If you’re departing Sydney on a Qantas international flight, did you know that you can check in any time on the day of the flight? Qantas all-day check-in is a great benefit if you arrive at the airport early or want to drop off your luggage.
Qantas check-in counters at Sydney Airport open daily at 4am AEST. This means that with Qantas all-day check-in, you can check in for your international flight any time from 4am on the day of travel. So, even if you happen to arrive at the airport at 11am for a 9pm Qantas flight to Tokyo, you can still drop off your bags and head straight to the lounge.
However, you won’t be able to check-in the night before your flight. Even if your flight leaves early in the morning, Sydney Airport closes after the 11pm curfew kicks in. The airport does not have a facility for storing luggage overnight.
Officially this benefit is only available at Sydney Airport, but could also work at Brisbane Airport (unless travelling to the USA). Early check-in is also available when departing Hong Kong on a Qantas flight. Qantas’ airport check-in counters at Hong Kong open only 3 hours before departure. But you can check-in at Hong Kong’s CBD airport train stations any time from 7.30am on the day of the flight.
This service is not available at Melbourne Airport.
All-day check-in is only available for international departures. For domestic flights, you can check-in online 24 hours before the flight and proceed straight to the lounge once you arrive at the airport. But Qantas only accepts checked baggage for domestic flights up to 6 hours before the flight’s scheduled departure time.
Qantas all-day international check-in at Sydney Airport was originally introduced as part of a trial in 2014. The trial was successful and Qantas continues to offer the service today.
Read more on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Earliest Qantas International checkin time Sydney airport?