Saving a few dollars getting to Syd airport...

[moa999]

Is there a psecial area where you have to do the top up?
I like the idea of 3 points via AMEX and some QFF on top.

Most of the stores only have a single e-top terminal, normally at the cigarette counter.
I think Town Hall has two - one downstairs and one upstairs where there is normally less of a queue

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Most of the stores only have a single e-top terminal, normally at the cigarette counter.
I think Town Hall has two - one downstairs and one upstairs where there is normally less of a queue

Thanxs. By the sounds of it not so easy to do a shop and add the opal top up into the balance like I sometimes do with my telstra prepaid recharge.

 

[Warks]

My return ticket to domestic for my day trip to BNE was the most expensive component of my trip.

Airfare: $0 ('free' flight with Velocity Amex)
Train fare: $38.80 (1 hour all stations trip, two trains)
Car rental: $35 (Thrifty's 'Metro car' deal - bargain - they didn't charge me the extra $7 for airport location)
Fuel: $10
Tolls: dunno yet - I think I went on every toll road in BNE.
Meals: $0 Virgin Lounge breakfast, late lunch.

So there you have it. Train was the most expensive part. However a taxi is probably over $130. Driving would be at least $25 in tolls and $50-60 in short term parking plus running costs. Still love the train - just seems more expensive buying a return than two singles. Would I have saved with an Opal card?

 

[medhead]

Thanxs. By the sounds of it not so easy to do a shop and add the opal top up into the balance like I sometimes do with my telstra prepaid recharge.

It is very easy.

 

[erkpod]

My return ticket to domestic for my day trip to BNE was the most expensive component of my trip.

Airfare: $0 ('free' flight with Velocity Amex)
Train fare: $38.80 (1 hour all stations trip, two trains)
Car rental: $35 (Thrifty's 'Metro car' deal - bargain - they didn't charge me the extra $7 for airport location)
Fuel: $10
Tolls: dunno yet - I think I went on every toll road in BNE.
Meals: $0 Virgin Lounge breakfast, late lunch.

So there you have it. Train was the most expensive part. However a taxi is probably over $130. Driving would be at least $25 in tolls and $50-60 in short term parking plus running costs. Still love the train - just seems more expensive buying a return than two singles. Would I have saved with an Opal card?

Daily travel cap excluding gate fees at airport stations with Opal is $15.

 

[ethernet]

Sydney, Melbourne, Perth taxis among most expensive in the world

Fancy that - Income adjusted, AU has most expensive taxis in the world. This is shameful!
I expect our public transport from the Airport is up there too.

Along with PPP, Benchmarking used to be a hot management topic, but if you look at railway tunnel costs Vs Switzerland we are 3-4x higher. I think thats a fail across the board.

For this reason I am a big fan of hire cars. This time I located link road, and waited there(with the engine running) until the call and whipped in and out the 15 minute pickup. No revenue for them.

I see we have had years of talk talk talk and no action. Lets hope Uber and RideSurfing beat up this 17th century gorging model.

 

[TripleB]

A slight necrobump - but I've 'discovered' another option (walking or taking the 400 bus to Mascot station is fantastic - but this is just another option and can be slightly cheaper - and more suitable depending on your destination*) - stay on the 400 bus an extra couple of stops and get out at Mascot shops (opposite the post office) and then cross the road to swap to the M20 301 or 310 which leave from the post office (the 301 goes around the houses so worth waiting for the next city bound bus if one isn't too far away).

If you use an Opal you will avoid paying the non-integrated bus to train '[non-]transfer' fare and pay the cheaper bus-bus transfer fare (saving is in the order of $1.60). An alternative is to walk to Mascot Shops - rather than heading straight on after you go across Qantas drive down O'Roirdon St - turn right down Robey St or Baxter St. I reckon the walk is slightly longer than the walk to Mascot station but with fewer streets to cross so might be a tad quicker.

The advantages are maybe a slight cash saving and if your end destination is somewhere other than one of the city circle train stations Redfern, Surry Hills or you are heading north of the harbour on a bus - then with the m20 you can get to the Wynyard bus stops on York St really easily (and you will cap out on 11+ sectors so the bus-bus-bus from the airport to your destination will cost only $3.50). Obviously even with no traffic the bus from Mascot Shops to the city is slower than the train from Mascot Station to the city.


*my two destinations when I get off a flight are either Danks St in Waterloo or the Hills District (Oakes Rd M2 stop - because the 620s and 642s only run during the week) - so this works especially well for me. I appreciate that very few people are going to either of these places so this is of limited use for >99% of people - but it would result in a slight saving if you were taking the 400 to mascot station and then the train to the city.

 

[SoulFood]

Honestly, I don't think the train is THAT expensive....though I take your point.
Compared to taking a cab, the train is still much cheaper. And pretty much on par with the Melbourne Sky Bus which is CBD-Airport.

 

[TripleB]

Honestly, I don't think the train is THAT expensive....though I take your point.
Compared to taking a cab, the train is still much cheaper. And pretty much on par with the Melbourne Sky Bus which is CBD-Airport.

I think that you are right - it's not outrageous in the scheme of things - but I think that it's always nice to know how you can save a few dollars if you wish. I personally like the walk to Botany Station or Post Office and save myself $10 in the process. Double win

 

[medhead]

Honestly, I don't think the train is THAT expensive....though I take your point.
Compared to taking a cab, the train is still much cheaper. And pretty much on par with the Melbourne Sky Bus which is CBD-Airport.

When saving $10 a trip it all adds up. Weekly trips to Sydney, that makes $200 a year. Not to mention the exercise.

The train is only cheaper if you're 1 person. once you have 2 or more travelling to the CBD a cab is the cheapest option. Took 5 of us to the CBD in a cab for the family holiday for $65, right to the door of the hotel. Would have been $80 on the train, plus walking. If we could have taken a standard cab that would have been $40 against $64.

 

[markis10]

When saving $10 a trip it all adds up. Weekly trips to Sydney, that makes $200 a year. Not to mention the exercise.

The train is only cheaper if you're 1 person. once you have 2 or more travelling to the CBD a cab is the cheapest option. Took 5 of use to the CBD in a cab for the family holiday for $65, right to the door of the hotel. Would have been $80 on the train, plus walking. If we could have taken a standard cab that would have been $40 against $64.

It would have been $47.60 on the train for the family, not $80 if the kids are 16 or under.

 

[medhead]

It would have been $47.60 on the train for the family, not $80 if the kids are 16 or under.

Not sure about that, 3 adults @15.90 gets me to $47.70, plus 1 possible adult depending on age cut off and 1 child.

 

[markis10]

Not sure about that, 3 adults @15.90 gets me to $47.70, plus 1 possible adult depending on age cut off and 1 child.

That was for a family of two adults and kids 16 and under, after the first one they are free.

 

[medhead]

That was for a family of two adults and kids 16 and under, after the first one they are free.

The $80 estimate was for the 5 of us. So on todays fare's, that should be 3@$17 + 1@$13.60 = $64.60. So we just saved walking our suitcases around the CBD.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Honestly, I don't think the train is THAT expensive....though I take your point.
Compared to taking a cab, the train is still much cheaper. And pretty much on par with the Melbourne Sky Bus which is CBD-Airport.

I was just imagining all these cute ways to cut transport costs and then we catch an F flight out !!

 

[UP4014]

I was just imagining all these cute ways to cut transport costs and then we catch an F flight out !!

One thing to pay your favourite airline, another indeed to pay Macquarie Bank to use a railway station.

Matt

 

[markis10]

One thing to pay your favourite airline, another indeed to pay Macquarie Bank to use a railway station.

Matt

You are paying Westpac, not Macbank when it comes to Airport Link Co.

 

[UP4014]

You are paying Westpac, not Macbank when it comes to Airport Link Co.

That's right, didn't they go bust or just about and changed bankers. Can't remember the full story.

 

[markis10]

That's right, didn't they go bust or just about and changed bankers. Can't remember the full story.

Like most tunnel consortiums they went bust, Westpac was secured and have sat on it since.

 

[JohnK]

Honestly, I don't think the train is THAT expensive....though I take your point.
Compared to taking a cab, the train is still much cheaper. And pretty much on par with the Melbourne Sky Bus which is CBD-Airport.

Not quite SYD but Brisbane CBD - Domestic airport via airtrain is ~$16 each way. Go one stop outside CBD, such as Milton, and cost is ~$20 each way. Time to/from Milton is ~40-45 minutes.

Or take train to Toombul, bus to DFO and TBus to airport. After 9 trips in a Monday-Sunday week this is FREE or ~$4.80 in peak travel if you haven't done 9 trips. Same for return from airport. Travel time ~60-75 minutes.

Do this on 30-35 return trips a year and the saving is over $1000. More than worth the extra effort.