Minimum transfer time in sydney?

[BVMS]

First up, welcome to AFF, BVMS. Great to have you 'on board', but here's a tip: it's not a good idea to post your PNR and personal details online. I'd edit your post and remove them - if people want to give you personal advice they can use Private Messaging.

Now to answer your question. The answer is No, if you are transferring from an international to international flight at SYD, you do not need to clear customs etc. first. All you need to do after you land in SYD is find International Connections. From here, you'll clear a security screening (yes, liquids rules applies at this point, so take note) before heading up back to the departures level. If there are no delays to your inbound UA flight, 1h 40min (or 100min) should be sufficient time for you to make the connection.

There are a few caveats on this, though. Firstly, for this technique to work, you'll need to make sure that your bags are checked in all the way to AKL. If you can only check them in as far as SYD, then unfortunately you'll need to go through customs, claim your bags then re-check in. In this case, 1h 40min is a bit too short to make your connecting flight (e.g. if EK requires you to check in 60 min before departure, then that only leaves you 40 min to get your bags and clear customs - at that time of the morning, that's hardly enough time). Next, I'm not sure how UA and EK click together, but it'd be good if you can get boarding passes for both your UA and EK flight before leaving on your SYD-bound flight. If you can't do this, you'll need to collect a BP for your onward EK flight; the international transfer desks at SYD should help you with this.

Others here might have a better idea of what should happen. Otherwise, it might be a call to UA and EK.

thanks for the tip. I've written to [email protected] to ask them if the bags can be through checked or not. and yes, I did edit my post to remove my pnr #. thanks.

 

[notzac]

thanks for the tip. I've written to [email protected] to ask them if the bags can be through checked or not. and yes, I did edit my post to remove my pnr #. thanks.

You probably also want to ask UA whether they'll check your bags through, seeing as it's their agents that will need to be able to tag them from LAX to AKL.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just reading through the original discussion regarding MCT in Sydney where the OP had 2 hours.

There was a recommendation by some that the OP purchase a flexisaver, OR book the later flight.

My recommendation, for future travellers, before buying a flexisaver, would be to check your travel insurance policy.

Provided you have met the MCT, if you miss your connection you may be covered for the additional expense to get home.

Why pay for it yourself?

 

[anat0l]

Just reading through the original discussion regarding MCT in Sydney where the OP had 2 hours.

There was a recommendation by some that the OP purchase a flexisaver, OR book the later flight.

My recommendation, for future travellers, before buying a flexisaver, would be to check your travel insurance policy.

Provided you have met the MCT, if you miss your connection you may be covered for the additional expense to get home.

Why pay for it yourself?

Good point, although how many insurance companies will cover you only because you missed your onward flight due to a huge crowd at customs.

The PDS of various insurance companies I use for my travel insurance also often only cover specific flights; namely, for international travel the flights which take you out of the country and that which brings you back. Other flights out of your country of residence (or even within your country) are not covered.


In the initial case, I would have just paid for the next flight unless I could get both flights on the same PNR. Long transits are a b****, but misconnecting just opens up a whole new can of worms. I agree that buying a Flexi Saver upfront, however, is a bit rash. I'd reserve that move for when you truly really need the flexibility.

 

[BVMS]

You probably also want to ask UA whether they'll check your bags through, seeing as it's their agents that will need to be able to tag them from LAX to AKL.

hey fellas! does anyone know the diff in quality between va1 and va2 in comparison to ua 839-838 syd-lax-syd? did anyone fly both to find out?

.with "Australia pass" (usually I cheaply booked them individually as sectors on VB, but the ek-VB codeshare, means that with a international ticket on ek coming in and out of oz (this maybe the rub as ua is bringing me in technically down under).

the "australia pass" is supposed to give the qualified customer:

(does anyone here know one way or the other the answers to the below?)

does this ek/ va codeshare extend to vb flights within oz too?

(a) more luggage allowance usually 30 kg only (but we'd be checking in 2pc total 64 kgs not 1 bag).
(b) combined upto 4 sectors within oz treated together as a package, and 'crucially' for me, (velocity & emirates skywards are both accepted FFP# by VB) I'd *hope* they *might* have some bilateral *vb+ek* reciprocal mutual arrangements on all this).

c) such grouped sectors are promising to be, (supposedly at rates cheaper then if one booked them individually online.)

5) does anyone here know?

a) Now that ek+va (VB too or not?) have a codeshare agreement as of oct 25, 2009 with ek bringing cross tasman pax to sydney for the va1 and va2 (lax-syd-lax) flight.

naturally therefore this begs the two question:

b) does that "friendship with ek extend to onward pax who wish to go to USA on VA? (meaning you cut RTW va-ek-maybe with or without UA)

 

[BVMS]

hey fellas, I'm planning 4 sectors on vb for June 2010, does anyone know if the ek/vb "visit australia pass" clubbing of 4 sectors cheaper then individually booking them, applies to the ek/ua RTW wherein ua drops one in sydney on ua839?

as if it doesn't (meaning it's applicable *only* to ek in/out of oz and not to mel-syd, syd-bne-bne-ade-ade-mel sectiors) then in those cases I'd have to book by myself individually those 4 sectors for june 2010.

an early reply would be great! as I want to book internal VB flights today!

 

[chrisb]

Mmm.. I'm looking at PER-SYD-CHC award flights at the moment and the only option without an overnight in Sydney has a 60min connect time. Even for DOM-INT that scares me a bit, especially with a bus that runs every 20mins!

Being a one flight a day route, i assume QF would reroute us SYD-AKL-CHC (Jetstar) even on a J award... (although Emirates does SYD-CHC 2 hours later, i'm guessing that would be a dream. )

 

[serfty]

'til noon the transfer is 10mins and often more frequent in peak times.

What time is your SYD-CHC flight departing?

 

[chrisb]

'til noon the transfer is 10mins and often more frequent in peak times.

What time is your SYD-CHC flight departing?

PER-SYD Arriving 6.15am, SYD-CHC departs 7.15am.

Just in planning at the mo, but both are QF and will be one booking... So aside from maybe making me run, it's QF's problem

 

[serfty]

60 mins should be fine for Domestic-International connections at that time of day...

Boarding should commence at 6:45; you should easily catch the 6:30 bus, possible even the 6:20 one as PER flights often land early.

 

[chrisb]

Thanks

Question: If i have two QF flights on a ticket issued by AA, who is responsible for fixing a misconnect?

 

[Dave Noble]

Thanks

Question: If i have two QF flights on a ticket issued by AA, who is responsible for fixing a misconnect?

the airline that causes the missed connection

Dave