How close can I cut it at MEL

[djtech]

Hey all,

No one likes an early morning 6am (or god forbid, a 5am) flight! I've always been pretty good at disciplining myself to wake up at 4 and get to the airport with an hour to spare. HLO and mobile boarding pass makes that pretty feasible. But I want to claw back some sleeping time. How close can you actually cut it for Melbourne specifically? Keen to try and cut it closer this time flying VA to Sydney in the morning.

Plus, thoughts on relying on the Skybus in the wee hours of the morning?

Cheers.

 

[Guvner]

First Skybus from the city is 4am I think. 30 minute trip, so cutting it fine for a 5am flight. 6am should be OK.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I know people who aim to arrive at the airport 10 minutes before boarding. Depends how risk averse you are, and what part of MEL you're travelling from. Can't comment on Skybus option, I aim to be asleep in the wee hours of the morning. If it was work travel I've flown the night before and if they didn't stump up for a room, I'd pay myself and claim a deduction.

I had a boss who always demanded I get the 5.30 am flight to meetings. Until the time my flight was delayed 2 hours and I missed the meeting altogether. Never had to get the 5.30 am flight again.

Cheers skip

 

[djtech]

Thanks guys. Should've clarified that departure is at 6:30. My usual pattern is wake up at 4am and check out, getting the 4:30 SkyBus arriving a little after 5 at MEL T3 (flying VA). If I could eek out 30 minutes or so of extra sleeping time, I'm taking it!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks guys. Should've clarified that departure is at 6:30. My usual pattern is wake up at 4am and check out, getting the 4:30 SkyBus arriving a little after 5 at MEL T3 (flying VA). If I could eek out 30 minutes or so of extra sleeping time, I'm taking it!

Virgin closes the door 10 minutes before departure time, when flights are on time. So for a 630 you should aim to arrive by 615 at the gate. The unknown is security. If you got to the airport by 545 should be fine? (I dunno the security wait times that early)

30 mins for skybus, so the 515 or thereabouts.

 

[pauly7]

Thanks guys. Should've clarified that departure is at 6:30. My usual pattern is wake up at 4am and check out, getting the 4:30 SkyBus arriving a little after 5 at MEL T3 (flying VA). If I could eek out 30 minutes or so of extra sleeping time, I'm taking it!

The biggest issue/unknown is if you have no choice but to fly Virgin - is now Virgin uses T4 security as T3 really only exists “in theory” these days.

T4 security there in my experience is very hit and miss. It’s certainly gotten better since the disastrous launch of the combined T3/4 terminal, I don’t think they accurately staffed it for months and months after they closed T3… but I still have had long waits there.

There “should” be priority security operating there at that time to help (it only operates a couple of hours each day v T1 which is available all the time and much faster/reliable).

However word of warning for cutting too much time off when having to fly from T4; two experiences from me. One morning it simply wasn’t operating at all. No reason given. Lines were long and although they moved, it was still 15/20 mins which is a very long time in the morning. Another morning it was operating, but had no staff member there checking so basically every second person just walked into the priority line, which made it useless and about a 10/15 minute wait.

So net, my advice, if you have no choice of carrier just don’t shave too much time off your security allowance if you have to fly out of T3/4 combined terminal.

Good luck!!

(Yes I wrote a letter to Virgin to complain on both occasions before anyone asks )

 

[Flyfrequently]

All good information.
Curious to know, how did you go this morning @djtech ?

 

[tdimdad]

Pre-pandemic, I used to routinely cut it close and it worked. The ideal scenario was to walk from the security to the plane, buckle up and be ready to go. This meant being in the security 25-30 mins before the departure time (40-45 mins at the rush hours). The pandemic years were too unpredictable for this to work but currently I notice the ungodly early or late departure hours, especially during school holidays, are very quiet in the terminals and you tend to get through quick.

 

[elanshin]

Pre-pandemic, I used to routinely cut it close and it worked. The ideal scenario was to walk from the security to the plane, buckle up and be ready to go. This meant being in the security 25-30 mins before the departure time (40-45 mins at the rush hours). The pandemic years were too unpredictable for this to work but currently I notice the ungodly early or late departure hours, especially during school holidays, are very quiet in the terminals and you tend to get through quick.

I also used to do that until I got burnt once, the red light to turn into the carpark to drop off rentals didnt cycle for 5 times, wasted 10+ mins stuck at that light, missed bag drop by 2 minutes and thus had to get a different flight later.