The totally off-topic thread

[JohnK]

When you were offered to be moved to QF555, was it scheduled to depart at 1925 at this point? If it was couldn't you have then said "if QF557 is not going to make curfew by departing at 1915, what hope has QF555 got?" Was QF557 originally a 738 & now being a 734 overbooked as it has 24 fewer seats in Y.

It may be that when you are bumped to an earlier flight it's still scheduled to depart earlier than your original one but there are a myriad of things that can happen after checkin (some but not all outside the airline's control) that can delay the 'earlier' flight so it ends up departing after your original one.

Weather, no bay available for flight, ATC may put a flight into a holding pattern which affects the inbound a/c operating the 'earlier' flight. If operating crew from one flight are delayed inbound that will impact the departure time of their next flight.

When I was using QuickCheck it offered me the earlier flight and I did not take up the offer when I noticed that the earlier flight was due to depart at 19:25. At check-in I did not have a choice to stay on my original flight even though I protested. I was told that QF557 was was going to struggle to make curfew so they were moving passengers to QF555.

I was ignored a number of times by check-in stafff, lounge staff and service dask staff when I told them that QF555 was scheduled to depart after QF557 and if QF557 was going to struggle to make curfew how would QF555 make it? They must think we are all stupid and do not take note of the monitors for flight information.

When I was walking towards security I took note again that QF555 was scheduled to depart from gate 21 at 19:25 and QF557 was scheduled to depart from gate 16 at 19:15. Sometime in the next hour or so the gates and aircraft for each flight were swapped number yet they still left passengers on QF555 and it was touch and go whether we going to make it or not.

Yes we did make curfew in the end but sitting on the aircraft with time running out is not fun. In my opinion QF handled this situation very poorly. I would love to know the actual loads for QF549, QF551, QF553, QF555 and QF557. I believe that these flights had available seats and I was at the airport with more than enough time to make check-in for these flight with checked luggage.

Why am I still flying QF? Forget JQ (extremely poor schedule SYD-BNE and vv) and DJ does not really suit my flying needs....

 

[Flashback]

Whatever happened to the 10 year option?

It's certainly never been offered to me. Maybe only the old folk get it.

 

[medhead]

Passing your driving test certifies you only that you managed to prove to someone once in your life that you can competently drive. Notwithstanding the law, which is a weak means anyway, it says nothing about your competence for the rest of your life.

There are people out there who are over 25 years of age who clearly should be reevaluated. Yet with road accidents it's simply too easy to blame all drivers under 25 years for all the road woes. And classify them as high risk drivers in the process. (I'm not suggesting that there are no young incompetent drivers, because there certainly are.) Retesting is supposed to ensure that drivers of any age are competent on the road.

Actually it is enforcement of the road rules that certifies your competent to continue driving. That is why people lose their licenses if they get too many points and then have to take the test again to get their licence back. No need for retesting because everytime you step into a car you are being tested.

The driver risk categories are based on insurance claims. It isn't just a case of blaming under 25 year olds, the fact is that they have the most accidents and cause the biggest cost on the roads. The statistics are there to say who are the high risk drivers it isn't just random unfair blaming.

 

[drron]

Hope no one is travelling to or from Spain this weekend-
Spanish airport strike leaves passengers stranded | World news | guardian.co.uk

Thousands of British holidaymakers have been left stranded in Spain after air traffic controllers walked out over working conditions.

The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency over the strike, which has left eight airports including Madrid closed across the country and stranded 330,000 international passengers.

The deputy prime minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, said the controllers – who called in sick en masse – had been ordered back to work and could face charges and jail under the military penal code if they refused.

 

[medhead]

Hope no one is travelling to or from Spain this weekend-
Spanish airport strike leaves passengers stranded | World news | guardian.co.uk

Was just skyping with my bro and he mentioned this; it's not just the weekend because apparently Monday and Wednesday are Spanish holidays and hence a big travel time as people take the Tuesday off as well.
Sounds like it is going to be a mess.

 

[Flashback]

Hope no one is travelling to or from Spain this weekend-
Spanish airport strike leaves passengers stranded | World news | guardian.co.uk

I saw that. I thought it was a bit silly really, as other airports around the area (not Spain obviously.. can't see it snowing there just yet!) have been closing due to weather and here these clowns are closing because they want to. It's as pathetic as the constant tube strikes we have here, in the 3 months I've been here there have been 3x24 hour tube strikes.

 

[Must...Fly!]

The problem I have with the current licence testing system is that,in Victoria at least.the practical test is still centered on things like the ability to parallel park and do straight line reverses etc,I mean if you can't park between two cars you shouldn't be driving anyway,I reckon they should leave the assessment of parking skills to the instructors and the test should be on things like how to handle a car that gets into a skid on a wet road and how to drive for the conditions of the road,that is what I think causes many accidents,it's the young driver who thinks driving at 100km'h on a dual carriageway on a sunny summer morning is safe so the same speed should be safe on a wet winters night on a winding country road.

I agree with you. There are too many irresponsible young drivers out there.

I never get in a car unless it's with any of the following people driving;

• Mum
• Dad
• Aunties+Uncles
• 1 or 2 select cousins
• 3 friends (whom are my best friends, 2 of whom don't drink, the other very rarely drinking, and never drives after doing so)

nb: i very very rarely drink myself.

Also I'll never be the 5th passenger in a car driven by any of my friends.

I'd like to think I'm quite an aware, quick reacting driver...but I may not be. Defensive driving courses should be compulsory for new license holders. Mum has already said I'm getting one for Christmas. I expect it to be informative and very helpful.

 

[mannej]

Although age does play a role with experience, I do not entirely agree that young age makes a person a worse driver then someone with a bit more age behind them.
I am aware statistics state that they are over represented, but from what I can see these stats are very basic that don't describe much.

Having looked into this before, and having spent countless hours on the roads, poor driving skills/attitudes are not limited to just young drivers. It varies, and quite dramatically so. Defensive Driving courses are good, and can help get people out of trouble, but those who lack basic situational awareness will always cause trouble on the roads. Worst of all they are totally oblivious to it all.

Experience is a great thing to have, but when one can not learn from that experience due to a lack of skill, then what good is it?

As an aside, the amount of idiots who drive in Perth must be increasing...:shock:

 

[oz_mark]

Experience is a great thing to have, but when one can not learn from that experience due to a lack of skill, then what good is it?

As an aside, the amount of idiots who drive in Perth must be increasing...:shock:

It's interesting how different cities seem to have different drining problems.

Perth drivers are bad at merging. Melbourne drivers are right into spillback.

Perth really needs to get rid of the idea of extraordinary licenses.

 

[anat0l]

Can someone tell me why it takes 3 minutes for a DJ CSA to prepare a bag tag, remove the sticky protection, put it on the bag, and then send it down the belt?

I had 10 people ahead of me in the queue. All of them spent between only 30 seconds - 1 minute at the desk, but it took over 20 minutes for me to get to a counter. I've had international check-ins of similar size with a faster processing time than that.

QF would be sending my bag down the belt about 5 seconds after I leave the counter, so what gives? And with injectors with NGCI*, the process should be even quicker, because as long as there are enough free injectors and the idiot ratio is low, waiting for a free injector is much easier and faster than waiting for a CSA to send a bag down the belt.

Some of the DJ staff could work on professionalism, too. I saw one CSA with a most disconcerting facial expression after lifting a bag and putting it down. It's that look as if she were too precious to lift a bag (it was only a backpack and didn't look very heavy at all!) or she was checking if she broke a fingernail when she finally worked out that the bag needed to be put into a tray.

Yes I know it's pissing outside and I'm not in a great mood, even after two cups of tea and some fruit, but still, that line could have been processed by DJ easily 40% faster.

The DJ Premium line (although I can't use it) didn't look much faster (per customer that is; not overall since obviously there are less people in that line). It probably wasn't helped that every pax that seemed to roll up to that line had the kitchen sink with them (one couple rolled up with 5 pieces).



* Yes, as long as the process works.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

The DJ Premium line (although I can't use it) didn't look much faster (per customer that is; not overall since obviously there are less people in that line). It probably wasn't helped that every pax that seemed to roll up to that line had the kitchen sink with them (one couple rolled up with 5 pieces).

Try being at an airport after a Big Day Out concert & watch how much stuff bands have. I saw John Butler Trio check in at DRW once & sure there were more people travelling in the group than just the band but the group still had 55 pieces of luggage!

I had to laugh when the bloke at QF who checked them in quipped "just as well you're not a quartet". :mrgreen:

 

[anat0l]

Try being at an airport after a Big Day Out concert & watch how much stuff bands have. I saw John Butler Trio check in at DRW once & sure there were more people travelling in the group than just the band but the group still had 55 pieces of luggage!

I had to laugh when the bloke at QF who checked them in quipped "just as well you're not a quartet". :mrgreen:

Isn't that what Group Check-in is for?

 

[samh004]

Driver Licences are going up in Queensland ... Will be $150 roughly for a 5 year licence by 2015 (source: Ministerial Media Statements)

The fees are also available on the New card fees (Department of Transport and Main Roads). I was looking forward to getting a new license, but they’re only available from Toowoomba so far so I renewed for just a year (will get a new license next year), fee was $29.95.

 

[anat0l]

Thanks to the great idea that is Boot Camp (or at least assume), the Macs in the QF lounges can allow you to use either Windows 7 or Mac OS.

The problem is that they supply this Apple mouse with it and all it has is one button and a tiny scroller ball. How do you get a right-click whilst in Windows with this thing? I've tried Control+, Command+ and combinations of those; there is no Fn key.

Is the answer 'impossible'? (Notwithstanding somehow getting admin rights etc.)

 

[samh004]

Thanks to the great idea that is Boot Camp (or at least assume), the Macs in the QF lounges can allow you to use either Windows 7 or Mac OS.

The problem is that they supply this Apple mouse with it and all it has is one button and a tiny scroller ball. How do you get a right-click whilst in Windows with this thing? I've tried Control+, Command+ and combinations of those; there is no Fn key.

Is the answer 'impossible'? (Notwithstanding somehow getting admin rights etc.)

The Boot Camp software should come with support for the Mighty Mouse’s right click.

Right-clicking with the Mighty Mouse in Windows XP.: Apple «

I didn’t try using the iMac last time I was there in Windows 7 mode, but I think the right click worked fine in OS X.

While it does look like one button, and is one physical booking, it should allow you to right click by using the right side of the mouse:

Although the Mighty Mouse can sense both right and left clicks it is not possible to press both sensors simultaneously. The user must learn to lift the left finger off the sensor surface before attempting a right-mouse click.

 

[Must...Fly!]

anat0l - One of my numerous vagaries with DJ is the check-in process. Rarely, for me, is it a good experience.

The worst was probably when travelling with 3 people (including myself) checking 3 suitcases.

The DJ staff member behind the desk at check-in requested I place all 3 suitcases on the belt at once. I was a little confused, but OK, if you want to do them all at once...Just made it a little more difficult for me, having to lift on suitcase on top of the other two to make it all fit on the belt.

Of course, once that had been done and a measurement of weight taken, I was requested to remove 2 bags off the belt, and then load them individually so she could tag and send them on their way.

WTF.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks to the great idea that is Boot Camp (or at least assume), the Macs in the QF lounges can allow you to use either Windows 7 or Mac OS.

The problem is that they supply this Apple mouse with it and all it has is one button and a tiny scroller ball. How do you get a right-click whilst in Windows with this thing? I've tried Control+, Command+ and combinations of those; there is no Fn key.

I struggle with the various keyboard layouts. What is wrong with a standard keyboard?

I recently bought a new laptop and they keyboard is awful. I don't know what it was designed for but it certainly not designed for typing. What gives with the Fn key? And the page up/page down keys have been moved apart from one another either side of the up arrow key.

 

[drron]

Try being at an airport after a Big Day Out concert & watch how much stuff bands have. I saw John Butler Trio check in at DRW once & sure there were more people travelling in the group than just the band but the group still had 55 pieces of luggage!

I had to laugh when the bloke at QF who checked them in quipped "just as well you're not a quartet". :mrgreen:

Just as well it wasn't U2-set arrived on 6 747 freighters and trucked around on 55 big rigs.
As one wit said in the Age-dont worry about Bono's carbon footprint,it is only a tenth of his ego footprint.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Just as well it wasn't U2-set arrived on 6 747 freighters and trucked around on 55 big rigs.
As one wit said in the Age-dont worry about Bono's carbon footprint,it is only a tenth of his ego footprint.

And they say F1 is bad!!!

 

[ejb]

Just as well it wasn't U2-set arrived on 6 747 freighters and trucked around on 55 big rigs.
As one wit said in the Age-dont worry about Bono's carbon footprint,it is only a tenth of his ego footprint.

They have shrunk since last time, it was 80 semi trailers last time.

I read today the Oprah is coming in her own jet, so she who is on the high horse about global warming travels by herself while another jet brings everyone else. Why couldn't she just block the whole F cabin for her and her inner cheer squad. Just another example of "do as I say and not as I do" along the lines of Al "My carbon footprint is 100 times the national average" Gore.

ejb