The totally off-topic thread

[drron]

I am afraid that you will get your wish cove and the $50 and $100 notes will disappear and then be followed by all other notes and coins.
Unfortunately government then will have total control and things such as negative interest rates and the Cyprus solution for bank crises will be very easy to bring in.The crooks,as they already are,will go to cryptocurrencies to circumvent the problems but ordinary folk will stuck.

 

[cove]

Plant I did get $500 Coles gift cards at a discount so life in Perth is ok.
Paul Keating thinks 39% should be the top tax rate but we have to cover the spiraling health costs and that rate would need a health levy.
Don't get too pessimistic drron the birds are all singing outside our bedroom window.

 

[amaroo]

but were the 4x upgrades on full fare J?

Just re-read your Q .... sorry for the dodgy reply. No, they were sale J fares. I only pay full fare when someone else is paying

 

[jukebox333]

Plant I did get $500 Coles gift cards at a discount so life in Perth is ok.
Paul Keating thinks 39% should be the top tax rate but we have to cover the spiraling health costs and that rate would need a health levy.
Don't get too pessimistic drron the birds are all singing outside our bedroom window.

Mind you, it's smokey as all hell in this neck of the wood this morning, due to an ill wind pushing all the prescribed back-burn smoke across the whole metro area. I'm 70km south of the city, and can smell it down here...

 

[RAM]

Generally on expert flyer (not status availability) and maybe 240 to 353 days out.

Of course those who 'know' (unless they have more points than they can spend or need a specific one-way flight) would not seriously consider a long haul economy QFF redemption on QF.

Totally agree - much better value on J or F. Latest redemption 2x F return to MUC. Nothing like a couple of CC sign-ups and prepaid CMCs to get a healthy points balance.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Interesting numbers..



Qantas frequent flyer program turning into airline's biggest money spinner

Not being a pedant but...

Even if you allow for all the flights redeemed to be return flights - the numbers do not appear to add up.

So out of 51 million passengers - 2.45 million redeemed award tickets, or approximately 4.8% of all seats traveled. If actually referring to single flights (as implied) then it would have been 9.6%.

NOT IN THIS LIFETIME THEY DIDN'T!

....

so we know the numbers are not right, some friends will fly and not bother trying to use their points, one older friend from Qld has over 4.2million frequent flyer points and coudn't be bother to redeem flights using his points, trying to aim for 5,000,000 is his goal, money isn't really a problem, but gees.

Next one I heard this week friend from the west is flying over east and has spent over $4,000 on flights, I asked did you look at points, yes but I want flexibility in case I have to cancel. I said the best thing about award seats in J usually easy to change and if you have to cancel 5,000 points, some people you just want to shake your head. proper bang head smiley not on AFF.

Recently I have found Virgin easy to redeem pity I am now have less than 10,000 points, QF is harder but with a bit of planning you can usually find awards.

 

[cove]

Can I blame the smoke in Perth for misspelling Tanya in my earlier post?
Yes the birds are quieter now than last night around our home which is south of the city of Perth. Prescribed burns can save lives during bush fire season but today we seem to have the whole city doused with smoke.

 

[RAM]

so we know the numbers are not right, some friends will fly and not bother trying to use their points, one older friend from Qld has over 4.2million frequent flyer points and coudn't be bother to redeem flights using his points, trying to aim for 5,000,000 is his goal, money isn't really a problem, but gees.

Next one I heard this week friend from the west is flying over east and has spent over $4,000 on flights, I asked did you look at points, yes but I want flexibility in case I have to cancel. I said the best thing about award seats in J usually easy to change and if you have to cancel 5,000 points, some people you just want to shake your head. proper bang head smiley not on AFF.

Recently I have found Virgin easy to redeem pity I am now have less than 10,000 points, QF is harder but with a bit of planning you can usually find awards.

VA is much easier in my experience BUT changing a departure date recently turned into a nightmare. I got booked into the wrong class by the overseas CC operator despite asking 4 times are you sure this is correct as the fees/charges seem way too low.

All up just 4 minutes short of 3 hours on the phone in doing the change and then ringing straight back once email came through showing the error. To add insult to injury - the flights I wanted were available but I had accepted a re-routing via Melb as operator 1 insisted the other flights (I could see) would not actually book (EY ones).

Oh, for an Aust-based CC.

 

[straitman]

The things you find in a small country town - Nyngan

Buzz,

Don't believe everything you read on a pole.

[TD="align: left"] "A2-022" [/TD][TD="align: left"] TH-1F [/TD][TD="align: left"] 66-1237 [/TD][TD="align: left"] 7313 [/TD][TD="align: left"] Not a real RAAF/Army serial number.
This is the static display helicopter that replaced A2-1022 at Nyngan.
This is actually an ex-US Army TH-1F previously operated as VH-LIQ.
It suffered a total power loss on 8/12/2009 and was severely damaged.
It was bought up to static display standard at Caloundra airport.
Currently on display at Nyngan, NSW. [/TD]

[TD="align: left"] A2-1022 [/TD][TD="align: left"] UH-1B [/TD][TD="align: left"] 63-13590 [/TD][TD="align: left"] 1022 [/TD][TD="width: 713, align: left"] Delivered 12/12/64.
18/08/66, A2-1022 was involved in the resupply of Long Tan.Crew; Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Cliff Dohle, Flight Lieutenant (Co-pilot) Bruce Lane , Corporal W.R. Harrington, Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Hill (For details see A2-1020 above.)
crashed at Vung Tau following engine failure shortly after take-off 11/05/67.
Repaired on site including replacing tailboom.
It had a destructive engine failure over Hornsby and crash landed onto a football oval in the late 70's possibly 1977. Pilot was F/L Kevin Barrington and they were carrying VIP pax at the time. There were no injuries and 2AD at Richmond eventually rebuilt the airframe.
Crashed again 29/05/84 in WA.
Training Aid, Laverton VIC 19/08/94. It was rebuilt, using parts from many sources and it was gifted by the RAAF and displayed at Nyngan, NSW in recognition of the RAAF's work in support of the community during the Nyngan Floods.
In 05/2011 it was transported by road to Caloundra for restoration at the Queensland Air Museum on behalf of the local RSL.
Lifted onto display pole on 12/03/2012. Dedicated in a ceremony on 16/03/2012.
Currently on display at Caloundra RSL Nyngan has received a replacement Iroquois marked as A2-022, see above [/TD]

I have flown the 'real' A2-1022 quite a few times.

Here is a link to the restoration of the real A2-1022. If you click through there are 23 pics.

Here is where all the Australian Iroquois ended up.

 

[Bindibuys]

Don't worry Buzz, I still love Nyngan. Spent most of my childhood school holidays there. (my mum grew up in Nyngan)

 

[Katie]

Maybe this is on topic, but I don't think it's worthy of its own thread??

I was on QF16 last night (departed LAX Thurs 11 May) & experienced my first medical diversion. I woke a few hours out of LAX to am announcement that we would be starting a rapid descent into HNL in about 10-15 mins, so take the opportunity now to go to the loo, etc. I put my shoes on; we landed in HNL around 3am local time.

An EMT and a paramedic boarded, and then disembarked with the affected pax and a doctor from the flight. Shortly thereafter, another pax disembarked, with an FA in tow with some carryon. We spent somewhat more than 1.5hrs on the ground. No-one disembarked. No idea what the medica issue was, can only inform the pax wa able to walk off the plane - I was in 36D, and they were in the same aisle, back in Y, so I witnessed their disembarkation.

Overall, we landed about 3.5hrs late into BNE. Fine for me as a local, many connections had to be re-made. From the announcements, it was mostly the Mt Isa and Port Moresby pax I felt for - they all had to overnight,

 

[Buzzard]

Don't worry Buzz, I still love Nyngan. Spent most of my childhood school holidays there. (my mum grew up in Nyngan)

Whenever we drive from ADL to ARM we overnight in Nyngan or Gilgandra depending on how we are travelling.

 

[Pushka]

Anyone update their windows system today? Our work server was turned off Friday arvo as we migrate fully to the cloud.

 

[drron]

The hospital computers this afternoon received an urgent security patch with instructions to download it urgently.Might be related to one of tonights TV news items.

 

[Major]

I received the update thingy last night which loaded when I turned it on this morning

 

[Flashback]

The hospital computers this afternoon received an urgent security patch with instructions to download it urgently.Might be related to one of tonights TV news items.

Yes, the NHS has been hit pretty hard.

 

[Simo]

Whenever we drive from ADL to ARM we overnight in Nyngan or Gilgandra depending on how we are travelling.

Have a safe trip...

Heaps of Kangaroos out that way

 

[love_the_life]

For a little mind-numbing entertainment we have Eurovision on the TV :shock: Things must be desperate.

 

[Pushka]

For a little mind-numbing entertainment we have Eurovision on the TV :shock: Things must be desperate.

oh. Footy isnt much better here. But there is a special nothingness irits about eurovision.

 

[RooFlyer]

For a little mind-numbing entertainment we have Eurovision on the TV :shock: Things must be desperate.

I only watch it for the voting