As some of you know, I have "Platinum" status with American Airlines. This also means that I have "Sapphire" status with all American's One World Alliance partners, including Qantas. Big deal, right? Well, as it turns out, I am entitled to lounge access with all One World partners while overseas. In the US, lounges are a decent perk that usually mean nicer waiting areas and maybe free drinks or free internet access. Overseas, however, lounges are a different ball game. I am now at Sydney airport, about to depart on a domestic flight to Hobart. I am in the Qantas lounge, where not only am I enjoying internet access and a cold bottle of Cooper's beer, but I just had a nice complimentary lunch--rocket salad with parmesan and balsamic vinagrette, marinated artichoke hearts, asian noodle salad and brie cheese. This, my friends, is living.
Apologies if this sounds boorish--it's not meant to be. What I'm most impressed about with respect to travel here is that it is simply not the chore it is in the States. The airports are well-designed and easily accessible via mass transit. From my hotel to the airport door-to-door took 35 minutes, by rail. Their security is, if anything, tighter and more thorough than the lax TSA drones, but it is far more professional and efficient. I arrived at the airport about an hour before my flight, and I have been sitting in the lounge for 30 minutes of that time--in fact, my flight departs in 20 minutes and was just called, so off I go.
Tasmania awaits!
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