Recent status run from Australia to NZ return

[Zero]

Does anyone have any recent experiences with staying airside during the evening and connecting to a domestic NZ flight later in the morning?

I'm not sure if I'll get moved on since I'm transiting domestically instead of international. I was hoping to spend the evening airside then clear immigration in the morning and proceed to my domestic flight.

Is there even anywhere to stay airside when arriving in AKL?

I've sat in the international terminal landside from midnight to 4am several times and it wasn't that bad, just noisy as hundreds or even thousands of people seemed to have the same idea.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Is there even anywhere to stay airside when arriving in AKL?

I've sat in the international terminal landside from midnight to 4am several times and it wasn't that bad, just noisy as hundreds or even thousands of people seemed to have the same idea.

Ive seen a few places where people can sleep. It's much quieter and comfortable when compared to landside. My main issue is that I'm not sure if immigration is manned at 430am considering the earliest flight is at 445am. That's a risk I'm not willing to take.

I might just stay at the Ibis for $150 for 5 hours and walkover to the domestic terminal in the morning. Wouldn't have been worth it for if it was only 3-4 hours arriving into AKL earlier certainly has ticked it over to being worthwhile for me.

 

[serfty]

Is there even anywhere to stay airside when arriving in AKL?

I've sat in the international terminal landside from midnight to 4am several times and it wasn't that bad, just noisy as hundreds or even thousands of people seemed to have the same idea.

Pre COVID, I had an onward BP and was able to use transit security. I have had no similar transits since.

Will be trying it again next month.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They will move you on.
You cannot stay airside that long, dont think that there are any seats even, its a very long walkway of turning corners after you get off the plane, to immi.
There are even no loos from deplaning, till you get to the recorded Maori totem pole!
Landside, can be done.
As you cannot move to dep (where the lounges are) as its immi controlled.
On the arr side, there is nowhere to sit, on the arr side.
From plane arr, the aim is to get you to move straight off to immi and customs.
===

Ive seen a few places where people can sleep. It's much quieter and comfortable when compared to landside. My main issue is that I'm not sure if immigration is manned at 430am considering the earliest flight is at 445am. That's a risk I'm not willing to take.

I might just stay at the Ibis for $150 for 5 hours and walkover to the domestic terminal in the morning. Wouldn't have been worth it for if it was only 3-4 hours arriving into AKL earlier certainly has ticked it over to being worthwhile for me.

Ive seen a few places where people can sleep
You mean on the floor...?
Have only seens chairs on the dep side, of the glass partition for int dep.
Thought that there were no chairs, on the arr, very sterile.

 

[clifford]

They will move you on.
You cannot stay airside that long, dont think that there are any seats even, its a very long walkway of turning corners after you get off the plane, to immi.
There are even no loos from deplaning, till you get to the recorded Maori totem pole!
Landside, can be done.
As you cannot move to dep (where the lounges are) as its immi controlled.
On the arr side, there is nowhere to sit, on the arr side.
From plane arr, the aim is to get you to move straight off to immi and customs.
===

Ive seen a few places where people can sleep
You mean on the floor...?
Have only seens chairs on the dep side, of the glass partition for int dep.
Thought that there were no chairs, on the arr, very sterile.

So you are implying that transit security is closed at that time?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

You are going onto a AirNZ dom flight, so you cant stay in the int temrinal.
Or the person/colleague who asked, is going to... a dom flight.
As of yet, I dont believe the the AKL dom and int terminals have joined.
You have to claim bags, and go out into the open area.
If you were going ingt-> int at AKL, its possible, but immi incoming, after the last flight, they would probably do a sweep and move people to immi clearance, and then go into the open public area.
If they dont move you on, you might get a stern talking too, if they find you.
But to each their own, if you think you can sneak upstairs, to AKL int dep, and then come back down to arr, thats your perogrative.
From what I see, once you get off the plane, its no place to sit on the arr side, on the dep side, in gate 1 - 10, ie, far left, if you have an int dep, yes, there are places to sit.
Plane arr are on the outer glass side, if you look down on arr, you will see dep.
But do as you please, maybe they like you, grin.
===
Does anyone have any recent experiences with staying airside during the evening and connecting to a domestic NZ flight later in the morning?
===
Ah, its dom -> dom that the (_thetraveller_) is on, sorry, according to sleepinginairports, the dom side is closed at night.
Thought it was int, sorry.
On the AKL dom terminal side, I cant say for sure.
Thousand apologies.
---
Tho:
from the Auckland Airport website:

Terminal hours​

The international terminal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The shops, situated inside the terminal, are open for all incoming and outgoing flights.

The domestic terminal is open from 4:30am to 11pm Monday to Friday and 5am to 11pm Saturday and Sunday.

 

[Invisible Monkey]

I’m doing a status from Sydney to Auckland and return on the same day. Will there be any issues at immigration in New Zealand. I only have five hours between landing and my flight back to Sydney on the same day.

Isn't your flight back to Sydney classed as an international transit flight so you'd need to go to the transfer and transit area and pass the security screening there to be able to move through to the departures area? It's same day return so you're not needing to hang around overnight which has been the scenario for others that have done similar status runs.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Does anyone have any recent experiences with staying airside during the evening and connecting to a domestic NZ flight later in the morning?

I'm not sure if I'll get moved on since I'm transiting domestically instead of international. I was hoping to spend the evening airside then clear immigration in the morning and proceed to my domestic flight.

Int -> dom. Can't stay airside in int terminal (as noted there is nowhere to sit other than floor on arrivals side). Would not recommend going through security to departures side as if successful will cause issue trying to get to immigration (not only needing to go the wrong way but clearing immigration hours after flight arrives will lead to lengthy questioning).

If arrive before dom terminal closes you could clear security there but will be booted out when it closes so no point.

Either find somewhere landside in int terminal, transport hub next to int terminal, or one of the airport hotels (Pullman and novotel are next to int terminal, Ibis is further away but still walkable).

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Pullman & Novotel are the most expensive, and they dont have hr rates for the night, they will charge Nzd$299 for those few hours.
So, if you were to pay $299 for 6 hrs, its very expensive, mind you, those 2 are the best hotels, standards wise.
Better to either sit in the open public area, upstairs, in the public open area of the int terminal, as this is a bit more secure.
Transport hub/transit centre is an open area, for buses and cars to drive in and out, so can be very cold at nights.
ibis budget is the best, cheaps.
The Naumi and etc, are too far and the yellow bus charges Nzd$8 per one way per person, as far out as the Holiday Inn Mangere.
The Naumi and etc, hotels are not walkable from the dom/int terminals.
===
If you have ever flown into AKL int airport, after getting off the plane, you will see what I mean, on the arr side.
You also need to have very good bladder and you know what control too, as from (on the plane, when the red loo lights comes on), to the wooden overhead statue at the AKL int arr area), there are no loos, none open to the public!
Sorry for the waffly.

 

[serfty]

I used transit last night - single booking and already had departing BP.

Arrived from Brisbane ~12:30am and indeed transit security was closed and no buzzer obvious to get attention.

I wandered through airside arrivals and found an area which was as far along south end of the main pier as one could go. There were some soft chairs in one of which I decided to nap. There were a couple of other people doing the same thing.

We were awoken 2:30am by staff and advised transit security was open and we could not stay at arrivals airside so went back and was shortly in airside departures.

I went to gate three, heading down the escalator to the empty gate lounge. Using a row of seats as a couch I slept OK until 4:30am, whereupon I headed to the just opened Qantas lounge for a shower and breakfast.

Note, eye mask and ear plugs were useful.

 

[moa999]

Interesting.. so you can actually stay inside 24hrs..

As those who have ever left NZ on the early flights would know check-in generally doesn't open till 4am and the roller shutter is down on immigration and security until about 4.30am

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Interesting.. so you can actually stay inside 24hrs..

As those who have ever left NZ on the early flights would know check-in generally doesn't open till 4am and the roller shutter is down on immigration and security until about 4.30am

Int > Int transit at AKL doesnt go through immi, so it can be done as above, but I would have thought they (airport sec) would go on a walk around after last flight, incoming to move people on.
(((Thought it would not have been able to be done!))).
But I guess they can, via the CCTV see who is still within the sec zone, so they would know whats going on.
Not sure if I want to spend my time inside the arr zone, between getting off plane, and the welcome to NZ recording totem welcome overhead pole tho.
In the further reaches out near the gates, there are no loos!
The only ones are the ones at the totem pole.
===
Guess tho, this is for true int > int, not sure what they would do if they found out your arr plane arr at at 12.30am (that day/11.30pm that previous day, discernable by your digital IPC), and you had hung around, and did arr immi at 6.30am that day.

 

[serfty]

Int > Int transit at AKL doesnt go through immi, so it can be done as above, but I would have thought they (airport sec) would go on a walk around after last flight, incoming to move people on.
(((Thought it would not have been able to be done!))).
But I guess they can, via the CCTV see who is still within the sec zone, so they would know whats going on.
Not sure if I want to spend my time inside the arr zone, between getting off plane, and the welcome to NZ recording totem welcome overhead pole tho.
In the further reaches out near the gates, there are no loos!
The only ones are the ones at the totem pole.
===
Guess tho, this is for true int > int, not sure what they would do if they found out your arr plane arr at at 12.30am (that day/11.30pm that previous day, discernable by your digital IPC), and you had hung around, and did arr immi at 6.30am that day.

@AustraliaPoochie , I had no concerns having flown trans Tasman a couple of hundred times.

I first did this type of transit at AKL 25 years ago; although back then arrivals and departures were mixed like at SIN.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

So, lets say my plane from SYD/MEL/BNE arr at 23.45, and I dont want to go around aimlessly, out in the open area downstairs, I could just hang around the secure pre immi zone, ie, wander around or sit on the floor, with my HLO, and wait till incoming immi opens for the first int flight at 5.30am that next day?
Int arr gate 15-18 is better and newer than gate 1-10 in the old part...
Until they open the dom and int next to each other terminal in a few years time.
Never tried it.
My NZeTD would have listed my arr as that previous day.
But not staying in the secure zone, I have as many others done a lot of TT trips, made SG 3.5 years doing it, this was pre covid.

 

[serfty]

I could just hang around the secure pre immi zone, ie, wander around or sit on the floor, with my HLO, and wait till incoming immi opens for the first int flight at 5.30am that next day?

No - as per my experience on Sunday morning, they closed airside arrivals after 2am and asked all to either go through immigration or use transit security.

I had no NZeTA as my booking was a through transit.

 

[PatoRojo]

Unscathed and back home Report to follow later.

I'm doing a similar flight in a few weeks arriving at AKL on one booking (qf3) and departing on a separate booking (qf126). Transit time was 110 minutes initially but Qantas has now retimed the second flight and transit time is now down to 70 minutes. Any one in here with recent experience transiting with such a short time? Traveling HLO.

 

[kpc]

I'm doing a similar flight in a few weeks arriving at AKL on one booking (qf3) and departing on a separate booking (qf126). Transit time was 110 minutes initially but Qantas has now retimed the second flight and transit time is now down to 70 minutes. Any one in here with recent experience transiting with such a short time? Traveling HLO.

On 31 May, my relaxing 4 hour transil at Akl evaporated as my flight Qf 3 to Akl was delayed by 3 hours!!.Got onto an earlier flight Qf 145 which gave me 90 mins transit in Akl.

Separate tickets but I checked in online for both flights and had digital BPs for both. I think I was on the ground in Akl for around 90 mins, and used transit security.

From plane to lounge below took me less than 10 minutes If you are coming off Qf 3 there will be more pax using transit security as they will be heading to Jfk so transit security will take a little longer but you wont have an issue unless your inbound Qf 3 is delayed.

(I did do the online NZ arrivals form in case I had to clear immigration but didn't in the end)

Post in thread 'Qantas Auckland lounge'

May 31, 2026

Very impressed with the new revamped QF lounge at Akl on my 1st visit today esp the Plat dining area...only had 40 mins to enjoy it due to very late inbound!

• kpc

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[PatoRojo]

On 31 May, my relaxing 4 hour transil at Akl evaporated as my flight Qf 3 to Akl was delayed by 3 hours!!.Got onto an earlier flight Qf 145 which gave me 90 mins transit in Akl.

Separate tickets but I checked in online for both flights and had digital BPs for both. I think I was on the ground in Akl for around 90 mins, and used transit security.

From plane to lounge below took me less than 10 minutes If you are coming off Qf 3 there will be more pax using transit security as they will be heading to Jfk so transit security will take a little longer but you wont have an issue unless your inbound Qf 3 is delayed.

(I did do the online NZ arrivals form in case I had to clear immigration but didn't in the end)

Post in thread 'Qantas Auckland lounge'

May 31, 2026

Very impressed with the new revamped QF lounge at Akl on my 1st visit today esp the Plat dining area...only had 40 mins to enjoy it due to very late inbound!

• kpc

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• 
• 

Thank you for the detailed response! Ten minutes sounds encouraging. Did you swap flights at the lounge/airport or were you notified of qf3 delay prior to getting to the airport?

 

[kpc]

Thank you for the detailed response! Ten minutes sounds encouraging. Did you swap flights at the lounge/airport or were you notified of qf3 delay prior to getting to the airport?

Qf 3 kept getting delayed and delayed. I was actually finally in the Q to board Qf3 when they turned everyone away saying they could not fix the problem and we would have to change planes...I hoofed it back to the Qf F lounge and asked to change to Qf 143 which would arrive in enough time to catch my return flight from Akl to Syd. Fortunately there were seats left and they agreed