Recent Experiences with QF’s new terminal transfer at SYD

[jpp42]

OZ and NZ PP not using Smartgate (why?)

Families mostly I would presume?

You can use SmartGates if you have an ePassport from an eligible country and be either a:

citizen or non-citizen aged 16 years or older, or
an Australian citizen aged 10 to 15 years old and travelling with at least two adults .

 

[jpp42]

Firstly, there may be equally long lines at domestic,

We're specifically talking about T3 Qantas domestic here , yes? There are automated kiosks. Even if they don't work for domestic connections off an International flight (not certain about this), there are rarely long lines at the service counter there. I agree nothing is guaranteed, but I would definitely take my chances with that if the queues were horrendous at the "seamless lite" counter.

 

[TheTravelExperience]

If I had arrived internationally into SYD with luggage, I’m not sure I’d take the risk of getting myself over to the domestic terminals to recheck in, when there is the facility to do it in (SYD) T1. My thinking being that staff in the international terminal understand the situation there, including luggage delays and the recheck line in front of them. If you’re delayed they can see it and hopefully sort it out for you with alternative connections.

I’m not sure I’d want to leave it up to any chance of arriving late over at the domestic terminal and hoping the check in staff there will be as understanding of any international transfer related delays.

Yes it might be quicker if there’s a long line at international, but it’s adding another couple of unknown levels of risk to head over to domestic to recheck in. Firstly, there may be equally long lines at domestic, and, (I’d really hope this doesn’t happen) the domestic staff may consider you have taken too long to make your connection.

Wait, so what happens to us if the staff at the check in desk feel we took long to make our connection?

Now I’m getting more worried

 

[serfty]

Wait, so what happens to us if the staff at the check in desk feel we took long to make our connection?

Now I’m getting more worried

No need to worry.

Traditionally the agents at the international to domestic check in desks have great flexibility in rebooking.

They are used to PAX often being somewhat vague after a long flight followed by the confronting (to many) processes for immigration and customs. With that they are unlikely to be judgemental should some get somewhat lost.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Occasionally, Smartgate will not work, am an Aust passport holder, and have had done the sojourn many times, pre covid/pre DPD.
On my one trip from Au - NZ, going out of Aust, the Smartgate wouldn't work.
I was very nevry when directed to a counter, thought ooohhh p8*, but the guy just swiped my passport, looked at me, then waved me through.
Don't know why outgoing Smartgate didn't want to work for me in that one instance.
Think it was MEL - WLG, on the SQ777 when it used to fly that route.
Edit:

If I had arrived internationally into SYD with luggage, I’m not sure I’d take the risk of getting myself over to the domestic terminals to recheck in, when there is the facility to do it in (SYD) T1. My thinking being that staff in the international terminal understand the situation there, including luggage delays and the recheck line in front of them. If you’re delayed they can see it and hopefully sort it out for you with alternative connections.

I thought that the main idea for QF bringing in seamless lite, is that they now do not have the ability to xray and check in bags in T1 anymore, (from a QFi to a QFd flight), and everyone has to carry their own bags and do the bag drop at T3, because its either SYD airport wants that spot back, or QF decided not to pay for the lease of that spot at T1 anymore.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If I had arrived internationally into SYD with luggage, I’m not sure I’d take the risk of getting myself over to the domestic terminals to recheck in, when there is the facility to do it in (SYD) T1. My thinking being that staff in the international terminal understand the situation there, including luggage delays and the recheck line in front of them. If you’re delayed they can see it and hopefully sort it out for you with alternative connections.

I thought that the main idea for QF bringing in seamless lite, is that they now do not have the ability to xray and check in bags in T1 anymore, (from a QFi to a QFd flight), and everyone has to carry their own bags and do the bag drop at T3, because its either SYD airport wants that spot back, or QF decided not to pay for the lease of that spot at T1 anymore.

 

[jpp42]

I thought that the main idea for QF bringing in seamless lite, is that they now do not have the ability to xray and check in bags in T1 anymore, (from a QFi to a QFd flight), and everyone has to carry their own bags and do the bag drop at T3, because its either SYD airport wants that spot back, or QF decided not to pay for the lease of that spot at T1 anymore.

Not at all! The area being given up at SYD T1 is not the baggage check area, it's the passenger screening area and bus pickup area on the secure side. The baggage check-in is unchanged. The difference is that after baggage check, instead of proceeding to the security check point, you now exit the building back to the outside curb and get a non-secure bus from there.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Ta Jpp42.

 

[TheTravelExperience]

No need to worry.

Traditionally the agents at the international to domestic check in desks have great flexibility in rebooking.

They are used to PAX often being somewhat vague after a long flight followed by the confronting (to many) processes for immigration and customs. With that they are unlikely to be judgemental should some get somewhat lost.

Okay thank you

 

[pbl22]

For my trip NZ to SYD in May, Smartgate did not work. I am NZ PP holder, but Aus resident. I had to join the long queue for Smartgate assistance. It took an hour to get through that. Queue seemed to be a roughly 50/50 mix of Oz and NZ people and a mix of vaxxed/unvaxxed. Then I had secondary as I am unvaxxed. This took an awful long time, intense grilling and a form filling for “emergency exemption” request. This was all despite the home affairs website clearly stating that NZ citizens ordinarily resident in AU face no border restrictions.

I am still confused as to why I had to fill an emergency exemption request (approx. 25% of the people ahead of me also had to fill in this form) and the guy who did secondary made some statements that are clearly untrue regarding the rules for border allowance (admittedly they only changed on 1 May).

However, with serfty’s observation that long queues at Smartgate assistance (really the queue for NZ/OZ people, as opposed to the even longer foreigners queue) are still there, it shows that they still haven’t sorted out their processing confusion.

 

[chooms]

Did this transfer last night after arriving from HNL on a delayed QF flight (around 1hr).

The CSM told us on board that there were basically only two pax on the flight that were staying in SYD... everyone else was connecting somewhere. I found it a little hard to believe until I saw everyone trundling down past the maccas and outside to the transfer shed.

We had already been rebooked on the next available flight so our connection was fine (on QF) but A LOT of pax were moved to JQ or overnight in SYD and then JQ the following day... but I digress.

The process was the same, except no security screening or airside transfer from T1 to T3. I agree with sentiments above that you would be much better off checking bags in at the T1 transfer desk and allowing the T1 agents to look at flight options. They seemed to have greater authority to move/check on things.

Was told there were two buses on last night alternating trips. We only had to wait 5 or so mins for a bus.

Interestingly, a QF staff member was outside with us and said the security screening and airside buses are coming back...

 

[jpp42]

Interestingly, a QF staff member was outside with us and said the security screening and airside buses are coming back...

Interesting, I saw someone said the X-ray machines are being dismantled - perhaps replaced with an upgraded model.

Does anyone know if it's the same buses that operate the ground-side T1->T3 and then the airside T3-T1 in the other direction? I am not sure if that is allowed without some kind of security inspection for the ground-side buses to enter the tarmac. If they are operating separate bus fleets for each side, it would stand to reason Qantas would be motivated to go back to the old system.

 

[chooms]

Interesting, I saw someone said the X-ray machines are being dismantled - perhaps replaced with an upgraded model.

Does anyone know if it's the same buses that operate the ground-side T1->T3 and then the airside T3-T1 in the other direction? I am not sure if that is allowed without some kind of security inspection for the ground-side buses to enter the tarmac. If they are operating separate bus fleets for each side, it would stand to reason Qantas would be motivated to go back to the old system.

Definitely not the same buses. Airside stay airside.

 

[Katie]

Interesting, I saw someone said the X-ray machines are being dismantled - perhaps replaced with an upgraded model.

Does anyone know if it's the same buses that operate the ground-side T1->T3 and then the airside T3-T1 in the other direction? I am not sure if that is allowed without some kind of security inspection for the ground-side buses to enter the tarmac. If they are operating separate bus fleets for each side, it would stand to reason Qantas would be motivated to go back to the old system.

That may have been me about the machines. When I went through on 21 May, the left side X-ray machine and paraphernalia was gone. The right side machine had been partly removed.

Things could have changed since then! I can only comment on what I saw at the time, not the longer term plans for the space.

 

[LinaLee]

Went through the transfer today at 8am and the security screening and air side bus is operating today. Bus leaves when full and you’re dropped off straight into terminal. This was the easy part.

However the queue for the recheck of bags was chockers. Queue started from the maccas and so slow that my 2.5 hours buffer was not sufficient resulting in a missed connection an downgrade to the next earliest available connection. Ironically that flight is also now delayed by another 1.5 hours

Have a question for those more in the know: is it not possible to have your luggage tagged all the way through to another domestic airport if going via Sydney? Sorry can’t remember now having not flown for a bit and using int/dom transfer cause I could have made my earlier flight If I had the bags pre-tagged. Thank.

 

[chooms]

Went through the transfer today at 8am and the security screening and air side bus is operating today. Bus leaves when full and you’re dropped off straight into terminal. This was the easy part.

However the queue for the recheck of bags was chockers. Queue started from the maccas and so slow that my 2.5 hours buffer was not sufficient resulting in a missed connection an downgrade to the next earliest available connection. Ironically that flight is also now delayed by another 1.5 hours

Have a question for those more in the know: is it not possible to have your luggage tagged all the way through to another domestic airport if going via Sydney? Sorry can’t remember now having not flown for a bit and using int/dom transfer cause I could have made my earlier flight If I had the bags pre-tagged. Thank.

It should be tagged all the way through but you still have to collect and go through the customs check (where you declare nothing untoward in your bags) and then drop them off at the dom transfer. Agree this line up is ridiculous and they need a better process. Not sure what that would be without a bigger footprint though.

 

[RichardMEL]

Occasionally, Smartgate will not work, am an Aust passport holder, and have had done the sojourn many times, pre covid/pre DPD.
On my one trip from Au - NZ, going out of Aust, the Smartgate wouldn't work.
I was very nevry when directed to a counter, thought ooohhh p8*, but the guy just swiped my passport, looked at me, then waved me through.

Poor Poochie, a lot of things get you a bit nervy when it doesn't go to your script huh? Try to chill a problem with the gate or NZ immi asking you a few questions(ie doing their job) doesn't mean you're a crim or have anything to be worried about ... unless you do?!

I have about a 70% success rate with the smartgates - well pre-covid. Most of the time good to go, other times - usually leaving the county rather than re-entering, it barfs. I am pretty certain it is a me thing as I wear glasses, take them off but probably blink at the wrong time or do not quite look properly at the scanner or whatever - ie user error. No issue, directed to an agent and it's easy as. It does seem funny that I don't recall it ever happening when I return to oz at any boder point. It's a minor inconvenience for sure but doesn't really make me nervy or worried just more that I probably stuffed it up and taking more time to be manually processed. Funnily enough have not had issues with similar gates in other countries.

Ah well, shall travel on a brand new passport (only took 11 weeks ) in a few months and see if this new one is better or worse for me (as in the picture, biometrics, and me doing the right thing

Glad to hear if the airside bus has returned - definitely much easier to get dropped at gate 15 as in days of old. Let's hope Seamless Light has... seen the light (my next flights out/in are via SYD)

 

[Mwenenzi]

Went through the transfer today at 8am and the security screening and air side bus is operating today. Bus leaves when full and you’re dropped off straight into terminal. This was the easy part.

Was that T1 to T3 (gate 15)?

 

[LinaLee]

Was that T1 to T3 (gate 15)?

Sorry don’t know the gate number but yea T1 to T3.

Post automatically merged: Jun 20, 2022

It should be tagged all the way through but you still have to collect and go through the customs check (where you declare nothing untoward in your bags) and then drop them off at the dom transfer. Agree this line up is ridiculous and they need a better process. Not sure what that would be without a bigger footprint though.

I guess I should have insisted a bit harder in KL to have it tagged all the way .

Re-learning again

 

[TheTravelExperience]

Sorry don’t know the gate number but yea T1 to T3.

Post automatically merged: Jun 20, 2022

I guess I should have insisted a bit harder in KL to have it tagged all the way .

Re-learning again

LinaLee, could I ask if you departed from KUL?

to the other forum members, two questions, I wonder could the MH desk at KL be unable to tag all the way to final destination ? And say if the MH desk in KUL is unable / unwilling to do it, could bring our boarding passes to the transit desk in SIN and ask them to do it, since SIN is where QF operates from, I would figure the agents there might be more on the ball?

granted I could try insisting at KUL...but seeking the path of least resistance