Brisbane terminal transfer - no BP as taken by immigration

[comint]

…have people actually seen the Skytatrin staff scan their boarding…

Yes, they have a boarding pass scanner at the entrance to the platform, and I have been scanned!

…is this reasonable given there will be occasions when you do not have the boarding pass for the onward flight…

I don’t think the staff attitude that was encountered was reasonable. They should have responded, politely, by redirecting you back into the International Terminal ground floor, where Qantas has a domestic service/check-in desk. (This to the right as you exit the secure arrival area, at the far end of the terminal.) The Qantas rep at this desk would have issued a BP valid for train connections to the Domestic Terminal.

 

[Platy]

They should have responded, politely, by redirecting you back into the International Terminal ground floor, where Qantas has a domestic service/check-in desk. (This to the right as you exit the secure arrival area, at the far end of the terminal.) The Qantas rep at this desk would have issued a BP valid for train connections to the Domestic Terminal.

Thanks for the info, comint! I didn't realise there was a dom check in the BNE INTL arrivals hall.

 

[serfty]

I have used this DOM check-in in the past but in the last two or so years it seems to have been closed, or at least not operating when I have come through.

It was (is?) in the very north corner of the hall.

 

[anat0l]

I'm confused. I would have thought the OP had very little to do with QF. Queensaldn Rail run Skytrain and Brisbane Airports would have made the inter-terminal transit arrangements with QR. If neither of these parties have bother to consult the airlines on how to properly check passengers, I don't see how QF can do anything about it.

[pedantic]

The name of the service is Airtrain, not Skytrain.

Airtrain is owned by a private interest, separate of QR and any government. I believe there is a deal in the contract that after some time (20 years?) the Airtrain operations will be turned over to the state government. Airtrain lease the trains from QR.

Truly a complicated set up, obviously designed to increase the red tape. I think the fact that Airtrain is finally running at a profit is a surprise for everyone. (I wonder if the state's congestion-o-matic changes near Airport Drive had anything to do with it.)

[/pedantic]

Personally, I think it's pretty good that there is any service. By comparison if you were to catch the train in SYD for a terminal transit it costs documentation or not. Yes QF have a bus for QF pax, but pax with any airline can use the train to transit at BNE

Actually the QF bus should be able to be used for any oneworld transfer.

SYD is SYD - plagued with problems, has been, will be, ever shall be, world without end. Bad enough that going through SYD requires the payment of an exhorbitant tax. I'm probably more surprised that the transfer bus only costs $5.50.

I have used this DOM check-in in the past but in the last two or so years it seems to have been closed, or at least not operating when I have come through.

It was (is?) in the very north corner of the hall

Perhaps you could head back to ticketing or customer service and get some sort of note or your BP, especially if you tell them that you've been knocked back by the Airtrain staff. The cheese is then if they tell you to just cough up the stupid $4.

 

[comint]

It was (is?) in the very north corner of the hall

That is the desk I was referring to, next to the hire car companies.

So the question is - how do Qantas, oneworld & other partner airlines’ connecting passengers recheck their bags after customs? Do they lug them upstairs or all the way to the Domestic Terminal themselves?

 

[Platy]

So the question is - how do Qantas, oneworld & other partner airlines’ connecting passengers recheck their bags after customs? Do they lug them upstairs or all the way to the Domestic Terminal themselves?

A good question and one that QF itself struggled to answer both in advance of my travel and at the airport (once again the good folk at QF are ill equipped to answer basic travel queries):

- rang 131211 before flights and was told they thought I must collect bags at INTL carousel and recheck bags at DOM after negotiating the terminal transfer solo

- on the day of travel I checked in a SYD F check in at 0905 (3 hrs before QF019 departure) and the lady assisting (otherwise very professional and friendly) had no idea what to do and had to go and find a supervisor to check. This time the answer was it was my choice. Since there was a slim chance of being allowed on the 1405 rather than the 1940 onward dom flight (BNE-CNS), I elected to recheck bags at BNE.

IF there is still a dom check in facility at BNE INTL arrivals it was not mentioned by anyone.

Incidentally, I did try to do OLCI at F lounge in SYD and this facility was not available for some reason. Can you not do this with a multi sector booking??? Nuts.

The transfer took over one hour!!! This seems ridiculous in itself (OK I broke a rule and checked in one bag to carry my favoured shampoos and after shave scooped up during my visiting to Sydney - Tom Ford and Floris aren't available in sunny Cairns!). My bag, despite being tagged with "first" priority bright yellow labels took ages (35 mins) to come through the carousel (an incoming CX flight from CNS/HKG seemed to get priority from the baggage handlers or something), customers/quarantine were not advertising priority D sticker arrival processing after bag collection and I missed a train by about a minute forcing a 15 wait after queueing behind the CX mob clogging the system after their A330-300 hop.

Whilst I'm writing I'll add that it seems preposterous that F class check in desks can only access their system 3 hrs before departure when pax on incoming flights can be gifted with onward bps many hours in advance.

Once again I waited nearly an hour to check in at SYD INTL (same story as last year on a F trip to LHR having arrived 4 hrs early...)

..thank goodness for the F lounge!!!

PS Actually I have a minor gripe there too, which seems trivial given the overall experience, but am I the only traveller who gets to be served by staff in Flounge restaurant who can't understand a simple order made in plainly articulated polite english???

 

[Platy]

[pedantic]

The name of the service is Airtrain, not Skytrain.

.

Right on anat0l! I'm mixing up with the aircraft...I have Quantum of Solace on the brain having seen the movie on the big screen in SYD!!!

C-47 Skytrain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[anat0l]

A good question and one that QF itself struggled to answer both in advance of my travel and at the airport (once again the good folk at QF are ill equipped to answer basic travel queries):

- rang 131211 before flights and was told they thought I must collect bags at INTL carousel and recheck bags at DOM after negotiating the terminal transfer solo

- on the day of travel I checked in a SYD F check in at 0905 (3 hrs before QF0129 departure) and the lady assisting (otherwise very professional and friendly) had no idea what to do and had to go and find a supervisor to check. This time the answer was it was my choice. Since there was a slim chance of being allowed on the 1405 rather than the 1940 onward dom flight (BNE-CNS), I elected to recheck bags at BNE.

IF there is still a dom check in facility at BNE INTL arrivals it was not mentioned by anyone.

Instructions for transferring at almost any facility in Australia are pretty ropy, both on the side of QF and the terminals themselves. Well, the transfer mechanics are not difficult, but what happens to your luggage seems to be the bigger - and more important - tiff, and this is poorly addressed.

Incidentally, I did try to do OLCI at F lounge in SYD and this facility was not available for some reason. Can you not do this with a multi sector booking??? Nuts.

OLCI has been giving some of us here greif on and off for a while. Sometimes I can't use OLCI through MMB interface, but I can do it if I use the login on the homepage for OLCI. One time I couldn't OLCI at all (I was in ADL QP) for the latter flights of my (same) booking (which were on the next day and yes within the 24 hour bracket). (Incidentally I also booked this using the multi-city booking engine. I ended up fronting the QP counter to get them to issue me BPs. They were nice, but they offered a very paltry reason for the inability to OLCI.)

The transfer took over one hour!!! This seems ridiculous in itself

I did JQ35 SYD-MEL with some buddies in August. I was the only one who had a bag checked in, so here I am waiting at the belts at Tulla for my bag. I wasn't priority tagged, but it's still appalling when it took us close to (if not, over) an hour to get out of Tulla. I mean, there weren't even many pax on the SYD-MEL sector of JQ35.

My bag, despite being tagged with "first" priority bright yellow labels took ages (35 mins) to come through the carousel

Murphy strikes again! Although priority baggage for me works most of the time..........

am I the only traveller who gets to be served by staff in Flounge restaurant who can't understand a simple order made in plainly articulated polite english???

We should meet for an F Lounge meet some day.

You must have struck unlucky. I have a small sample size, but so far F Lounge staff have been nothing but immaculate. Some of them look like they may be a little weak at English (and some may not appeal as having a snicker of wine knowledge), but certainly not clueless.

If isn't your luck then perhaps QF are onto you.... :mrgreen:

 

[medhead]

[pedantic]

The name of the service is Airtrain, not Skytrain.

Airtrain is owned by a private interest, separate of QR and any government. I believe there is a deal in the contract that after some time (20 years?) the Airtrain operations will be turned over to the state government. Airtrain lease the trains from QR.

Truly a complicated set up, obviously designed to increase the red tape. I think the fact that Airtrain is finally running at a profit is a surprise for everyone. (I wonder if the state's congestion-o-matic changes near Airport Drive had anything to do with it.)

[/pedantic]

A rose by any other name.....
Thanks for the exact details. They confirm that the train service really has very little to do with QF. I can't help but feel that the Airtrain operators are the people to contact or the airport corp., rather then QF.

edit: runing at a profit is probably not much of a surprise now we find they aren't honouring the free terminal transfer....

Actually the QF bus should be able to be used for any oneworld transfer.

SYD is SYD - plagued with problems, has been, will be, ever shall be, world without end. Bad enough that going through SYD requires the payment of an exhorbitant tax. I'm probably more surprised that the transfer bus only costs $5.50.

I am not sure that QF would be that happy letting pax off DJ catch their bus to hook up with another One world airline.
They charge for the bus now. When did that start?

 

[Dave Noble]

A rose by any other name.....
Thanks for the exact details. They confirm that the train service really has very little to do with QF. I can't help but feel that the Airtrain operators are the people to contact or the airport corp., rather then QF.

edit: runing at a profit is probably not much of a surprise now we find they aren't honouring the free terminal transfer....

I don't see that requiring the evidence of the travel as not honouring the free transfer for those travelling on QF or DJ ; the requirement is listed on their website Brisbane's Airtrain - Terminal Transfers

For passengers travelling on connecting Virgin flights (meaning both domestic and international travel on Virgin flights) or connecting Qantas flights, a transfer between terminals is provided at No Charge to you. It must involve flights on the same carrier to/from each terminal. You will need to show us your airline boarding passes when you arrive at either teminal.

If you're travelling with different carriers, the fare is $4.00

I am not surprised that Airtrain makes a profit given that it is pretty reasonably priced and timed for travel to/from the city; just a shame that it finishes so early in the evening

 

[medhead]

I don't see that requiring the evidence of the travel as not honouring the free transfer for those travelling on QF or DJ ; the requirement is listed on their website Brisbane's Airtrain - Terminal Transfers

I totally agree that it is fair for them to ask for evidence of the travel. The OP, inter alia, raises the question of what evidence is required. If you are eligilible for the transfer but airport/customs operations mean you don't have proof requested and they wouldn't accept other equally valid proof. I call that not honouring the free transfer.

Regardless, I still think this is a matter to take up with Airtrain not QF.

Of course, I also find wheeling my luggage onto a train much easier than using a bus. :shock:

 

[Dave Noble]

I totally agree that it is fair for them to ask for evidence of the travel. The OP, inter alia, raises the question of what evidence is required. If you are eligilible for the transfer but airport/customs operations mean you don't have proof requested and they wouldn't accept other equally valid proof. I call that not honouring the free transfer.

Their website does clearly state what is the evidence; a. It is up to the passenger to have a boarding pass or to purchase a ticket before embarking

I cannot see any valid claim that that is not honouring the benefit. That is what they require to confirm that you are either connecting to or from a Qantas flight or connecting between Virgin flights?

Dave

 

[anat0l]

I am not sure that QF would be that happy letting pax off DJ catch their bus to hook up with another One world airline.
They charge for the bus now. When did that start?

I meant oneworld to oneworld transfers. For example, BNE-SYD on QF, followed by SYD-AKL on LA, or similar. This refers to the QF transfer service (tarmac crossing bus).

The other bus is simply a shuttle which departs outside the arrivals hall. This one costs $5.50.

 

[munitalP]

Yes, they have a boarding pass scanner at the entrance to the platform, and I have been scanned!

.

As previously said, I have never been scanned and I have been through many times so I am wondering what they scan? I have never had a barcode on a BP from QF (DJ do I know) so that would then mean they swipe the magnetic strip - hmmmm

Mr!

 

[JohnK]

I have done the BNE Dom-Int and Int-Dom and do not remember them scanning the boarding pass at the airtrain. I was lucky enough on both ocassions that I was travelling to/from international flights and had the relevant boarding passes.

The few times I have travelled domestically on an international flight I have taken the stub from the boarding pass before boarding the flight. One time immigration even let me keep the boarding pass with the D sticker on it....

 

[medhead]

Deleted as pointless