Connecting to an International Flight in Sydney

bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 12:57
Last edited 31/10/2022 - 20:37

Update: Hello thrillseekers
Thank you for all your comments and suggestions, well except one of you where it was not helpful at all!🤣🤣🤣

After plenty of consideration, I've decided to book a flight with Virgin the day before! I've called qantas, and canceled the Melbourne - Sydney leg with Jetstar. I cannot risk my holiday to Japan with an operator with really, really poor performance. I'm a bit poorer, but I will sleep much better tonight! Thanks!

I'm going to Japan, traveling from Melbourne to Sydney then onwards to Tokyo / Osaka. Bookings were made with QFF points.

Unfortunately, my first flight is with Jetstar. It lands in Terminal 2 and I have to get to Terminal 1 - international, with Qantas. Bookings were made all at the same time.

My questions are:
1. At what point do I go through immigration?
2. Would I need to collect my luggage, then check in again and check my luggage through again?
3. Is 2.5 hours enough? I'm very worried about the transit time, particularly if Jetstar is delayed. There is a shuttle bus between both terminals, but it only runs every 30 minutes.

Thanks

Travel Airfare

Comments

  • Paul Atreides on 29/10/2022 - 13:14
    +2

    You sure the Syd-Japan flight departs from T2? that's the VA/Rex/J* terminal?

    Unless you meant it lands in T2 and you need to get to T1.

    1. When you depart from T1
    2. Likely yes
    3. Likely yes, assuming no delays. You can bus/train from T2 to T1.
    • bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 13:40

      You are correct

      • hiancc on 30/10/2022 - 12:41

        If you have ticketed the 2 flights together, you should be able to check your luggage all the way to Japan at Mel. You may have to do a counter check-in in Mel

        • bluedufflecoat on 30/10/2022 - 15:32

          That's what they said the first time I called, but a link posted by someone below says the opposite

          • Kangal on 31/10/2022 - 09:41
            +1

            @bluedufflecoat: Throwing in an Apple Tag into your luggage seems like a pretty good idea, even if you don't have an iPhone.

            • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 11:11

              @Kangal: Check! Already in the plan, though now I'm thinking of what I can do to travel without any check in luggage!

            • picklewizard on 31/10/2022 - 13:02

              @Kangal: How would this work? To track it it needs to be paired to an iPhone, I thought?

              • Kangal on 31/10/2022 - 20:37

                @picklewizard: You can use the dumb-tracking with the crude GPS feature. But Apple tries to make it painful in every way to force you to buy an iOS Device that has v14 or older, and better yet one that has the UW1 chip inside (iPhone 11 or later).

                Apparently Apple doesn't add (or simply disables) the U1-Chip on its cheaper products like the iPod Touch, iPhone SE, Every iPad model, and Every Mac device. So you can't use the "Precision Finding" feature unless you have a fairly new/expensive iPhone.

  • Austaurean on 29/10/2022 - 13:16

    Well, my advice. RuN… as different airlines i think you need to collect your baggage from domestic, then know where you are going and run… walk fast.. get to international and do the checkin immigration/security etc, find your gate and then relax.

    • bdl on 29/10/2022 - 13:17
      +1

      domestic terminal isn't walking/running distance from international at SYD, there's a bus connection instead

      • SBOB on 29/10/2022 - 13:22
        +1

        domestic terminal isn't walking/running distance from international at SYD

        Well ..it is..just not one you'd want to do. Probably a nice 5-6km walk ;)

        • dcep on 29/10/2022 - 14:54
          +1

          last i timed my brisk walk … only covered 3.2km in an hour

          • PeterSnoot on 30/10/2022 - 10:16
            +3

            @dcep: brisk?

            • DiscountForThee on 31/10/2022 - 09:06

              @PeterSnoot: Well they might be 65 and walking in a hilly area on a sunny day - could be considered brisk for them

              • Hangryuman on 31/10/2022 - 11:05
                +1

                @DiscountForThee: as a 6' male my brisk walk might be 8kph

                but I had an over 80yo relative who took 90 minutes to walk 1 km, which might be 0.6kph

            • MITM on 31/10/2022 - 14:39
              +1

              @PeterSnoot: my "refreshingly cool" walk

      • Austaurean on 29/10/2022 - 17:20

        Yeah, thats what i meant, run to the shuttle, i should have been more precise… be first'ish, as it gets a line and there won't be room.

  • cyan00FFFF on 29/10/2022 - 13:47
    +3

    I think you have the terminals the wrong way around. If you're flying Jetstar from MEL to SYD, you'll be transiting from terminal 2 to 1, not 1 to 2.

    1. You go through immigration at Sydney T1.
    2. Yes, you'd need to collect your checked baggage and checkin again since the security requirements are different between domestic and int'l.
    3. It should be enough, however it could become a little tight if there are any delays, either on your inbound flight or at checkin/security. However, given you're on one ticket, Qantas is likely to hold your connecting flight if you're running a little late. In order of cost/travel time, these are the options for getting to T1: taxi, train (every 6-9m), route 420 bus (every 15-20m) and Tbus (every 30m).
    • bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 14:12

      Thanks, where is the train? I've got an opal card, my kid doesn't.

      • markathome on 29/10/2022 - 14:20

        Put your kid on your credit card. You'll pay an adult fare but you're paying a $14 station access fee either way.

        https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/using-public-transport…

        • bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 15:38

          Thank you :)

          • rain-e on 29/10/2022 - 16:41
            +2

            @bluedufflecoat: By the way, since you're only using the train between the airport terminals, the station access fee will only be $4 and not $14. Hope you have a good trip :)

            • samyall on 31/10/2022 - 08:16
              +1

              @rain-e: I think a taxi might be a better option here. Even at the reduced station fee, it will be over $10 for the train for two people. A taxi would be about the same cost and will be faster and more convenient.

              @bluedufflecoat if you decide to get a taxi, they are right outside the baggage collection and the wait is usually less than 5 mins unless a lot of full flights just got in.

              I wouldn't consider Uber an option here as it an absolute shit show at Sydney domestic.

              • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 09:15

                @samyall: $10 doesn't bother me… It's missing my flight that does!

                • samyall on 31/10/2022 - 13:05

                  @bluedufflecoat: I reckon taxi would be the quickest then. I have never done it and the driver might give you shit for a short fare but it would be quickest as the trains only run every 15 mins and as other have said, shuttle may be unreliable.

                  • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 14:51

                    @samyall: My MIL who travels international frequently, seems to think that the transit bus departs every 10-15 minutes. I go from being a bit less worried to being worried and back again, a lot…

      • cyan00FFFF on 29/10/2022 - 19:40

        The train station is in a carpark between terminal 2 and terminal 3. There should be plenty of signage pointing you toward it.
        As for Opal, the OzBargainer in me says to go to one of the convenience stores inside the terminal and buy a child card, but given you're in a hurry, just tap your credit card. They also sell Opal cards at the train station ticket windows, but there's a $35 minimum topup there.

        • bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 20:06

          Would this be a good plan?

          Collect luggage, make a beeline for the transit bus, see if there is one coming or if I'd just missed it (are they usually punctual?…

          If not, go across to the train station… Link to map below for reference.

          https://assets.ctfassets.net/v228i5y5k0x4/Q7HdDlzfEW00gG4Yco…

          • cyan00FFFF on 29/10/2022 - 23:41

            @bluedufflecoat: Yeah sounds good. No idea on how reliable Tbus is, never taken it before, nor have I heard of many people taking it. It's just one or two buses run by some random bus company on contract to Sydney Airport - AFAIK there's no realtime tracking or schedule. Just wait maybe 10 minutes then go straight to the trains if it doesn't turn up.

  • nismo on 29/10/2022 - 13:51
    +1

    You go through immigration when you are departing the "Country", not on domestic / connecting flights within country.

    You will need to collect your bags at Sydney as this is where you are departing Aust.

    I think you will have enough time. I've had much less than this coming back from Japan (via. SYD >Mel)

    I have done Mel>Syd>Kix before, was all Qantas at the time, 2018.

    • MS Paint on 29/10/2022 - 17:09
      +1

      was all Qantas at the time, 2018.

      8:18pm

      That's very specific

  • djones145 on 29/10/2022 - 14:23

    which day and time

    if its afternoon friday or weekend or during school holidays or early morning monday it might be tight (busier)

    other times should be fine

  • Petya on 29/10/2022 - 14:40

    I'm sure they will wait for you as most airlines have been doing this recently with daily delays

  • parisian on 29/10/2022 - 15:00
    +2

    I'd take the train between the two terminals - very quick.

  • woodg on 29/10/2022 - 17:26

    Does Qantas still have international checking from their domestic terminal? It has been some time, but I used to arrive at T2 on REX, collect my bags then walk through the carpark to the Qantas domestic terminal where I could check-in for my international flight and go through security and on to a Qantas supplied bus service that went "airside" between the domestic and international terminals. It was very convenient but not sure if it's still in use.

  • thatonethere on 29/10/2022 - 17:43
    +1

    Looks like Jetstar isn't going to check in your baggage all the way through - https://help.qantas.com/support/s/article/Through-check-in-a…

    Get prepared for a mad scramble to the domestic luggage carosel and then on to the international terminal with your luggage via taxi (it's probably the easier as they were will plenty in the queue)

  • Ocker on 29/10/2022 - 18:35
    +3

    You are of course assuming that your flight is not one of the ten Jetstar have been cancelling of late - seriously I would not touch Jetstar given their track record of cancelling flights with little, or no notification

    • bluedufflecoat on 29/10/2022 - 19:31

      Don't get me started. I rang them today. They changed my flight from 5.25pm to 5.40pm, and I didn't like how little time I had between transfers. They said it's enough, there aren't any other flights I could get on (I used points), and there's nothing they will do.

      I'm like - what if I missed my flight? Oh, we'll ensure you'll be booked on the next one - it's international, they're not flying to Japan every hour!! Then, when I tried to stay calm, they hung up on me.

      • SydStrand on 31/10/2022 - 13:46

        And you're still confident in a 2.5 hour stopover time? Yikes.

        • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 14:57

          I am not confident at all… 💆‍♀️💆‍♀️💆‍♀️ The other thing that might work in my favour is if the other flight is delayed too…

    • hiancc on 30/10/2022 - 12:58

      That is really slack! I've flown mixed malaysian /Thai from Mel to BKK via KL and they have checked my luggage through both directions. I've done that several times to Europe, etc. As long as the itinerary is on the same ticket

  • justgooddeals on 29/10/2022 - 22:12
    +1

    Jetstar is real s#it show of an airline atm.

    Of the 8 flights have caught in the last 3 weeks 1 has been cancelled and the other 7 have all ran late by between 60 minutes and 4 hours.

    For the flights running over 2 hours late you get an $8 coupon to spend in the airport.

    Focaccia is $14. Most sandwiches are about $12. So can buy 3\4 of sandwich.

    Thanks Jetstar.

  • altomic on 29/10/2022 - 23:09
    +2

    I would be catching an earlier jetstar flight. i.e. the day before

    jetstar are so shit at the moment that it's more than guaranteed that the flight will be delayed

    • bluedufflecoat on 30/10/2022 - 06:59

      I feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.

      I've also heard horror stories of people changing one leg of their booking which somehow ended up canceling the whole booking and there was nothing they could do to fix it. Not to mention it would cost upwards of $500 to buy (2) tickets with Virgin instead. Qantas is even worse.

  • bbinc on 30/10/2022 - 10:05
    +2

    Is it all on the same Qantas booking reference? If so technically it’s on them, but QF call centres have been poor this year.

  • Socialsuicide01 on 30/10/2022 - 11:42
    +1

    Just a couple of weeks ago we had to drive from Brisbane to Sydney to catch an international flight due to flight cancellations.
    We had a return flight from Sydney to Bangkok leaving on the 16th at 11am via Thai Airlines as they do not fly out of Brisbane post covid. So a month prior to departure we booked a virgin flight for the 15th to make sure we were going to be on time, booked a night in a hotel near Sydney international as well.
    At 3.15pm on the 15th we received an email from virgin saying the flight had been rescheduled for the 16th at 5pm! We were about an hour from jumping into a taxi to go to the airport. So by 4pm I had booked another flight with jetstar for 7pm (15th) at a cost of $1189 one way. That flight was cancelled at 5pm! The only airline left at that late time was Qantas who were asking $1800 one way. So we drove down and left the car in the long term parking for $315 for one month.
    Yes I will be claiming everything back on travel insurance.
    Good luck! and be prepared to drive

    • bluedufflecoat on 30/10/2022 - 15:46

      Were all your flights on the same booking?

      • Socialsuicide01 on 01/11/2022 - 11:51

        No we booked the flights from Brisbane separately for the day before our flight left Sydney.

        • bluedufflecoat on 01/11/2022 - 11:53

          Oh dear… I've just booked flights with Virgin for the day before!

          Hopefully they won't do that to us…

    • Windows7forever on 31/10/2022 - 19:01

      Wow, what a shocker. Glad it worked out okay and you will get full reimbursement.

  • Kathy 59 on 30/10/2022 - 20:39
    +1

    Hi there,

    1. Check the arrival terminal and departure terminal on your air tickets. Make sure you know where to go after you arrive at Sydney airport.

    2. Take train to the international departure terminal. You may use your credit card to buy tickets from the machine there. No need for an Opal card or pop up or whatever. Just buy a one-way ticket. If you have two passengers, buy 2.

    3. 2.5 hours transit is usually ok. But if there is delay of the flight to Sydney, or luggage delay etc. The risk of missing the next flight is still there, but not a big risk…

    4. You need to colkect your luggages after arrival and check in your international flight at rhe Sydney international terminal, and check in luggages, and then go through customs/immigration.

    I travelled last September like this.

    Hope this helps.

    • bluedufflecoat on 30/10/2022 - 21:14
      +1

      Thanks, I've been trying to calm my farm for the last 24 hours. The terrible customer service did not make me feel any better.

      • Windows7forever on 31/10/2022 - 19:03

        As much as I love to travel, it can be fraught with stress and uncertainty. Hope it goes well for you.

  • meong on 31/10/2022 - 07:47

    I flew quite recently with similar type of trip in which i have to go from Melbourne ia Sydney to depart Australia.

    Flying out, you won't need to pick up your luggage in Sydney. But on your return flight, you do.

    I've known myself and one other person had to do that for Qantas return trips to Indonesia.

    • kerfuffle on 31/10/2022 - 08:25

      Did you fly on Jetstar as well for the first leg? Because it doesn’t sound like it

      • meong on 31/10/2022 - 13:15

        sorry, yeah, it was Qantas throughout… you make a good point… maybe they do make you change take it off but maybe Qantas works better with Jetstar that they may have some arrangements.

  • Nebargains on 31/10/2022 - 09:28

    I am confused, everyone is saying to collect bags and check in again when you get to Sydney, but if this was all done through Qantas I would imagine that you would be given boarding passes for both flights when checking in at Melbourne and the bags will be checked through to final destination. Last time I flew Melb -> Syd -> Overseas I did not need to collect my luggage in Sydney - just went straight off the plane, followed the signs to the bus and proceeded to the international terminal to go through security etc.

    • Shadowsfury on 31/10/2022 - 09:36
      +1

      But the first flight is Jetstar which makes me less sure this is the case.

      But yeah last time I took Qantas MEL-SYD-International they checked my bags, once I landed in SYD we were asked to hop on a Qantas run shuttle bus between the terminals.

    • kerfuffle on 31/10/2022 - 09:40
      +1

      Unfortunately, my first flight is with Jetstar.

      Pays to read the OP. Jetstar are not going to check through your bags from Domestic to International.

  • rlf on 31/10/2022 - 09:37

    2.5 hours is fine, even with delays since Melb <-> Syd is the most popular route in the world you can always get another flight within time.

    Even though Jetstar is owned by Qantas they're completely separate, they won't check bags for you to Tokyo in Melbourne.

    • Hangryuman on 31/10/2022 - 11:19
      +1

      back in 2005 we got the standard advice to check-in 3 hours before an international departure at maybe 11am

      so we paid for an expensive early morning taxi from Paris - half an hour to CDG (Charles De Gaulle airport) 3 hours before our flight - https://goo.gl/maps/AuUvvBk2kEoVPHaH7 - arriving like 8am - and found the airport deserted and empty with only the odd cleaner walking around

      we sat/dozed for hours - at least 2 hours in the empty terminal - then about 950am we noted a rush of people walking through the gates checking in for 10am flights to London

      and thought WTF !? That's an international flight - and they're arriving 10 MINUTES before departure !!!

      had we taken public transport for a fraction of the cost we could have saved the $50 or whatever we paid for the 30-minute taxi, and hours of our lives sitting in an empty airport - but hey the worst experiences make the best stories, I know, right ?

  • tyarrhea on 31/10/2022 - 09:37

    You'll need to collect your bags in Sydney domestic since your first flight is Jetstar

    https://help.qantas.com/support/s/article/Through-check-in-a…

  • Hangryuman on 31/10/2022 - 11:09

    this suggests 11 mins by bus 420 from dom T2 to international T1 including 4 mins walk - https://goo.gl/maps/vSeSxkLLe9NoZhRh9

    depending on time of day, etc. - the train tickets used to be a huge ripoff + 16 mins walk ? awk ! I'd forget that - https://goo.gl/maps/QsKdtQC8D6ZkvVKc7

  • Drakesy on 31/10/2022 - 12:42
    +1

    Baggage will need to be collected in Sydney's domestic terminal.
    You'll get on the free Qantas terminal transfer bus that'll take you to the international terminal.
    Check in as per normal.

    • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 13:16

      Not sure if this applies to Jetstar flights? So far, I'm hearing that I'd need to collect luggage, so it's unlikely I can go to gate 15 without going out before?

      https://www.qantas.com/au/en/qantas-experience/at-the-airpor…

      • wackedupwacko on 31/10/2022 - 21:28

        If you booked the whole trip on Qantas rather than a separate ticket then it'll be effectively a Qantas issued ticket with a Jetstar operated flight. While it sounds like the same thing, its actually a bit different and you're treated as a Qantas customer.

        Basically it depends if you booked it as a SYD to HND return and a MEL to SYD return or you booked a MEL to HND return via SYD.

  • LoserScott on 31/10/2022 - 13:31
    -3

    Since your not willing to ask at the airport or Google I'll entertain you:

    1. At what point do I go through immigration?
      If your a migrant and need to be determined.

    2. Would I need to collect my luggage, then check in again and check my luggage through again
      Only if you're suspicious and plan to harm the airport like the last bozos

    3. Is 2.5 hours enough? I'm very worried about the transit time, particularly if Jetstar is delayed. There is a shuttle bus between both terminals, but it only runs every 30 minutes

    Well now, going with Jetstar you get what you pay for.

  • playswithfire on 31/10/2022 - 13:49

    Ooft, that's the nightmare scenario my entire extended family had going to NZ in 2015. 630am flight from Melbourne to Sydney for a midday connecting flight to Queenstown NZ, Jetstar flight was delayed leaving Melbourne until 8am, congestion on arrival in Sydney meant we eventually landed at 930-ish. Waited for the bus to transfer to the international terminal and while we waited for the bus to transfer us, international check-in for the flight closed at 10am and the rudest customer service person any of us have ever encountered told us we should've been there earlier at 10:03 after queueing for ages.

    All 10 of us ended up having to spend 1 night of our 5 night holiday at a hotel near Sydney airport, without any of our bags because they were transferred onto the flight we missed.

    So Jetstar is a "never again" airline for all of us.

    • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 14:48

      Wow, that sucks eggs. :(

      I couldn't avoid Jetstar. It was part of my QFF points booking. Believe me, I've tried.

      I think worst case scenario is I miss out on one day of my trip, and I fly out the next day… BUT they probably won't put me back on biz class… I'm really really considering doing everything it takes to travel without luggage.

  • Poor Ass on 31/10/2022 - 14:40

    can't be worse than Heathrow. that place sucks bad.

    also Jetstar = BAD

  • ozbargainer88 on 31/10/2022 - 16:27

    I'd be flying domestic the day before and staying the night at the airport. Yeah it will cost more but you don't want to miss your connecting international flight which is a high chance with Jetstar at the moment.

  • R-Man on 31/10/2022 - 17:55

    I see that FAQ link suggests you'll have to collect and re check in your bags - but I would strongly recommend when you arrive at the first airport you talk to staff and see if they can make the check in happen all the way through. I reckon they can.

    Virgin airlines at least has been able to do this for us on two occasions where we had a mix of airlines all on one ticket. It did seem to take some time on their computers with many steps but it all works out.

  • bluedufflecoat on 31/10/2022 - 20:47

    Updated post! Thank you everyone for your feedback!

    • wackedupwacko on 31/10/2022 - 21:38

      Hmm I saw your update and felt that there's a lot of misinformation going on in this thread. While what you did is fine and safe, it really wasn't necessary. But whats done is done and hope you enjoy your day in Sydney and trip to Japan. (I'm super surprised you actually have a reward flight to Japan).

      For future reference, what you have booked after reading through was effectively a Qantas ticket from Melbourne to Haneda via Sydney. The Melbourne to Sydney leg for you is a QF flight operated by Jetstar. This is a bit different to if you had booked the flights separately yourself.

      For one the bags would be transferred directly (or it should be) and you are able to use the Qantas transfer gate (you're not a Jetstar customer but actually Qantas and your ticket issued is QF). In this circumstance, its juat waiting for the Qantas transfer then reclearing intl security and customs.

      • bluedufflecoat on 01/11/2022 - 06:20

        Thanks, what you said makes sense. I've spoken to two qantas customer service officers who said that my luggage would have been checked through - but when I showed one of them the link, they went back to saying that I needed to collect my luggage in Sydney. A third person, the one who we extremely unhelpful and rude, said I needed to collect my luggage, so the score there is 1.5 / 1.5

        I guess the other big risk is if the flight got canceled or delayed by more than half an hour… That was making me very uneasy.

        Re: rewards flight - the Sydney - Haneda - Osaka legs are actually in business class! Long story, but I've been booking and rebooking since 2020! My biggest mistake was canceling return JAL business class rewards flights the day before the rumors of the reopening started coming out (10 Sept). I rebooked these on 11 Sept.

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