Jetstar chaos at Sydney

[CaptTidybeard]

I arrived back to Australia from DFW Sunday 01 Dec 0635. It was a smooth trip through Immigration, Baggage Collection, Customs and Bus to Terminal 2. Unfortunately, to save a few dollars, I had booked a return flight with Jetstar back to CNS, instead of just going one way CNS-SYD and multi-city from DFW-CNS with Qantas.
JQ952 left on time at 1130, but the time between arriving at T2 at 0715 until take-off was pure chaos.
Firstly the kiosk will not let you get your baggage tags until 3 hours before departure. After finally tagging your bags, you can't drop your bags off at the "bag drop" until 2 hours before departure. After having checked in "online" and getting your barcoded baggage tags, you still can't just drop them off at the"bag drop". You have to physically wait in line just to drop your bags at the "bag drop". The line snaked through the winding taped areas, ending at the kiosk, where you originally get your tags.
Why do you have to wait in line for 1 hour, just to have a person at the counter put your bags on the conveyor belt? You are already checked in online and your bags are tagged. For over a decade, Qantas in Perth have used a system where you tag your bags, then put them on a conveyor belt yourself, over 5 HOURS before your flight. The bags are identified and weighed, then move to the baggage handling area. Why not Sydney???
Jetstar executives should readily see the system itself is a perpetual motion machine for chaos. People that are too early to drop off their bags are being sent out of the line, others are being pulled out of the line because their flight is boarding, the ground staff are constantly dealing with frustrated passengers just trying to get to the "bag drop". After travelling to US, UK & Slovenia for 3 months, Jetstar at Sydney T2 was utter chaos. They couldn't have planned it worse if they paid someone to do a study on inefficiency, time wasting and frustration.
Still, I got home on time, then heard on the news planes were delayed that afternoon when a band of heavy rain came through, shutting down operations. God knows how the "bag drop" situation evolved due to that.
The moral of the story; Don't take Jetstar out of Sydney T2 just to save a few dollars!!!

 

[Dr Ralph]

The moral of the story; Don't take Jetstar out of Sydney T2 just to save a few dollars!!!

Incorrect. The moral of the story is don't fly Jetstar. Ever.

 

[jrfsp]

Not really jetstar’s fault - it’s the issue with T2 SYD, lack of baggage holding capacity and no investment in automated bag drop.

 

[jastel]

If you never struck this before in US or UK/Europe you've either been very lucky or not on low cost carriers.

But I agree its stupid, they say get to airport 3 hours early for smooth travel then make you wait until 1 hour before the plane to take your bags off you...so you still end up rushing through security with the other few hundred people on the same flight and have no time to spend any money in the terminal or go to the lounge if you are able.

 

[Flyerwin]

Incorrect. The moral of the story is don't fly Jetstar. Ever.

LOL I thought it was just me. I really dislike JQ... never had a good experience with them unfortunately.

 

[downgraded]

Not really jetstar’s fault - it’s the issue with T2 SYD, lack of baggage holding capacity and no investment in automated bag drop.

Not a T2 issue at all. It's one of expectation. You're flying an LCC. You just did the bag management for them for a couple of hours because you haven't paid them to do it for you. What do you expect from an LCC?

 

[moa999]

Definitely a Sydney T2 issue. Virgin is just as bad.

Thankfully they will be spending $$ to improve the situation.

T2 Domestic gets major overhaul

Sydney Airport has unveiled its design vision for the much-anticipated overhaul of the T2 Domestic terminal, the first major redevelopment in more than three decades at Australia’s busiest domestic terminal. The $200 million investment aims to provid

www.sydneyairport.com.au

 

[Rhondaz]

This baggage acceptance start time is across all JQ ports however you can sometimes get an agent to override the system if you ask nicely.

 

[DC3]

…the kiosk will not let you get your baggage tags until 3 hours before departure. After finally tagging your bags, you can't drop your bags off at the "bag drop" until 2 hours before departure. After having checked in "online" and getting your barcoded baggage tags, you still can't just drop them off at the"bag drop". You have to physically wait in line just to drop your bags at the "bag drop". The line snaked through the winding taped areas, ending at the kiosk, where you originally get your tags.

I understand that this is pretty much normal.
Anyway, I keep clear of Jetstar these days.