QF Connecting Flight Question

[Rusty776]

Hi

Travelling back from the USA with family of four in September (flying economy). Was thinking of requesting an upgrade on the last leg back to Perth. Not sure if there is enough time between flights. Mel lands 7.30 am and flight to Perth departs 9.35am. From peoples experience is this enough time... and not even sure If I'll get it anyway.

 

[JohnM]

What’s your status? What day of the week? What aircraft type?

These will affect it - but trying to get four will be the killer, I think.

But you have nothing to lose by putting in a request.

 

[Rusty776]

What’s your status? What day of the week? What aircraft type?

These will affect it - but trying to get four will be the killer, I think.

But you have nothing to lose by putting in a request.

Lowly bronze, Thursday, QF485 A330.

That's what i was thinking.. throw in the request and see what happens. Just wasn't sure if it would be tight for time.

 

[sudoer]

Mel lands 7.30 am and flight to Perth departs 9.35am. From peoples experience is this enough time...

Plenty. QF domestic terminal is right next door to international arrivals.

 

[JohnM]

Two hours should be OK but it’s always hard to tell.

Personally, I allow more time - but that’s partly because as a J traveller I like to travel at ‘natural’ lunch or dinner time.

 

[dajop]

MEL arrival, 7:30 am, assuming on time, bad case scenario:
10 mins for doors to be opened
5 mins to disembark
5 mins walk to immigration
10 mins for queuing to get ticket and at smart gates - although how old are children? Can they use smart gate?
Another 15mins for luggage to come out
30 min queue for customs clearance
5 mins to domestic

Still leaves 15 mins for bag drop to close for the PER flight. But the wait for customs could also be just 5-10 mins, and luggage could come out quicker than 45 mins after arriving also.

The biggest variable is if you can’t use smart gate, that could add a considerable amount of time. But still, 1:35 to get to domestic to drop bags should be enough.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Transfer from MEL int to MEL dom, as the above have said, is easily done, if your QF agent in the US has given you a BP for all the way to PER.
Same interconnected terminal from T2 to T1, just have go one level up, from arrivals into the open public area from the ABF area, go up the travellators with your bags to T1 QFd checkin.
You have to collect your bags off the coursel yourself, its very unlikely you can link onto QF9 at 15.15 to PER, and do incoming immi and customs at PER int T1, so you have to pick bags up off carousel in MEL, and bring it out to the division between red and green zone, and ten out that black walk through box thing, out to open zone.
Lots of assumptions, but if all goes well/to plan, and they don't want/pick you or your family to open bags, it can be done.
Hard to say though.
Edit: thing is though, QF and VA have a habit of swapping equipment, so what you see now is a nice widebody 330, but they can easily change it to a lowly 737.
O/T, I had QF change my ideal J plane, about 2 years ago, from a 330 MEL - SYD (I had paid ($) for a J seat, wanted to try it out), they swapped "my" plane to a 737!
Had to chase up 3 times, because each time after I rang, and got a new etix, it was again changed to a 737.
Best of luck anyway.

 

[Rusty776]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Looks doable but certainly worried about a plane change, as it is around AFL grand final time.

 

[BD1959]

Certainly do-able - and if on the one ticket then allowable and protected by QF if you miss-connect.

I don't think your upgrade would necessarily be protected though if you were to miss the connection ... and if the following flight is a 737 you may even miss that if your upgrade were protected but the J cabin was full.

Regards,

BD

 

[RichardMEL]

If you're talking different tickets I would not risk it. If on the same ticket/booking then absolutely no issue - and if you're delayed QF will rebook (maybe upgrades - if they come through - may be lost specially if the next flight is a 737, but QF would take care of you).

I wouldn't chance it with separate bookings myself even though 2 hours should be absolutely fine even traveling in Y.

 

[ellen10]

We will be flying J SIN - MEL and then on to SYD (J). Our transit time is 1h 30m. Hoping this will be enough.

 

[dajop]

We will be flying J SIN - MEL and then on to SYD (J). Our transit time is 1h 30m. Hoping this will be enough.

All on one ticket? If so, because SYD-MEL flights run so frequently, they will simply put you on a later flight, so I wouldn't be concerned about 1:30.

Last time I flew SIN-MEL, arrived at gate at 9:18 and was getting on a bus from public bus area (which is 10mins walk - a lot further away than the domestic bag drop) at 10:02 - and had luggage (which took ages to come out).

 

[Hvr]

We will be flying J SIN - MEL and then on to SYD (J). Our transit time is 1h 30m. Hoping this will be enough.

With express passes you'll be fine. In the unfortunate event of a delay then you'll be protected and QF will simply put you on the next MEL-SYD flight of which there are plenty.

I've been from plane door to landside in 10 minutes at MEL. It is generally a very efficient airport and with the domestic terminals underneath the same roof it's easy to get to your next flight.

 

[downloadingdata]

Now if only they can change the biosecurity law so you can check your luggage to the final destination...

 

[Quickstatus]

INT to DOM and on the same ticket is almost always never an issue

Factor in toilet breaks, breakfast in airport and kids in tow and not rushing will make 2 hours a tight squeeze. Not factored in are delays which you cant plan for.
Remember you still need to claim your luggage and recheck the bags even though the USA checkin have tagged your bags all the way to PER.

While its no problem with short connections (as the airline will recheck you to a later flight if you miss the original), it can be hard with kids. So dont stress. Dont rush to make a flight back to PER. The airline will put you on a later one.

If they put you on a later flight you will need to queue up and get them to retag the bags

Unfortunately the flight after the 0935 is a 737:
QF475 (737) 1120hrs
QF769 (A332) 1240hrs

 

[ellen10]

Thanks @dajop and @Hvr for your replys , yes the flights are all on the same ticket. I was a little disappointed at the small connection time. But given that I had to push to get the flights included in my multi award ticket - I could see them but the agent couldn't - I was just happy to get the final leg ticketed.

I totally forgot that we would have to collect our bags and go through security, so probably no lounge time. (small problems).

 

[Hvr]

Now if only they can change the biosecurity law so you can check your luggage to the final destination...

You can check you luggage through to its final destination, you just have to get them through Border Farce and quarantine upon arrival in Australia.

If they went to your final domestic destination then they would have to separate bags according to their origin and arrange for an inspection. Imagine having to go to a separate arrivals hall at your final destination to collect your bags? Not in any way efficient.

There would also be an increased risk of bio-security hazards being allowed into the country and contaminating even more bags due to them being carried on different planes and increased internal handling.