An unusually inexpensive Brisbane > Sydney fare saw us flying Qantas, rather than Jetstar or Virgin Blue, not that there was much difference up to boarding time when Madam reported a significant difference in leg room. When you're around the six-foot mark, however, Cattle Class still feels like Cattle Class.
The first leg of the flight was unremarkable, but an hour's interval in Brisbane was a reminder of the difference between the full fare and budget ends of the airline spectrum.
We'd ventured down to the Qantas end of Brisbane Domestic from time to time before, but this time we were starting from the heart of full fare.
With a little more time on the ground, I may have noted other differences on top of the presence of a Wine Selectors tasting booth. I noted one as we made our way to Gate 22 without paying too much attention, but when Madam returned from a scout around the retail options with the news that there was an actual wine tasting in progress, naturally I felt duty bound to investigate.
With more warning, I would have got further than the Ninth Island Sauvignon Blanc and McLaren Vale Chardonnay whose name, due to the need to keep my wits about me while the attractive female sales rep operated a high-intensity version of the sign-up spiel, escapes me.
A lesser man would have kept tasting and eventually weakened, but having dropped out of The Wine Society Regular Tasting Dozen so that I could keep buying from small wineries, I decided discretion was the better part of Valerie and used the queue that was forming at Gate 22 as an excuse to make my escape.
Having given serious thought to the various stratagems to adopt in future, I'll be better prepared next time (if we get to fly full fare again in the next year or two at a time when they're doing a similar promotion).