To cut a long story short, I didn’t fly back from Canberra to Sydney. I took the bus instead. No lounge, no meals, no Boeing 717. Just a three and a quarter hour ride under some stormy skies.
I watched aircraft fly overhead out of Canberra to Sydney and I imagined myself on them. Nice views of the big clouds of cumulus starkly outlined in the evening light. But then I saw the storm on the radar striking Sydney Airport at the same time as my original flight was due to arrive and felt glad I was not on board. Later I spotted deviations in the flight path, no doubt skirting storms.
Another colleague who shares my name and original work location was also flying back from Canberra on the flight before mine. I asked him how it was like and he said it wasn’t bad, only a little bumpy arriving back into Sydney. But his name had caused confusion with our travel agent and the bus seemed easier than a rebooked later flight.
The bus was comfortable enough and I just sat and stared at clouds while listening to music. I got off at the International Airport stop. As I was waiting for my train a test train consisting of a hybrid between the older silver city electric trains and some Southern Aurora carriages raced through the station. Never seen that before!
It’s storm season now, not a good time to fly. And with such short flight times between Sydney and Canberra there is no payoff. Maybe the land based alternatives are best for now.