Qantas bus gates in Sydney

[Auzzieflyer]

Qantas does seem to be using a large number of bus gates in Sydney. Do you thing they are choosing these gate to cut costs in Jetstar style?

 

[gaz0303]

Domestic - buses are just for the dash-8’s
International - seems a gate capacity issue in the morning and several airlines have to use buses

 

[yachty]

Presume you mean international? T1 is always packed in the morning, I doubt they have a choice. I've had bus gates for many airlines at SYD in the last year or so, most recently ANA, and recall it being pretty common pre-COVID too.

 

[dylarr]

The assignment of gates at SYD T1 is managed by SACL. If the airport is busy then any airline could be assigned a remote stand.

 

[SYD]

Touchwood, I’ve not had a bus to gate ever arriving (nor departing) SYD T1 flying QF (or any other airline). I’ve often wondered which airlines were using those buses I’d seen parked across from the QF lounges.

I do recall last year waiting quite a while for a gate to free up (I might have been on CX) but no suggestion of taking a remote stand if the departing flight was further delayed.

 

[Himeno]

I only recall having to use a bus to/from a remote stand at SYD twice. Once was out to a dash 8. Another was from a JAL 787 after the NRT-SYD (late 2019) arrived late (2 hours late after prior service arrived late in Tokyo)

 

[tdimdad]

I've departed recently on QF291 (to SIN) from a bus gate. At the same time we also had QF19 (to MNL) at the neighbouring gate. The waiting area was a zoo until the staff started to let people into the queues (and that was a bit of a show in itself). They also had just had QF23 (BKK) go out from there.

 

[Auzzieflyer]

It seems like it’s only Qantas flights are impacted.

Post automatically merged: Mar 28, 2024

I've departed recently on QF291 (to SIN) from a bus gate. At the same time we also had QF19 (to MNL) at the neighbouring gate. The waiting area was a zoo until the staff started to let people into the queues (and that was a bit of a show in itself). They also had just had QF23 (BKK) go out from there.

I agree - the bus gates a poorly managed in Sydney.

 

[yachty]

It seems like it’s only Qantas flights are impacted.

You could just check the SYD website... today it shows Xiamen Airlines, T'way, Qantas, Capital Airlines, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand using bus gates.

 

[Brucetiki]

Only time I've ever got a remote stand at SYD was a JQ flight late on a Friday night that had come in from ADL (as in we landed at a remote stand at T2). Was a slower disembarkment than normal (as you'd expect when landing at a remote stand) but not exactly the end of the world. Plus it meant less of a wait at the carousel for baggage.

 

[NSun]

I've been lucky enough not to use a bus gate internationally from SYD, although I did notice Gates 30, 32 and 34 were out of action for a couple of months last year with works that appeared to be repaving works.

Domestically from T3, it is about half the Dash-8 flights, those that leave from Gate 1C and I actually don't mind it because the buses aren't that cramped given the number of passengers on Dash 8 flights and you get up close to the aircraft, there's often an A380 in maintenance in the hangar. I do imagine a bus would be a zoo when you're bussing over 200 passengers out to a remote gate.

 

[Skyring]

I had my first bus ride - apart from the Transfer Bus of Despair - in February, riding a bus to a B738 at the freight terminal.

 

[jase05]

It seems like it’s only Qantas flights are impacted

I was in the VA lounge in MEL recently and couldn’t believe the number of International aircraft parking out in the boondocks and being bussed in. Welcome to Australia and the glorious Melbourne showers as you exit the aircraft

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Nearly all my intl flights at syd get bus gate. Very common early am for flights to and from nz. Worst stand to get is over by domestic, which on departure guarantees at least 30 mins late and on arrival it is a painful hour to complete transit to domestic terminal that was so close.

 

[RichardMEL]

I was in the VA lounge in MEL recently and couldn’t believe the number of International aircraft parking out in the boondocks and being bussed in. Welcome to Australia and the glorious Melbourne showers as you exit the aircraft

I've never, in all my time had or seen a bus used at MEL for int (or dom).

There are freight handling bays to the South of the VA T3(and T4) and yup, some ac do park over there with longer layovers. Typically though, aircraft park directly to the west of the international gates in the holding pen. Most common to see the EK A380 during the day as it has a long downtime between flights. Towed into a gate when needed.

 

[elanshin]

Reading this thread must've jinxed it. Just landed on QF60 (finally got the Japanese set menu!) and here we are at a remote gate at QF Freight.

Edit: on the flip side that was the fastest run through SYD I've ever had. Plane touched down at 9:50 on the runway, onto the bus and out of the airport by 10:20 with checked luggage.

 

[dylarr]

I've never, in all my time had or seen a bus used at MEL for int (or dom).

There are freight handling bays to the South of the VA T3(and T4) and yup, some ac do park over there with longer layovers. Typically though, aircraft park directly to the west of the international gates in the holding pen. Most common to see the EK A380 during the day as it has a long downtime between flights. Towed into a gate when needed.

I've had a bus a couple of times at MEL. Once on a QF 787 from LAX. Last year I was on a JQ 787 from SGN that actually parked at a JQ domestic gate at T4 and we were bussed back to T2.

 

[yachty]

I have seen plenty of int'l arrivals on bus bays at MEL too. Before COVID it seemed Jetstar, Malaysian and Etihad were the most common.

 

[mattew225]

I agree - the bus gates a poorly managed in Sydney.

Repeating pattern with a few issues though so no surprise. At least this seems to be eventuating only (mainly at least) in peak times

 

[1022]

I've had a few bus gate international departures from SYD T1. It's always been a zoo and Qantas priority boarding is even more non-existent than it usually is! Though I guess the blame is with SACL rather than the airlines seeing as the downstairs space simply can't comfortably handle one full wide-body worth of passengers, let alone a few at a time. My last experience there was on Xmas day going to NAN on QF. VA was boarding NAN at the next gate and JQ was boarding a NZ flight on the other side. Complete breakdown of process and communication between gate staff and bus operators. Confusion every time a new bus pulled in as to which flight's pax is was meant to load. Honestly felt like I was in MNL or DEL with the chaos and crowds.