$8 Brisbane Airtrain connections

[serfty]

Just travelled from South Brisbane by train to the Domestic Airport. The ticket only cost $8 instead of the normal $10.

I was able to purchase this from the South Bank Parklands Information Centre. This is right in the middle of the SW edge of the complex. I'm sure there are also other places around the city where these can be purchased; this one is close to where I stay in BNE.

The ticket is valid from any of the city stations (South Bris, Roma St & Central) and any station the train stops at on route to the airport terminals.

For some really discounted transfers in February you could combine this with the complimentary Airtrain from the Airport to the City for Qantas FF's .

 

[Mal]

There's also an internet cafe in Adelaide st (Opp David Jones if I recall correctly) who advertise $8 airtrain tickets too.

 

[Mal]

And also the Information booth in the Queen Street mall sells them too...

Looks like it's becoming one of those "who'd pay full price" items!

 

[thadocta]

And also the Information booth in the Queen Street mall sells them too...

Looks like it's becoming one of those "who'd pay full price" items!

Actually, I *used* to be one who would pay the full price, both in BNE and SYD. Since I am usually travelling by myself, the rail fare will always be cheaper than a cab fare.

Since they reduced the frequency in BNE to half-hourly, I will still catch the train if I do not have to wait any more than about 10 minutes - any longer and the cabbie gets the fare.

Likewise if it is raining and I am going to BNE INT, due to where they stop the train you HAVE to get wet when leaving the train - no ifs nor buts about it. So again, the cabbie gets the fare.

Dave

 

[Mal]

And also the Information booth in the Queen Street mall sells them too...

Looks like it's becoming one of those "who'd pay full price" items!

Actually, I *used* to be one who would pay the full price, both in BNE and SYD. Since I am usually travelling by myself, the rail fare will always be cheaper than a cab fare.

Since they reduced the frequency in BNE to half-hourly, I will still catch the train if I do not have to wait any more than about 10 minutes - any longer and the cabbie gets the fare.

Likewise if it is raining and I am going to BNE INT, due to where they stop the train you HAVE to get wet when leaving the train - no ifs nor buts about it. So again, the cabbie gets the fare.

Dave

Care to assist with where you can get discount tickets in Syd? Oh, and while I'm on the topic, is there any discount Skybus tickets avail in Melb?

I'm in a similar boat. I'm lucky(?) that I live right on the line to the airport, so for me it's a simple choice ... $30 or $8.

If it's personal travel then the Airtrain gets the job (when I'm actually leaving or arriving at an hour the train runs ... it starts too late and finishes too early!)

For work, it's an easy choice to call a cab.

 

[serfty]

SYD "AirportLink" (Train) has a standard one-way adult fare of $11. There are also OFF PEAK (after 9am) Day return fares for $14.30. There are several other discount fares as well, more here: SYD AirportLink Fares.

One interesting one is the Group fare where up to 4 can travel for somewhat less than the normal cost of a shared taxi.

MEL Skybus standard fare is $13, you can get a return for $24. That's about the only adult discount, more HERE.

BNE Airtrain has some interesting discounts. Aside from pre-purchasing vouchers for $8 each in books of 10 or more, there are others for group booking purchased online. More information here.

Mal, can you get $8 fares at the airport stations?

 

[serfty]

... Since they reduced the frequency in BNE to half-hourly, I will still catch the train if I do not have to wait any more than about 10 minutes - any longer and the cabbie gets the fare. ... Dave

Dave, I find the BNE AirTrain service extremly reliable so it generally is possible to time things to the minute.

I allow 10 minutes to get from QP (where I wait) to the Dom station and buy a ticket. It really only takes about 5 minutes for the walk but you never know about the ticket queues at the station.

It does also help that my normal destination is near South Brisbane station.

 

[Mal]

Mal, can you get $8 fares at the airport stations?

Thanks for the tips. The online purchase/printout of tickets for Mel is pretty cool and something that would come in handy if rushing onto the bus.

You can't buy $8 tickets at Bne airport (that I know of yet), but the $8 vouchers you buy at the touristy places as discussed work either way to or from Airport.

When departing the airport, show it at the Ticket booth, and they hole punch it. QR should then accept it as a valid ticket for travel into town (although, some of the ticket checkers at the city stations may not identify it properly at first!)

One thing to watch is validity for the Airtrain tickets. They are valid for up to 6 months, but as they don't seem to sell many at the touristy places they can come close to expiry. Some I bought a few days ago expire at the end of Jan!

I havn't had the expiry date checked yet by either QR or Airtrain staff (It's printed on the back of the card), but apparently if you do have one that's expired the Airtrain ticket office will replace it...

 

[thadocta]

... Since they reduced the frequency in BNE to half-hourly, I will still catch the train if I do not have to wait any more than about 10 minutes - any longer and the cabbie gets the fare. ... Dave

Dave, I find the BNE AirTrain service extremly reliable so it generally is possible to time things to the minute.

I allow 10 minutes to get from QP (where I wait) to the Dom station and buy a ticket. It really only takes about 5 minutes for the walk but you never know about the ticket queues at the station.

It does also help that my normal destination is near South Brisbane station.

Yeah, but I don't use it to get from the airport into town, rather the other way, where a train originating in Robina is subject to delays, particularly north of Beenleigh.

Dave

 

[serfty]

Fair enough; I caught a direct AirTrain Wednesday from SouthBank and it was 10 mins late.

Still, when you compare $8 against a $30 cab fare ... and it's coming out of your pocket ...

(BTW, it's actually $12.80 from South Bank as it's not a "City Station" but we southerners easily confuse this with South Brisbane :wink: )