Early MEL international to Domestic bag drop

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alphahelix

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Recently traveled on SIN(QF36) - MEL - CBR (QF818). Arrived into MEL around 0600 and proceeded to domestic terminal for bag drop (next flight at 1530) at the self service station. The self service machine could not processed the bag drop. So went to the service counter to try the bag drop which was also unsuccessful. We were given the reason that the next flight (QF818) is not opened for check-in hence we are unable to drop our bags despite coming from an international flight with baggage dockets. So we had to source for out of pocket short term paid storage at the terminal.
Fast forward few days, in my phone conversation with QF cust service regarding MEL bag drop issue, the person on the phone wasn't able to provide a satisfactory answer and I was told that a) it is not possible to have such as long layover if booked through the website unless booked through multi-cities, and b) it is a security risk even if QF were to allow for early bag drop, and passengers should not be leaving the airport after bag-drop.

As for the booking, my booking was definitely not multi-cities booking and the same route (QF36->QF818) is available if one were to make a dummy booking now.

Has anyone encountered similar issues?
 
Were your bags checked through to CBR or only to MEL? If this was all on the one booking then they should have been checked through to CBR and you would have just needed to re-check them at the transfer desk after clearing customs.
 
This is QF MEL though, not SYD.
Coming into MEL, I have never seen a QF transfer desk after Customs in the Customs secure area, as they try to move you out through that black box thing into the open area, and you have to drag your bags over to T1 or T4, or T3.
Have flown into MEL int T2 several times over the years, and you have to claim all bags off the carousel, and be ready to have them looked at, if they want to, ABF that is, so there is no thing as a through baggage system.
Dom at another city, transferring to int at MEL, then yes, your bags can be tagged through all the way.
But incoming to MEL int, you have to do Customs there, at MEL.
 
As for the booking, my booking was definitely not multi-cities booking and the same route (QF36->QF818) is available if one were to make a dummy booking now.

Has anyone encountered similar issues?
NO.

At SIN, your checked bags should have been tagged through to CBR.

After customs/immigration you head left and up the travelator ramp to T1 where you would use the dedicated international to domestic bag drop counter.

No need to use any self service machine. (Nor would I expect a self service machine to work in your case.)

Were you bags originally tagged through to CBR?

If so, I suspect the Qantas staff you spoke to were not aware of the actual situation.

If not, then there was a failure with Staff in Singapore.
 
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Have flown into MEL int T2 several times over the years, and you have to claim all bags off the carousel, and be ready to have them looked at, if they want to, ABF that is, so there is no thing as a through baggage system.

This is not correct. You have to clear customs in your first port of entry (e.g. MEL) but your bags can be tagged through to your final destination. E.g. in SIN your bags will be tagged SIN-MEL-CBR. Clear customs in MEL, then redeposit bags using the same baggage tags for the MEL-CBR leg.
 
Were your bags checked through to CBR or only to MEL? If this was all on the one booking then they should have been checked through to CBR and you would have just needed to re-check them at the transfer desk after clearing customs.
BAGS checked through (in SIN) to CBR but was denied early bag drop at MEL domestic upon arrival from SIN.
 
This is QF MEL though, not SYD.
Coming into MEL, I have never seen a QF transfer desk after Customs in the Customs secure area, as they try to move you out through that black box thing into the open area, and you have to drag your bags over to T1 or T4, or T3.
Have flown into MEL int T2 several times over the years, and you have to claim all bags off the carousel, and be ready to have them looked at, if they want to, ABF that is, so there is no thing as a through baggage system.
Dom at another city, transferring to int at MEL, then yes, your bags can be tagged through all the way.
But incoming to MEL int, you have to do Customs there, at MEL.
BAGS checked through (in SIN) to CBR. Collected bags at MEL, through CUSTOMS but was denied early bag drop at MEL domestic due to the reason being too early.
 
Tried both self bag drop then QF service counter.
There are several service counters at Melbourne T1.

There is a special counter for International to Domestic transfers. Did you use this?

You refer to "self service machine" - these would not have worked as you already had checked in.

In any case, the Qantas staff should have realised the situation (you were a transfer PAX) and accepted the bag.
 
NO.

At SIN, your checked bags should have been tagged through to CBR.

After customs/immigration you head left and up the travelator ramp to T1 where you would use the dedicated international to domestic bag drop counter.

No need to use any self service machine. (Nor would I expect a self service machine to work in your case.)

Were you bags originally tagged through to CBR?

If so, I suspect the Qantas staff you spoke to were not aware of the actual situation.

If not, then there was a failure with Staff in Singapore.

Yes bags were tagged to CBR. After collection and Customs clearance at MEL, self bag drop system couldnt processed the bags, then bag drop counter also denied us. The person at the counter knew about our international to domestic connection but insisted that we can't bagdrop until within 6 hours (if i remember correctly) prior to departure.
Came back again just over 2 hours before departure and was able to successfully self bag drop with the original tags done in SIN.
 
There are several service counters at Melbourne T1.

There is a special counter for International to Domestic transfers. Did you use this?

You refer to "self service machine" - these would not have worked as you already had checked in.

In any case, the Qantas staff should have realised the situation (you were a transfer PAX) and accepted the bag.
apologies wasnt clear enough. I used the sef service bag drop (not service service check-in), and after that failed to the transfer counter next to it. The counter staff knew about our situation.
 
Ok.

There is the issue - ending with an Ill trained Qantas staff member.

There is no self service applicable in your situation.

When arriving at T1 you should had headed strait to the International to Domestic Counter. This is different from the others.

If it were actually at that counter, I would be complaining to Qantas - at the very least this would allow a retraining situation and help prevent others from being so badly serviced by Qantas Staff in the future.

"We were given the reason that the next flight (QF818) is not opened for check-in " - I presume you already had your QF818 boarding pass, in which case you were indeed already checked in.
 
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If it were actually at that counter, I would be complaining to Qantas - at the very least this would allow a retraining situation and help prevent others from being so badly serviced by Qantas Staff in the future.

Agree with this, you should provide feedback, as this was not handled correctly.

 
Check-in for domestic flights isn't open until 6 hours prior to departure, same with bag drop.

If you have received the bag tags and boarding passes from any other international port QF or not, then bag drop is open for anyone to use at -6hrs,
Anything before then will not work (with or with out staff assistance).

Self service is available to anyone with a tag on their bag and has been issued a boarding pass (even if it's from another carrier).
 
so basically if you arrive from an international flight > 6hours prior to next domestic flight even already issued with luggage tags and boarding pass to the next domestic port, you will need to wait out until 6 hours before next flight or find a storage at the airport.

i supposed its different rules for the reverse (Domestic-International) route since there is no bags clearance required and bags are checked through all the way to the international port and the airline has no problem keeping the bags in cargo hold even the gap between flights maybe > 6 hours.
 
This seems absolute B.S. the passenger, and indeed the bag is already checked in. They just need to put the bag back in the system, I don’t even think it requires any action from the staff member.

Granted, I haven’t done this in Melbourne before, but that’s how it works in Brisbane and Sydney, and the US, and pretty much everywhere else in the world...
 
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