Article: Qatar Airways’ Bizarre Daily Melbourne-Adelaide Flight

[Himeno]

On the return, you can drop the final leg and they can't do much about that

Unless you have checked bags.
On the return, you'd use the international transit in MEL and if you left the international area at MEL, your bags won't be there as they are tagged to ADL.

 

[CaptJCool]

Unless you have checked bags.
On the return, you'd use the international transit in MEL and if you left the international area at MEL, your bags won't be there as they are tagged to ADL.

So just Carry-on

And you’re waltzing out of Melb airport in no time !

 

[AeroNomadScott]

Qatar Airways’ Bizarre Daily Melbourne-Adelaide Flight is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

Qatar Airways' Bizarre Daily Melbourne-Adelaide Flight

Since the beginning of October, Qatar Airways has been running a Boeing 777 every day from Melbourne to Adelaide and back without passengers. The Oneworld

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

OK, I can help with some of what is being discussed in this post. I completed this trip last week.

I was looking for points flights from Europe back to Melbourne and the only availability was on QR988 from Doha to Adelaide with a 'technical' stop in Melbourne. I checked in from Europe and asked them to tag my luggage to Melbourne. They weren't able to do this (their system didn't allow this with the way my flight was ticketed). Boarding pass and bag tag printed with DOH -> ADL and no mention of Melbourne.

Flight arrives in Melbourne just before midnight. I get off the plane and there are Qatar ground staff at the end of the aerobridge with signs directing Adelaide transit passengers off through a transit area (ADL transit passengers need to remain in the terminal). I tell the ground staff that I am not continuing on to Adelaide and I have a checked bag. They write my name down and tell me that my bag will be offloaded. I follow off the rest of the people disembarking in Melbourne. Smartgates work a treat and I have no issues clearing immigration.

Not sure how long it might take for my bag to be recovered from the plane, I find the baggage services counter between immigration and customs. I explain to them that I have chosen to offload myself in Melbourne and that my bag was tagged to Adelaide. They take down my details and tell me that my best bet is to clear immigration and return the next day to collect my checked luggage. I clear customer with just my hand luggage and head for home. No questions from customs. I get a call around 10am telling me that my bags have been located and can be picked up. Menzies baggage services has a counter inside on the arrivals level at Melbourne International T2 (just behind the Skybus counter - it has two large black doors). I walk in pick up by bag and walk out again. The whole thing takes 5 minutes. I don't need to do anything with customs. You pickup the bag on the cleared / arrivals side of the terminal. Was a little painful to have to return to the airport to get my checked luggage as I live some distance away, but totally doable, and would be an absolute breeze with carry-on luggage only.

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to AFF @AeroNomadScott .

Great first post, thanks.

 

[kpc]

Yeah...it seems there is much more availability getting Qr J awards on this Adl-Mel-Doh /Doh-Mel-Adl flight. I didn't like the tecnical stop in the early hours in am in Mel on way back to Adl so I reversed our trip to fly Adl-Mel-Doh-Sey late May next year....the 1 hr 40 min stop in Mel is at lunchtime, and should be enough time to sneak up to the Qf Mel F lounge for a nice meal and drink

 

[CaptJCool]

My friend did this stopover last week too

He coped with 6-8 hours of layover at Tullamarine because that’s “just how it is” but was happy to get to Adelaide - he being an early riser
A Kip in the terminal and an early wake up worked out perfectly

 

[kpc]

Yeah...it seems there is much more availability getting Qr J awards on this Adl-Mel-Doh /Doh-Mel-Adl flight. I didn't like the tecnical stop in the early hours in am in Mel on way back to Adl so I reversed our trip to fly Adl-Mel-Doh-Sey late May next year....the 1 hr 40 min stop in Mel is at lunchtime, and should be enough time to sneak up to the Qf Mel F lounge for a nice meal and drink

Currently flying Mel-Doh leg (free unlimited WiFi...take note Qf!) on our Adl-Mel-Doh-Sez QR J award

At Adl checkin was directed to Va lounge but we went to the new Qf J lounge instead....very nice lounge but b'fast was meh....then cleared International security and Immigration and went to the very nice Plaza Premium lounge...the only lounge airside at Adl Internàtionàl...accessed with PPass...very nice and much better b'fast spread! Qr should really direct its J pax here like Sq do...

We were the only 2 pax in J on the Adl-Mel sector and there weren't many in Y either. There were more FAs than pax on this sector!!

We had a 105 min transit in Mel...pulled up at departure gate at Mel so no security check! Qr told us to wait in the waiting area by the gate but when we said we were going to the lounge directed us to the Mahabar lounge...but armed with my Qf Plat card, we headed staright to the Qf F lounge and the Lounge Attendant stared at our Qr BPs for a while (it did say Adl to Doh) wondering where we appeared from and where we were going!

We ordered our mains and dessert straight away, and reboarded 60 mins later to a packed flight in Y and J cabins. Qr offers Dine on Demand so we said we will eat 6 hours prior to landing in Doh. The Q suites are just great for a couple travelling....private cabin with a sort of double bed

PS I can see why Qr are ending the Adl-Mel vv leg and replacing it wirh Cbr-Mel vv. There is already a direct Adl-Doh vv Qr flight.

 

[jase05]

Qr should really direct its J pax here like Sq do...

Even MH uses the PP lounge.
I have sent feedback to QR previously on the ADL lounge situation but they probably couldn’t care less

 

[RooFlyer]

Currently flying Mel-Doh leg (free unlimited WiFi...take note Qf!) on our Adl-Mel-Doh-Sez QR J award

Done that a couple of times now (award pretty easy to get) and yes, the lunch in the QF F Lounge is rather civilised.

Did you have the Starlink wi-fi? If so, did you note the speed?

 

[kpc]

Did you have the Starlink wi-fi? If so, did you note the speed?

Yes but I did not check speed...it was fast enough as pages loaded quickly but I did not download any big files.

 

[tigermanno1]

OK, I can help with some of what is being discussed in this post. I completed this trip last week.

I was looking for points flights from Europe back to Melbourne and the only availability was on QR988 from Doha to Adelaide with a 'technical' stop in Melbourne. I checked in from Europe and asked them to tag my luggage to Melbourne. They weren't able to do this (their system didn't allow this with the way my flight was ticketed). Boarding pass and bag tag printed with DOH -> ADL and no mention of Melbourne.

Flight arrives in Melbourne just before midnight. I get off the plane and there are Qatar ground staff at the end of the aerobridge with signs directing Adelaide transit passengers off through a transit area (ADL transit passengers need to remain in the terminal). I tell the ground staff that I am not continuing on to Adelaide and I have a checked bag. They write my name down and tell me that my bag will be offloaded. I follow off the rest of the people disembarking in Melbourne. Smartgates work a treat and I have no issues clearing immigration.

Not sure how long it might take for my bag to be recovered from the plane, I find the baggage services counter between immigration and customs. I explain to them that I have chosen to offload myself in Melbourne and that my bag was tagged to Adelaide. They take down my details and tell me that my best bet is to clear immigration and return the next day to collect my checked luggage. I clear customer with just my hand luggage and head for home. No questions from customs. I get a call around 10am telling me that my bags have been located and can be picked up. Menzies baggage services has a counter inside on the arrivals level at Melbourne International T2 (just behind the Skybus counter - it has two large black doors). I walk in pick up by bag and walk out again. The whole thing takes 5 minutes. I don't need to do anything with customs. You pickup the bag on the cleared / arrivals side of the terminal. Was a little painful to have to return to the airport to get my checked luggage as I live some distance away, but totally doable, and would be an absolute breeze with carry-on luggage only.

Have you booked this flight via VFF ? If so, Any problems happened with Velocity?