Here’s a simple solution to the seat-recline wars

Seating plan

Why can’t airlines allocate certain seats as “reclining” and others as “non-reclining” (that is, starboard side reclining and port side non-reclining)? That way it would be the consumer’s choice when booking a seat as to which section they would like to be seated in. The seats could be colour-coded on the booking websites and this polarising issue would be reduced significantly. As a short person, I don’t usually recline that much and would prefer the person in front of me doesn’t recline either, but I appreciate their right to do so. As for those tall people who say they must recline, when you stand at the rear at concerts so us short people can see, you will have my sympathy.
Matt Peacock, Turramurra, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE In a not universally applauded move, WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, earlier this year reconfigured its fleet of aircraft with economy seats that can’t recline. Passengers who wish to recline can pay to upgrade to the airline’s premium or extended comfort classes.

Letter of the week: Further you go

Instead of just being a box-ticking tourist (Traveller, September 25), travel a few kilometres west past the French fortified city of Carcassonne to Mirepoix, a working bastide village with its beautiful square of half-timbered houses. Nearby, find the intriguing and ancient Foix, seat of the once powerful counts of Foix. Then experience the intense drama and pathos of the nearby ruined Cathar castles of Roquefixade and Rocamadour in the foothills of the Pyrenees. And if that’s not enough, visit Limoux, where sparkling wine was invented and where you’ll also find delightful and ancient villages. All this in a region producing a range of red wines that seemed perfect for Australian palates.
Tony Miller, Surrey Hills, Vic

Loading zones

I have to agree with Michael McKenna (Traveller Letters, November 29) about what a mess boarding and disembarking have become. With apparently so much research and trials by airlines with different group-boarding procedures, it still seems that the most efficient and least stressful arrangement for loading the economy classes would be to start with those seated at the back and move forward. Surely, that would negate some major bottlenecks. And, yes, I’m talking about you too, you who take up everyone else’s overhead storage.
Susanne Brown, Maddington, WA

Size matters

The problem of people lining up too early to board has been brought about by airlines allowing passengers to take on ridiculous quantities of carry-on luggage. Passengers wanting to save time at airports and avoid luggage getting lost have come to realise that if they wait until their later seat range is called, they’ll struggle to find room in the overhead lockers. I’m not sure what can be done, but airlines need to find a solution.
David Parker, Geelong West, Vic

Stop right there

No doubt a cruise through Germany’s Rhine Gorge, as per your “Seven Wonders” feature (Traveller, November 29) on the way to elsewhere is worthwhile, but staying along the river and going up and down it by train and ferry is also a good way to experience it. Doing just that, we stayed at the Hotel Sankt Goar, and it was lovely with views of the river and excellent breakfasts. The hotel owner organised a visit up to Rheinfels Castle above the river one afternoon and then, inland, up and down forest paths and out to a winery and cafe. We even found an underground wine bar in Sankt Goar that the hotel owner never knew existed. So, don’t just sail through the Rhine Gorge, go there and explore it with easy trains to Frankfurt one way and all the way to Cologne the other.
Tony Sullivan, Islington, NSW

Gratuities advice

I enjoy conversing with and getting to know restaurant staff and one doesn’t need much nous to know they are far from well-off. Tipping, I’ve found, has had many positive consequences. Recently in London, staying at the Shangri-La at The Shard and visiting the Gong Bar with its stunning views I tipped the waiter and asked for a booking there tomorrow. We were nearly an hour late, but there were no problems, and there was our best table. Other patrons cringed, obviously seeing that table vacant while they were seated at the rear – priceless. The cost for this service? Nigh on incidental.
Stewart Johnston Mount Eliza, Vic

Shelling out

Regarding Mark Perry’s letter “Case dismissed” (Traveller Letters, November 29) and the lack of a fair and reasonable Qantas response to a broken suitcase, all I can say is “snap”. My small hard-shell suitcase appeared on the carousel at the Gold Coast Airport on a Thursday morning, split, contents hanging out and with a broken handle. No big drama. I spoke to a Qantas staff member at the assistance desk, and she provided me with a guide to reporting this and lodging it online. The next day, for $50, I purchased the cheapest replacement possible and when I returned home three days later I tried to lodge a claim.

First problem: I did not have an incident number as I was not issued one. Then I was informed I was outside the 48-hour time frame to make a claim. Then I was asked for an original receipt for the broken suitcase (of course, that was never kept). I actually forwarded a photo of the broken case next to the Qantas help desk and a copy of the $50 receipt for the required replacement. Qantas flatly refused to pay, even, incredibly, for the paltry $50 replacement. After a week trading emails, I decided to tell them I couldn’t be bothered wasting any further time and effort. I am still shocked at the lengths they went to, just to avoid reimbursing a measly $50 on a genuine complaint.
Rob Murray, Thurgoona, NSW

Slowly but surely

Late to taking advantage of complimentary credit-card travel insurance, I used it for the first time on a trip to Canada this year and, as fate would have it, broke my ankle a few days before the end of my holiday. I can’t speak highly enough of my experience with Westpac’s insurer, Allianz Global Assistance, which provided telephone advice in Canada and, on my return, swiftly reimbursed my incurred expenses, including a business-class upgrade authorised for my flight home. A couple of months later I received a late additional charge for X-rays from the Canadian medical provider which was also quickly reimbursed.
Joan Phillips, Thornbury, Vic

Hydra and seek

I was delighted to read Lee Tulloch’s column (Traveller, December 2) on Hydra, Greece. My own visit there in May this year fulfilled a long held desire to visit the island and the place where the Australian authors Charmian Clift and George Johnson had lived. Arriving by ferry at the idyllic port, my starting point was Katsikas’s, the waterfront grocery store and bar, which Charmian described as “our cosy clubhouse.” Now renamed Rolo’s Cafe, its inside walls are dotted with sepia-coloured photos of famous past residents, such as Leonard Cohen whose friendship circle included Charmian and George. The cafe owner gave me directions to the couple’s former residence between 1955 and 1964 and after a short uphill walk, I emerged into the small, cobblestoned square with a well at its centre; a magnificent scarlet bougainvillea cascaded down the wall of the house opposite, a scene which Charmian herself had described. Unlike Leonard Cohen’s house on the island, no plaque rests near the large blue front doors. My hope is that this omission will be rectified, particularly as Charmian’s two books, Mermaid Singing and Peel Me a Lotus reflect the family’s time on Kalymnos and Hydra.
Susan Lenne, Randwick, NSW

Salad daze

I’ve noticed that the quality of fruit salad at the Qantas lounges offers a reliable indicator of the airline’s overall quality and attitude to customer service. From the good ol’ days where you’d get strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries and an occasional chunk of mango, depending on season, garnished with sprigs of mint, today’s inedible offerings consists of mini-bricks of semi-ripe rockmelon and honeydew. How the mighty have fallen.
Louise Ryan, Erskineville, NSW

Make that five

What a fuss about a cup of tea – one article and four letters in the past few weeks. I drink tea and not coffee so whenever I travel, I take a supply of good quality tea bags. I have always been able to obtain boiling water. I drink tea with milk at home but when I’m away, I’m happy to drink black tea. If you need loose-leaf tea, you can use an infuser.
Patricia Harrington, Kerang, Vic

Reader tip of the week: Flower power

Although Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay are magnificent, its UNESCO World Heritage-listed Botanic Gardens will always be my go-to. The Botanic Gardens provide a peaceful break to the business of the thriving city. Easy to get to on a local bus with a tap of your credit card, the gardens are free, except for entrance to their National Orchid Garden. Tranquil areas containing waterfalls, wetlands, lakes, sculptures, interpretative signage and galleries mean you will need a full day to investigate thoroughly. The healing, ginger and sundial gardens are lovely, with one of the most interesting places being the flight of brick steps built when Singapore was under occupation during World War II. Australian POWs handmade these bricks, inscribing arrows on each of them in defiance of the Japanese.
Jenny Macaffer, Essendon, Vic

Summit special

At the top of Mount Ulriken in Bergen, Norway (Traveller, November 23), is another “don’t miss” aspect of the city, namely the Skyskraperen restaurant. With a wonderful cable-car journey prelude, superlative food and service, plus a view to die for (weather permitting) this unique venue also offers excellent value. The cost of the cable-car ride is included in the pre-booked lunch/dinner package, and it was outranked only by two, three-star Michelin restaurants in our “Scandi sojourn” ratings. When it comes to the best of Bergen, Skyskraperen’s the limit.
Chris Roylance, Paddington, Qld

Close encounter

The answer by the Tripologist regarding pre- and post-cruise accommodation in Tokyo when flying in and out of Haneda Airport (Traveller, November 14) assumes that the cruise terminal is the new Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, near the city. In fact, many of the cruises still operate from the Osanbashi Cruise Terminal at Yokohama. In fact, we just had an excellent pre-cruise stay at the historic New Grand Hotel in Yokohama, in a pleasant location close to Haneda, and only a five-minute taxi to the terminal.
Ken Henderson, Glen Waverley, Vic

Himalaya layover

In your “Friday flashback” item on Gough and Margaret Whitlam’s official visit to Japan (Traveller newsletter, November 14), it was interesting to read the number of visitors to that nation in 1973 was fewer than 800,000 foreigners with the forecast for 2025 being 40 million. In 1965, and turning 19 that year, my girlfriend and I cruised for a month to Asian ports on the ship Himalaya. In the Japanese cities of Yokohama and Kobe we were given a note written in Japanese on how to get back to the Himalaya, as little English was spoken in those days. I’m sure there were a lot less visitors to Japan back then. It’s a country I loved and have wanted to return to since.
Frances Levings, Illawong, NSW

Saving grace

I’ve just returned from a fantastic three-week holiday in Vietnam. The people, culture, scenery, food and overall happy vibe were wonderful, but the standout was our amazing travel agent. We arrived in Hoi An after heavy rains and partial flooding, and Hue, our next stop, was completely underwater, with Typhoon Kalmaegi approaching. Within two hours, our agent had reorganised our entire trip, cancelling bookings, recovering costs and arranging new accommodation and activities. She rerouted us to beautiful Tam Coc, which became a highlight. Thanks to her, we also ended up in Hanoi on a weekend when the Old Quarter is largely car-free. I highly recommend using a travel agent.
Tmne Blair, Randwick, NSW

Location, location

During our recent visit to Taiwan, we used our Android phones’ “Location tags” (turn on in settings) to record where we took our photos and videos. Google Maps then automatically produced a detailed map showing exactly where we had been, with each picture having its GPS location and street address recorded for future reference. Our iPad did the same, after we had turned on location services (go to settings/privacy and security) and, in the camera app, we selected “while using the app”. WhatsApp can also send home your location with your photos (click “location” via the paperclip icon in the message bar) if you forget to turn on location recording. Our friends are now planning their own Taiwan adventure, using our photo location information for the best sights, attractions and places to eat.
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill, Vic

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com

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