairns have a bigger plane,” she said, and appeared unconvinced when I tried to tell her that we were on the exact same aircraft type.
When beverage service came around, she purchased a bottle of red and made relatively short work of it. At one point when the seatbelt sign came on, she cringed, “Ooh, it’s going to be bad, I know it…”
We did get a few bumps but none as bad as she had anticipated. In between, when she had regained some composure, I did my best to explain that handling such turbulence was well within the aircraft’s capability. In the end, I suspect the act of being in conversation meant more than the subject itself. So I kept engaging her in conversation. I do not recall what we discussed but it was interesting enough that the meal service that arrived in mid-conversation was declined.
Sunset approaching Darwin
Downtown Darwin in the distance in the fading light
Darkness fell as we touched down on runway 29. Parking at a remote stand offered the opportunity of a parting snapshot of the B717 roosting at dusk. I had flown to Australia and then spent the day around airports and aircraft. The B717 trip had gone exceptionally well, especially with the aircraft switch at Alice Springs. Fatigued yet satisfied, I slept very easily that night.
Pulling into parking position. Remote gate… yes!
The moment the fan blades came to a stop, Bryan leapt into the intake to claim his spot for the night. Ok ok… I don’t actually know his name.
Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Reply 3, posted (1 year 11 months 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 6610 times:
QF757 DRW-ADL (05FEB)
Scheduled: Dep 1210 Arr 1640
Economy Class
Boeing 737-800 (VH-VYG)
Darwin city center did not offer much in the way of sightseeing, which was just fine because I was not there to see Darwin. Nevertheless I did make an effort to step out of the hotel in the morning for a walk around the waterfront areas. Soon it was time to hop on the airport shuttle. What followed was a routine QF domestic flight crossing from north to south.
Drop off at DRW
Check-in
Domestic side of departure lounge with colorful carpeting
International separated by a glass wall
Boeing 767 bound for BNE
View of the airbridge complex with tail of VH-VYG
Onboard VH-VYG
Climbing, heading south, leaving the turquoise tropical sea to cross the country
Piping hot beef stew. Delicious!
Cooling down with some ice-cream after the meal
Cloud surfing
Approaching Adelaide
Touching down on runway 23
QF692 ADL-MEL (05FEB)
Scheduled: Dep 1725 Arr 1915
Economy Class
Boeing 737-400 (VH-TJH)
Line of kangaroo tails at ADL
Modern, airy interior. Glass artwork at each gate. Ramp leading down to passenger bridge
Surprise B734 at gate 22
I was happy for the opportunity to visit ADL for the first time. I had heard good things about it and indeed the airside, the only part of the airport I saw due to the short duration of the transit, was about as pleasing as an airport terminal can be. At gate 22, I looked out to check the equipment. No winglets. A -400 was sitting at the gate instead of the expected -800. A quick mental scroll through flights that I had taken did not turn up any QF Boeing 737-400, so this was something to rejoice at. Not surprisingly, the boarding card reader beeped at my boarding pass and I was referred to the blond gentleman sitting at the counter. He greeted me with a string of syllables that did not sound like any language I knew. For the briefest of moments, I considered if I had just been sworn at by a QF employee. Not right. The guy did not look angry at all. Then he went at it again.
“Sunn neeen faiii lock.”
“Oh! … Happy Chinese New Year to you too! Wow… really, it’s good, I just wasn’t prepared.”
He went on a little bit about how he loved the Chinese culture of extended families getting together for the Chinese New Year celebrations. I did not have the heart to tell our friendly Australian chap that this was what I ran away from.
Back to the business of flying. My seat assignment had been changed due to the equipment switch. The new seat assignment put me in… gasp… the business section, except it soon became clear that I was not going to receive the business class service. But getting a wider seat was good enough. The air was rather choppy on the descent but we landed without incident and slightly ahead of schedule on runway 16. However, the little time we gained was lost waiting for our gate to be freed up.
Business section of QF Boeing 737-400
Economy class catering on a short flight – large packet of almonds plus beverage
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 4, posted (1 year 11 months 16 hours ago) and read 5718 times:
Hi Econojetter,
Excellent TR! Great photos and great humour also! One that I've been wanting to see as I want to catch the 717 sometime. Unfortunately, none of them fly around my usual area of southeast Australia so I'll have to go quite some way to get this bird. Congrats for deciding upon some way to get there and also getting 2 of them in the end!
Funnily enough, you've probably seen 'more' of Australia than I have!
Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): But then one quick routine visit to a.net worked up an itch to fly.
Ahh yes, that's what we do!
Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): The flight number QF1938 PER-ASP seemed familiar; when I checked the DRW-ASP flights again and found that QF1938 was a one-stop flight from PER to DRW. Excellent. Two sectors on the B717
A lot of the 717 flights do this hopping around on one flight number! Flying across the Australian outback is something I've wanted to do for a few years.. And I don't mean flying over it in some airline travelling to SE Asia!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): a complimentary (AUD8 otherwise) shuttle ride
This is the thing I hate about most Australian airports. PER, SYD and BNE all have their domestic and international terminals so far apart from each other that it's basically forced upon you to take the paid option if you're transferring from one airline to a different one. QF has a free terminal transfer in SYD but only if you're flying QF and not JQ..
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): Welcome to the 21st century. Help yourself.
Looks impressive. I'm yet to use one of QF's new system.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): Touch your elite card to the scanner and we will teleport you first to the lounge while your bag will be teleported into the underground baggage depot. Disclaimer: Qantas are not liable for any loss/damage suffered during the teleportation. Destination mix-ups are extremely rare.
LOL.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): 21C – the aisle-side of the seat pair on the left side of the cabin – turned out to be a good choice. This row was just ahead of the engine intake, while the last two rows (22 and 23) saw only the side of the engines. We departed less than half full on this leg; I had row 21 all to myself.
Great, thanks for the heads up for when I get to choosing a seat!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): Skydiving hatch. No, just rear exit. Pity we did not use it.
Haha. I wonder what sits behind it.. A stairway or some magical inflatable slide.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): I stirred as the PA system crackled to life and the captain mentioned something about Ayers Rock to the right and a passing Qantas A380 heading towards Sydney. What followed was a migration of passengers from the left side of the cabin to the right as the faces of some of the cabin crew registered slight amusement. No jokes about our B717 tipping over though. Barely awake, I scrambled to the three-seaters across the aisle and scanned the space above and below us. Sadly, I saw neither A380 nor Ayers Rock.
That's a shame.. I'd fly to AYQ just to see Ayers Rock I think..
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): So I kept my elation contained and flashed a sympathetic smile.
That's awesome! Why doesn't every airport have as cool carpet as that.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 2): Welcome to Alice Springs bird park. Look closely and you will spot a rare T-tailed species just beyond the trees.
… and some more common species running about at your feet.
Haha!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 2): “You don’t want the window?”, I asked.
“I thought you might want to take photos since you have a camera on you.”
So nice of her!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 3): I was happy for the opportunity to visit ADL for the first time. I had heard good things about it and indeed the airside, the only part of the airport I saw due to the short duration of the transit, was about as pleasing as an airport terminal can be
It sure looks like a nice airport! I need to get myself there soon!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 3): Economy class catering on a short flight – large packet of almonds plus beverage
If you had chosen a flight that left 35 mins or more later, you would have got a meal similar to the DRW-ADL flight! It's just the way QF does their service.. Specific meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner but any time in between, it's these snacks.
So, are we going to see any conclusion? Or do I just suspect this to be the end of the TR?
BA319-131 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 8264 posts, RR: 56 Reply 5, posted (1 year 11 months 9 hours ago) and read 5376 times:
Great report, love the humor you throw in from time to time, most amusing.
Good to see you snag a couple of 717's, did the same whilst I was there some years back along with a QF 743, good move on securing the latter!
Interesting the lady you sat next to had to buy the red wine, was all free when I flew them, thought I guess times are changing and not always for the good
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 6, posted (1 year 11 months 4 hours ago) and read 5239 times:
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 5): Interesting the lady you sat next to had to buy the red wine, was all free when I flew them, thought I guess times are changing and not always for the good
Also depends on what time you fly. It's definitely free with dinner but not too sure about any other meal offerings.
Kent350787 From Australia, joined May 2008, 888 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 11 months 3 hours ago) and read 5181 times:
Thanks for the trip report - good to see that the carpet at ASP and DRW doesn't seem to have altered in the last decade!
Unfortunately I couldn't convince my wife that SYD-ASP-AYQ with an 8yo and a 3yo was better than a direct SYD-AYQ for October. So no 40min ASP-AYQ B717 sector for me, just boring old 738s
ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 8, posted (1 year 11 months 2 hours ago) and read 5112 times:
Hey EJ,
Lots of memories for me this little trip report of yours! Especially when I have spent quite a significant amount of my life living and working down under, Darwin being one of the places (the other being Rockhampton).
Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): Let it be said that I look forward to the lunar new year festivities as much as I do a bout of the flu. Even as a child I found it tedious. Back then I could at least enjoy the food; now that I am approaching mid-life, the dietician in my mind threatens to slap my wrist as I reach for one more cookie.
Gosh, we should get together someday because you and I share the same page when CNY is concerned. Heck, make that a few a.netters I personally know! Although relatives have stopped asking me about marriage (think they have figured it out by now I'm batting for the same team), but i am so removed from the festivities I cannot even relate to it any longer. Which is ironic because the foreigners I meet during my CNY travels seem more enthusiastic about it than I am.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): On a 5-hour overnighter like this, I would have preferred a healthy snack pack distributed after take-off (plus discreet drink/snack-on-demand for those awake) to the elaborate breakfast tray at 4AM. The whole hot towel, meal delivery, beverage delivery and tray clearing song-and-dance à la SQ challenges even the most determined sleeper.
Darling, this is SQ. You want them to give out a snack box ala Penerbangan Malaysia? You ought to be slapped silly across the face with an old and dusty Spice Girl platform boot.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): Past immigration and customs, the decision was made to stay at the airport for the 6 hours until my B717 flight – the raison-d’être for this whole escapade.
Good god, I can so relate to your fatigue at this point because first and foremost, I do not sleep well outside anything other than my smelly bed. I once did an overnight SYD-MEL-KUL on good old MH and arrived at 5am. My flight to Langkawi didn't leave till mid afternoon from SUBANG! So I spent a good few hours trying very hard NOT to fall asleep at the Anjung Tinjau of KLIA - which is very difficult to do seeing how "busy" traffic movements at that airport is. By the time I made it to Subang for check in, I seriously looked like I was high on drugs. Definitely not an itinerary I am in a hurry to repeat.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): It was Malaysia Airlines touting its new 3x weekly nonstop service from Kota Kinabalu on its new 737-800, an interesting move from an airline that was absent from the lineup of international arrivals/departures at PER this morning.
You do not see any MH jets at that time of the day because they only arrive in the afternoon at 3pm (MH125, B772). The rest of them consist of red eye flights loitering around the terminal in the form of an A330 and the B738 past midnight bound for KUL and BKI respectively. I am very interested to see how long the PER-BKI flights will last.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): This was after all a three-hour flight and I had had little sleep the previous night, thus after a while drowsiness set in.
Well about time!!!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): “You don’t want the window?”, I asked.
“I thought you might want to take photos since you have a camera on you.”
That is so sweet. French people aren't supposed to be so friendly. Oh wait, she married and Aussie...
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): Past the airport terminal/clubhouse/birdpark… ok seriously it’s just a terminal
I have never been to Alice Springs, but you are right, the airport terminal DOES look like a club house. What is missing are the BBQ pits and a salad bar with all you can eat roast beef. Hahahaha... When I was in Rockhampton, they accepted military charters and very often they came in the form of 747-400s from various airlines. I myself arrived there on an SQ Megatop. The damn plane was larger than the terminal building! LOL!
Reminds me of the "comfort food" I always ate when I was living there, the Red Rooster roast chicken meal which came in such a tin foil package complete with peas, potatoes and mysterious chemical-tasting brown sauce. In fact, whenever I head down under these days, I still pop into the chain of restaurants mentioned for a little trip down memory lane. Speaking of which, I will be in Perth next week so Red Rooster, here I come!
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 9, posted (1 year 11 months 1 hour ago) and read 5078 times:
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): The damn plane was larger than the terminal building! LOL!
Haha. I might get a trip report up of my escapade to Invercargill, the most southern airport in New Zealand that can take jets. The 733 seemed to dwarf the terminal!!
BA319-131 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 8264 posts, RR: 56 Reply 10, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 4901 times:
Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7): Unfortunately I couldn't convince my wife that SYD-ASP-AYQ with an 8yo and a 3yo was better than a direct SYD-AYQ for October. So no 40min ASP-AYQ B717 sector for me, just boring old 738s
- We did SYD-PER-AYQ to get a 743 and 717, wife was not impressed when she found out she could have flown SYD-AYQ direct!
Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 4778 times:
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): Hi Econojetter,
Excellent TR! Great photos and great humour also! One that I've been wanting to see as I want to catch the 717 sometime.
Hi Nicholas, glad you found it useful and entertaining, and thanks for all the comments.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): This is the thing I hate about most Australian airports. PER, SYD and BNE all have their domestic and international terminals so far apart from each other that it's basically forced upon you to take the paid option if you're transferring from one airline to a different one. QF has a free terminal transfer in SYD but only if you're flying QF and not JQ..
I agree. I think free transfer in between terminals situated far apart should be a requirement for large airports.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): Looks impressive. I'm yet to use one of QF's new system.
I tagged my own suitcase for the first time a month ago, on LH. I obviously did well enough, because I still have my suitcase. The first time, it took me a minute to figure out where to peel the tag.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): Haha. I wonder what sits behind it.. A stairway or some magical inflatable slide.
If it's like the MD-90, there should be drop-down airstairs behind the door for exiting onto the tarmac.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): just the way QF does their service.. Specific meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner but any time in between, it's these snacks.
Actually, for such a short flight, the size of the packet of almonds was quite impressive. It was pretty good quality too.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4): So, are we going to see any conclusion? Or do I just suspect this to be the end of the TR?
Uhh... there's actually still the MEL-SIN leg on SQ. But it might take a while because I need to re-upload the photos to get around the formatting problem here. The process doesn't take too long but I'm kinda swamped at work at the moment.
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 5): Great report, love the humor you throw in from time to time, most amusing.
Thank you Mark. Glad you enjoyed it.
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 5): Good to see you snag a couple of 717's, did the same whilst I was there some years back along with a QF 743, good move on securing the latter!
Very very good indeed! That's one QF fleet type I'll never have in my log. *sigh*
Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7): Thanks for the trip report - good to see that the carpet at ASP and DRW doesn't seem to have altered in the last decade!
Ha ha. So the carpeting is classic. They are in excellent condition though. Thanks for reading the report.
Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7): Unfortunately I couldn't convince my wife that SYD-ASP-AYQ with an 8yo and a 3yo was better than a direct SYD-AYQ for October. So no 40min ASP-AYQ B717 sector for me, just boring old 738s
Oh those 738s are everywhere, how annoying!
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Hey EJ,
Lots of memories for me this little trip report of yours!
Oh hey, look who's here! You've been away for quite a while, no? Great to see you here again.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Gosh, we should get together someday because you and I share the same page when CNY is concerned. Heck, make that a few a.netters I personally know!
Didn't know the sentiment was this common. But then it makes sense. What a waste of a precious bunch of vacation days sitting around talking about non-airline-related stuff when you could be boarding a flight somewhere instead.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Darling, this is SQ. You want them to give out a snack box ala Penerbangan Malaysia? You ought to be slapped silly across the face with an old and dusty Spice Girl platform boot.
Ouch! Honestly, I wouldn't have minded a healthy and smart little snackbox.... which is NOT the MH one.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): I am very interested to see how long the PER-BKI flights will last.
Me too. Personally, I think they would have been better off adding flights from KUL instead. But they are still so high on the 'hub' buzzword that they think everything is a hub. Next, they'll think that alliance membership automatically means everyone will want to fly them now.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Hahahaha... When I was in Rockhampton, they accepted military charters and very often they came in the form of 747-400s from various airlines. I myself arrived there on an SQ Megatop. The damn plane was larger than the terminal building! LOL!
That would have made an awesome photo.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Speaking of which, I will be in Perth next week so Red Rooster, here I come!
More importantly, what are you flying and will there be a report? Thanks for your comments.
Quoting NZ107 (Reply 9): Haha. I might get a trip report up of my escapade to Invercargill, the most southern airport in New Zealand that can take jets. The 733 seemed to dwarf the terminal!!
Oh yes, please do!
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 10): - We did SYD-PER-AYQ to get a 743 and 717, wife was not impressed when she found out she could have flown SYD-AYQ direct!
airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4015 posts, RR: 52 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 4734 times:
Hi!
Really enjoyable report from downunder. Congrats on getting the 717, rare birds indeed. You could've done a ride in European skies also, but that even further from home for you... I love these machines, such a shame that not more of them are around So, you have a nice writing and good pics too, thanks for sharing your story!
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
WNCrew From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 1317 posts, RR: 9 Reply 13, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 4634 times:
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 11): Quoting NZ107 (Reply 4):
Haha. I wonder what sits behind it.. A stairway or some magical inflatable slide.
If it's like the MD-90, there should be drop-down airstairs behind the door for exiting onto the tarmac.
The tail-cone exit in the 717 is ONLY for emergencies. There are no airstairs... just a slide.
ALL views, opinions expressed are mine ONLY and are NOT representative of those shared by Southwest Airlines Co.
N766UA From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 7993 posts, RR: 27 Reply 15, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 4518 times:
Quoting WNCrew (Reply 13): The tail-cone exit in the 717 is ONLY for emergencies. There are no airstairs... just a slide.
Yeah, it's a good thing you didn't use it, not a pity! 717s have no integral airstairs, and the aft emergency exit is only used in evacuations. The tailcone is completely detached from the aircraft and a slide inflates.
ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 4325 times:
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 11): Oh hey, look who's here! You've been away for quite a while, no? Great to see you here again.
Indeed I've been away for too long, far too long...
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 11): Personally, I think they would have been better off adding flights from KUL instead. But they are still so high on the 'hub' buzzword that they think everything is a hub. Next, they'll think that alliance membership automatically means everyone will want to fly them now.
They have recently announced that BKI was going to be their next "hub". Then I thought to myself "Wait a minute, BKI is already a "hub" for them already all these years, correct? So what's new? Does it mean they are going to base some planes there now so it shows a bit more commitment to BKI?"
True enough, I understand they will station 2-3 737-800s there. I think they will operate the Perth and Haneda flights.
That being said, starting flights is one thing. Trying to market this service to the correct audience is another. MH have always faltered on the latter so to be honest, this has "failure" written all over it. I seem to remember KUL-KCH-PER flights being axed a few BTPs ago. Although we have to note that ill-fated service was operated by A330 whereas this one is a 737-800, much smaller plane with lesser operating cost.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 11): More importantly, what are you flying and will there be a report?
What do you know? Pernerbangan Malaysia it is... Will there be a TR? Should I spoil the surprise for you?
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
vieri From UK - England, joined Jun 2011, 27 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 4105 times:
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 8): Gosh, we should get together someday because you and I share the same page when CNY is concerned. Heck, make that a few a.netters I personally know! Although relatives have stopped asking me about marriage (think they have figured it out by now I'm batting for the same team), but i am so removed from the festivities I cannot even relate to it any longer. Which is ironic because the foreigners I meet during my CNY travels seem more enthusiastic about it than I am.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1):
On a 5-hour overnighter like this, I would have preferred a healthy snack pack distributed after take-off (plus discreet drink/snack-on-demand for those awake) to the elaborate breakfast tray at 4AM. The whole hot towel, meal delivery, beverage delivery and tray clearing song-and-dance à la SQ challenges even the most determined sleeper.
Darling, this is SQ. You want them to give out a snack box ala Penerbangan Malaysia? You ought to be slapped silly across the face with an old and dusty Spice Girl platform boot.
The awful CNY marriage questions crops up even more and more with every year when i head home! Unfortunately I am mummy's boy, so i make it a point to head home come the season. Of course they can never know that I bat for the same team as well!
Whats SQ without the full service routine? Long live SQ service lol
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 16):
They have recently announced that BKI was going to be their next "hub". Then I thought to myself "Wait a minute, BKI is already a "hub" for them already all these years, correct? So what's new? Does it mean they are going to base some planes there now so it shows a bit more commitment to BKI?"
True enough, I understand they will station 2-3 737-800s there. I think they will operate the Perth and Haneda flights.
That being said, starting flights is one thing. Trying to market this service to the correct audience is another. MH have always faltered on the latter so to be honest, this has "failure" written all over it. I seem to remember KUL-KCH-PER flights being axed a few BTPs ago. Although we have to note that ill-fated service was operated by A330 whereas this one is a 737-800, much smaller plane with lesser operating cost.
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 11):
More importantly, what are you flying and will there be a report?
What do you know? Pernerbangan Malaysia it is... Will there be a TR? Should I spoil the surprise for you?
I do hope the new hub works out, be interesting to find out how their load factors are doing. MH are marketing their Haneda flights as a 1-stop from KUL as well, but I presume they will be an aircraft change.
Looking forward to your TR to Perth, its been far too long being starved of classic Ryanair wit! Gotta go tell my better half of the impending TR !
ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 18, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 3978 times:
Quoting vieri (Reply 17): The awful CNY marriage questions crops up even more and more with every year when i head home! Unfortunately I am mummy's boy, so i make it a point to head home come the season. Of course they can never know that I bat for the same team as well!
Well, you mean mummy's still in denial till this stage? You know, all mothers know... somehow. After all, her juices gave form to you so I am sure some sort of telepathy exists somewhere no matter how latent.
Quoting vieri (Reply 17): Whats SQ without the full service routine? Long live SQ service lol
I remember those days when SQ operated the 747-400 to Jakarta before the meal cuts came about. Good God if you have never seen a femme-bot go into hyperdrive, that sector would have been it. Those poor girls would be "running" from SIN-CGK sweating from their pits... And the whole routine would repeat itself on the return flight. Wanna see a femme-bot in kebaya stacking meal trays on her arms, throwing them into the lav, quickly locking the door before strapping herself into the jumpseat? All these on short finals... AH... the good old days...
Quoting vieri (Reply 17): I do hope the new hub works out, be interesting to find out how their load factors are doing. MH are marketing their Haneda flights as a 1-stop from KUL as well, but I presume they will be an aircraft change.
From BKI, MH has operated (or still do) flights to HKG, KHH, TPE, OSA (ITM / KIX), NRT etc to varying degrees of success (or lack of). I mean the spanking new airport is about to be completed, they NEED to make sure it is utilised. But somehow, Kota Kinabalu as a destination isn't marketed very well which is a waste because it is a beautiful state with awesome natural beauty. BKI needs to become a success it rightfully should, but Tourism Malaysia is doing a rather shitty job trying to promote it. It needs to be a concerted effort from various agencies coming together for one common goal, which is something sorely lacking at the moment. State government's vision differs from the federal's, airline's goal doesn't gel with Tourism Malaysia's... See the dis-joints there?
Sabah has all the elements of a fun, touristy, rustic destination that should by right attract hordes of visitors. But they have so many factors working against them. Whatever you can find in Sabah, you can find it elsewhere for perhaps half the price and more vibrant too. Yes, Sabah is an expensive place to spend a vacation. Hotels are more expensive than KL, food as well. Shopping isn't much so all you have left are really the beaches (Karambunai is awesome) and eco trails.
On a side note, load factor doesn't equate to profitability. The seats could have been sold at bargain basement promotional offers which would mean nada for the airline. So yeah... fingers crossed.
Quoting vieri (Reply 17): Looking forward to your TR to Perth, its been far too long being starved of classic Ryanair wit! Gotta go tell my better half of the impending TR !
These are my old trip reports in the archive you can dust off. What has your other half got to do with my TRs? Is he an a.nutter as well?
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
vieri From UK - England, joined Jun 2011, 27 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 3806 times:
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 18): Well, you mean mummy's still in denial till this stage? You know, all mothers know... somehow. After all, her juices gave form to you so I am sure some sort of telepathy exists somewhere no matter how latent
Yes my other half insists that my mum knows bout me, however think everyone is happier in denial!
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 18): I remember those days when SQ operated the 747-400 to Jakarta before the meal cuts came about. Good God if you have never seen a femme-bot go into hyperdrive, that sector would have been it. Those poor girls would be "running" from SIN-CGK sweating from their pits... And the whole routine would repeat itself on the return flight. Wanna see a femme-bot in kebaya stacking meal trays on her arms, throwing them into the lav, quickly locking the door before strapping herself into the jumpseat? All these on short finals... AH... the good old days...
Would ve loved to see the femme-bots in action on such a flight! Only ever seen them glide across the aisle serenely lol
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 18): From BKI, MH has operated (or still do) flights to HKG, KHH, TPE, OSA (ITM / KIX), NRT etc to varying degrees of success (or lack of). I mean the spanking new airport is about to be completed, they NEED to make sure it is utilised. But somehow, Kota Kinabalu as a destination isn't marketed very well which is a waste because it is a beautiful state with awesome natural beauty. BKI needs to become a success it rightfully should, but Tourism Malaysia is doing a rather shitty job trying to promote it. It needs to be a concerted effort from various agencies coming together for one common goal, which is something sorely lacking at the moment. State government's vision differs from the federal's, airline's goal doesn't gel with Tourism Malaysia's... See the dis-joints there?
Unfortunately just as everything else in Malaysia, its all about politics and money. Hell The tourism minister was accused of asking for kickbacks in return for the new Tourism Malaysia advertising campaign. Hence the incumbent company responsible for the 'Malaysia Truly Asia' campaign pulled out of the bidding. There are amazing sights in Malaysia that could rival or better Thailand, yet we get only a fraction of the tourist numbers.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 18): These are my old trip reports in the archive you can dust off. What has your other half got to do with my TRs? Is he an a.nutter as well?
Trust me we ve reread all your TRs many times. We were in Sg last november, dropped you an email but didnt get a reply!
Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Reply 20, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 3332 times:
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 12): Really enjoyable report from downunder. Congrats on getting the 717, rare birds indeed. You could've done a ride in European skies also, but that even further from home for you... I love these machines, such a shame that not more of them are around So, you have a nice writing and good pics too, thanks for sharing your story!
Hello Eric, thanks for the kind compliments. Indeed, it takes some effort to get on a 717 and clearly QF was nearest. Last year I was aiming for a Spanair 717, but then my MUC-BCN plan got canceled. I might try Blue1 if I get a chance to go to the nordic region.
Quoting WNCrew (Reply 13): The tail-cone exit in the 717 is ONLY for emergencies. There are no airstairs... just a slide.
Quoting N766UA (Reply 15): Yeah, it's a good thing you didn't use it, not a pity! 717s have no integral airstairs, and the aft emergency exit is only used in evacuations. The tailcone is completely detached from the aircraft and a slide inflates.
Thanks for the info. It would've been quite a dramatic exit then!
Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 14): Last tiem I did SYD-ASP-SYD is was a 733 and an A320 on the way back - but Ansett has been gone 10 years in September....
Sadly I never had the chance to fly on Ansett. My brother did SYD-KUL in the 1990s on AN and he gave me his inflight amenity kit. I still use the pouch (it's superior to any amenity kit I have seen in Economy) to this day.
Quoting ryanair!!! (Reply 16): What do you know? Pernerbangan Malaysia it is... Will there be a TR? Should I spoil the surprise for you?
Ahem... it's Penerbangan 1Malaysia. The correct answer is "Yes there will be a report and it's coming soon."
Quoting vieri (Reply 17): Whats SQ without the full service routine? Long live SQ service lol
Ah... another vote for the full service routine. No relief for the SQ girls and boys then.
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From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, 
9V-STL being turned around
A333 conference at PER: SQ being serviced, D7 already about to leave
Our feathered friend has got better seats
One more: QF
Two more: CX and TG
The odd one out: GA B738
PER tower
PER domestic terminal
Welcome to the 21st century. Help yourself.
Check-in and then baggage drop. All DIY now.
Self service baggage drop. These days you need to already have an education to travel.
Welcome to the 31st century. Elites only though.
Touch your elite card to the scanner and we will teleport you first to the lounge while your bag will be teleported into the underground baggage depot. Disclaimer: Qantas are not liable for any loss/damage suffered during the teleportation. Destination mix-ups are extremely rare.
Boeing 717!
Boeing 717 close-up. Give me face, face… 
An A330-200 wing provides some shade
The dome of the domestic terminal. The elites can glide up the escalator over the masses into the Qantas lounge.
Onboard! Hurrah!
Legroom. No mistake it’s the B717!
Seats 2+3 across
Climbing out of PER
Study of overhead bins
Light load
Skydiving hatch. No, just rear exit. Pity we did not use it.
Deli-style
Red earth
Blue seat, white headrest cover with swift silver Qantas roo
Dry dusty desert with bits of vegetation
Cloudburst in the distance
A little rainbow beneath the wings
Over the threshold of runway 12
Just love airfields with little traffic so you get to make a u-turn on the runway
View of a B717 from another B717
Departure lounge at ASP. You almost expect to see barbecue pits on the way to the aircraft.
Study of ASP departure lounge carpeting
Welcome to Alice Springs bird park. Look closely and you will spot a rare T-tailed species just beyond the trees.
… and some more common species running about at your feet.
Bye bye NXE
Hello NXN!
Slimmer seats, more legroom
View of ASP tower from NXN
NXE lifting off for Cairns
U-turn for departure on runway 12
Past the airport terminal/clubhouse/birdpark… ok seriously it’s just a terminal
Quick scramble into the air
Sunset approaching Darwin
Downtown Darwin in the distance in the fading light
Pulling into parking position. Remote gate… yes!
The moment the fan blades came to a stop, Bryan leapt into the intake to claim his spot for the night. Ok ok… I don’t actually know his name.
B717 at dusk
Drop off at DRW
Check-in
Domestic side of departure lounge with colorful carpeting
International separated by a glass wall
Boeing 767 bound for BNE
View of the airbridge complex with tail of VH-VYG
Onboard VH-VYG
Climbing, heading south, leaving the turquoise tropical sea to cross the country
Piping hot beef stew. Delicious!
Cooling down with some ice-cream after the meal
Cloud surfing
Approaching Adelaide
Touching down on runway 23
Line of kangaroo tails at ADL
Modern, airy interior. Glass artwork at each gate. Ramp leading down to passenger bridge
Surprise B734 at gate 22
Business section of QF Boeing 737-400
Economy class catering on a short flight – large packet of almonds plus beverage
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