Melbourne airport

Missingthegore · 2023-04-28T23:53:17+00:00

I am sat in Brunetti's enjoying a cup of tea and a pastry before I fly to San Francisco. So very civilised after the chaos of self check in and bag drop. This is my first flight since 2019 and I am so excited to be travelling again.

SueblueNZ · 29/04/2023 05:35

I hear you. We are soon to have a Melbourne/Gold Coast jaunt - first time out of the country since 2019. I 💕 Melbourne - can't wait.

DifficultBloodyWoman · 29/04/2023 05:36

Woohoo! Where is the end destination? Is it San Francisco?

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 29/04/2023 06:39

My first post-Covid flight was from Perth to Melbourne last November! It was massively exciting to be on a plane again.

Catsmere · 29/04/2023 08:32

Have a great trip OP! My last time at Tulla was returning to Victoria after living in Queensland for a couple of years. Not quite the same as overseas trips coming or going!

CallItLoneliness · 29/04/2023 08:38

Gah, MEL is one of my LEAST favourite airports. Departures is ok but arrivals is consistently a shit show.

Original poster

Missingthegore · 29/04/2023 17:25

My first time flying United, hosties older and less glam than emeriates or Etihad but so cheerful and attentive.
I am onward to NYC so had to do customs and then through security again. Very cluttered chaotic screening.
Onwards to Ireland in a week.

I

OP posts:

DifficultBloodyWoman · 30/04/2023 04:13

I remember a nightmare transfer at San Francisco for an onward flight to New York or Miami. It was such a rush and the screening was soooooo slow. I was sure I was going to miss my flight. I didn’t but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

I’ve found flights to Houston or Dallas better. I think that it is a bigger hub than SFO and things are more streamlined.

But that was all a long time ago. I now dread international flights and the inconvenience and small quarters. But I miss travel too!

I really need to make enough money for a private airplane! 🤣

TerrorAustralis · 01/05/2023 13:27

CallItLoneliness · 29/04/2023 08:38

Gah, MEL is one of my LEAST favourite airports. Departures is ok but arrivals is consistently a shit show.

Absolutely. It’s like they’re trying to ruin the end of your journey

sausage767 · 02/05/2023 01:55

Missingthegore · 29/04/2023 17:25

My first time flying United, hosties older and less glam than emeriates or Etihad but so cheerful and attentive.
I am onward to NYC so had to do customs and then through security again. Very cluttered chaotic screening.
Onwards to Ireland in a week.

I

You know, that was always our impression of United Flight Attendants, very friendly and always up for a chat if they time, you were stretching near the galley.

Have a great trip!

Codlingmoths · 02/05/2023 03:24

DifficultBloodyWoman · 30/04/2023 04:13

I remember a nightmare transfer at San Francisco for an onward flight to New York or Miami. It was such a rush and the screening was soooooo slow. I was sure I was going to miss my flight. I didn’t but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

I’ve found flights to Houston or Dallas better. I think that it is a bigger hub than SFO and things are more streamlined.

But that was all a long time ago. I now dread international flights and the inconvenience and small quarters. But I miss travel too!

I really need to make enough money for a private airplane! 🤣

I thought people try to go through san Fran to avoid lax? I certainly do after a nightmare years ago where I was booked on a flight going one way and my bags another…

i would love to be going to melb airport, I love flying!!

DifficultBloodyWoman · 02/05/2023 03:32

SFO was better than LAX. LAX is huge! It takes forever to get from one terminal to another. Makes Heathrow look very good in comparison. Definitely prefer the Texas airports but I can’t remember if it was Houston or Dallas.

Catsmere · 02/05/2023 04:17

Only good thing I remember about LAX was the Encounters (?) restaurant - I loved its sci-fi theme and Duane-the-waiter was hilarious as well as efficient. That was a long time ago …

CallItLoneliness · 03/05/2023 02:55

TerrorAustralis · 01/05/2023 13:27

Absolutely. It’s like they’re trying to ruin the end of your journey

Show quote history

Once waited 2 and a half hours for our bags because the flight was early and they couldn't get throwers. There was nowhere to sit. There was nowhere to get anything to eat or drink. You aren't allowed to have anything off the plane. I asked where to make a complaint and was told there was nowhere. This type of situation is actively dangerous for people with small FF babies, diabetics, anyone with kidney problems....and they are just fine with it. I know they need "clean room" wrt food for AQIS, but if that is the case they need to guarantee a maxiumum processing time for all pax, or figure something out.

I complained on Twitter, and they cried pandemic staffing issues, which is utter bullshit, because I have only ONCE in 16 years of flying in and out of MEL stood next to a carousel for less than an hour. They also said that they would take seating and water under advisement....I was able to find 5-6 previous complaints about the same.

Sorry, rant mode off. This shit really pisses me off.

TerrorAustralis · 03/05/2023 05:23

@CallItLoneliness I hear you!

Back in the far reaches of time, pre-DC we flew back from Bali on an overnight flight during the last weekend of school holidays. There were, as ever, only 4 staff at passport control. This was before the auto gates were a thing, and even if they were, kids under 10 can't use them.

It was entirely predictable that on the last weekend of school holidays, this flight, and all the others landing at the same time would be full. Of course, there was no extra staff, why would you put on extra staff when the airport is extra busy?!

I felt so sorry for the exhausted children (and the parents carrying them!) who had to wait in line for about 2 hours as they shuffled forward in the queue to be processed. It was absolutely avoidable and enraging!