3 September 2011
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane airport is like the other crap setups around Australia, in that the domestic terminal is a drive away from the international terminal. Only Melbourne and Adelaide can get this right by building them next to each other, everywhere else is a conspiracy to sell taxi fares and bus and train tickets for people transiting.
The international terminal itself is surprisingly impressive. Its cavernous, modern and has lots of shops and services, probably more than twice as many as I expected.
There were basically no flights leaving for hours, so going through customs etc. took people by surprise, there was only 1 person at each of the differents steps you have to go through and they were all half asleep.
The above mentioned transit bus. Its free if you have an onwards Qantas flight, for everyone else, $5. The driver decided to try and charge me the $5 anyway. This almost resulted in a bus hijacking, but my piercing glare convinced him just how wrong he was, he apologised twice.
Inside the Brisbane international terminal, 'landside' as we say in the industry.
Inside the business class lounge. It wasnt actually open when I arrived but the nice lounge dragon said I could go in anyway. She also told me at 8pm I can go in the other lounge, I had no idea they had a first lounge here at all.
When I said the same to her, she informed its tiny and no one stays in there for long.
Long wait was long.
I decided to go for a walk, the full length of the terminal, its huge, I estimated its a kilometre long, and all abandoned.
The central foyer had a few people in the restaurants etc. but once an emirates flight left there seemed to be no one at all at any gate.
After my walk I returned to the lounges and the first class lounge was open....what a dissapointment. Its an identical smaller version of the business lounge, same food, same decor, no restaurant. I guess the only difference is the wine and spirits are of a higher quality but that doesnt mean much to me.
After yet another walk I returned to the business lounge as it has more room to use a laptop.
An amusing thing happened, a guy pulled all these zip lock bags out of his pocket and filled them with the licorice all sorts, cookies, nuts etc. and put them in his bag. I guess he was determined to get as much value out of his lounge visit as possible.
Heres my plane, shot through a wet window, Airbus A330. I have spared you photos of leg room and plane food. I had a bulkhead row as always, flight was great, I think I even got some sleep.
I had the movie bridesmaids on the in flight entertainment, this was amazingly boring, the trailer suggested it was a non stop barrel of laughs, who knew it was actually a boring romantic non comedy with one scene where the girls soil themselves as the only 'humor'.
Before I got on my plane, one more plane photo, cause I know you love them. Leaving just before me is this EVA Air flight to Taipei. Its a Qantas codeshare. One day I might go on it.