What cheeses me off

[JohnK]

Though my award for myself and Mrsdrron is for January7th. Don't no why that could not fit into your plans. It was the day we had to fly having spent 30 days in Thailand. at that time at least half the SQ flights to BNE had saver awards available. Our awards are for our preferred daylight flight.

Return from Thailand on 07 Jan? Business award for 3 people right not 2 people? I don't have that many points plus I don't want to throw points away on business class travel when economy is more than acceptable.

So we'd have to leave on Saturday 14 Dec the first day of Qld School holidays? And 2 weeks before Christmas which is busy housekeeping period.

So that leaves us only 25 days in Thailand while the trip I have booked has 27 days. I wanted 28 days but didn't quite fit into available airfares.

Our travel patterns are obviously different.

 

[Pushka]

Isn't it great when you're retired and don't have a 7 year old going to school and a wife that works casual and need to be careful when taking time off?

Outbound 26 Dec, inbound 21 Jan. Any other combination is not suitable. When I checked late January the cash airfares were ~$1300 each return. Now there is very limited availability on those dates and airfares $2200+ if you can find any. This appears to be the new normal.

Not easy to book that early with no flexibility to change/cancel.

Well yes but sacrifices were made during our child rearing days while maybe you were fancy free, so just different timings to you.

 

[drron]

Joh you really didn’t read my post. I said there were J awards for 2 available most days in January. The flights that didn’t have J awards usually had Y awards so you didn’t have to fork out for J. I also saw lots of Y awards on lifemiles using TG. There they tell you how many seats are available and it was usually 4.

 

[JohnK]

Well yes but sacrifices were made during our child rearing days while maybe you were fancy free, so just different timings to you.

I don't know what you mean.

That I don't have an endless supply of points? I don't care about buying points in different programs to travel in business. I am happy travelling economy.

What cheeses me off is that it can be cheaper to fly to USA or Europe than it is to fly to Thailand. I haven't looked at the detailed numbers but I have read on AFF that schedules are almost back to what they were pre-Covid but airfares still 50% (or more) higher. More people travelling now than pre-Covid? The tourist numbers in Thailand do not indicate healthy tourism market. Far from it. This is about the quietest I have ever seen Thailand.

So why are airfares so high? Because they can?

 

[Quickstatus]

Not easy to book that early with no flexibility to change/cancel.

I think that's where your problem
Cheaper when you have flexibility to book in advance and flexibility to move yourself around already booked tickets. Awards don't suit bookings closer to travel.

It is what it is.

 

[SuePa]

I don't know what you mean.

That I don't have an endless supply of points? I don't care about buying points in different programs to travel in business. I am happy travelling economy.

What cheeses me off is that it can be cheaper to fly to USA or Europe than it is to fly to Thailand. I haven't looked at the detailed numbers but I have read on AFF that schedules are almost back to what they were pre-Covid but airfares still 50% (or more) higher. More people travelling now than pre-Covid? The tourist numbers in Thailand do not indicate healthy tourism market. Far from it. This is about the quietest I have ever seen Thailand.

So why are airfares so high? Because they can?

Ask any teacher - everything goes up in school holidays!

 

[dajop]

People who leave doors open unnecessarily.

Opposite our apartment is the combined "bomb shelter" (a Singapore thing) /emergency stairs, which has two doors - one opens inwards and one opens out into the corridor and when open blocks the corridor. The residents at the other end of the corridor seem to always leave it open, too lazy to take the 0.5 secs it takes to close it, so we walk out of our apartment straight into the open door.

They're probably cheesed off at us though (we're the newbies) for closing it - meaning they have to go to the effort of opening it when they want to use the stairs.

 

[Hvr]

Trespassers on train tracks. Everything stopped at Flinders Street for about 20 mins in peak hour.

 

[SYD]

Roads that were Toll free get a new tolls….

I drove to CBR (for the first time since pre-Civid) for a conference this week and I was surprised that my Linkt app was pinging like a jackpot pokie while it topped up my eTag multiple times!

Now just to prefix this, I hardly drive much since even before COVID and so this specific example isn’t new but previously you could get from Sydney City/Eastern suburbs past the airport before hitting the M5 toll beyond King Georges Rd before you got slugged a toll. But with the M8 and now West Connex open, I was pinged $8.47 (as “West Connex”) for the privilege of driving on roads that had been toll free for decades! I pity the regular commuters but it’s offset by my substantial share holding in Transurban…

As an aside, it still took 3 hrs door to door both ways, so not quite sure what actual benefit I got for that new toll? I don’t think it’s even practical / possible for me to get on the M8 from home….

 

[Cossie]

Roads that were Toll free get a new tolls….

I drove to CBR (for the first time since pre-Civid) for a conference this week and I was surprised that my Linkt app was pinging like a jackpot pokie while it topped up my eTag multiple times!

Now just to prefix this, I hardly drive much since even before COVID and so this specific example isn’t new but previously you could get from Sydney City/Eastern suburbs past the airport before hitting the M5 toll beyond King Georges Rd before you got slugged a toll. But with the M8 and now West Connex open, I was pinged $8.47 (as “West Connex”) for the privilege of driving on roads that had been toll free for decades! I pity the regular commuters but it’s offset by my substantial share holding in Transurban…

As an aside, it still took 3 hrs door to door both ways, so not quite sure what actual benefit I got for that new toll? I don’t think it’s even practical / possible for me to get on the M8 from home….

I took the boss up to Sydney from Canberra to stay with my sister in Paddington, drove back the same day. The total toll was over $35.
Another reason why I don’t like Sydney.

 

[prozac]

I took the boss up to Sydney from Canberra to stay with my sister in Paddington, drove back the same day. The total toll was over $35.
Another reason why I don’t like Sydney.

2 tolls about $19.80 for me just to get out of Sydney and head down the Hume Hwy

 

[Flashback]

As someone who grew up in a town without Tolls and lives in a country that (more or less) doesn't have tolls - I always find it really difficult in my head when I do come across them and have to pay them. Often I'll take the non-toll route as it can be more scenic and little time difference. Only once was there a considerable difference in terms of time/cost/difference/fuel burn so I gave in and paid that one to cross the bridge...

 

[RooFlyer]

Often I'll take the non-toll route as it can be more scenic and little time difference.

Tolls in non English speaking countries terrify me, where there isn't electronic tolling. I avoid toll roads for that reason alone!

Only once was there a considerable difference in terms of time/cost/difference/fuel burn so I gave in and paid that one to cross the bridge...

Portugal. You have the scenic goat tracks that will put you in the drivers seat all day. Or the freeway which gets you there in an hour.

 

[SYD]

I took the boss up to Sydney from Canberra to stay with my sister in Paddington, drove back the same day. The total toll was over $35.

Ah, you probably took the Eastern distributor too far! It was just over $28 return for me from slightly further east from Paddington.

Another reason why I don’t like Sydney.

To quote Paul Keating, “If you’re not in Sydney. You’re slumming it”!

Besides, Melbournians are complaining about one cold morning. Try that *every* morning for 2 or 3 mths in Canberra. I did it for one year and never again.

 

[JohnK]

Ask any teacher - everything goes up in school holidays!

Of course they do.

My point is 5 years ago an expensive airfare at Christmas was $1500 max and that was literally last minute. I know because I used to book often and I used to also be able to book classic award for wife and <2 year old.

Now 8 months out that same airfare is $2000+ and 6 months out airfares are almost sold out.

Obviously this is the new normal and as @Quickstatus mentions it is what it is. It also looks like Trip.com provides some flexibility and reduced cancellation costs for a small fee so need to research that as soon as we return from our trip end Jan 2025.

 

[kookaburra75]

Besides, Melbournians are complaining about one cold morning. Try that *every* morning for 2 or 3 mths in Canberra. I did it for one year and never again.

But we can breathe in the clean mountain air every day. We don't have that brown dome of smog holding in the heat like Sydney.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Trespassers on train tracks. Everything stopped at Flinders Street for about 20 mins in peak hour.

Think it was worse than a trespasser @Hvr sadly

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/thank-goodness-shes-ok-attacker-randomly-pushes-woman-onto-train-tracks/news-story/28356053fac581c6c098e21e0d96151f?utm_source=News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Editorial&utm_content=NEWS_LATESTNEWS_GAN-STYLE_01&net_sub_id=283264448&type=curated&position=7

 

[prozac]

Of course they do.

My point is 5 years ago an expensive airfare at Christmas was $1500 max and that was literally last minute. I know because I used to book often and I used to also be able to book classic award for wife and <2 year old.

Now 8 months out that same airfare is $2000+ and 6 months out airfares are almost sold out.

Obviously this is the new normal and as @Quickstatus mentions it is what it is. It also looks like Trip.com provides some flexibility and reduced cancellation costs for a small fee so need to research that as soon as we return from our trip end Jan 2025.

Catch a $405 Scoot flight SYD-ATH then backtrack.

 

[Cossie]

Ah, you probably took the Eastern distributor too far! It was just over $28 return for me from slightly further east from Paddington.

To quote Paul Keating, “If you’re not in Sydney. You’re slumming it”!

Besides, Melbournians are complaining about one cold morning. Try that *every* morning for 2 or 3 mths in Canberra. I did it for one year and never again.

It was July last year! Where has the time gone.... Plus the ratbags charged me a search fee, what a con that is.....

 

[JohnK]

Had a lot of AUD to exchange to THB this trip as it was last minute and didn't want to stuff around with Wise. While I was exchanging the exchange rate was up and down. I don't like exchanging huge amounts at once so that it is not obvious and I also use different exchanges.

After I'd exchanged all my money the exchange rate went up. And now I have too much THB and have an urgent bill to pay on the weekend back in Australia so will exchange THB back to AUD. I know there's a loss there but it's unavoidable.

Why is exchange rate continuing to go up? Drives me nuts. Reminds me of when we were saving and sending money over to build house and exchange rate was THB17-18.

One day it will all be clear.