What cheeses me off

[SYD]

WCMO - Hong Kong Airport - Transfers - serious PITA - how prehistoric! Give me Changi any day of the week

Sometimes the trick with HKG is to walk the opposite way to the sheep and signs. There are smaller secondary screening points that aren’t super obvious (yes, not why might you ask but those in the know are ok with that).

But I do prefer the secondary screening at the gate like SIN. Strangely, several peeps here don’t like it!

WCMO (2) - CX onboard exp - seated in J and somehow missed pre TO Champs like eleventeen times as staff just cruised past dispensing to others - finally went to galley and requested a Champs - as you can see they intend not to run out on journey tonight;

View attachment 438306

Were you holding an SQ teddy bear?

 

[Flyfrequently]

Envelope Pillowcase @VPS ?

 

[DC3]

The new trend that I’ve had at the last couple of places where pillow slips don’t have that little extra piece of fabric. I know I’m not explaining myself very well, but it just means the pillows slip out of the case. If anybody can describe that extra piece of fabric or what I’m trying to say so I can actually ask my landlord for decent slips

Some would call it a flap inside the top of the pillowcase so that you can tuck the pillow into it, which helps keep it from sliding off of the pillow at night.

 

[prozac]

I think its called a bag pillowcase when they dont have the extra fabric to hold the pillow inside. Dunno what normal ones get called...

Pillow cases in my experience.

 

[Pushka]

WCMO (2) - CX onboard exp - seated in J and somehow missed pre TO Champs like eleventeen times as staff just cruised past dispensing to others - finally went to galley and requested a Champs - as you can see they intend not to run out on journey tonight;

View attachment 438306

WCMO is crew walking straight past and if they don't look they can't see.

Post automatically merged: Apr 6, 2025

The new trend that I’ve had at the last couple of places where pillow slips don’t have that little extra piece of fabric. I know I’m not explaining myself very well, but it just means the pillows slip out of the case. If anybody can describe that extra piece of fabric or what I’m trying to say so I can actually ask my landlord for decent slipsView attachment 438307

A tuckerer innerer ? I've hit the cheap sparkling tonight. Can you tell?

 

[anat0l]

But I do prefer the secondary screening at the gate like SIN. Strangely, several peeps here don’t like it!

I sort of like it, with a bit of a gripe.

The main pro is that it makes entering the departures area fairly simple, since you only need to clear immigration to get in. Since the advent of eGates, it's an extremely easy process. For those who aren't able to access lounges, you can bring all sorts of food and drink (without liquid restrictions) into the passenger area (e.g. bring a full bottle of water with you and drink it all before you go to the gate). Although not an "advantage" as such, the organisation of screening at SIN T1/T2/T3 means that departure and arrival passengers can mix and use the services, which is cool.

Strangely, there doesn't seem to be any more mischief (either happening or as threats) in the passenger area compared to other airports around the world, where the latter are supposed to be "protected" by the screening process before the passenger area. I don't mind the mixing and love the ability for arriving passengers to use the services; I'm going to guess that anyone except Singaporeans and Malaysians think this is a ridiculous idea and is rife for abuse and security problems.

The cons?

• There aren't many screening machines at each gate (the T3 screening zones for clusters of gates are a bit more effective than the T1 gates which only have 2 or 3 machines per gate); when it backs up with passengers, that's something else. On the other hand, at least you know the only people passing through those machines must be on the flight at the gate, so there's no point asking to push in, because everyone is going to the exact same place.
• None of the screening points at gates have priority (I know that's insane to request when there are only 2-3 machines per gate).
• Once you're in the gate area, you aren't getting out. All fine unless the flight is delayed, or you need to use the bathroom.
• Due to the need to pass screening before boarding, you have to allow yourself about 45-60 minutes before the flight to get to the gate and line up for screening. A bit annoying for those of us enjoying their time in The Private Room or QF First Class lounge (yes, a first world problem indeed).

Interesting to see how SIN T4 has gone for centralised security before the passenger area. Ironically, it makes the T4 arrivals floor one of the few places in the Changi Airport which is incredibly boring.

KUL T1 has a similar assessment, except for some reason they insist on two screenings - one before the passenger area and one at the gate.

 

[SYD]

• None of the screening points at gates have priority (I know that's insane to request when there are only 2-3 machines per gate).

I’ve generally had Priority screening lines in SIN (well, at least flying J). But closer to boarding time, they take all comers.

• Once you're in the gate area, you aren't getting out. All fine unless the flight is delayed, or you need to use the bathroom.

Yes, don’t rush there.

• Due to the need to pass screening before boarding, you have to allow yourself about 45-60 minutes before the flight to get to the gate and line up for screening. A bit annoying for those of us enjoying their time in The Private Room or QF First Class lounge (yes, a first world problem indeed).

No, just arrive just before boarding time. Everyone in line is for the same flight so they’re not going to leave without you.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think the trick at Singapore is to get to the gate 20 mins before departure. No queue!

But I’m sure the last couple of times I went through SIN there was priority? Qantas had a sign for priority, and I thought our SQ flights did?

 

[anat0l]

No, just arrive just before boarding time. Everyone in line is for the same flight so they’re not going to leave without you.

Maybe so, but every time I see the FIDS display "Flight Closed" at 40 minutes before departure, I still panic, because I don't know if they are just automatic updates, or they do that to force everyone to get there nice and early, or they earnestly are about to close the flight/gate (maybe it was a lightly loaded flight).

This gets even more confusing when the flight is delayed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Maybe so, but every time I see the FIDS display "Flight Closed" at 40 minutes before departure, I still panic, because I don't know if they are just automatic updates, or they do that to force everyone to get there nice and early, or they earnestly are about to close the flight/gate (maybe it was a lightly loaded flight).

This gets even more confusing when the flight is delayed.

It goes by your boarding pass in terms of your journey being protected. Gate closes 15 mins prior to scheduled departure.

Agree, if the flight is delayed it is more confusing. In those - admittedly rare - cases I usually turn up a little earlier!

Gate sedurity does feel a bit inefficient given at the tail end you have security staff standing idly by.

 

[Quickstatus]

if they don't look they can't see.

#WCMOEM (even more) is that they know that I know that they are deliberately not looking and are just pretending.

 

[anat0l]

#WCMOEM (even more) is that they know that I know that they are deliberately not looking and are just pretending.

That's when you look up very high and ask, "OK, what did I just do to be excluded from the world for a while?", right? #joking

 

[Quickstatus]

OK, what did I just do to be excluded from the world for a while

Then they just exclude you period:

I'd rather Zen

 

[dajop]

It goes by your boarding pass in terms of your journey being protected. Gate closes 15 mins prior to scheduled departure.

Depends on the airline. For SQ flights the gate closes 10 mins before departure. Although for long haul flights they will often try to close it earlier than that so will actively look for those who haven't yet boarded. My aim is usually T-20 for SQ, rarely any queue for security then.

For other airlines it varies.

But for those who don't want to go through to the holding pen (for whatever reason) it's usually pretty obvious, if there's 200+ people waiting to board, you've still got at least 10 minutes once boarding starts. So as long as the plane isn't boarding you've got at least 10 minutes to head to the toilet, browse some shops or whatever else you might want to do.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Depends on the airline. For SQ flights the gate closes 10 mins before departure. Although for long haul flights they will often try to close it earlier than that so will actively look for those who haven't yet boarded. My aim is usually T-20 for SQ, rarely any queue for security then.

For other airlines it varies.

But for those who don't want to go through to the holding pen (for whatever reason) it's usually pretty obvious, if there's 200+ people waiting to board, you've still got at least 10 minutes once boarding starts. So as long as the plane isn't boarding you've got at least 10 minutes to head to the toilet, browse some shops or whatever else you might want to do.

I just copied from the SQ website which said 15 mins… but whatever is on the boarding pass will be enough to protect any passenger who missed their flight if for some rare reason they closed up and left way early!

We arrived 20 mins before our flight to CNS and the gate lounge was empty, boarding had finished. But they had one lane open for security. Straight on board and we left a couple minutes later!

 

[dajop]

We arrived 20 mins before our flight to CNS and the gate lounge was empty, boarding had finished. But they had one lane open for security. Straight on board and we left a couple minutes later!

In my (rather odd) mind that's exactly what I call priority boarding! Not standing in a holding pen or around a gate (without a holding pen) for 20 mins, just so I can be first on the plane. Being last on the plane and having the doors close behind you is true priority.

 

[drron]

WCMO now is QLD school holidays. drinks on the patio now has the stereo effect of pubescent males gunning their tinnies up and down the canal supplemented by the noise from above of the drones.

 

[Quickstatus]

now has the stereo effect of pubescent males gunning their tinnies up and down the canal supplemented by the noise from above of the drones.

Does that qualify for Surround Sound with Subwoofer enhancement.
Cant you just turn up the Volume and the Bass on your sound system?

 

[Flyfrequently]

We arrived 20 mins before our flight to CNS and the gate lounge was empty, boarding had finished. But they had one lane open for security. Straight on board and we left a couple minutes later!

Almost the walk of shame there @MEL_Traveller

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Almost the walk of shame there @MEL_Traveller

It’s ok… we only had to get to the first row