The totally off-topic thread

[anat0l]

I need some info.
A mate ( ex pat kiwi in the US) is flying in to Sydney next week , he will visit his daughter and then head to NZ.
He has ( And he can't imagine why he did this) Booked himself on a 6.30 am flight to AKL from SYD on Monday

He asked me to estimate how much time he should leave himself for clearing security etc and be in reasonable time to catch his flight.

As I have only rarely flown SYD - AKL ( usually go from BNE, and not a 6.30 am for crickey's sake) I am not able to provide him wth accurate info

So I wold appreciate any feed back from those used to flying out of SYD ecially at 6.30 am on a Sunday.

Gosh I love this site. ........

You could just tell him the cursory 3 hours before departure and be done with :shock:

"What's that? Check in at 3.30am???" Yeah well, your fault, your grave..... (irony of checking in earlier than the curfew would allow a single plane movement ) Besides, if we were in the US, I'd say 3 hours flat out, too! (Just in case you get a TSA massage)

My advice would be no less than 100 minutes before departure. 2 hours is border comfortable. 60 minutes is absolute cut off anyway.

If he is running late, then after check-in you could always try and beg with people and tell them your flight is boarding in 15 minutes.

 

[serfty]

Four or five years ago I caught a QF 744 departing T1 SYD at 6:50am for MEL (QF73 or something). Had checked in by 4:45am but had to wait until emigration/security opened a little after 5am.

It depends on the day of the week and the services departing.

6:30am? Boards at 6, really need to be checked in by 5am to be comfortable - 5:30am for check-in is pushing it.

 

[Deleted member]

Thanks. He really is a knob for booking at that time.
I will pass on your helpful comments.

But then he isn't alone. These planes don't fly empty ....? Do,they?

 

[Katie]

Lovely SMS from QF when I turned on my Aussie phone. Point upgrade to J on QF12 tonight successful. Just checked my seating; there's about 2 free seats available, but I'll stick with what QF assigned me. I get to try Emerald city for the first time ... 11B for me.
And I know many find it crowded and worse than the T4 Flagship lounge, but I'm also hoping to get a look at the TBIT QF Flounge. Haven't ever seen it. But first, I'll be getting some Stacy's Cinnamon pita chips from the T4 flagship lounge.

 

[anat0l]

Thanks. He really is a knob for booking at that time.
I will pass on your helpful comments.

But then he isn't alone. These planes don't fly empty ....? Do,they?

They probably don't fly empty. But that's not to say they fly knob-free either


The only reason I take the earliest flights are cheap price or absolute necessary for connections. In saying that, I'm always aware of the consequences.

Catching QF501 at 5.00am during the Mexican DST to make international connections or morning meetings are particularly notorious. For me, it usually entails waking up between 2.30am and 3.30am.

 

[beardoc]

They probably don't fly empty. But that's not to say they fly knob-free either


The only reason I take the earliest flights are cheap price or absolute necessary for connections. In saying that, I'm always aware of the consequences.

Catching QF501 at 5.00am during the Mexican DST to make international connections or morning meetings are particularly notorious. For me, it usually entails waking up between 2.30am and 3.30am.

I have caught the QF322 which is the codeshared LA801 from AKL to SYD, leaving at 6am - I was up at 2:30am in AKL to take it - but at least I could then say I've flown LAN!

 

[Flashback]

Hello Perth, old friend.

 

[Mal]

Hello Perth, old friend.

If you played "spot the difference", you would be mind stuffed within 5 mins of arriving the airport!

I haven't been there for a couple of years, but the prices were already getting excessive, and with your UK hat on, I am sure you will just shake your head....

 

[Flashback]

If you played "spot the difference", you would be mind stuffed within 5 mins of arriving the airport!

I haven't been there for a couple of years, but the prices were already getting excessive, and with your UK hat on, I am sure you will just shake your head....

Taxi home wasn't too bad, $25. Bit nippy this morning (well, not really ) but I know it will warm up during the day.

 

[amaroo]

I have caught the QF322 which is the codeshared LA801 from AKL to SYD, leaving at 6am - I was up at 2:30am in AKL to take it - but at least I could then say I've flown LAN!

I've done QF50 a few times - bloody tough when you've had a big one entertaining clients a few hours before TO & then head straight into a meeting on arrival:shock:

 

[Flashback]

If you played "spot the difference", you would be mind stuffed within 5 mins of arriving the airport!

I haven't been there for a couple of years, but the prices were already getting excessive, and with your UK hat on, I am sure you will just shake your head....

Oh, and luckily within 5 minutes of arriving at the airport.. I was already in the cab and on my way home to surprise the family :mrgreen:

 

[cove]

Tell us about Y travel Flashware.

 

[Flashback]

Tell us about Y travel Flashware.

Loved it! Had a lay-flat bed on my SIN-PER leg :mrgreen: 2nd row of whY, 4 seats all to myself!

 

[cove]

Now Flashware I think that qualifies as a very big win on the" AFF win tester gauge" that is a figment of my imagination!

 

[Bundy Bear]

I heard another AFF member now calls themselves a WP. I did suggest to them should I start a new thread to congratulate them. I think a strong no was the answer i received.

Check Facebook if you are not sure who it is.

They mentioned that they were very close to reaching WP in a recent post so it shouldn't be that hard to figure it out.

Anyway congratulations, will be interesting to see how hard it will be to keep their username off AFF.

 

[JohnK]

You will be fine; keep a positive attitude.

Really? I am convinced that no matter what day, what time, whichever airline I travel that I will be delayed.

Happened again the other day where there was a delay in taking off and then circling over Gold Coast. Luckily I was tired and emotionally drained and slept for most of the flight and had a vacant seat to me in 5C.

I expect at least one of my 2 flights to be delayed en route to Ozfest tomorrow. Hopefully it will be the 2nd flight to allow for some extra drinking time in SYD!

 

[Flashback]

Hello Perth, old friend.

Hello frustration, my arch-nemesis....... too much to do and don't have anywhere near enough time to get it all done before I fly home :|

 

[Katie]

Sitting in Emerald city on QF12. 4hrs 41mins left til arrival in SYD. Can I snooze some more?
Almost had a bit of a delay; the seat belt in 11E disappeared under the seat at some point. Engineer couldn't get it out, nor could 3 FAs. Although J is full, they were ale to move the gent back to row 24. He had been asked to move to row 18 earlier for a father & 2yo who had been split up. He didn't want to (fair enough, I'm just commenting on what I've observed). And then the seatbelt can't be done up, and he had to move anyway.

 

[samh004]

I wasn’t allowed to see the UAV at Heli & UV Pacific in the end, needed to be a conference delegate to get in, despite the UAV making the local news and I saw teenagers were delegates. Must be cheap, maybe I’ll do that in 2 years time!

Here’s some pics, have no clue what make/model they are of course


N155LJ by samh004, on Flickr


VH-ZHP by samh004, on Flickr


N365JL by samh004, on Flickr


N365JL by samh004, on Flickr


N365JL by samh004, on Flickr


VH-MJI by samh004, on Flickr


VH-CTC by samh004, on Flickr


VH-CTC by samh004, on Flickr

 

[whatmeworry]

Just ridiculous! People are losing jobs left, right and centre in Australia, yet the government is letting the mining industry to import more low skilled foreign workers on new bulls@#@ visas. What has happened to the Labour party in this country? Is Juliar or Gina Rinehart running this country?
Rinehart's new mine taps foreign workers