Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

[Kangol]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Have any WPs been able to get an outbound express pass from the QF F check in desk when travelling on JQi?
Or are they only for WPs/OWEs travelling on OW flights?

 

[smit0847]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

If you were doing the JQ36 then JQ35 MEL-SYD-MEL FLounge run on say a Saturday, JQ36 leaves MEL at 9am which, unless you were super keen on getting up early. you would probably just check-in normally after 6am in the normal check-in queue.

My question then is, could you get both boarding passes (i.e. also the JQ35) at the same time? If you have your SYD-MEL boarding pass when you land in SYD would you even need to leave airside and go through immigration again? Wouldn't this be a simple transfer just as if you were doing AKL-SYD-AKL all in the same day?

If so, this would give you 2+ hours in the MEL Flounge for breakfast and then 3 - 4 hours in the SYD Flounge for lunch.

That would be a pretty awesome Saturday - you could sleep off the booze on each JQ flight and be ready to go again!

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

If you were doing the JQ36 then JQ35 MEL-SYD-MEL FLounge run on say a Saturday, JQ36 leaves MEL at 9am which, unless you were super keen on getting up early. you would probably just check-in normally after 6am in the normal check-in queue.

My question then is, could you get both boarding passes (i.e. also the JQ35) at the same time? If you have your SYD-MEL boarding pass when you land in SYD would you even need to leave airside and go through immigration again? Wouldn't this be a simple transfer just as if you were doing AKL-SYD-AKL all in the same day?

If so, this would give you 2+ hours in the MEL Flounge for breakfast and then 3 - 4 hours in the SYD Flounge for lunch.

That would be a pretty awesome Saturday - you could sleep off the booze on each JQ flight and be ready to go again!

If you are doing the double you dont need the second BP until boarding so long as you OLCI, and you use the transit on arrival in SYD.

 

[nlagalle]

If you are doing the double you dont need the second BP until boarding so long as you OLCI, and you use the transit on arrival in SYD.

But doesn't that irk immigration? You BP is different too the flight?

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

But doesn't that irk immigration? You BP is different too the flight?

It was a case of didnt bat an eyelid x 7 last time I am aware it was done

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I did a similar thing a while back travelling BNE/SYD on QF8 then JQ35 SYD/MEL. It was booked in the one QF pnr as part of a multi-city any seat award so when I did OLCI on QF site I was able to print out both boarding passes. The orange 'D' sticker was attached only to the SYD/MEL boarding pass so Customs processed myself & travelling companions as transit pax only in SYD as we were clearing immigration in MEL being our destination.

If you were doing the JQ36 then JQ35 MEL-SYD-MEL FLounge run on say a Saturday, JQ36 leaves MEL at 9am which, unless you were super keen on getting up early. you would probably just check-in normally after 6am in the normal check-in queue.

My question then is, could you get both boarding passes (i.e. also the JQ35) at the same time? If you have your SYD-MEL boarding pass when you land in SYD would you even need to leave airside and go through immigration again? Wouldn't this be a simple transfer just as if you were doing AKL-SYD-AKL all in the same day?

If so, this would give you 2+ hours in the MEL Flounge for breakfast and then 3 - 4 hours in the SYD Flounge for lunch.

That would be a pretty awesome Saturday - you could sleep off the booze on each JQ flight and be ready to go again!

To be classed as a genuine transit pax on your itin MEL/SYD/MEL you would need to obtain both boarding passes from JQ with the orange 'D' sticker affixed only to the return sector SYD/MEL. That way you will be processed by Customs as a transit pax ie they won't be trying to hunt for you when you are otherwise occupied in the F Lounge in SYD.

You will need to project manage this yourself as I'm sure the JQ staff in MEL will automatically want to put the 'D' sticker on both boarding passes because let's face it, how many times would someone have done the same day return on domestic legs of JQi flights?

If you are doing the double you dont need the second BP until boarding so long as you OLCI, and you use the transit on arrival in SYD.

AFAIK if you are only in possession of a MEL/SYD JQ36 boarding pass you would have a 'D' sticker on that boarding pass so Customs will process you as a domestic pax who is expected to clear customs on arrival in SYD.

But doesn't that irk immigration? You BP is different too the flight?

Yes it does because they were expecting someone (hello LiamR ) to clear customs who didn't. The Customs process is a bit like the boarding process - the airline can see the names of pax yet to board the aircraft whereas Customs see the names of the people yet to clear immigration so they're kind of like a 'fail to deboard pax'.

It was a case of didnt bat an eyelid x 7 last time I am aware it was done

ISTR that 6 of those pax did end up clearing immigration then recleared for the return flight first before proceeding to the F Lounge so it was only our abovementioned AFFer who was missing in action. I'm happy to be corrected but that is my understanding of the course of events.

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

ISTR that 6 of those pax did end up clearing immigration then recleared for the return flight first before proceeding to the F Lounge so it was only our abovementioned AFFer who was missing in action. I'm happy to be corrected but that is my understanding of the course of events.

Actually I think it was more than 6 of us that just went through transit and picked up a BP at the Gate for JQ35, there was me, Markis10 snr, Mr L Wilson, Straitman, Jess and friend along with a certain self upgrader and accomplice who missed the F lounge in MEL owing to sleeping in. None of us got any curry from Customs, as long as we had a D sticker on a BP from another Aus city it was all good, surprisingly easy really. The four hours in the Sydney f lounge was hard....

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Actually I think it was more than 6 of us that just went through transit and picked up a BP at the Gate for JQ35, there was me, Markis10 snr, Mr L Wilson, Straitman, Jess and friend along with a certain self upgrader and accomplice who missed the F lounge in MEL owing to sleeping in. None of us got any curry from Customs, as long as we had a D sticker on a BP from another Aus city it was all good, surprisingly easy really. The four hours in the Sydney f lounge was hard....

So why would they not treat LiamR the same way as the rest of you assuming it was the same trip?

 

[JessicaTam]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

So why would they not treat LiamR the same way as the rest of you assuming it was the same trip?

LiamR's 'indiscretion' was on a previous trip. I think that time he did not have a D sticker, but I am not sure.
The more recent trip markis10 is referring to just had most of us producing the OLCI docs at the gate when boarding. I say most of us as two of us managed to obtain both BPs and Ds when checking in at MEL. "Smug bugger" was the term used ISTR.

 

[LiamR]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

LiamR's 'indiscretion' was on a previous trip. I think that time he did not have a D sticker, but I am not sure.
The more recent trip markis10 is referring to just had most of us producing the OLCI docs at the gate when boarding. I say most of us as two of us managed to obtain both BPs and Ds when checking in at MEL. "Smug bugger" was the term used ISTR.

No I had a D sticker on both BPs, but in Sydney I was suppose to 1. Checkin, 2. Clear Immigration (and have my JQ35 BP stamped) 3. Board the plane.

However since 1 & 2 didn't occur I had no SYD customs stamp on my BP so upon arrival in MEL they were trying to figure out how I simply skipped immigration.Somehow drewbles and his +1 did the same as me but didn't get picked up by customs. Hmmm

The next day I got a call from Melbourne Airport customs after they figured out how I pulled this off, asking for my JQ36 BP back because it was never collected by a customs official and they don't like D stickers floating around. Lol.

 

[LiamR]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Also I'm on JQ35 tomorrow so I'll let you all know how I go getting into the F Lounge early.

 

[LiamR]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

After a firm "Yes you can" talk to the Qantas Club staff in SYD T2 they issued boarding passes, however when we got to T1 there was a Jetstar counter open checking in an earlier flight, so we managed to get a solid 7hrs in the F Lounge. We were offered to be moved to the earlier International MEL-SYD flight, but thankfully talked them down. *Phew*

No bad at all.

 

[penegal]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Nice effort!

FWIW 7 hours in the F lounge is a bit long, unless you have awesome company.

I recently flew to MEL (coming home from work) and connected to JQ7 on one of those stupidly cheap fares. I had a long-ish layover, but as JQ36 was checking in, I could check in early for JQ 7, allbeit with a little discussion, "oh you're on that one". This yielded about 4-4.5 hours (on my own).

 

[openseat]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Just a warning. The club sandwich is a disgrace. It's like a chicken mayo sandwich with bacon from the school tuckshop.

 

[serfty]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Just a warning. The club sandwich is a disgrace. It's like a chicken mayo sandwich with bacon from the school tuckshop.

... well, just send it back!

 

[11sjw]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

After a firm "Yes you can" talk to the Qantas Club staff in SYD T2 they issued boarding passes, however when we got to T1 there was a Jetstar counter open checking in an earlier flight, so we managed to get a solid 7hrs in the F Lounge. We were offered to be moved to the earlier International MEL-SYD flight, but thankfully talked them down. *Phew*

No bad at all.

We scored earlier entry via another flight being open as well. However they would only check us in because we were travelling HLO. Apparently baggage reception "downstairs" only opens 3 hrs prior to the flight departing.

 

[Danger]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

After a firm "Yes you can" talk to the Qantas Club staff in SYD T2 they issued boarding passes, however when we got to T1 there was a Jetstar counter open checking in an earlier flight, so we managed to get a solid 7hrs in the F Lounge. We were offered to be moved to the earlier International MEL-SYD flight, but thankfully talked them down. *Phew*

No bad at all.

Could you give a quick recap of your circumstances? How did you end up in the T2 lounge? What was your inbound flight? Were your flights on different PNRs?

Nice effort!

FWIW 7 hours in the F lounge is a bit long, unless you have awesome company.

I recently flew to MEL (coming home from work) and connected to JQ7 on one of those stupidly cheap fares. I had a long-ish layover, but as JQ36 was checking in, I could check in early for JQ 7, allbeit with a little discussion, "oh you're on that one". This yielded about 4-4.5 hours (on my own).

Ooooh. I beg to differ. I had a fantastic 15 hours there two years ago. I had breakfast, a spa treatment, lunch, a nap, another nap and dinner. Being in Perth, my opportunity to use the F lounge is limited. Of course, the way things are going, I may need to go via Sydney or Melbourne to get to Singapore before long.

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Could you give a quick recap of your circumstances? How did you end up in the T2 lounge? What was your inbound flight? Were your flights on different PNRs?
.

The T2 lounge has been known as a source of JQ boarding passes for some time, so its often the first stop even for Sydney originating folks before heading to the international terminal

 

[Danger]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

The T2 lounge has been known as a source of JQ boarding passes for some time, so its often the first stop even for Sydney originating folks before heading to the international terminal

Indeed. I availed myself of this process at the last AFF/QF anytime access memorial wake. From memory, I flew overnight from Perth but on JQ, not QF, so I was connecting JQ to JQ, although I don't think they were on the same PNR.

 

[LiamR]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Nice effort!

FWIW 7 hours in the F lounge is a bit long, unless you have awesome company.

I recently flew to MEL (coming home from work) and connected to JQ7 on one of those stupidly cheap fares. I had a long-ish layover, but as JQ36 was checking in, I could check in early for JQ 7, allbeit with a little discussion, "oh you're on that one". This yielded about 4-4.5 hours (on my own).

Yes it started off slowly but really it flew by, I as fortunate to have some great company.

We scored earlier entry via another flight being open as well. However they would only check us in because we were travelling HLO. Apparently baggage reception "downstairs" only opens 3 hrs prior to the flight departing.

Exactly, after convincing them they seemed to have no problems issuing us with boarding passes, the JQ staffer said "That's an awful lot of time to wait, are you sure you'll be alright?" hehehe

Could you give a quick recap of your circumstances? How did you end up in the T2 lounge? What was your inbound flight? Were your flights on different PNRs

Flew in on Virgin,
Landed at T2 and after some arm twisting managed to get a JQ boarding pass from the staffer at the Qantas Club, she was pretty admit that it wasn't possible.