- Joined
- Jul 17, 2004
- Posts
- 3,979
24 May BNE-CNS QF798 7:05AM - 9:30AM Seat 9C 737-800(VH-VZD)
The other board was planning a get together in Cairns; unfortunately the same weekend is a boat show, the first for the Australian boat show season, so 1 year out I was going to be in trouble trying to fit everything in. I had to be at the show on Saturday but I could get out of work Sunday to get up to Cairns for the day. Cairns isn't too hard to get to as there are a number of non-stop. A Qantas domestic sale came along about 2 months ago with a good schedule so I made a booking to fly up to Cairns Saturday night and return Monday morning. About a week later another event clashed on the Saturday night meaning that I really needed to reschedule. After about 3 weeks of studying the option of other flights Qantas had a new sale and so was able to reschedule for only the cost of a change fee.
Up at 5:00am on Sunday isn't so much fun especially as I had been out late the night before, and what was fortunate was that I had forgotten some extra cash drinks to cloudy the mind.
I called the taxi at 5:30am and soon I was on my way 15 minute ride to the airport, through security and up to the Qantas lounge for breakfast, I had checked in the night before to get seat 9C but conveniently left the boarding pass at home so that I could get one of those real boarding passes. The Qantas Club lounge in Brisbane is one of the few lounges to still have the old style cardboard boarding passes and not one of those flimsy paper ones.
I got some breakfast and read the morning paper; as it was now less than 24 hours before my return flight I used one of the Qantas lounge computers to print out the boarding pass for the return journey on Jetstar. What was surprising was that I was 48th on the list of those who had checked in and I ended up with a coughpy seat in the 2nd last row.
Flight was called at 6:40am; usually flights are called at 20 minutes before flight time but this flight was called at 25 minutes to go, the flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:00am and it seems the announcements were still on the old schedules.
Almost all the passengers were onboard the lightly loaded flight to Cairns at 10 minutes to 7 but then we sat there for like 15 minutes. 9C was one of those rows that doesn't have a window and I moved back to row 10 once we had taken off.
Served on today's morning flight was breakfast which consisted of Cereal; a banana; orange juice, a bread roll and a cup for tea and coffee was handed out which was served later on. I also asked for a bottle of water.
Flight passed by pretty uneventfully while I listened to the Qantas music channels and read the in-flight magazine. The TV screens were showing some short program which I completely ignored. At quarter to 9 I started to look for the telltale signs of the reef and the eventual drop in altitude for our landing into Cairns. The plane comes in over the sea and then swings around and lands to the south.
I had a great shot of Green Island from the air, before our landing in Cairns.
Landing was quick and I was off the plane in a flash to catch a taxi to the ferry terminal. I need not have rushed so I was a good 20 minutes too early, I guess better early than too late.
The ferry trip was good and once I reach Green island I went and did some snorkeling in the ever decreasing tide; saw quite a bit of coral and small fish. The time on the island was too short and after a drink and a chat with some of the others it was time to get back on the boat and head back to Cairns. The ferry trip was about 45 minutes. After we arrived back in Cairns I walked around Cairns for a bit; someone was looking for a birthday cake and we brought a few beers. I had previously been to Cairns 15 years ago to sail and it was sad too see the local yacht club had been torn down and the area was now a great big sand pit.
After a bit more walking around I checked into the Holiday Inn; its got nothing on the Hilton; rested; changed and then went out and had dinner, a few drinks then went back to the hotel at midnight.
25 May CNS-BNE JQ929 6:00AM-8:05AM Seat 27F A320-200(VH-VQB)
5:00am was bad but I think 4:00am was worse; I had organized with the group to share a taxi and they wanted to be at the airport before 5:00am. So pick up would be at 4:30am,
7 of us shared a maxi taxi to the airport; as I had already checked in I went through security then waited for others to check in, through to the Qantas lounge with a guest for breakfast. The others left for the 5:45am flight to Sydney and I finished my breakfast in peace. Qantas have 2 early morning flights one to Brisbane at 5:30am and the 5:45am flight to Sydney so the lounge was empty.
Cairns airport is under construction and Jetstar uses one of the new air bridges which is about 150 metre walk from the main waiting area. They don't use a boarding pass scanner and instead tear off half the boarding pass to record who has boarded.
Flight went out 174/177 safety announcement is carried out by recorded message while the crew do demonstration.
Jetstar have the usual buy on board menu, in which I brought a water, should have filled up a Qantas water bottle which would have saved in $3.00, something you don't think about at 4 in the morning.
Jetstar have 8 channel audio system, which allowed the time to pass pretty quickly.
Flight was delayed out of Cairns and we were further delayed coming into Brisbane.
As Jetstar only use the forward boarding gate disembarking took a few minutes.
The crew and the plane do a quick turn around and head up to Rockhampton and small city about an hour north of Brisbane before the Cairns based crew head back to Cairns.
Qantas are great; Jetstar are passable better than Virgin Blue and at least with Jetstar I have lounge access so at least I can fill up on drinks and food before my flight.
Overall a busy weekend, flights were only a few minutes late and the snorkeling out on the great barrier reef were fantastic.
The trip was really quick; I would have liked to have spent more time in Cairns but that wasn't possible, what is interesting is how fast things get away, I have known some of the other board members for more than 5 years. Walking around Cairns on the Sunday afternoon was interesting the place has got more built up and there are certainly geared more towards tourists. The Cairns Yacht Club where I had spent time 15 years ago was certainly a shock to see that it was gone.
The other board was planning a get together in Cairns; unfortunately the same weekend is a boat show, the first for the Australian boat show season, so 1 year out I was going to be in trouble trying to fit everything in. I had to be at the show on Saturday but I could get out of work Sunday to get up to Cairns for the day. Cairns isn't too hard to get to as there are a number of non-stop. A Qantas domestic sale came along about 2 months ago with a good schedule so I made a booking to fly up to Cairns Saturday night and return Monday morning. About a week later another event clashed on the Saturday night meaning that I really needed to reschedule. After about 3 weeks of studying the option of other flights Qantas had a new sale and so was able to reschedule for only the cost of a change fee.
Up at 5:00am on Sunday isn't so much fun especially as I had been out late the night before, and what was fortunate was that I had forgotten some extra cash drinks to cloudy the mind.
I called the taxi at 5:30am and soon I was on my way 15 minute ride to the airport, through security and up to the Qantas lounge for breakfast, I had checked in the night before to get seat 9C but conveniently left the boarding pass at home so that I could get one of those real boarding passes. The Qantas Club lounge in Brisbane is one of the few lounges to still have the old style cardboard boarding passes and not one of those flimsy paper ones.
I got some breakfast and read the morning paper; as it was now less than 24 hours before my return flight I used one of the Qantas lounge computers to print out the boarding pass for the return journey on Jetstar. What was surprising was that I was 48th on the list of those who had checked in and I ended up with a coughpy seat in the 2nd last row.
Flight was called at 6:40am; usually flights are called at 20 minutes before flight time but this flight was called at 25 minutes to go, the flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:00am and it seems the announcements were still on the old schedules.
Almost all the passengers were onboard the lightly loaded flight to Cairns at 10 minutes to 7 but then we sat there for like 15 minutes. 9C was one of those rows that doesn't have a window and I moved back to row 10 once we had taken off.
Served on today's morning flight was breakfast which consisted of Cereal; a banana; orange juice, a bread roll and a cup for tea and coffee was handed out which was served later on. I also asked for a bottle of water.
Flight passed by pretty uneventfully while I listened to the Qantas music channels and read the in-flight magazine. The TV screens were showing some short program which I completely ignored. At quarter to 9 I started to look for the telltale signs of the reef and the eventual drop in altitude for our landing into Cairns. The plane comes in over the sea and then swings around and lands to the south.
I had a great shot of Green Island from the air, before our landing in Cairns.
Landing was quick and I was off the plane in a flash to catch a taxi to the ferry terminal. I need not have rushed so I was a good 20 minutes too early, I guess better early than too late.
The ferry trip was good and once I reach Green island I went and did some snorkeling in the ever decreasing tide; saw quite a bit of coral and small fish. The time on the island was too short and after a drink and a chat with some of the others it was time to get back on the boat and head back to Cairns. The ferry trip was about 45 minutes. After we arrived back in Cairns I walked around Cairns for a bit; someone was looking for a birthday cake and we brought a few beers. I had previously been to Cairns 15 years ago to sail and it was sad too see the local yacht club had been torn down and the area was now a great big sand pit.
After a bit more walking around I checked into the Holiday Inn; its got nothing on the Hilton; rested; changed and then went out and had dinner, a few drinks then went back to the hotel at midnight.
25 May CNS-BNE JQ929 6:00AM-8:05AM Seat 27F A320-200(VH-VQB)
5:00am was bad but I think 4:00am was worse; I had organized with the group to share a taxi and they wanted to be at the airport before 5:00am. So pick up would be at 4:30am,
7 of us shared a maxi taxi to the airport; as I had already checked in I went through security then waited for others to check in, through to the Qantas lounge with a guest for breakfast. The others left for the 5:45am flight to Sydney and I finished my breakfast in peace. Qantas have 2 early morning flights one to Brisbane at 5:30am and the 5:45am flight to Sydney so the lounge was empty.
Cairns airport is under construction and Jetstar uses one of the new air bridges which is about 150 metre walk from the main waiting area. They don't use a boarding pass scanner and instead tear off half the boarding pass to record who has boarded.
Flight went out 174/177 safety announcement is carried out by recorded message while the crew do demonstration.
Jetstar have the usual buy on board menu, in which I brought a water, should have filled up a Qantas water bottle which would have saved in $3.00, something you don't think about at 4 in the morning.
Jetstar have 8 channel audio system, which allowed the time to pass pretty quickly.
Flight was delayed out of Cairns and we were further delayed coming into Brisbane.
As Jetstar only use the forward boarding gate disembarking took a few minutes.
The crew and the plane do a quick turn around and head up to Rockhampton and small city about an hour north of Brisbane before the Cairns based crew head back to Cairns.
Qantas are great; Jetstar are passable better than Virgin Blue and at least with Jetstar I have lounge access so at least I can fill up on drinks and food before my flight.
Overall a busy weekend, flights were only a few minutes late and the snorkeling out on the great barrier reef were fantastic.
The trip was really quick; I would have liked to have spent more time in Cairns but that wasn't possible, what is interesting is how fast things get away, I have known some of the other board members for more than 5 years. Walking around Cairns on the Sunday afternoon was interesting the place has got more built up and there are certainly geared more towards tourists. The Cairns Yacht Club where I had spent time 15 years ago was certainly a shock to see that it was gone.
It's a pity you could not be there longer. Maybe next year in Adelaide. 
