Rhonda Bracey: At Random

When I arrived in Sydney at 7:00pm, I discovered that my 8:30pm flight was delayed until 10:00pm (or later). Damn! After comfirming the new flight time and asking about internet access, the VirginBlue counter staff person told me I could get into the Lounge for $30 for a single visit. And that there was food, wine, free internet, showers, etc. Well, I needed no more convincing! What price a decent shower??? And I figured that if I bought dinner and a wine or two in the terminal, plus paid for internet access, I’d be close to spending $30 anyway. So that’s what I did. Bought a single access pass to the Velocity Lounge. Very similar to the Qantas Club lounges, though smaller and lots less people.

First stop – a shower! Then food (nibbles) and wine (3 glasses of Devil’s Lair Fifth leg Shiraz) + nougat and paneforte… Easily $30 worth!! Oh, and free wireless internet access, though it was a bit flakey. Actually, it was really flakey. It worked once for about 2 minutes, then died, and I couldn’t reconnect except via dial-up.

So here I am in Sydney Airport waiting for a late night flight to Brisbane… I doubt I’ll get to the hotel before midnight, and I have my first meeting tomorrow morning at 8:00am.

I had a bite to eat at the Dome coffee shop inside the VirginBlue terminal (Yes, TFP, I had Dome’s Caesar Salad – and it was GOOD, though the bowl was quite small. Lots of hot chicken, bacon, and shaved parmesan. Yummy!). Then I hung around until the flight.

Uneventful flight to Sydney; listened to more podcasts on the drive up and on the flight. Nothing to get excited about – just techie/geekie stuff! And read half of a book, and listened to a couple of albums while I read, plus did some work. Everything on VirginBlue costs – $10 for Foxtel programming, and you pay for food and drinks. I’d eaten at Dome and had paid an exhorbitant $3.60 for a Diet Coke at the cafe in the departure area before boarding the plane, so I didn’t buy anything on board.

I’d checked the info on the internet about long term parking at Perth Airport, and it clearly said no bookings were required. When I got there, the first sign for Long Term parking indicated that only 24 bays were available. So I dutifully followed the signs, only to go by three Long term parking lots all of which had the FULL signs out! So it was back to the Overflow parking lot way in the back of beyond to find parking. The good thing: It was only $25 for unlimited parking, compared to the $55 I was expecting for the time I needed to be there. And it was secure – well, there was a fence around the lot… A shuttle took me and another guy to the airport at no cost (that would’ve been rich!) but via a very circuitous route – first the driver stopped at his car to get his water bottle, then at one of the full parking lots he stopped to undo the chain and padlock to let a guy out, then finally we got to the terminals. Lucky the other guy and I weren’t in a hurry… Such a hick town approach, compared to airport shuttles in the US.

The parking situation at Perth Domestic Airport is atrocious and getting worse by the day. With so many fly in/fly out workers, there’s just no space for Long Term parkers. While many catch a cab to the airport or get a lift from their partners, not all of us can do that (especially when we live some 3.5 hours drive from the Airport!). I don’t know why Perth Airport has this ‘thing’ about wide-open spaces – it can be the only reason they’ve never put in a multi-storey carpark, which is sorely needed.