QantasLink to Hamilton Island

We arrived at Gate 9 in Terminal 3 and very close to our connecting Gate 13.

We headed for the Qantas Club, or so we thought.

Unfortunately, at the top of the escalator, the Qantas Club dragon informed us that the Club was temporarily closed.  When I inquire whether "temporarily" meant 30 minutes or a few hours, she replied "for a few weeks".  LOL.   I'm thinking that a sign would be a little cheaper.  Just saying.

We were directed down a long narrow corridor to the Business Lounge.

Past somthing called the Private Lounge, where a snooty dragon informed me that the lounge was indeed private and/or for Chairman's Club members.  

Unfortunately, the Qantas Business Lounge was one of the sorriest lounges I've seen in a long time.  When you start to miss the Admirals Club or even a United Club, you know this is bad lounge.   Tons of people and seats with very few power outlets.  Yeah, who needs to recharge personal devices.

The most notable thing about walking around the lounge was how utterly and disgustingly flithy the place was.  Either Aussies are slobs and/or the staff only cleans up once a week.  This is only a sample at 9am.

And then there was the food offerings and the masses jockeying for position to scoop up the slop being offered.

Just love the perfect-size-for-horse carrots.

After my first walkabout, I asked the dragon if there was another Qantas Club or First Class Lounge available to One World Emeralds.  She seemed taken aback when I told her that "this lounge is disgusting".

At T-40 we headed for the gate and our similar QantasLink 717.

QantasLink pillows, apparently washed once a month if ever.

About the same frequency as floors are vacuumed.

Or the arm rests or trays washed. 

In the air, drink service.

At around 11:30a meal service.   Choice of a classic reuben or the same breakfast frittata as on our previous flight.  Unfortunately, QF only loaded 3 reubens for a 12 seat cabin and by the time our FA got to our row 3, the reubens were long gone.   Apparently, no one at QF catering thought that many pax would actually want lunch... on a lunch flight.    I just had the macadamia nut bun.

The Japanese couple next to so were apparently so hungry that they accepted the frittata.

Our FA disappeared and I got tired of waiting.

Mercifully, we began our descent 30 minutes ahead of schedule.  Pretty scenery on the way down.

Happy to arrive here after a long day on one of the worst airlines in the free world.