A new way to explore the Huon Valley

The Huon Valley in Tasmania, the southernmost part of Australia, is blessed with some beautiful scenery and a magnificent river frontage. 

But the Huon is also home to several hills - a piece of cake for regular cyclists but a real challenge for beginners. 

To make exploring the valley easy for both categories, Brett Carter from Cygnet Cycles has begun hiring out not only road bikes and mountain bikes for his fitter customers, but also electronic bikes for anyone with lesser sporting skills or fitness levels.

The range includes e bikes, touring bikes and road bikes. 

The electronic bikes are available from $40 for two hours at one of the local apple sheds and offer the chance to explore while enjoying the fresh air. Open seven days with bookings recommended. 

Cygnet Cycles: 46A Lymington Rd, Cygnet TAS 7112. 0419 528 048 www.cygnetcycles.com.au    

   

Canadian Airports: Making America grate again

Remember when international flights were fun? 

It seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? 

Those halcyon days before massive check-in lines, queues for security and body searches, lines to confront stern-faced customs and immigration officers. 

Flyers on international flights departing Sydney and Melbourne sometimes need every minute of the advised two hours to get through all the hoopla in time to board their flights. 

In Canada, believe it or not, it can be worse. 

Air Canada just advised all its passengers with international bookings to the US to be at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure. 

"Air Canada advises customers travelling to the US that they arrive at Canadian airports three hours prior to their scheduled departure time due to processing times of customers by the US Customs and Border Protection agency," the airline tweeted.

In some Canadian airports (Toronto Pearson, Montreal and Vancouver) pre-clearance is done by US Customs and Borders - so the delays are being caused by American inefficiency.

So, just another case of making American grate again.



 

Wine lovers searching for the Pinot G spot

Let's get a few things straight. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are made from the same grape. As are grauer burgunder. It just depends whether you are talking French, Italian or German. 

The pinot gris style originates in the Alsace region of France and is typically rich, sometimes oily, and often sweet, with rich tropical fruit aromas. 

Pinot Grigio from north-east Italy is generally lighter, crisp and clean and more vibrant with citrus and acid notes. 

In Australia you will find dozens of wines labelled as gris, or grigio, but the consumer finds himself, or herself, confused by winery marketers. 

Wines that are clearly made in the gris style are sometimes labelled as grigio, and vice versa. 

Kevin McCarthy from Quealy Wines launched a Pinot G scale a few years back to assist consumers; but it failed to catch on. 
  
De Bortoli Wines has just launched a new wine, labelled as Pinot G (with a pinot gris subtitle) and it is a terrific drink without being of any aid to confused drinkers. 

De Borts describe the 2018 De Bortoli Pinot G as a "light-bodied pinot gris". Which in my book makes it more stylistically a grigio. 

You won't miss it on he bottle shop shelves; it comes in a square-shouldered bottle, more commonly seen in spirits, as well as a distinctive holographic label and cap. 

The new wines contains a splash of riesling and several Italian varieties from the Riverina and King Valley and "to lift the aromatics and add a little tension".

De Bortoli's tasting notes are similar to mine: "light and clean". It is a darn good summer drink for $18 - but in my book it is far more grigio than gris in style. 

Budget airline courts controversy - again

The budget airline Ryanair is never far from controversy. Some tourism industry observers would say it actively courts notoriety.

Despite hitting passengers with excess fees for all kinds of minor malfeasance, including excess baggage, to refusing to listen to complaints, Ryanair is a household name in Britain.

That's because it offers some of the cheapest airline fares in the world if you shop at the right time.

Ryanair was again in the headlines this week after dozens of passengers claimed they were charged close to $200 extra each after a computer glitch they complained was Ryanair's own fault.

It is alleged the Ryanair website automatically changed travel companions' surnames to the same as the lead passenger or account holder.

Those who did not spot the error within Ryanair's self-imposed 24-hour grace period for free name changes were charged £115 to correct it.

The airline, predictably, denies there is a glitch with its booking system.

The Irish low-cost airline was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Ireland. 

Sydney Airport becoming a laughing stock

Sydney's domestic airport is fast becoming an international laughing stock - and a regular source of frustration for flyers.

All is takes is a thunder storm, some fog, or heavy rain, and the domestic terminal comes to a grinding halt - particularly the Virgin Australia section.

Flights in and out of Sydney were today delayed due to a low-lying fog hovering over the city. Many domestic services were affected, with passengers lined up around Sydney Airport - and outside the terminal.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Australia told the Sydney Morning Herald that the fog combined with peak travel period caused "a fair bit" of congestion during the morning.

Many travellers took to social media to vent their frustrations with the longer wait times, posting photos of the chaotic nature of the airport.

The fact is, however, that this sort of chaos happens in Sydney on a regular basis - and the airlines are not equipped to handle it.

When I flew back into Sydney just 10 days ago there was similar chaos. It took me two hours in the "priority" queue to check-in for my flight to Hobart. And the lack of announcements was hugely frustrating. 

Virgin Australia queues criss-crossed through each other on December 21

A total of 62 arrivals and 65 departures from Sydney were cancelled as a result of severe thunderstorms that swept the city - on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Bizarrely, international flights were less affected, with no cancellations.

A week earlier, on December 14, the SMH reported: "The flow-on effect from Thursday’s hail storms pushed Sydney Airport into further chaos on Friday morning. "

So three major issues in three weeks. My question is, why does Sydney Airport descend into such chaos with weather events when other airports around the world manage to cope?

One quarter of the 21,600 flights that were cancelled across Australia in 2017 came from Sydney alone, News.com.au reports.

Are the like of St John's, Newfoundland, or Helsinki (both with far worse weather patterns) better prepared, better equipped, or better staffed?

Certainly, on December 21, Virgin had nowhere near the number of staff needed, and explanations to passengers were scant. And it sounds as if today is no better. 

New international airport a boost for Halong Bay

The Vietnamese tourism resort of Halong Bay can expect a boost after the opening this week of the new Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province.

The UNESCO world Heritage site has previously been reached via a very slow 220-kilometre road trip from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

This is the first ever international airport in Vietnam to be developed by a private company: Sun Group - the country's premier developer of tourism, leisure and entertainment-focused properties and projects.

The US$310 million airport was constructed with the assistance of NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants), one of the world's leading airport consultancy and engineering firms.

"It is the most modern airport in Vietnam and will have positive influences on the passengers' experience here in the airport," said Romy Berntsen, a project manager and architect from NACO.

Besides being equipped with the latest airport technologies in the main terminal, and a state-of-the-art runway, the new airport features a beautiful design inspired by the beauty of Halong Bay, which is just 50km away.

As a new gateway for both domestic and international travellers, the airport will receive an estimated 2 to 2.5 million passengers annually for the next two years and five million per year by 2030.

On the same day, Sun Group officially unveiled two more major new infrastructures projects in Quang Ninh, namely, the new Halong-Van Don Highway and Halong International Cruise Port. The new four-lane, 60km-long highway will reduce travel time from Van Don Airport to Halong city to just under 50 minutes.

The port terminal, designed by Bill Bensley, one of the world's most renowned and innovative architects, will be a new landmark for the city and Quang Ninh Province.