Housing Affordability - What's to be done?

[A Country Member]

Did a around the world trip in 2000 to Europe and finished up in New York, it was almost 13 weeks of travelling, when we booked the trip Qantas had stopped flying from New York to Sydney so we we flew American airlines from New York to Los Angeles to catch a Qantas flight home, by the time we had left for the Europe side of the trip though Qantas had resumed flying from New York to Sydney but our travel agent hadn't changed or updated our flights from New York so we were stuck flying American from NY to LA still, got on the tarmac in NY and a call came over the plane that due to storms in the mid west the flight would be delayed so we sat on the runway for well over 3 hours till we could depart, actually think it was closer to 5 hours, any way we missed our connecting Qantas flight to Sydney from LA due to the delay, fortunately a Qantas flight from New York wasn't far behind our flight so we were lucky we got on that from LA in a very short turn around. When we got back to Sydney our bags weren't on the flight due to the quick turn around but Qantas had tracked it and they were still in LA but were due to come in on the first flight into Sydney the next morning, and true to their word the bags were at our front door at 8 am the next morning, i don't blame Qantas for the bags missing the flight because of the really short turnaround we had from American airlines to Qantas at LA and they were on the ball and able to tell us where our luggage was and then delivered it to our front door.

Went to Singapore in 2019, i had been before but the better half hadn't, anyway no problems with the flight and when we went to get our luggage my bag came off fairly quickly but had to wait a while for the next bag, time had past and the bags were getting less and less on the carousel till there was only one bag left, it looked similar to our second bag but it wasn't ours, so straight across the Qantas desk where we started to fill out the loss property stuff as the luggage from the flight had been completely unloaded, we did say to the staff member that is still one bag left on the carousel which looks very similar to ours but wasn't ours, the staff tried to get in contact with the person who's bag was left but they weren't answering their phone, it wasn't till this person had got to their accommodation that his wife had informed him he had the wrong bag and so the guy had to come back to the airport and drop our bag back and also pick his bag up, the guy was a complete twat as he didn't even check the name on the luggage when he originally picked it up and also his bag was kept aside when he got back to the airport and he had to fill out some paper work but instead he ignored the staff and ran to his bag which was now in a secure area and a guard had to chase him as he went through a restricted area. Anyway after that shaky start to the trip the rest was fabulous, it would have been a disastrous start to the holiday if the bag was missing, again though Qantas staff in Singapore were great and also with what happened wasn't their fault and with their help the problem was eventually sorted out.

No wonder people can’t afford houses

[mightyrooster]

No wonder people can’t afford houses

And no wonder you’re considered a troll by some on here.

[mightyrooster]

Did a around the world trip in 2000 to Europe and finished up in New York, it was almost 13 weeks of travelling, when we booked the trip Qantas had stopped flying from New York to Sydney so we we flew American airlines from New York to Los Angeles to catch a Qantas flight home, by the time we had left for the Europe side of the trip though Qantas had resumed flying from New York to Sydney but our travel agent hadn't changed or updated our flights from New York so we were stuck flying American from NY to LA still, got on the tarmac in NY and a call came over the plane that due to storms in the mid west the flight would be delayed so we sat on the runway for well over 3 hours till we could depart, actually think it was closer to 5 hours, any way we missed our connecting Qantas flight to Sydney from LA due to the delay, fortunately a Qantas flight from New York wasn't far behind our flight so we were lucky we got on that from LA in a very short turn around. When we got back to Sydney our bags weren't on the flight due to the quick turn around but Qantas had tracked it and they were still in LA but were due to come in on the first flight into Sydney the next morning, and true to their word the bags were at our front door at 8 am the next morning, i don't blame Qantas for the bags missing the flight because of the really short turnaround we had from American airlines to Qantas at LA and they were on the ball and able to tell us where our luggage was and then delivered it to our front door.

Went to Singapore in 2019, i had been before but the better half hadn't, anyway no problems with the flight and when we went to get our luggage my bag came off fairly quickly but had to wait a while for the next bag, time had past and the bags were getting less and less on the carousel till there was only one bag left, it looked similar to our second bag but it wasn't ours, so straight across the Qantas desk where we started to fill out the loss property stuff as the luggage from the flight had been completely unloaded, we did say to the staff member that is still one bag left on the carousel which looks very similar to ours but wasn't ours, the staff tried to get in contact with the person who's bag was left but they weren't answering their phone, it wasn't till this person had got to their accommodation that his wife had informed him he had the wrong bag and so the guy had to come back to the airport and drop our bag back and also pick his bag up, the guy was a complete twat as he didn't even check the name on the luggage when he originally picked it up and also his bag was kept aside when he got back to the airport and he had to fill out some paper work but instead he ignored the staff and ran to his bag which was now in a secure area and a guard had to chase him as he went through a restricted area. Anyway after that shaky start to the trip the rest was fabulous, it would have been a disastrous start to the holiday if the bag was missing, again though Qantas staff in Singapore were great and also with what happened wasn't their fault and with their help the problem was eventually sorted out.

I think Qantas like all the other airlines are having their reputations severely damaged since Covid-19 and the obvious forced shut down of the industry. The situation in Auckland is totally outrageous at the moment but it’s due to drastic staff shortages on the ground, after staff were laid off. Both Qantas and the baggage services groups like Menzies Aviation are dealing with it by switching off their phones and refusing to answer emails. While they can say this helps them to focus on sorting out the big mess, it leaves the customer in the dark and very, very frustrated. My experience makes me very nervous about future overseas travel like you have done, when my dream has always been to go to the UK and Japan before I get too much older. I think your experiences from the past show what a great airline Qantas once was and I hope it can overcome Covid and get back to what it once was. Also that sounds like an amazing trip, the first one. I’m not sure how I’d go being away from home that long though.

[horrie hastings]

I think Qantas like all the other airlines are having their reputations severely damaged since Covid-19 and the obvious forced shut down of the industry. The situation in Auckland is totally outrageous at the moment but it’s due to drastic staff shortages on the ground, after staff were laid off. Both Qantas and the baggage services groups like Menzies Aviation are dealing with it by switching off their phones and refusing to answer emails. While they can say this helps them to focus on sorting out the big mess, it leaves the customer in the dark and very, very frustrated. My experience makes me very nervous about future overseas travel like you have done, when my dream has always been to go to the UK and Japan before I get too much older. I think your experiences from the past show what a great airline Qantas once was and I hope it can overcome Covid and get back to what it once was. Also that sounds like an amazing trip, the first one. I’m not sure how I’d go being away from home that long though.

It was an amazing trip, it is a long time away but so much to see in Europe then a week in New York it was fabulous, don't think i would want to go away that long again but totally amazing especially back in 2000.
Yes Qantas has been a great airline and i have never had any problems with them in all the years but as you say staff shortages are exasperating every company at the moment and they cant perform at their maximum output, even my place at work are having huge staffing problems.

Think i have another Europe trip left in me in the next couple of years despite hating the long haul flights.

[A Country Member]

And no wonder you’re considered a troll by some on here.

Que? What has lost airline baggage got to do with Housing Affordability?

Join the conga line MR and keep your baggage to yourself

[King Salvo]

It was an amazing trip, it is a long time away but so much to see in Europe then a week in New York it was fabulous, don't think i would want to go away that long again but totally amazing especially back in 2000.
Yes Qantas has been a great airline and i have never had any problems with them in all the years but as you say staff shortages are exasperating every company at the moment and they cant perform at their maximum output, even my place at work are having huge staffing problems.

Think i have another Europe trip left in me in the next couple of years despite hating the long haul flights.

Thankfully there is in-flight entertainment nowadays unlike the old days with the one screen and down the back in cattle class you had trouble seeing it let alone hearing what was said for what ever movie was being shown.

Being someone who has trouble sleeping on a plane it is a godsend.

We tried stop overs after the 7 odd hour part but whatever you do you still have the main part to go so we decided to just push on through and get to the destination.

I might post the story about how I along with one of my Brothers and one of his mates were taken to a room and questioned for a fair period of time by Czechoslovakian officials at Václav Havel Airport Prague when my Brothers mate was taking pictures of Russian(Soviet) Military planes parked at that Airport back in 1985.

This was a long guided trip through the Eastern Block

[mightyrooster]

Que? What has lost airline baggage got to do with Housing Affordability?

Join the conga line MR and keep your baggage to yourself

My first post on this thread actually addressed the topic but since no one seemed to care what I said I moved on. You may want to refer back to it?

[mightyrooster]

It was an amazing trip, it is a long time away but so much to see in Europe then a week in New York it was fabulous, don't think i would want to go away that long again but totally amazing especially back in 2000.
Yes Qantas has been a great airline and i have never had any problems with them in all the years but as you say staff shortages are exasperating every company at the moment and they cant perform at their maximum output, even my place at work are having huge staffing problems.

Think i have another Europe trip left in me in the next couple of years despite hating the long haul flights.

If we are fortunate enough I would love to add New York / Washington to my two dream trips as well. Since we recently paid off our mortgage - read that Country Member? - and the kids have now finished school it’s time to have some fun!

[Random Rooster]

In 1993 i saved enough to get a deposit on a property. I was keen to get closer to the city (i was in Bankstown) but i couldn't afford it. So i started working nights for extra income and after a couple of years still couldn't afford anything close to Sydney CBD. So the old man said to me bad luck you need to go where you can afford and took me to a 4 acre block in Riverstone with a shitty house on it. I reluctantly bought it and got rubbish rent. I met my future missus and we lived with her folks for 5 years. It wasn't ideal but i worked as hard as i could and made the best of the situation.

The point of my boring story is young people these days look at the prices in Sydney and just give up- i know i had that attitude back in the 90's. You just have to go where you can afford- out west or interstate. Australia is still the lucky country if you want it to be

[horrie hastings]

Thankfully there is in-flight entertainment nowadays unlike the old days with the one screen and down the back in cattle class you had trouble seeing it let alone hearing what was said for what ever movie was being shown.

Being someone who has trouble sleeping on a plane it is a godsend.

We tried stop overs after the 7 odd hour part but whatever you do you still have the main part to go so we decided to just push on through and get to the destination.

I might post the story about how I along with one of my Brothers and one of his mates were taken to a room and questioned for a fair period of time by Czechoslovakian officials at Václav Havel Airport Prague when my Brothers mate was taking pictures of Russian(Soviet) Military planes parked at that Airport back in 1985.

This was a long guided trip through the Eastern Block

Luckily for the 2000 trip for the Qantas leg to London and also coming back from LA we were in business class thanks to a mate who worked for Qantas, it was bliss.

When we went in 2011 the mate wasn't working for Qantas at the time but had a another mate who worked in the frequent flyers section and got us seats down the back of cattle class and informed up that the plane wasn't heavily booked so said once you get on claim the back couple of rows in the middle, just put your carry on them and no one else will bother you, i had the whole back middle row to myself where i could completely stretch out and sleep, while not business class it was great having so much room. Of course coming back there wasn't any room to do that but there was a drunk troublesome passenger down the back and the crew started moving some of the people close to him into other sections, we had a refuel stop in Hong Kong and they moved us into business class from Hong Kong to Australia.

[Paddo Colt 61]

Thanks Randy for your efforts to get the thread back on track. Your "cut your cloth to suit your pocket is sound enough advice" but interstate puts young people out of touch with their support groups and prices aren't too good in any Capital city, MR gave us an ACT report earlier.

Maybe, like NZ, we should stop spending on the military which is heading for integration with the US presence anyway. We're going to be a garrison state and in any war that eventuates we won't be thinking much about the mortgage. The US has already created a housing crisis in Ukraine. where they're intent on fighting to the last plucky little Ukrainian.

MR is already at risk of being lumped in with the Congas if only by virtue of their common mangling of the King's English (no, not our King). I hope, Mighty One that you won't mind me reaching out the helping finger and pointing it at your last post where you signed off with the phrase "Referring back to.....". That, of course is tautology - a repetition - "refer" does mean to revisit so the "back" is superfluous. We hear a similar thing with the ubiquitous "continuing on". As a perfectionist I know you would want to keep on learning and improving so no mortification is necessary please.

The King's (our King this time) "floating pronoun" defence didn't excuse the criticism that the "for" in his recent sentence was redundant. Might have been technically correct but it was redundant.

[Random Rooster]

Thanks Randy for your efforts to get the thread back on track. Your "cut your cloth to suit your pocket is sound enough advice" but interstate puts young people out of touch with their support groups and prices aren't too good in any Capital city, MR gave us an ACT report earlier.

Maybe, like NZ, we should stop spending on the military which is heading for integration with the US presence anyway. We're going to be a garrison state and in any war that eventuates we won't be thinking much about the mortgage. The US has already created a housing crisis in Ukraine. where they're intent on fighting to the last plucky little Ukrainian.

MR is already at risk of being lumped in with the Congas if only by virtue of their common mangling of the King's English (no, not our King). I hope, Mighty One that you won't mind me reaching out the helping finger and pointing it at your last post where you signed off with the phrase "Referring back to.....". That, of course is tautology - a repetition - "refer" does mean to revisit so the "back" is superfluous. We hear a similar thing with the ubiquitous "continuing on". As a perfectionist I know you would want to keep on learning and improving so no mortification is necessary please.

The King's (our King this time) "floating pronoun" defence didn't excuse the criticism that the "for" in his recent sentence was redundant. Might have been technically correct but it was redundant.

Thanks for your efforts to get the thread off track again

[mightyrooster]

Lol Paddo, you are 100% correct. If I was writing a formal email or essay I would have proof read about 50 times. That’s the perfectionist in me. But as this is just the Chookpen, I usually only proof read once. Plus I do suspect my fellow penners kind of get what I’m saying and are not grading my posts for proppa English.

[eddie]

I'm on my 4th mortgage now, and owe less than 100 grand.
The only way I could achieve this was to leave Sydney.

I think the main cause of the housing crisis is the huge increase in the size of the population, although I wonder how much foreign investment has affected the Sydney market.

[Paddo Colt 61]

Yes definitely Eddie but there seems to have been inadequate preparation for the Immigration influx in terms of infrastructure and when investors can link real estate to their Super you have a real problem especially when the masses vote against their own interests.

Merry Christmas Eddie and the lectures were my pleasure. You may be assured that there will be plenty more to come. I have a lot of work to do here.