Help! Flying Delta from Melb to LAX

[fkhill33]

Hi guys, please help a very inexperience international traveller.

I've booked myself on a flight flying Delta from Melbourne to LA later this week. It looks like these guys fly through Syd using Virgin. So here is the flight details:

6am DL8971 Melb (terminal 3) to Syd arriving 7:25 (terminal 2)
9:50 DL16 Syd (terminal 1)to LAX

So here are my questions:

1) Since I am on a Virgin domestic flight from Melbourne, do I check in 1 hr or 2 hrs before flight time?
2) According to Delta I can check in 2x23kg, but does that apply for the Virgin (domestic) flight too? This is more relevant for the trip back from US than the trip going to US.
3) After I've landed in Syd, how do I make my way from T2 to T1? Is this my own responsibility? Do I assume this flight to be completely separate and just a normal flight and after I land I take a cab/bus to T1 and check in again just as if I was a normal Sydneysider?
4) What about my luggage?

Thanks and looking forward to your feedback.

Cheers

 

[stuartfaz]

Hi fkhill33, welcome to AFF!

Flying on an international transfer with DJ is pretty easy. You'll check in at the area between T2 and T3 (closer to T3), at a desk marked 'Virgin Blue International Partner check-in' or something to that effect.

You should only need to be there an hour beforehand, as it is a domestic flight.

Your baggage limits with Delta are valid for the Virgin Blue flights.

Regarding transfers, these will be provided as it is a single booking. You should be given information on how to do this when you check in, but you'll be given a bus pass to connect to T1 at SYD.

Your luggage will be transferred through to your final destination.

 

[anat0l]

Your best bet is to check with both Delta and Virgin Blue. I hope they are not going to tell you different information.

I've scoured through both of their websites (and V Australia) and all the details are very sketchy (or not even present, in the case of the pathetic excuse of a website courtesy of Delta).

Here are my thoughts:

• Firstly, you seem to be travelling on one itinerary (DL codeshare on the DJ flight), which is important and you should stress this where necessary to anyone you speak to from either airline.
• If you are checking in at MEL for your DJ flight, you should at worst check-in at least 60 minutes before departure, but a little earlier can never hurt.
• Since you are on one itinerary with an international connection to the Americas, the more generous allowance should apply (2 pieces at 23 kg apiece). This should apply both to your outbound and inbound flights.
• Virgin Blue offer free transfers at SYD T2 Gate 37 for VA and their partner airlines, of which DL is one. Your baggage should be tagged all the way to LAX when you check in at MEL. You may or may not be given an onward boarding pass at MEL; if not, you can get one at Gate 37 before you board the bus to T1.
  Had you booked separate tickets (a DJ ticket and a DL ticket), this service would not be free of charge.