With domestic and international borders shut down and some states in lockdown, any opportunity for a holiday is welcome. In the past six months we have planned, booked and cancelled trips to New Zealand, Cairns, Alice Springs and Italy.
For our next trip we have decided to reduce the risks of cancellation and booked a four night getaway to Northern NSW.
Qantas Airlines 2062
Sydney (SYD) to Ballina (BNK)
Seat: 3D (Economy Class)
Aircraft: De Havilland (Bombardier) DHC-8-400 Dash 8Q
In this post:
Ballina – One Of Australia’s Busiest Airport
Using the Qantas Frequent Flyer hack we redeemed flights to Ballina with Qantas and returned with Jetstar. Taxes and card fees set us back $115.92 and we used 28,800 points. While traditionally this is not a great use of points as it is a domestic economy. It should be compared to booking a more expensive fully flexible fare.
With easy access to Byron Bay Ballina has become one of Australia’s busiest airports with up to five flights from Sydney each day with Qantas/Jetstar and even flights with Rex via Dubbo!
Qantas Platinum Check In Benefits
I checked in about 2 minutes after opening. Initially we were allocated row 6 however we quickly moved us up to rows 3 and 4. As a platinum flyer I have access to the best seats once check in opens. The seats next to platinum are also left empty.
Due to Covid 19 an additional pre flight health check is made. While this is not checked Qantas still has the opportunity to offload unwell passengers.
Qantas Club Status Credits
One of the small benefits of the Qantas Club is you can now accrue status credits as part of the elusive life time gold strategy. On this flight I was credited with 7 status credits. Meh.
Qantas Dash 8 Hand Luggage Only Option
The Qantas Dash 8 plane is more limited with hand luggage choices. You are restricted to a single item up to 7kg. Other Qantas planes let you take up to two items of 7kg each. With a four day stay we chose the hand luggage only option. On arrival our baggage weighed 7.9kg and 9kg. We pulled out our heavy items and stuffed them in our jackets!
On boarding Julie still had to hand in her hardshell pull along luggage and we collected it on the Tarmac in Ballina. Another reason why I prefer my Osprey back pack. Read the Drew Vs Milton hand luggage debate here.
Getting to Sydney Domestic Airport By Foot
With an 11am start there was no reason to rush to the airport. We choose to walk from Mascot saving the Airport Access Fee. It adds on 20 minutes but saves over $30 for the two of us. More money to spend at Byron.
Can I Take Hiking Poles Through Domestic Security Clearance
As the stay was only four nights we chose the hand luggage option. We packed our Black Diamond hiking poles into one of the bags fully expecting to be asked to check them in. The great news is they passed through security clearance and we could take them on as hand luggage.
Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney Domestic Airport
This was my second lounge visit post lockdown. You can read my earlier report here when I visited on their second day after reopening. Here are some of the things that are different:
- It is even less crowded than before the second wave,
- With so few planes leaving there were very few announcements,
- Table service is now available with coffee orders taken on arrival, and
- Food is made to order and brought over including:
- Bacon and egg rolls (for Drew)
- Healthy Breakfast Bowl (for Julie), and
- Pancakes with fresh fruit (Drew again)
Plane Boarding
Boarding the plane was by rows with 10-19 boarding first. We collected our face masks and wipes at check in.
Julie’s hardshell bag was tagged and handed in for collection in Ballina.
Seating, Entertainment and Refreshments on the Dash 8
I love the Dash 8 for short haul flights, With a 2 + 2 seating It never gets too high and the views are sensational. While there is no onboard entertainment or wifi we tracked along the NSW coast which is better than any documentary.
Seat 3D ended up being the pick of the seats as it had views of Sydney and then the coast. Avoid seat 2D as it is an exit row and does not have a window.
Water and a banana bread muffin were handed out for the flight.
Summary
Ballina is now one of the hottest destinations in NSW. The Dash 8 is a fun and comfortable way to travel and provides some of the best views of coastal NSW. Worth it for the views along.
