'Bussed' international arrivals/departures at major Oz airports

[Melburnian1]

With international flights into and out of Oz only at 60 to 70 per cent of 2019 levels, is anyone experiencing being transferred by bus to or from a departing or arriving aircraft at an Australian airport?

In theory, there should be less pressure on airport gates for international flights but in practice, if some run late due to bad weather or an airport software failure meaning manual passenger processing, it can create what surface transport operators ((Melbourne's trams is a good example) would call 'bunching', so an airport may then eventually run out of an available gate.

Years ago I recall on a foggy July day being transferred from MEL's basement to a Singapore-bound departure with SQ, and I've also within the last decade experienced it going to MNL from SYD on PR. However in Australia (unlike overseas) I've never had it occur on arrival: luck of the draw.

Which flight and month, and where in Oz has this occurred in the last few months?

I am excluding domestic flights as they're a different kettle of fish.

 

[Forg]

Are you saying the reduced number of flights can exacerbate that ’bunching’ effect?

Another thought - do airports still have staffing issues, and does that possibly affect gate availability?

 

[Ade]

Another thought - do airports still have staffing issues, and does that possibly affect gate availability?

My understanding is that gate could be unavailable when there is another aircraft using that gate and got delayed for whatever reason OR there is not enough staff to receive the aircraft and hence usually dubbed as a gate delay.

However, I don't think airports now have staffing issues. I have not heard any gate delays out/in CBR. There have been engineering issues though.

 

[Lynda2475]

Ive never needed to use a bus to board/deplane an international flight at an Australian airport.

IME in Aus bus only used at SYD T2 and in BNE to get to small planes serving regional airports that cant connect to airbridge.

Have had to take bus at LHR but again that was only on a domestic flight (GLA-LHR).

Annoys me no end if a plane is large enough for an air bridge and plane is sitting at a gate with one why they make us walk outside - im looking at you CNS.

 

[henrus]

As mentioned if there are a bunch of late departures then gates won't become available and a bus is needed. At SYD and MEL you often see long haul aircraft arrive and park for many hours so these will often be towed to a remote stand and sometimes it's not possible to bring it back in time. A lack of trained staff to operate the jet bridges can also be an issue (I haven't heard that excuse in Australia - just overseas but it wouldn't surprise me if it's happened in Oz).

Mind you in Australia we're really good at not needing unnecessary buses, so if an aircraft is parked close enough to the terminal then people are just asked to walk. Recently in Santorini arriving off a domestic flight from Athens they put everyone on a bus for a 80m trip, you could see the exit door as you walked down the plane and there wasn't anything in the way except for bureaucracy.

 

[drron]

In the past we had several flights on QF 24 BKK-SYD. At least on 1 out of every 3 flights we were on we had to bus it into the terminal in SYD

 

[Hvr]

In the past we had several flights on QF 24 BKK-SYD.

And the next flight QF23 SYD-BKK is frequently loaded by bus.

 

[dylarr]

I find it rare but I've been certainly bussed to / from the aircraft for international flights at both SYD/MEL in the years just before COVID.

All on QF. And to/from NZ and the US when flying on 737/787.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

The morning bank of QF flights from SYD to NZ often has one at a remote stand. I think it is because they've towed an aircraft across from hangar or domestic.

Cabin crew on a recent flight to SYD were complaining because the return flight they worked was at remote stand so much more difficult transit for them.

 

[Melburnian1]

Are you saying the reduced number of flights can exacerbate that ’bunching’ effect?

No, I was merely remarking that problems like bad weather might mean aircraft stay longer at gates after arrival from overseas and hence gate availability eventually disappears.

Obviously if there's fewer flights one would hope there are fewer instances of pax having to be bussed, but externalities might still cause problems.

I didn't know QF passengers on QF23/24 were bussed: interesting.