Skip to main content

Last Qantas to the Continent


Today marks the last flights of Qantas to continental Europe with the cessation of their QF5/6 flights to Frankfurt via Singapore. I've never done the flight to Frankfurt, only taking QF5 as far as Singapore, though I've flown to London with them, which is now their only European destination and via Dubai. Much as I would like to see Dubai, I'm a little sad that it's no longer possible to fly to Europe via Asia all on Qantas as I have very much enjoyed my Asian stopovers. And I love their 747s, my favourite aircraft and one that holds so many happy memories for me. Now it's just A380s all the way there, though the 747 remains on other routes. But with so many airlines retiring their 747s it's going to be difficult to experience them all the way to Europe again.

I was so, so tempted over the past week to burn up my remaining Qantas Frequent Flyer points to book seats between Singapore and Frankfurt on these last flights. With what remained available I would have flown up to Singapore via Adelaide on Saturday and overnighted there. Very late the next evening I would fly to Frankfurt on QF5, arriving about 6am. I suppose I would be absolutely exhausted and in no state for much sightseeing, but there is something special about collapsing into bed after a long flight.

That night it would be straight back on the plane to Singapore on the very last QF6, followed by another flight back to Sydney to arrive at 6am on the Wednesday.

Exhausting, pointless, but memorable. Unfortunately, common sense prevailed and I decided to keep my points for something else. And so there, over the horizon, goes that final chance.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

IKEA Museum

We have a packed itinerary today. Flat packed and assembled with an Allen key. There are patches of snow on the ground that weren't there the previous evening. We are a bit sad to leave the Duxiana after the comfy beds and the breakfast of cold cuts, fruits and hot waffles. I tried the Swedish caviar on my boiled egg. It was... Interesting. I was very disappointed to realise that, after talking it up for months, I had forgotten the Disgusting Foods Museum in Malmö yesterday. Too late now. We catch another Oresundstag train, for a bit over an hour. Past yesterday's Lund, past increasingly white fields and towns to Älmhult, home of IKEA. The conductor warns us that the train will split in two so we have to move carriages forward. Unfortunately, there we no spare sets of chairs for all of us. The IKEA Museum showcases the history of the furniture company, along with temporary exhibitions. One of these was "Hacking IKEA," about using IKEA ob...

One night in Canberra

It's the April school holidays and we are too busy to have a break but need one because of that. And because it's the Easter weekend the options are limited, so we just drive down to Canberra for the night. No, this isn't our first trip for 2023. I wrote about Japan on another site .  I refuse to wake up early so we depart after 8.30 AM. There is not much to say about the drive except that the clouds seem so low and Lake George is very full. We stop at a rest area and at the lookout up the hill to take it all in. Everyone is hungry so we first stop in Dickson and then can't think of anything to eat, so I drive us to Civic, where we can't decide and end up eating at the Singaporean Killiney Kopitiam branch.  The Canberra Centre has nice shops. I dream of getting an iPad from the Apple Store, we buy a blanket and toothbrushes from Muji and wish that Lego wasn't so expensive. Nothing we can't get in Sydney, but then we rarely go out shopping in the city. It...

Springs, castles and the end of the line

I am never happy to stop before the end of the line. It irritates me to know that there is still somewhere unexplored lying ahead. So when I only got as far as Gujo Hachiman on the Nagaragawa Railway last year I knew I needed to return for more. Especially as this private third sector railway is, by its very nature, always at threat of closure due to low patronage. But did Gujo Hachiman deserve another visit? Sure it's a nice enough town, but had we missed out on enough last time to return? Mum's trip provided the excuse. I originally planned the Oito line, which wI'll be partly closed when the Shinkansen line is extended to Kanazawa. However, when I thought of special places in Japan that deserved to be shared Gujo Hachiman was at the top of the list. Before we could go anywhere Mum needed her coffee. There was a Tully's Coffee opposite the hotel entrance, so I parked her there while I booked our seat reservations. Mum got her fast train ride on a ...