Can we leave sydney airport?

[spunkarooney]

How is the answer from Qantas wrong?

If they made it known to everyone that they could leave the airport without their luggage, what is to stop some nut packing something nasty in their luggage, setting it for a time that gives them time to get landside and leaving?

I would have thought it was the obvious answer QF or any airline would give.

People leave airside everyday — then go back for their onward journey.

Qantas can ask you to do anything, however, they can't force you to do any of those things.

If a nut is going to pack something in their luggage, they're going to do that regardless of what Qantas tells them to do.

In the end, you are responsible for getting your flight, not Qantas.

 

[dajop]

If a nut is going to pack something in their luggage, they're going to do that regardless of what Qantas tells them to do.

Yep. Far simpler ways than leaving luggage at airport during transit! Could simply check in luggage 3 hours before departure on any flight and then leave the airport - what's the difference between that and a transit passenger leaving the airport?

 

[spunkarooney]

Yep. Far simpler ways than leaving luggage at airport during transit! Could simply check in luggage 3 hours before departure on any flight and then leave the airport - what's the difference between that and a transit passenger leaving the airport?

Heck, in London a few months ago I checked in my bags 6 hours prior. (It was a long stopover where I couldn't automatically check my bags from my initial flight through to the final destination.)

 

[dajop]

Heck, in London a few months ago I checked in my bags 6 hours prior. (It was a long stopover where I couldn't automatically check my bags from my initial flight through to the final destination.)

I guess there is a lot of inline screening of baggage following checkin. A problem may arise with transit passengers originiting from a less stringent port than those just checking in.

 

[markis10]

I guess there is a lot of inline screening of baggage following checkin. A problem may arise with transit passengers originiting from a less stringent port than those just checking in.

There could be an issue with baggage screening, I had an issue a few years ago with a shaver that decided to go off in Sydney in transit from Brisbane, I got paged, if you are not in the terminal that might be an issue, mind you by the time I got to the bags the shaver had lost its battery charge LOL.

 

[straitman]

medgirlnz,

As others have advised it is quite doable and is really up to you to ensure you get the time line right. If it was me I would probably go ahead and enjoy a couple of hours in the city.

 

[tuapekastar]

If they made it known to everyone that they could leave the airport without their luggage, what is to stop some nut packing something nasty in their luggage, setting it for a time that gives them time to get landside and leaving?

I would have thought it was the obvious answer QF or any airline would give.

Is there no reconciliation of boarded pax v. luggage in hold?

Presumably the 'system' should know Fred Nerk has luggage in the hold for the B to C sector of an A-B-C trip, and there would be confirmation pre take-off that Fred Nerk is in his seat for said sector?

Or not so?

 

[dajop]

Is there no reconciliation of boarded pax v. luggage in hold?

The inflight security is not the issue. It's the in-airport security where pax has left baggage. But it's really a moot point, as there are so many variations. At SYD, you could arrive in T3 enroute to international and hang around Gate 1 (without actually leaving the airport), and you are probably a long way from where your baggage is in T1 should you be so inclined to cause an explosive disruption with your baggage.

 

[medhead]

People leave airside everyday — then go back for their onward journey.

Qantas can ask you to do anything, however, they can't force you to do any of those things.

If a nut is going to pack something in their luggage, they're going to do that regardless of what Qantas tells them to do.

In the end, you are responsible for getting your flight, not Qantas.

But none of this makes the answer from qantas wrong. As you say Qantas can ask you to do anything. And the answer was "you shouldn't leave without luggage"

Nothing wrong with that, they haven't said you "can't leave"

 

[spunkarooney]

But none of this makes the answer from qantas wrong. As you say Qantas can ask you to do anything. And the answer was "you shouldn't leave without luggage"

Nothing wrong with that, they haven't said you "can't leave"

No, but it is inferred.

 

[markis10]

Airlines seem to like to keep you where they can get in contact where possible, a good example of this was last year when I had a collegue flying PER-SYD-LAX, I noticed the LAX flight was delayed 9 hours and managed to contact him just after he got off the transfer bus and was about to go through customs, none of the status screens he had seen indicated the big delay.

It took some convinicing from me for him to not waste 9 hours in SYD airside, in the end he did not go through customs and was able to have a productive day, at no time did anyone from QF try to let him know there was going to be a long wait.

 

[spunkarooney]

So, in the end, the only consideration (aside from visa) that a traveller needs to consider is their ability to be back at the gate by the required time.

I have left airside, many, many times — everytime without issue.

 

[straitman]

No, but it is inferred.

I do not agree.

So, in the end, the only consideration (aside from visa) that a traveller needs to consider is their ability to be back at the gate by the required time.

I do agree.