If Qantas is going to use these seats on ultra-long hauls, count me out
I recently flew on a Qantas Dreamliner from Santiago to Sydney. The economy seat was comfortable, with a useful shelf for a tablet or a phone, plenty of storage and good space between the seats. From such a promising start, the flight was one of the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced. For the most part, the person in front of me had their seat fully reclined. This rendered the shelf unusable, the tray table only just usable and the storage inaccessible.
While I could have reclined my seat, I didn't want to inflict the same discomfort on the person behind me. I don't wish to enter into the ' recline or not recline ' debate, but If Qantas is going to use the same seats on their planned 22-hour non-stop flights from Sydney to London, I will be flying with someone else.
Michael Thomas, Cheltenham, NSW
Screen time
I'm with Lee Tulloch in facing a long-haul flight in economy (Traveller, May 13). I recently flew Qantas to and from Japan. I always an aisle seat as I get up every two hours to combat the possibility of deep-vein thrombosis. Also, if I get 30 minutes of sleep I consider myself lucky. I got through several seasons of TV shows I had missed.
Marie Nash, Balwyn, Vic
Letter of the week: Group love
The virtue of booking an escorted journey came home to me when on a land/cruise tour from Johannesburg with Cruise Express into Kruger National Park (Traveller, May 10). My wife and I arrived a few days earlier than the main group to explore Johannesburg. It coincided with massive floods in the Kruger region that resulted in many lodges being washed away, including the one where we were meant to stay. When tour director Hardy Schneider and the rest of the group arrived, his team in Sydney were already working on alternative arrangements which included a stay at one of Richard Branson's luxury lodges. I could not imagine what would have happened if we were travelling independently.
Roger Summerill, Shell Cove, NSW
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