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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 25. 2nd October 1975

Not all rosy sunsets with STB

Not all rosy sunsets with STB

Dear Sir,

I request a few column inches, for the purpose of warning future travellers against trusting any promises or information given by the VUW. Student Travel Bureau. Reasons as follows: — Ticket to Sydney booked with them on July 29th for September 13th, with the request that they provide ticket or inform me of progress well before then, since I am leaving home contact address a week before that date. I hear nothing from them; finally have to ring to find out what is going on. Dear Gyles tells me that nothing is going on: they have my request for a ticket, nothing else By sheer coincidence (naturally) a Telex arrives the following day to say the ticket is confirmed. Nothing like a good boot up the arse, ah, Gyles?

Well anyway (on to no. 2) the Telex said that the ticket would be waiting at the Auckland office. Of course, they hadn't heard a thing, and buckled into hysterical laughter at the mention of Beckford's name. Fortunately they just wrote out a new ticket.

My third complaint is in many ways more serious I asked the S.T. B. several times about flights from Australia to Indonesia. I was told that I couldn't get to Bali from Sydney, but there were three flights a week from Sydney to Jakarta, for which there was no need to book, and the pre-devaluation price was $NZ225.00 (including student discount).

The facts from the Sydney office:
1.There are No regular flights from Sydney to Jakarta.
2.There is a flight to Bali.
3.It costs $A270.00, which is about $NZ316.00.

May I extend a warning to potential travellers that neither branch of S.T.B. seems particularly reliable (I've found from other agents that there are three flights a week, but student discount is available only if you're going to or from your place of study) — check every piece of information with someone else.

Yours faithfully,

Marty Pilott

P.S. Auckland airport ground staff sent my pack to Pago Pago by mistake but that's another story...