The next 2.5 days passed by quickly (from a work perspective) and ended up being a very worthwhile trip. Nothing much of note, other than
getting together with some FT'ers (
stevePERand
perthite) for a drink on the Tuesday night. The Globe Restaurant (in the Hilton) had my patronage on Monday night - it was interesting to see another 6 single guests dining in the restaurant that night (5 men, 1 women), with everybody reading various papers or books while we ate.
Wednesday, November 3 QF 776 PER/MEL
My flight was scheduled to leave at 5.20pm as I was overnighting in MEL (Airport Hilton), so I could make an early flight back to BNE and attend our company board meeting at 9am on Thursday. I hate catching the red-eye flight, as catching a decent sleep is impossible and I was ready to leave PER - I didn't want to wait around until 11pm.
My last appointment started at 3.30pm. I advised him that I had a flight to catch (he had no troubles with that), so I tried to plow through it. At 4.20pm, I was looking at my watch hoping it would finish soon. Wrapped it up by 4.30pm and I knew then it was going to be a close thing to get to the airport in time.
I threw everything into my FF bags and rushed downstairs for a cab. Luckily there was a taxi rank on the corner and I hopped in the only one there. Started to leave the City, then hit the traffic. Well, I started to wonder....will I make it before check-in closes.
Erring on the side of caution, I immediately hopped on my mobile and rang QF Premium Desk in Melbourne, wanting to know what my options were (at this stage, it was 4.45pm). I always buy a K class fare for my return legs (a flexible fare, but for a no-show the fare is forfeited), as they invariably are apt to change. Well, I got a wonderful CSA on the phone (I only wish I had written down her name), as the conversation went like this:
Me: I'm not sure I'm going to make the flight to MEL before check-in closes, what other options do I have out of PER tonight to BNE, SYD or MEL?
QF: Well, Mr QF WP, there are no further flights out this afternoon, only the red-eye flights tonight to BNE, MEL or SYD. Which would you like to be booked on?
Me: Well, my only option is really the BNE flight as I need to be back in BNE by 9am and this will cut out a transfer in either SYD or MEL.
QF: Well, that flight will get you into BNE at 5.20am and there are seats available only in H class.
Me: (Groan)
QF: Would you like me to hold a seat for you and re-calculate the fare ??
Me: (Begrudgingly) Yes....(as I was using these flights as a MR and this would reduce my earning)
Then, the traffic started to thin as we got closer to the airport, and I wondered exactly what time they would close boarding. Hmmm...
She went away to calculate the change in cost, while I willed the taxi driver to drive faster or fly...then I saw the turn-off and Airport Drive stretched out waaaaay too long ahead of me...but at least now there were no traffic lights.
As we pulled up and I readied my Cabcharge card, the QF CSA came back to me wondering whether I had made it to the airport.
Me: Yes, I have, is it possible that I keep you on the phone until I get inside to confirm whether check-in is still open...just in case I can get on the MEL flight"
QF: Sure, Mrs QF WP, I have both screen open and we can do whatever needs to be done...
So I pushed my phone into my pocket (it had keypad lock already on), gave the taxi driver a tip, signed the chit and got my receipt. With the taxi drivers help (he got my suitcase out of the boot), I sprinted across the entrance-way and into the check-in area. There was not a pax to be seen in either the Y or J queues.....Nooooooooo :cry:
Still not wanting to believe that I had missed the flight (having checked the monitor it still showed the flight open), I sprinted up to the J check-in area where the sole remaining (female) CSA was sitting chatting to her (male) Supervisor...
Me: Is the MEL flight still open??
Before she had time to reply, the two-way on her desk crackled into life with the fateful words "closing QF776 to MEL" echoing from somewhere.....
The Supervisor (bless his socks, I owe him a HP six-pack if I see him again) grabbed the walkie-talkie and advsed "No, we are checking in the last pax, can you wait for his bag please..."
The CSA saw my Plat card and DL and immediately started tapping away to check me in..."You must be Mr QF WP". Well, I saw the funny side but that was blindingly obvious...as the BP printed out sequence 111. I cried when I saw that I had lost my cherished forward aisle preferred seating and was in 16E (a middle seat, no less!!). But more importantly, I was on the flight.
As boarding had already commenced, I wasted no time to scramble across to Security and took out my keys, phone (oh hell, the QF Platinum Desk is still on the phone waiting for me!!)....well, I must have looked a sight calling out to my disappearing tray of goodies as it passed through the x-ray machine "I got on!! I'll talk to you in a second..."
I hurried around to pick up my scanned valuables, lugged my bags over my shoulder and re-commenced taking to her as if nothing had happened. She was wonderful about it...and was genuinely happy that I had made the flight. With that, it was almost hard to say goodbye to somebody who had been with me all the way, but was unable to really help my plight. How does "thanks" justify what she did so selflessly...??
Airline & Flight Number: QF776 PER/MEL
Rego: didn't get it
Seat: 16E (Y cabin) Sequence: 111
SDT: 5.20pm Pushback: 5.24pm, ADT: 5.32pm
Distance travelled: 1,685 miles
The flight was a blur, as I walked straight on and down the aisle to my seat, stowed one of my bags in the overhead bin and immediately put the other under my feet. As a left-hander, I knew that it would be my luck that the guy in 16D would be a right-hander..and he was!! Clash of the elbows at thirty five thousand feet for the next 3hrs 35mins.
I remember pushing my work under the tray when the meal came around...I gulped down the Dinner as quickly as I could and was lucky that one of the FA's took pity on me and cleared my tray when they came past on their tea/coffee run. I was working right up to final approach when the wheels clunked into place...and we landed on time at 11.55pm (local time).
I trundled down to pick up my bag and then up the escalators to the departures level. From there, I had to find the correct walkway to the lifts that serviced the Hilton.
The time was 12.15am by the time I made it to the Front Desk. Needless to say, the check-in was swift and I was given Room 654 (the end room on the floor with not much of a view). I had organised again through Hilton Diamond Club an exclusive "voucher" rate of AUD$170 for the night...given I had a 7.05am flight out the next morning, it was an still an expensive sleep per hour!! I caught the lift, along the long corridor and fell into my room. Sleep beckoned, but not before I set my alarm...