To put it another way, the bad was always more than offset by the good. But I wonder whether that’s still the case. The nature and quality of international travel has changed, and with it the balance between positive and negative. In the past, this balance invariably tilted toward the former. But as my wife and I exited the Wellington Airport terminal three days ago after returning from our first overseas trip since Covid-19 struck, I vowed to myself that I would need an extremely compelling reason before I could be tempted to travel abroad again.
What’s changed? Well, 9/11 for a start. The attack on the World Trade Centre triggered the introduction of increasingly intrusive and time-consuming security checks which mean you can spend as much time in airport terminals as you do in the air. Over time, those security measures have gradually become more oppressive and authoritarian. We grudgingly accept that they were instituted for our safety, but I often wonder whether the people who make and enforce aviation security rules are doing what officious types have always enjoyed – namely, exerting authority over fellow human beings simply because they can. Passengers are herded like livestock and made to feel as if all are viewed as potential terrorists. Some officials try to be courteous, but many make no attempt to ameliorate the inherent indignity of the process; on the contrary, their manner is brusque and hectoring. Object at your own risk; you’re at their mercy, and they know it.
This bossiness is clearly infectious, since it has spread to airline cabin crew. Almost from the moment you check in, but especially once you’re on the plane, you’re repeatedly assailed with announcements about what you can and cannot do. These are delivered without any redeeming note of graciousness or charm. I half expect to hear a shout of “Achtung!” followed by the clicking of heels.
The message is clear: they’re in charge, you’re their captive, and you’ll do as you’re told. Often the safety instructions are recited several times, as if directed at a classroom of slow learners.
I’m reminded of the great Roger Miller’s wickedly clever song Boeing Boeing 707:
Overcharge for excess baggage
Know your concourse, know your gate
Up this way sir, not that way sir
Airplane departs gate six-eight
Please sir may l see your ticket
Fasten seat belt, you can't smoke
Beverage, anything you'd care for?
Sorry but we're out of Coke
Destination de-plane slowly
Do this, do that, l comply
God bless Orville, god bless Wilbur
It's the only way to fly
Of course there are great cabin crew who do their best to treat passengers well and respectfully. In fact I’ve come to the conclusion over the years that the enjoyment factor in flying isn’t determined so much by the airline as by the quality of the crew. A good flight attendant can make the difference between a pleasant flight and one where you can’t get off the plane fast enough. You can strike a lousy crew on a supposedly good airline and vice-versa. But a consistent factor across virtually all airlines is that the worthy efforts of individual cabin crew members can be negated by the dehumanising authoritarianism of the total flying experience. The drivers of airport shuttle buses are often more genuinely affable than the people who are supposed to make your flight a pleasure.
To all this must now be added a more recent disincentive to travel: namely, Covid-19. This has delivered a double-whammy, placing huge strain on airlines and airport infrastructure as international travel ramps up again, but in addition giving bureaucratic busybodies all the excuse they need to place new obstacles in people’s paths.
On our recent trip to and from the US, my wife and I were relatively lucky. Despite reports of chaos at airports, all our flights left on time. Problems arose only when we arrived at LAX, where we queued for three hours to get through Customs and Border Protection. Despite having allowed what we thought was ample time to catch a connecting flight, we made it after a dash with only minutes to spare.
LAX is notorious for congestion, but we’d passed through it many times before and never experienced anything quite like this. Covid – or more specifically, staff shortages caused by the virus – seemed the only logical explanation. You just had to shrug and accept it, as our thousands of fellow queuers seemed to do. No one showed signs of anger or impatience.
The same issue, presumably, was responsible for a delay of well over an hour getting through transit at Sydney Airport on the way home, where a single security official was screening the cabin baggage of hundreds – possibly thousands – of passengers waiting to catch connecting flights. This time there were signs of restiveness, with one impatient man loudly demanding to know why only one X-ray machine was operating when it was demonstrably inadequate.
We had plenty of time, so the delay didn’t bother us greatly. However, not for the first time, I wondered why the hell we had to undergo security screening all over again having done it already before leaving LAX – surely one of the world’s most security-conscious airports. At no stage had we left a secure area. What lethal contents could possibly have found their way into our bags in the meantime? Or was this a case of overkill by over-zealous security functionaries eager to show us who was boss?
But that wasn’t the biggest cause of frustration on our homeward journey; far from it. Checking in at LAX, we were told we couldn’t enter New Zealand without first completing something called a Traveller’s Declaration. It was the first we’d heard of it, although we thought we’d carefully ticked all the required boxes prior to leaving New Zealand. At the very least, this is an abject communications failure on the part of a clueless government. I’ve since discovered the declaration was trialled as early as March, although our travel agent never mentioned it to us and nothing was said about it in the several text messages we received from Qantas supposedly advising us of all the formalities we had to complete before travelling.
The check-in clerk at the Qantas counter told us we could either complete the form online or fill in an old-fashioned hard copy. I chose the hard copy option for two reasons: (1) she gave us the impression it had to be completed there and then, as part of the checking-in process, so it seemed there was an element of urgency; and (2) I know from past experience that getting wi-fi access at LAX can be a hit-and-miss affair and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. But having hurriedly completed the forms while at the check-in counter on the understanding that this was a pre-requisite to re-entering NZ, we were surprised when they were immediately handed back to us with the instruction that they be submitted on arrival at Wellington. So much for the sense of urgency, then. But more on that shortly ….
The same check-in clerk tried to tell us that we couldn’t check our bags all the way through to Wellington as we had done in the past, but would instead have to uplift them at Sydney and check them in again for the last stage of the journey. This erroneous advice was repeated by a flight attendant on the plane. But since it defied common sense, we went straight to the transit counter on arrival at Sydney and were duly assured that our bags would indeed be carried on to our ultimate destination. Had we followed the advice from Qantas, we’d still be floundering around at Kingsford Smith.
And so to Wellington – at which point we learned that because we hadn’t completed our Traveller's Declaration online and therefore didn’t have a QR code to scan, we couldn’t enter via the E-gate but instead had to queue with a long line of foreign passport holders waiting to be processed manually. The Qantas clerk at LAX had failed to mention this pertinent fact, with the result that it took us an hour to clear Immigration while we watched fellow passengers breeze through in a matter of seconds. This is not something you relish after travelling for 35 hours. The same fate befell another New Zealand passport holder standing in front of us, who knew nothing about the Traveller's Declaration until he landed.
All of this was exasperating enough, but here’s the final affront: there was no information in the Traveller's Declaration that wasn’t also included in the standard arrival form we filled out on the plane as we approached Wellington. They were virtual duplicates of each other. The declaration was, in other words, totally superfluous; just another pointless hoop to jump through, devised by bureaucrats with not enough to do on behalf of an incompetent government intent on creating solutions to problems that don’t exist. Or to put it another way, just another example of the style of managerialism technically known as compulsive control freakery. The immigration official at Wellington Airport barely gave our completed forms a glance before adding them to an untidy pile behind her which, for all I know, could have been binned at the end of the day without any further scrutiny.
Incidentally, I’m not alone in concluding the Traveller's Declaration serves no purpose other than to provoke resentment from New Zealanders trying to get into their own country. Stuff travel writer Brook Sabin recently wrote about the frustration of having to complete the form and pronounced it a bureaucratic nonsense. All it achieved in our case was to delay us just long enough to ensure that we missed our train to Masterton.
Oh, and did I mention that after all this infernal rigmarole, we had to submit our bags for yet another X-ray screening – the third – before leaving Wellington Airport? Another queue, another delay. What the hell is the purpose of that, other than to satisfy some public-sector jobsworth looking to justify his or her existence?
The upshot of all this is that I’ve decided international travel post-9/11, and now post-Covid, has become altogether too difficult, too unpleasant and too stressful – in short, an ordeal I would rather avoid, and verging on masochistic. I haven’t even mentioned the tedium and discomfort of long-haul flight, which is only marginally relieved by paying extra for premium economy seats (almost a necessity when you’re 190cm tall and the flight takes more than 14 hours). Getting Covid on this latest trip didn’t help either, although fortunately the symptoms were relatively mild.
I think back to a two-week trip around the South Island with my wife several months ago when we were able to decide where we went and when, all in comfort and without delay or obstruction, rather than being at the mercy of pettifogging rules, officious and/or incompetent airline and aviation security functionaries and the totally unpredictable vagaries of immigration procedures. At no time was our South Island holiday anything less than relaxing and enjoyable, in marked contrast to our more recent overseas excursion. The old promotional slogan for domestic tourism, “Don’t leave town till you’ve seen the country”, has suddenly acquired new and unexpected relevance. (Besides, by staying in New Zealand you can feel virtuous about climate change.)
Okay, so this is just one person’s jaundiced reaction to a particular set of circumstances. But it wouldn’t surprise me if other travellers, having endured similar experiences as international air travel struggles to emerge from its enforced period of hibernation, will also now reassess the benefits of international travel against the multiple downsides and decide the equation has irrevocably changed - for the worse.
17 comments:
Welcome back Karl and thanks for the heads-up. I hope one day to make a final trip back to Greece, to visit again the palaces of Mycenae and Pylos and to set foot on Ithaca. It has been more than a decade since I undertook long-haul travel, which I used to do regularly as part of my job. I gave it away for all the reasons you mention but COVID has added another disincentive. I generally found Singapore however an excellent transit point and Singapore Airlines the best of the bunch. LAX was always a nightmare, and Australian officials are among the rudest in the world, closely followed by their New Zealand counterparts. Happy homecoming indeed.
Welcome back.
Like you, we are loathe to travel at the moment mainly due to the overly anxious covid system in place here in New Zealand.
We introduced a few rules some years ago.
Never fly Qantas or Air NZ unless there was no possibility of an alternative. We have found the Asian airlines still understand what unobtrusive courtesy is. Only fly buisness and treat the additional cost as just part of the holiday and the holiday starts when you enter the lounge preflight plus, many airlines and airports have express lines so you avoid the queues.
However, until there is a return to some level of sanity we will avoid the gouging thieves called "transtasman airlines".
The only problem with your “Don’t leave town till you’ve seen the country” approach is that, with the Government’s Net Zero and any-excuse-for-a-lockdown policies, you won’t be able to drive around New Zealand as you have in the past. My response is to increasingly base myself offshore, most likely in Eastern Europe, where people still understand the value of freedom and the dangers of authoritarian governments.
A group of us has booked a trip to Asia transiting Singapore for early next year. We're flying Singapore Air.
I was keen on premium economy, because it used to be about twice economy. Travel agent came back with a price four times economy. Four times.
@Gazotakis suggestion of business class would have been eight times more. Must be nice to have that for a three week trip.
I hope to God the world has lightened up by then
Welcome back Karl, missed you. I'm reading this while on the road in Denmark. Yes cattle class is mushed and yes it would be nice to fly business but that's stuff I can put up with twice a year, my budget is more limited than some.
Is it worth it? ATM most of Europe is covid hysteria free, with the exception of Germany you can get from one place to another with no more documentation than your passport and a smile. Remember that, smiles in public? We're loving trooping around a post-covid world though it will be interesting to see what fall brings.
Singapore, one of my favorite airports, we had an unscheduled delay there when the Lufthansa flight was delayed and had to go through the arrivals process to go into the city. They have a new on-line website to register your arrival, no paper backup. Spent a good half hour working with the patient ground staff to install a QR reader, enter the info and look for the response in the spam email. That was a PITA so have a read-up on that one if you're going to be stopping there, otherwise as I said, nice airport, lot's of helpful people.
Better at home? Be interesting to see if once the covid and jetlag have warn off if you still feel that way. Our trip to the South Island last summer was going to cost twice what it normally would due to test requirements before being scuppered by lack of ferry availability. Granted we hadn't planned weeks in advance but there is a risk that poor service and new restrictions are becoming the new normal and like the passengers at LAX we become blind to them.
Anyway, I watch the falling case numbers in NZ and hope that the government moves into election mode, removes the traffic light system (remember NZ is still at the 2nd highest level) and we can carry on debating freedom of speech and representation with out being in panic mode.
I read this during a long wait for a flight to LA from London after the Commonwealth Games. A great nine days of sport.
I'm not looking forward to the LA airport in 14 hours.
Ken
Welcome Back Karl. I can understand your frustration. Over a 2 year period my wife and I had a cruise from Tokyo to Vancouver via Alaska cancelled, a trip to Fiji and two attempts at a week in Raro all canned because of Covid.
However instead we went local and got some good deals and enjoyed things like a weeks cruising in Fiordland which has a surprising number of options available and is a must do for kiwis. Trips to Haast and Glenorchy and of course renting a bach in northland and Coromandel over a couple of Christmases.
We are off to Mt Cook for a week in early September hoping for plenty of snow but fine spring weather to do some walks or just enjoy the views over a red wine at the Hermitage.
Hopefully overseas is an option in another year or two but there is certainly plenty to do here.
I am not currently interested in overseas air travel, but may I recommend that intending travellers look at the YouTube channel of Sam Chui.
Based in Dubai, he flies with just about every airline to just about every country in the world, and his comments and reviews about the suitability and quality of those he patronises may prove helpful.
I travel frequently for a living and also for leisure. I have worked for two international airlines in my time (SQ and EK), having lived overseas for over twenty years.
My number one rule is never ever transit Australia. The pointless transit security screening you encountered is made worse by the fact that the Australian security outfit employs racist thugs who also alone out of every single other airport in Asia-Pacific insist on removing the contents of one's toilet kit bag for separate screening (why? does the x-ray machine not already see the kit bag the first time through?).
I will happily pay more to avoid Australia.
Yes, welcome home Karl. Just reading/writing this from Oz. I agree, unless you have to, or are meeting family, I'd suggest avoiding international travel. It's hard, unpleasant work, unless money is not an issue and you can spring for the upgrades. If was, however, interesting (and somewhat gratifying) to see one of our former prime ministers having to queue up (in NZ) for security etc, just like the rest of us peasants.
Glad you are home and writing again Karl.
I decided to NEVER visit the US again in 2009 after the BS immigration and Sanfrancisco.
You will be glad to know that Asia is over the BS.
In to Phnom Penh, Cambodia NO bs. about 12 minutes to get to baggage carousel(I had an online evisa), then another 10 minutes out to the street
Today in to Bangkok, Thailand.
Even faster. Visa on arrival is an absolute breeze. Almost 3 minutes being processed by immigration lady, no charge then baggage carousel and street side 9 minutes later
US, NZ, Aust seem to be inhabited by rules lovers.
I remember a quote from head of Security at Ben Gurion, ISrale say after viewing the US system.
Seem the US airport security staff are Walmart dropouts!!
Even with all the modern technology NZ immigration still insists you put your seat number on the entry form!!! Started back in the Days of SARS1 2001-2004 as a security measure!!
When I wrote in 2008? to the then Immigration Minister suggesting life had moved on and no longer needed (they get all that information from the airline) was told that it was still useful!!!!
Must have been a Walmart checkout dropout hire in the Ministers Office.
PS. Thailand and Vietnam, no effing arrival cards
'They control you because they can' sums up the covid experience of the last 30 months. It's been interesting, as an exercise in comparsion, watching the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham: not a mask in sight and no-one worrying about physical distancing. Compare that with Jacindaland.
But some of what you describe, especially about transit through Sydney (and presumably Brisbane) airport was in place before the craziness.
One thing that I've learned over the years is that Bureaucrats as a species are pretty much the same world-wide. Give them powers and increase their numbers like this government has, and what you describe is what happens.
Yay, you're home. INterested in all this cos we ake off for Italy soon, via Singapore stopovers. Do you think you caught covid on the journey??
'Pettifogging'...when I worked for ACC one of the self-important plastic surgeons delighted in firing off us 'pettifogging bureaucrats' letters of complain & general whingeing...not commonly used, that word.
Ugh, it's the getting there thats a major drag but haven't seen the youngest daughter in 2 years...& celebrating the O.A.Pensioner bday...giving it a whirl...
Impossible to know where or when I picked up Covid, Hilary - could have been any number of places. I think people have to resign themselves to the inevitability that everyone will get it sooner or later.
I hope you enjoy Italy and that your pleasure in anticipating the journey (which should be part of the fun) isn't diminished by my curmudgeonliness.
Oh you're right karl...been wishing to get it before we leave but running out of time. I haven't even bothered to have the 3rd jab as can't see what difference it would make this far down the track. Thanks for the good wishes, and my own nervous disposish will ensure I have ruined nights beforehand, ha! So long as our family reunion isn't ruined too...
"I have a theory that 'holidays' evolved from the medieval pilgrimage, and are essentially a kind of penance for being so happy and comfortable in one’s daily life."
Philip Larkin
Your description is all too familiar Karl. I have had a pleasant break from it all for the last couple of years but I am back travelling again now. Zoom is a poor substitute for doing business. This practice of putting transit passengers through security checks is pure madness. When it was introduced they were even confiscating people's duty free purchases. Leaving Auckland they confiscated the manuka honey i had purchased in wellington on the way up. I declined to purchase the identical product once i had got through security. At least in Auckland I didn't have to remove belt and shoes - the practice at many Airports. On the last trip i travelled premium economy thinking it worth paying extra for a little extra space, but at 8 abreast (the spacing Boeing intended) rather than 9, the extra space is hardly noticeable but so many people have the same idea that the airline is able to charge a huge premium for the privilege. Don't you like the notices saying 'jokes will be treated very seriously' After all how is the security agent to know whether your comment 'no the bomb is in the other bag' is a joke - you might be a real terrorist.
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