In Reply to: Jetstar - a Europan view. (Low cost air) posted by Norwegian in Bali on Monday, 5. February 2007 at 21:46 Bali Time:
Back in our navy days the wives were allowed to fly across Australia by RAAF herculese which is a cargo plane.
We flew these for free, even paid $4 for a ration pack which was a huge lunch box full of drinks and sandwiches and choccies etc for the whole flight.
Now let me tell you about the flight....
To fly from Sydney to Perth, had to get up to Richmond Raaf base....took off from there and eventually landed in Melbourne at the Raaf base there and then took off and eventually landed at Edinburgh Raaf base in South Australia.....then took off and finally landed in Perth at the Raaf base in Bullsbrook....then another 1 1/2 drive to parents place.
We flew with Bombs (cargo got priority) and one flight I flew with SAS blokes in combat uniform.(They are a strange mob)
I had 2 little kiddies with me and every time we stopped I had to take all our stuff off including ration packs and their car seats (coz we sat around the sides in webbed seats) and bags etc....(Thank god the soldiers and sailors usually helped me).
The plane is not pressurised.....and so you had to wear the big orange ear muffs.......there was only a portable loo which you had to climb up into and pull a curtain accross........yes i got flight crew to keep an eye on things for me lol.
Flight took 10 hours. We could also get offloaded at any time and have to wait up to 3 days for another flight to pick us up if spare room.
But it was free......so i used to do it and I would do it again.
If I can save money then I always evaluate just how bad can it get....and it was actually fun.
Isn't life what you make of it.
We do whinge about awful departure times etc but that's human nature isn't it.
Jet star would be a walk in the park for me lol.