qantas domestic lounge sydney

[oldbackpacker]

hi to you all!
i have been stalking this site for a while whilst planning my round the world trip with my husband which begins next month-this is my first post on this site-love all the info and banter-really entertaining and informative. have booked everything on the net with many stopovers with many different airlines.
my trip starts from syndey with a domestic flight with qantas to melbourne. our flight leaves sydney 8pm.
my question is-how early can you check your baggage in for a domestic flight from sydney to melbourne? i ask this because i was kindly given 2 complimentary qantas lounge passes and need to use them as they expire very soon and this will be our only opportunity.
we will be checking in online but then have to check in bags when we get there. would like to spend as long as we can in the lounge as we have a long overnight from melbourne after. can we drop our bags at say 5pm for an 8pm flight to melbourne????
have never been in sydney domestic lounge before-any comments??? was very happy with the international lounge on the few occasions we have been there-is there any comparison??

 

[djfuzz]

Welcome to AFF.

Where are you going and how much time do you have between flights in MEL?

IMHO with all things being equal, I suspect your time might be better spent in an international J lounge rather than the SYD Qantas Club, which is not exactly the sort of place you'd voluntarily want to while away three hours. Not that it's bad, but things to do are pretty much limited to grabbing a modest bite to eat, having a drink, using WiFi to do some work/browsing, and watching planes taxi out of the gates - which you could comfortably do in about an hour, unless you plan on getting very tipsy before your flight (which may not be the best idea if connecting to an overnighter). But then again, at least there's a view in SYD unlike the 'bunker' in MEL. Also, the SYD QP would probably be much busier than the MEL international J lounge at that time of night.

As for checking bags, I believe you can do so up to three hours prior to your flight:
Online Check-in when travelling with bags

All things to consider, but ultimately it comes down to how much time you have in various places and how you'd prefer to spend that time.

 

[oldbackpacker]

thanks for your prompt reply djfuzz (luv the name-conjurs up some bizarre images!)
not flying internationally with either qantas or jetstar from melbourne so our only option for using our passes is domestic sydney (unfortunately!)
not planning on getting wasted before our long night-just want to chill out for a few hours before our flight in a bit more comfort than the departure gate!
we have a 1.5 hr trip to the airport so dont want to rush things once there!
have 3.5 hours in melbourne to get from domestic to international terminal and check in for our flight.

 

[ejb]

I would have also recommended to use it at the Int J lounge.....however....

You can check in 3 hours before a flight from memory, so you should have ample time to relax and enjoy the lounge.

ejb

 

[djfuzz]

not planning on getting wasted before our long night-just want to chill out for a few hours before our flight in a bit more comfort than the departure gate!
we have a 1.5 hr trip to the airport so dont want to rush things once there!

Well, you'll certainly have that - again, provided that you avoid the peak hour rush, during which seating can be at a bit of a premium. Try and get yourself a twosome by the window and you'll be right I imagine. Also, with such a long trip to the airport, you might even want to take a shower there before you get on the plane.

have 3.5 hours in melbourne to get from domestic to international terminal and check in for our flight.

That process involves walking 100m under the same roof - I'm sure you'll make it.

Where / with whom are you heading from MEL?

thanks for your prompt reply djfuzz (luv the name-conjurs up some bizarre images!)

I shudder to think!

 

[oldbackpacker]

haha! you should be shuddering!!! we are off to kl with air asia!!!!!-i am aware that there are very mixed reviews on this airline and that the seats are very uncomfortable!-there is a slight possiblility we may be on one of the newly refitted aircraft but will only know when we board i suppose! we got very very cheap fares which has allowed us to do all of the amazing trip we have booked- are then off to langkawi for a short break with air asia and then on to london with them-in their premium seats this time (should be more comfortable)-there our air asia adventures cease! we will be away for a total of 3 months! all of the airfares we have booked have been sale fares and we have estimated our trip would have cost 10 times more if we had paid full fares -have plenty of time on my hands and found it a great challenge!

 

[djfuzz]

Very nice - hope you make the most of your time in the lounge then, and have a fantastic trip!

 

[medhead]

Just sitting in the Sydeny domestic QC and there is a G.H. Mumm stand set up. it wasn't open at 6:30 pm when i got here, but looks like there might be the chance for some fine french bubbles in the Sydney QP for a short period of time.

It terms of seating, it is a pretty hard to get a seat about from about 6:30 to about 7:30 pm (I usually have a shower on arrival) but hopefully if your here right at 5 pm you can beat the rush.

 

[oldbackpacker]

thanks for all of your replies!
mumm eh??? bet they dont have that available when we are there-my plan not to get wasted may come to an end! -i suppose one small glass would be ok-or two!
thanks again!

 

[k_sheep]

I find the airasia seats comfortable enough, so don't stress about that It sounds like an amazing trip, I'm jealous! Have a great time

 

[JohnK]

You should be OK getting to the airport at 5:00pm for an 8:00pm flight. You may even be able to drop off your bags a little earlier as you would have already checked in online.

The Qantas Lounge is a nice place to relax. At that time of the day they should bring out some hot finger food and there are always cold meats and salads around. Have some beverages of your choice and you should be able to relax before your flight.

Have a great trip....