Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours...?

[AustraliaPoochie]

As dumb as it sounds, just to do a MR?
And what did you write on the OPC for Customs/Immi Aust side. 1 day, or did you wink and put more days away/out of Australia.
First flight out would be with EK SYD - AKL, with the requisite QF flight number, then sneak up through int transit at AKL to prepare for a Jet Connect flight to MEL? MEL - SYD would be dom so OLCI will suffice.
Considering we can do int OLCI (and print BP) for SYD - AKL (just have to scan passport at pole/in person), but what about AKL - MEL/AKL - SYD, how did you get your passport scanned, would the transfer desk girl/guy do it for you, once they understand you are doing a MR.
Did you pull it off without any hiccups?
And yes, I have watched the dumb and dumber movie. This thread would most like appear like the title of the movie to most. :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[aaronjames000]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

So what's the actual question here?

 

[Hvr]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Firstly you're not dumb. We do understand.

AKL is easy, use SmartGate in and out on NZ so no contact with Immigration/Customs et al.

Re Australian Immi, I was queried recently when I was finishing the last leg of LHR-DXB-MEl-AKL with an overnight in MEL. When departing MEL I listed time away as one day and was questioned why I was only travelling for such a short time.

I had my original booking showing the journey and was let through but I suspect with a little incredulity by the officer. No problems in AKL where as I mentioned no contact with people, nor on my return to MEL the next day.

 

[Mal]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

It's 2 days, not 1. (or at least that's how I always described it). Saturday, Sunday. Yes, 24 hours, but actually 2 days.

Some odd questions possible, but generally no issues. With e-gates now on arrivals / departures in NZ, and arrivals in Australia (departures too in BNE as a trial for certain flights), I don't see it as an issue.

 

[yohy?!]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

sometimes you just need to be adventurous, have all the paperwork to back you up and tell the truth if asked but otherwise just go for it!

 

[trixydoza]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

It shouldn't be a problem.

But probably best not to pretend to be a dog if questioned.

 

[moa999]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Suspect plenty of people do even shorter trips - flying over Tasman for a few meetings not unheard of

 

[BD1959]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

But probably best not to pretend to be a dog if questioned.

My childhood neighbour had a dog called "Trixie"!!

Regards,

BD

 

[MrJetset]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

SYD-AKL-SYD in a day on EK F. No questions asked and had a delightful lunch at the pier.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

I have done SYD-AKL-SYD one time and BNE-SYD-WLG-SYD-BNE another time in <24 hours without problem.

 

[cambriamarsh]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Suspect plenty of people do even shorter trips - flying over Tasman for a few meetings not unheard of

Done a day trip more times than I care to think about, and others on here will make my numbers look small

 

[clifford]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Some odd questions possible, but generally no issues. With e-gates now on arrivals / departures in NZ, and arrivals in Australia (departures too in BNE as a trial for certain flights), I don't see it as an issue.

Well I believe it is a real issue. It seems to me that Smartgate is smarter than people think, and the NZ and AU (at least) systems are linked in real time.

A little while ago I arrived in AKL on QF from BKK (via SYD), went through Smartgate on arrival and departed a couple of hours later on a different airline. It did concern me that my luggage didn't appear in AKL, but I put that to the back of my mind (but a paranoid person might have read something into it). There was, of course, a legitimate and lawful reason for such a short stay.

On arrival at SYD I tried to use the Smartgate machine, but it said NO and that I must go through the manual Immigration channel. I immediately suspected that it was the short stay in AKL that triggered this response, but the human on the Immigration desk didn't seem to care. Haven't had a problem with Smartgate before or since, but it does make you wonder (and wary)

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

OK, all noted.
So long as I know that some of you have done it.
I got an incredulous Customs fellow at AKL one time, the Sikh turban officer, some of you who fly regularly into AKL will have seen him.
I told him I was in AKL for only 1 day, this was with (Air) NZ, when they swapped my 777 to a 320, I wanted to leave SYD in daylight, and arrive AKL past dusk on a wide body.
Told him, this was the guy that collects the NZ smartgate receipt downstairs, that I would be in NZ for less than a day, 320 narrow body plane swap was an excuse, he (officer) asked me, you are going to here for only 24 hours??? In the end, he let me through, got to see Manukau town centre, and a bit of the lagoons and lakes around AKL airport on the 380 bus!
I guess, in the end, it all depends on the officer collecting the NZ IPC and Smartgate receipt.
So many ways to do it, even that some days of the week, some months of the year, I could do ADL - PER (QFd), PER - AKL (QFi), AKL - SYD (EK with a QF flight number), SYD - ADL (QFd).
Have to play around with $ now to see what's possible.
Thanks again.

 

[AIRwin]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

I need to position myself in AKL where a flight booking commenced so flew JQ overnight from MEL to AKL then went through the airside transfer desk for my QF flight from AKL to SYD where I needed to be that weekend...

 

[serfty]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

I have crossed the Tasman over a hundred times and have my stuff searched on arrival just once ... 20 minutes later I was on my way.

One weekend I flew to sydney for dinner:

Saturday: melbourne-auckland-sydney,

Sunday: Sydney-auckland-melbourne.

Not an issue ...

 

[robd]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

I did MEL-BNE-AKL-BNE-MEL last year. Due to delays in BNE, landed at 1.00am ish in AKL, walked over to the Novotel and slept for ~ 4hrs, then headed back to the airport for the return flights.

No problems at all.

 

[MrJetset]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

the Sikh turban officer

Really? What does his religion or religious headress have to do with your story?

 

[RichardMEL]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Done it several times both to/from AKL and CHC. no issue. as others have said smartgate makes it easy. putting 1 or 2 days is no issue. you think business types don't go for a meeting and return? it doesn't really matter. you just take carry on it's no issue and at the end of the day so what is you're questioned. If you have nothing to hide then what's the big deal? AU/NZ is virtually a single country these days anyway so really both countries care little about people buzzing between the two. Its simply not a concern.

 

[Guvner]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

Have done MEL>AKL>MEL on the same day plenty of times (and vice-versa) and have never once been questioned.

Once I did a AKL>MEL>AKL and was on the same (Emirates) aircraft back to AKL. The only person who questioned me was a crew member who said "Didn't you just get off this aircraft???" when I boarded back to AKL.

 

[Anna]

Re: Has anyone on here definitely done a SYD - AKL - MEL - SYD return in 24/36 hours.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, when I went to AKL for a long weekend a few years ago I got questioned about why I wasn't staying longer.

I suppose he might just have been flirting.