Is the weather at OOL airport that bad?

[JohnK]

Finally made it to my apartment. It is almost 13 hours since I left home in Sydney. :shock:

I hope I have enough energy left to get through the week and do it all again on Friday....

 

[samh004]

Oh well. Wrong decision again and hopefully I will be home by midnight. Not sure how I will get to work tomorrow as the place is a mess....

One of those days.. JohnK.
Have a spare bed in GC but you would have been challenged by the 4am ride to BNE in am.
Hope you managed to get home.

As jetlagger says, if you're ever in need of a little help down South, you're welcome to send me a PM. I can't confirm I can help every time (not sure if I'd have wanted to drive anywhere in this weather, but may have been able to help.

 

[QF WP]

Well the weather was beautiful thus morning...fog burning off to a fine(ish) and HUMID day.

No trains until Thursday, so the roads will be chaos.

First day back at school won't help

BNE and OOL should be open and operating normally

 

[Meggsy]

Yes its a beautiful day here at OOL. Blue sky, gentle breeze and aircraft operating, although I am hearing the weather in Sydney is causing some delays and cancellations now.

 

[fersea]

I am coming up to the Gold Coast on Friday evening for the weekend (one of those QF reopening SYD-OOL Route specials). Hope all is clear by then and forecast is for some good weather.

Mind you whether my two day mini break is slightly ruined by the weather is hardly important in comparison to people losing their homes and lives.

 

[Travelqueen]

Morning, woke up to some blue sky here @ broadbeach this morning.

Next weekends forcast here is sunny 30 degrees Fersea, so should be lovely for you.

However, I'm due to leave coolangatta today to Melbourne, via Sydney.....now I'm worried about the weather flying in / out of Sydney. Anyone been through Sydney today who can settle my nerves?

Thanks

TQ

 

[LiamR]

I'm having trouble getting in touch with Virgin's Velocity Gold/Plat desk, apparently the Virgin Village in Brisbane is flooded.

Hope everybody at VA is safe and dry!

 

[NM]

A large shopping centre up our way has multiple shade sails torn to shreds and mostly lying on the bitumen in the car park. I guess they have lost around 15% of the car parking space, and what is some of the most popular parking as its centrally positioned and close to one of the main entrances.

 

[NM]

My daughter has a supply teacher for her first day. Her new class teacher, who is new to the school, is trapped by flood waters and can't get home or to school. He is hoping to make it tomorrow. What a way to impress the principle on your first day on the job

 

[QF WP]

NM, at least the teacher has the right principle to contact the principal to allow him time to get a supply teacher. First day for my daughter in Year 1 was a non-event compared with Prep (kindy, call it what you do in each State). "Bye Mum & Dad", there with 6 existing classmates from last year and 18 new classmates (although she knew some of them from the other Prep classes last year).

 

[QF WP]

I'm having trouble getting in touch with Virgin's Velocity Gold/Plat desk, apparently the Virgin Village in Brisbane is flooded.

Hope everybody at VA is safe and dry!

Hmm, didn't think they were still flooded - however Breakfast Creek did flood yesterday. They could be without telephone and power still and the basement could be flooded...although at midday today, the next Brisbane River peak will challenge them as water comes back up the stormwater drains from Breakfast Creek.

I didn't drive past it this morrning, traffic would have been chaotic (I used the M7 instead).

P.S. Their telephone "on hold" does give warning about higher call volumes and waiting time due to the weather delays/cancellations

 

[kevrosmith]

I'm Platinum on both QF and VA (both BIS), and had a completely pleasant experience for my QF flights yesterday , and in fairly stark contrast to JohnK's experience .

Was meant to fly MEL-SYD-OOL, leaving MEL at 14:00. Arrived at MEL around 10:30 and tried to check-in. Machine instructed me to go to Service Agent. Was told that OOL was closed. Asked if I could be put onto flight to BNE, either direct or via SYD. While Agent was on the phone, checked EF and could see very limited availability on all flights direct to BNE. Switched across to the 14:05 BNE direct service, no problem at all.

Spent a few pleasant hours in J Lounge catching up on business admin. Boarded 15 minutes late, very full flight, slight holding in the air, and arrived ~30 minutes late.

Admittedly, I was travelling J, on a JASA U fare, though I was surprised that it was that simple even though no U seats were available.

Must admit I am dreading having to re-learn how to work the VA system in the coming months with all the system changes, and some of the other stories of seat selection etc. that are posted in other threads. I'm hoping things will continue to settle down before I have to book a VA flight soon.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I'm hoping things will continue to settle down before I have to book a VA flight soon.

Continue to settle down? I didn't realise they had begun to settle down!

 

[docjames]

Good to hear JohnK made it.

Not so good to hear the pathetic SYD curfew cant be waived in a time of natural disaster. Pathetic.

 

[JohnK]

I'm Platinum on both QF and VA (both BIS), and had a completely pleasant experience for my QF flights yesterday , and in fairly stark contrast to JohnK's experience .

I am sure there are some great stories around of Virgin helping people out in these types of situations but mine is not one of them.

In hindsight I should have taken the later option of SYD-BNE that was offered at check-in but I was worried about many things at the time and I did not want to leave it that late just in case things got worse in SYD.

Either way it is over now and it is one of those experiences to remember.

Sad is how the bad weather has cripled, and continues to criple, the public transport system. I am actually not looking forward to Friday if train services all the way through to Varsity Lakes are not restored. I guess if that happens then a one-way car hire or ConXion are an option. And silly me saw the ConXion rep as I was collecting my luggage but thought everything was going to be OK.

More important though is that people have not been affected too badly by the bad weather and get back on their feet quickly. Hopefully we learn the lesson properly that bad weather/floods are not once in a 100 year events and be prepared next time.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I am actually not looking forward to Friday if train services all the way through to Varsity Lakes are not restored.
...........bad weather/floods are not once in a 100 year events and be prepared next time.

I think they said on the news last night, the GC train service was to be restored sometime today.

100 year flood event is a statistical average. No one in officialdom has every suggested they only occur every 100 years and given records don't go back very long (comparitively) I doubt anyone has even suggested they're anything more than rough guidelines.

 

[amaroo]

Afraid it has to be new for old.

Which means this one..... Weber BBQs

.

Great news, my Insurance company has approved the purchase for my new BBQ......going shopping tomorrow

 

[caskings]

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Great news, my Insurance company has approved the purchase for my new BBQ......going shopping tomorrow

BBQs Galore were advertising some good specials on the TV tonight.