Is 'bussing' common?

[Melburnian1]

MEL said recently re its proposed international terminal expansion that transporting passengers by bus to and from international aircraft that lacked a gate was 'common'.

It would be 15 years since I've experienced this, but the most number of times in a year I've used MEL for international flights has been four, so not as if I am jetting off every month.

Does this practice frequently, or only occasionally, occur?

What other Oz airports use 'bussing' much for international flights? I have never had it happen at SYD, CNS, DRW or BNE, but my sample size is small. I have never departed internationally from ADL or PER.

 

[SYD]

MEL said recently re its proposed international terminal expansion that transporting passengers by bus to and from international aircraft that lacked a gate was 'common'.

It would be 15 years since I've experienced this, but the most number of times in a year I've used MEL for international flights has been four, so not as if I am jetting off every month.

Does this practice frequently, or only occasionally, occur?

What other Oz airports use 'bussing' much for international flights? I have never had it happen at SYD, CNS, DRW or BNE, but my sample size is small. I have never departed internationally from ADL or PER.

There’s another thread / discussion about regular “bus” transfers in SYD (I’ve never had one however).

Now, if you want a bus, go to DOH. 1 from 8 airbridges arriving / departing for me in 6 mths…. And that’s after the terminal expansion - which from what I can tell was really putting in more bus gates camouflaged by a pretty garden…

 

[RooFlyer]

In my experience, its moderately common internationally. Maybe one in 15 sectors or so, but as @SYD mentioned, more common in some places, such a DOH. Can't recall it ever happening to me in Australia, but the memory is a bit hazy >20 years ago!

Of course lacking an airbridge doesn't automatically mean a bus - at HBA you'll be hoofing it on foot for 100-300m for either domestic or international flights!

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

I would say its fairly common when arriving during peak times in the mornings at MEL. Have encountered it a few times last year, most recently on New Year's Eve.

 

[TonyHancock]

Never experienced a bus at MEL International but have not flown so much for a couple of years.

 

[Quickstatus]

Happened to me in LAX when the on time SYD-LAX (B747) had to parked at a remote stand.

And happened to me at SYD when the LAX-MEL A380 arrived in SYD for a dash and splash parking at a remote refuelling stand. My destination was SYD.

And at KUL when the AeroTrain was out of service. Bus to main terminal. (This was not the recent Aerotrain prolonged outage)

So not a regular bussing.

The regular bussing are:
LAX "Eagles Nest" remote terminal for American Eagle.
SYD turboprop services

 

[jase05]

A few times in MEL years ago but more recently in Vietnam I reckon I’m about 90% buses arriving or departing SGN domestically.
Get the odd one in BKK but with the new satellite terminal hopefully that’s the end of that.
As mentioned above the KUL debacle with the train meant that buses were the norm and a bit of a PITA until they started the J buses.
Always airbridges in DOH so reading tales of others it seems I’ve been very lucky

 

[Himeno]

Besides bus transfers between terminals (such at HND, SYD, LHR or T4/5 to Eagles Nest at LAX), from memory, I've had these buses:

SYD: 2 (1 JAL arrival - arrived 3h late, 1 Dash 8 departure)
DOH: ~70% of departures, 10% arrivals
LHR: 20% T5 departures
Maybe 1 for a KA arrival at HKG

Have also had some stair boarding without needing a bus, mainly for turbo props at CBR.
Can't recall anything else.

Now, if you want a bus, go to DOH. 1 from 8 airbridges arriving / departing for me in 6 mths…. And that’s after the terminal expansion - which from what I can tell was really putting in more bus gates camouflaged by a pretty garden…

From the airport maps, it looks like they added 13 new jet bridge gates and 44 bus gates with the expansion.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Humberto Delgardo LIS .
You get off the plane first as you are in J, then squashed into a corner with another 50+ travellers and their backpacks, then you are last off the bus

 

[Himeno]

Humberto Delgardo LIS .
You get off the plane first as you are in J, then squashed into a corner with another 50+ travellers and their backpacks, then you are last off the bus

They should import some of the buses from DOH.

 

[Scarlett]

@Melburnian1 it appears as though your question was framed as do MEL regularly use buses. From the MEL airport release you paraphrased:

that transporting passengers by bus to and from international aircraft that lacked a gate was 'common'.

I and most others will/have answered from the perspective of most other airports, rather than just focusing on MEL. Not sure what the actual intent of your question was so I’ll answer both.

I think the only time in about 50 transits through MEL where I have used a bus, was arriving on a Rex Saab340. Certainly not for an international flight.

At other airports overseas I’ve found it relatively common, maybe 1 in 8 arrivals or departures by bus gate.

It saves airports building yet more terminal space and generally allows more flexible use of their land area, so I’d say this is MEL actually catching up to international norms and that the press release is valid.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Live example here. SQ237 just arrived from Singapore and parked a bus bay.

 

[moa999]

Definitely happens at SYD albeit not particularly common

I'm 2/2 at HKT coughet and I suspect it's about 50% of international services there based on the large standoff area opposite the terminal.

 

[elanshin]

For MEL, I have not had a bus gate yet. SYD i had one landing from HND on QF on good Friday last year (however i somehow went from being off the plane to landside carpark in 16minutes including picking up checked luggage).

Personally i feel as though MEL needs a new terminal for Int'l possibly satellite, expand landside for T2 for both check in ans arrival. I have no idea how they plan to expand and handle more traffic volume with the existing setup.

Edit: I'd be ok with a temporary additional increase in bus and remote gate if it meant they're actively expanding and improving T2.

 

[moa999]

Interestingly my YT just flicked over to SydSquad, and they shifted focus to the Qantas freight area - where there are four QF and JQ widebodies sitting at standoff gates this morning,
And a DL aircraft on the other side near the pond.

 

[Gold Member]

IME, it’s pretty rare for MEL if I’m honest. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was bussed to and from a gate. But what is the definition of “common” in the context of airport gate availability? 1 in 10? 50% of the time? Common means different things to different people, so with such ambiguity the term can be used to fit any agenda.

So to answer the OP’s question, I suspect the Airport’s assertion that lacking gates as “common” is a gross exaggeration and more about setting expectations with the travelling public for the next 10+ years as volume and demand growth massively exceeds capacity. But exaggerating the truth by referring to the supposed current situation as “common” smacks of insincere PR/marketing spin.

 

[Forg]

In my opinion the world has enough gates at airports where buses are used for “common” to be a valid description, if the stated context wasn’t just Melbourne airport.

Given how large an airport TPE is, I was a little surprised with how many of these remote gates they had! I may be misremembering (I originally typed ICN here as I misremembered that bit), but one whole wing of the airport had two rows of remote stands behind the row of aerobridges.
Now I think about it, coincidentally or not, we had a bus take us to the CI ‘plane at SYD when we were heading to TPE … given it’s apparently as rare at SYD as I assumed it would be, wonder if CI gets the short end of that particular stick for some reason?

 

[bertflyer]

I fly in/ot of MEL International regularly, the only airline that I have had to experience a Bus ride to the terminal upon arrival a few times has been with MH. Never with QF, EK, CX. Never had to catch a bus at MEL for departure.

 

[Vic]

Pretty common overseas
I don't think I have had a bus departure from DOH, but a bus on arrival in DOH is common. In fact I'd say I don't think I've had a gate arrival in DOH (maybe 1)
Looked to be busses this week in Sydney on the interational side. A Finnair aircraft in the qantas freight area. I reckon I've definitely observed busses to that stand off area dead center in front of the first lounge at Sydney.
Bus on arrival into Berlin, Munich and Vienna in the last year or so.
Have been bussed to a Qantas departure from LAX (pre covid, maybe QF12)

I'd go with common.

 

[jase05]

Out of interest is there any pattern to these DOH bus gates?
Just in the last 12 months alone I’ve done
KUL-DOH
DOH-DXB
AUH-DOH
DOH-ADL
SIN-DOH
DOH-SHJ
Not a single bus gate on any of those flights. Is it luck or the destinations?