I don't get the demand for these non-stop long haul flights, megalomaniacs who think their business may collapse if they are gone for a second longer than they need to be. Business managers who think stop-overs are a rort! I gather the same poor people are being made fly economy by companies on this flight, because I doubt holiday makers would pay the premium for non-stop, like the premium charged by Singapore or Cathay Pacific for non-stop. If they were on a Concorde or one of the up coming Boom supersonic flights then that is a different matter, because non-stop won't be 19hrs if they can travel that far without refuelling.

Here are my rules for dealing with long haul flights for anyone not experienced enough in travelling;

- If you flying long haul for business then fly business, if you're company won't fly you business for long haul then they are a crap company and not worth working for, don't go and find a new job! The savings are going straight into your managers bonus, even if your manager comes from some charity. Big companies usually bleat that they fly so many people they cannot afford it, but when you fly lots of people regularly you don't pay the market rates, they get business for closer to premium economy rates! Secondly, the cost is always the excuse, I recently had a owner/manager who kept cutting costs, he pulled the pin on business class saying it was too expensive, then we found out he'd discharged two full mortgages years in advance with money ripped out of the business!

- Don't get sucked into flying Qantas by default, it's controlled by British Airways, there are a myriad of great services vying for your business. If you like going to dinner at the local Chinese for dinner then try Singapore or Cathay Pacific, don't be afraid. They all fit in with my next point;

- If you are going on holiday, break your flight into two legs each not longer than 11hrs.

- If you can stop-over for 24 - 48hrs on the way through, you might be surprised what you find.

- If you can't stop-over but have a lengthy wait, treat yourself halfway. At most major airports there are any number of day spas or day hotels that might not be cheap but treat yourself anyway. You can find them all online, do not book through the travel agent to get the best rates. It's amazing how much better you'll feel at your destination.

- Keep an eye out for specials, I book well in advance, and I find that in the interim I might see some crazy good deals saving hundreds or even thousands. Do not be afraid to change your booking if such an offer arises. Beware, sometimes startlingly cheap airfares are because a stop-over destination is going through renovations or rectification, so do not get stuck in the airport, with the money you save extend and get out of there and spend a day or two!

- Leave and return mid-week, and Tuesday is usually the best days for deals because of the way airlines report and pay sales bonuses.

- On board, eat when they offer you food.

- Sleep when they dim the lights.

- Don't drink too much, a couple of small glasses with lunch and dinner is fine as long as you back it up with water.

Happy flying, from someone who has logged millions of kilometres.

PS: Upgrades
- Airlines rarely or won't give free upgrades to flyers who book through Ted's dodgy discount ticket service or similar, those tickets have a different class allocation and you are basically persona non grata. If there a lots of standby passengers waiting for an economy seat the upgrade order is generally airline frequent flyers, full fee paying passengers who book directly with the airline, discount fee passengers who have booked directly with the airline. Some airlines will offer crazy low upgrade fees at the stop-over point or at check in counter, so it's always worth asking the question.

What irony!

Racing NSW, the organisation that deliberately runs it's horses in the opposite direction to the rest of the country so local trainers are favored, wants the VRC to shift the date for the Melbourne Cup to prove that the VRC has a nationwide focus on developing racing!

FMD, that is Sindney La La Land at it's best!

PS; Is V'Landeys' call a sign that The Everest is in financial difficulty?

Rumors surfacing that Vescio is one of or the ring leader of a group of AFLW players allegedly pursuing legal advice over the terms and conditions for future AFLW seasons.

At least that is apparently how a couple of the footy media organisations want it publicly represented.

I'll leave it to you to guess which media organisations and who they employ! :

Quite often, when I try to post, I get a pink box with the following message:

"The following error or errors occurred while posting this message:
Your session timed out while posting. Please try to re-submit your message."

If I try to log out...
"An Error Has Occurred!
"Session verification failed. Please try logging out and back in again, and then try again."

Anyone else having a similar problem???

Fascinated to know how people are thinking.  Many isolated comments made, good to see the collective!

https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2019-0...k-marathon-

Quote:Hosking was announced as one of the four finalists for the award last week alongside Geelong's Jamaine Jones, GWS Giants' Stephen Coniglio and Port Adelaide's Travis Boak.

Quote:“Me and my sister Sarah will be going over to New York and running the New York Marathon to raise money for Interplast.”

Anticipating the challenge ahead, Hosking is hopeful only to finish ahead of her twin sister in at the finish line.

“I think we’ve kind of said to each other that we just want to finish it,” she said.

“We don’t want to push ourselves too much considering we’re going into pre-season, but at the same time we’re very competitive.

“So when we say that we’re going to run the race together, it’s probably going to get to the last 100 metres and I’ll try and trip her up so I can finish before her.”

Tonight is the night and Crippa is, again, one of the favourites.

Crippa was our best 10 time this season. However, we did not win many of those games. I would say that he is unlikely to bring home the prize. However, I can hope!

https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2019-0...mes-a-blue

Quote:THE Carlton Football Club is delighted to welcome Grace Egan for the 2020 AFLW season.

Egan was selected with Carlton's pick No.13 on Friday as part of the AFLW Academy bidding process.

The 19-year-old arrived at Richmond’s VFLW side with a point to prove and she did just that, improving her conditioning and strength to become a consistent performer at VFL level, showcasing a great balance between her contested and uncontested football.

Quote:Carlton now has picks Nos.2, 26, 36, 44, 52 and 59 in the upcoming NAB AFLW Draft, to be held at the Melbourne Showgrounds on October 22.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-11/t...e/11500038

I'm the proud owner of a new pair of spectacles, never had them before, never needed them before!

One thing that is driving me crazy is cleaning them, smudges are like a red rag to a bull and give me the sh1ts!

So I'm throwing the question open to the collective wisdom of our forum members, what is the best way to clean or keep your spectacles clean while still actually using them? I've already wrecked one pair of rimless beauties by plowing into a microscope eyepiece!

Please do not offer my sons wisdom, which was to just wait, up until my eyesight has deteriorated to the point I can no longer see the smudges!