International connection at SYD Terminal 1

[ratherbedecking]

I arrive from Japan at 7:30AM and need to get on a flight to New Zealand at 9:30AM. I do not have any checked luggage. The airlines are telling me I have to go through immigration and customs because my two flights are not linked and I will have to get a boarding pass. I see on the airport map that there is an International Transfer Point where one would assume a passenger like me could get a boarding pass. Even though my two airlines are partner airlines, one will not issue a boarding pass for the other when I check in from Japan. Surely I should not be required to add one more person to the immigrations lines if I am not staying in Sydney. Are the airlines just being over cautious or is there no way to get a boarding pass for my next flight without officially entering the country? I do not hold an Aussie passport but an I am resident here.

 

[markis10]

Should not be an issue, is OLCI available?

 

[ratherbedecking]

No OLCI available for the NZ flight I am trying to connect with...all I will have is an itinerary and an E-ticket number.

 

[Simo]

Welcome to the forum,

Interested to see how it al goes.

 

[Mal]

Which airlines are involved? An important question.

Yes there is a transfer desk, but it isn't staffed by all airlines all the time. Also, if you have checked luggage then they can't retrieve it.

But a better answer relies on the 1st question I asked...

 

[ratherbedecking]

I arrive into SYD at 7:30 via Singapore Air and fly out of the same international terminal at 9:30 via Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand has no OLCI and Singapore Air cannot issue me the boarding pass as I did not book the two flights at the same time. I have no checked baggage. I hope I do not have to go through immigration and customs just to make my transfer.

 

[eastwest101]

Separate PNR's is a bit of a pain, at least you are hand luggage only which is a bonus. Just to get this straight - you are flying from Japan to Sydney via Singapore on Singapore airlines and then want to board an Air New Zealand flight in Sydney to go to New Zealand? Is that correct? A few more questions - are you a member of Krisflyer or Koru Lounge member, and are you able to get into a Singapore Airlines or the Air New Zealand lounge of some sort?

So if ratherbedecking can't get Singapore Airlines to print out his Air New Zealand boarding pass at departure in Singapore or in Japan (which you would think they would be able to do anyway) then I assume that either the SQ transfer desk or the NZ transfer desk at Sydney T1 will be able to print you out a boarding pass? Do other AFFers more familliar with SYD T1 think this is possible? I am not an expert, but at that time of the morning inside Sydney T1 on the airside you would have to be very very unlucky for both the SQ and the NZ transfer desks to be unstaffed, and even if they were - any NZ desk with staff at it would be able to pull up your NZ booking and give you a boarding pass anyway. As Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Air New Zealand (NZ) are both in Star Alliance I would expect that either one would be able to print you out a boarding pass without clearing customs just to check-in again.

I would be avoiding the whole customs and immigration thing at Syd simply because its unnecessary.

 

[ratherbedecking]

Thanks for the feedback. I have Premier 1K status on United which gives me Star Alliance Gold status. Luckily both Air New Zealand and Singapore Air are in the Star Alliance network. I checked and I will have access to the business lounges. Tokyo -> Singapore -> Sydney on Singapore Air and then Sydney -> Christchurch on Air New Zealand. I will ask the lounge staff VERY NICELY in Tokyo, if they can help, but the Air New Zealand staff on the help line told me that I have to exit all the way through immigration and customs to get a boarding pass even though I have no checked luggage. That makes NO sense to me at all. Hopefully Air New Zealand will have their transfer desk staffed in the morning. I will post the result.

 

[eastwest101]

Yep - let us know how you go and where you get your BP from in Sydney, and then hopefully you will be able to tell Air New Zealand that their call centre staff are misinformed.

 

[JohnK]

Welcome to AFF ratherbedecking!

You should be able to use the transfer desk at SYD T1.

Good luck.

 

[ozmille]

slightly OT, with OW I have never had issues getting an airline to check me in for a connecting flight even when on different PNRs. Is this standard practice for *A?

 

[ratherbedecking]

I have some information to post regarding international transfers at Sydney airport. The good news is that you can do the international transfer without having to go all the out through immigration and customs. The bad news is that it still takes 60 minutes minimum without checked luggage, on a good day, to make the transfer.

1) Air New Zealand does NOT offer online check-in so you cannot get a boarding pass before you fly UNLESS another partner airline is able to print one for you. (I could not get one from my carrier in Japan)
2) Even though I did NOT have a boarding pass for my Air New Zealand flight, I had a printed copy of my itinerary and was able to pass through the International Transfer Security checkpoint WITHOUT having to go through immigration or customs upon arrival from Japan. (This is contrary to what Air New Zealand staff told me pre-flight, but consistent with what the flight attendants announced during the return flight to Sydney.)
3) After passing through the International Transfer Security checkpoint, there was a VERY long line at the Sydney transit desk. Air New Zealand had only two staff members and it was about a one hour wait to get my boarding pass for the next flight. Other passengers who arrived later were able to go directly to the gate and get a boarding pass.
4) Air New Zealand would only issue the boarding pass for the first leg of my journey. Once I cleared immigration in New Zealand (and I WAS asked to show them my printed return itinerary documentation) I then had to go to the transfer desk in Christchurch to get the boarding pass for the second leg of my journey.

I had no checked luggage. The reality is that you can go through the Sydney International Transfer Security checkpoint, then go to the gate if time is short, but I would still allocate at least 90 minutes in the future for an international transfer in Sydney. This was in the morning, and I was lucky that there were not very many people going through the international transfer area. Since you have to pass through security, all rules for liquids and carryon apply, regardless of what airline you travel.

Checking luggage would have changed everything because I had two separate itineraries. I would have had to go through immigration in Sydney, collect my luggage and then clear customs before going out to the check-in area and dropping off my luggage on the second carrier. If you are going to do an international connection, it may simplify things to have the tickets re-issued so that all flights are on the same record locator. As long as the luggage is checked through to the final destination, there would be no need to clear immigration in Sydney for an international transfer.

 

[Fruitcake]

After passing through the International Transfer Security checkpoint, there was a VERY long line at the Sydney transit desk.

Your profile says you are Star Alliance Gold - did you try at the Koru Club? You might have had some luck. To be honest when confronted with that queue I would have gone to the Koru Club and pleaded my case even if I knew I wasn't eligible for entry, the service desk might have helped out anyway.

 

[ratherbedecking]

"Your profile says you are Star Alliance Gold - did you try at the Koru Club? You might have had some luck. To be honest when confronted with that queue I would have gone to the Koru Club and pleaded my case even if I knew I wasn't eligible for entry, the service desk might have helped out anyway."

I had asked at the Koru Club on my way to Sydney and they said to go to the transfer desk on my return. I suspect the response from the lounge may vary with the personnel who are on duty. Note: there was no "elite" line at the international transfer desk.