Overcrowded New Zealand – record tourist arrivals mean crowded resorts.
Thought for the day “The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire.” (Richard Nixon)
“Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place.”
One of the problems at the moment is that New Zealand is getting too many tourists, resulting in overcrowding and an experience that is far from the idea that many people have of NZ. With over 3.6 million tourists a year now (versus a population of 4.7 million), the country just cannot comfortably cope with the large numbers of tourists. Queenstown for example, often called ‘The Adventure capital of the World’ has a population of around 16 000 locals but receives over 2.5 MILLION tourists a year (try finding a local person in Queenstown !) and the airport has plans for a 2nd terminal to handle up to 5 MILLION tourists a year (remember just 16 000 locals). Part of the problem is that airfares to NZ are incredibly cheap at the moment, less than half the price that they were a few years ago. Flights from Europe to NZ are being offered for around 500 euros return for the 18 000 km trip, with specials sometimes below 400 GBP return. So whilst NZ is breaking records every month for tourist arrivals, the country is suffering, with overcrowded national parks, fully booked accommodation and crowded tourist towns. Cheap airfares are not always a good thing.
One of my older photos here, but a historic one showing the now bankrupt Air Berlin. Seen here at full power climbing out of Innsbruck Airport in Austria on a winters Saturday. Now Air Berlin are history.
and another photo from the archives…deep thought on the face of this man…..
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Oslo (Norway) Gardermoen airport – Still a disgrace for Norway
Thought for the day…”The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.”
“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”
I have had the misfortune (and misfortune is the word) to travel through the enlarged Oslo airport. It is still a national disgrace for Norway. Despite earlier complaints, the airport managers in their infinite wisdom, have still ignored the needs of waiting passengers. All very well to build a big new terminal, but the queues to check in and at security seem just as bad as ever. Not only that, but those same airort managers have STILL not put in anywhere near enough seats for waiting passengers. Before, their excuse was that they did not have enough space for seats (although apparently they did have enough space for stupid scultpures). Now that the enlarged terminal is open (with more space), there are still not enough seats for waiting passengers.
And once you have negotiated the snake-like lines to go through the security controls, then you have another challenge to find enough seats whilst you wait for the flight. If you want to find something to do while you wait, good luck, because there seems to be almost nothing for passengers to do (apart fro slow, restricted internet). Good luck too if you want to charge your phone or computer…the search for a socket will keep you amused for some time before your flight.
So the recently enlarged Oslo airport is just as bad as before. The queues are still there, the lack of seats is still the same, and the lack of things to do whilst waiting for your flight is just the same. And the worst part…..we passengers are paying for the privilege of using these poor facilities. A disgrace for Norway.
Plenty of space for these 2 people on the beach near Surat Bay, on the Catlins Coast of New Zealand..
and another photo from the archives….black and white lines and modern architecture…
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Uncovered…what lies beneath.
Thought for the day…”Hope is but the dream of those who wake.”
“You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.”
Ever wondered what the inside of a jet engine looks like? Here is a CFM56 engine uncovered. More than 30 000 of these have been built, but it will set you back around USD 10 million for one. This one is an example from Air New Zealand, and was used in its 737 fleet. At one time, AirNZ was a quality, full service airline (it even had the advertising slogan ‘Pride of the Pacific’ but nowadays it has changed into a budget airline which charges extra for add-ons, and also service levels onboard have fallen. Sad to see a once great airline change so much.
But we customers are lucky to have a choice……I now avoid any flights on airlines that use 10 across seating on their 777s, and I am also checking the seating before making reservations…things like not booking on the newer Lufthansa A320NEO aircraft where they have put seats closer together (with even less legroom than Ryanair) and have removed one galley and toilet to squeeze in even more seats. There is a limit, and some airlines have passed that limit for what is acceptable. And if the airlines think that by making economy class uncomfortable that they will force me to upgrade to premium economy, then that is just not going to work….the answer is to choose another airline. Their loss.
and another photo…Honningsvag in north Norway, high above the Artic Circle.
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RESPECT, CONSIDERATION & FAIRNESS
Pride of the Pacific – No Way
Thought for the day….”If you wish to reach the highest, begin with the lowest”
“If you want something that you have never had, then you have got to do something that you have never done”.
Air New Zealand used to have a slogan “Pride of the Pacific’, and at one time, were a very good airline to fly with. I had many happy flights on the stopping service from New Zealand via the Pacific Islands to/from the USA on NZ 47 and NZ 48, a service which followed the route of the early flying boats. Great for island hopping, as the aircraft stopped so many times at places like Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii. And it connected nicely with NZ 1 to London as well. Service was good onboard, it was comfortable and also good value. Fast forward to the Air New Zealand of today, who are still trying to pretend that they are a quality airline. Now you find that you must pay for almost everything onboard…the basic fare gives you a seat only to which you must pay extra for checking in a bag, having a ‘meal’ onboard, choosing a seat (NZ10) and even watching a movie (another NZ10 extra). So the cash registers are ringing all the time…..basic plus $$ plus $$$ plus even more $$$. And if that was not bad enough, Air New Zealand have also gone for the high density 10 across seating in their 777s. So not only are you restricted for legroom, but now you are also finding less shoulder room. So what was once a quality airline has now turned into a budget airline. The last flight that I had on AirNZ, it took the staff OVER 1 hour 20 minutes to get me a cup of coffee, and then after that I had to ask for a refill as no refill of the small cup was offered. Pride of the Pacific it might have been, but Pride of the Pacific it is certainly not now. If AirNZ think that I am going to pay $10 extra to choose my seat and then another $10 to watch a movie on a small screen then they are very mistaken. Neither do I wish to sit in a 10 abreast seat configuration where I am pushed up against the shoulders of fellow passengers on both sides, especially on an international flight of many hours. The bottom line is that AirNZ have become a budget airline, with all the negatives that a budget airline comes with. I hope that next time that they run into financial difficulties, that the New Zealand government does not bail them out as it usually does. The quality has gone.
Two more photos from the Fuji X-E1 camera…….showing just how good the Fuji glass is….
and another photo from the archives…city centre in Ascuncion, Paraguay…
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jeritilley 