SYD all-day check in status?

[RealtimeY]

We were just refused at SYD QF F check in counter for QF11 SYD-LAX departing 17:45

After checking with colleagues, the check-in agent said that all-day check in is not a thing here, and to come back 4 hours before the flight when it gets "opened".

Is this a US-bound flight thing or have the check-in rules changed at SYD? The kiosk also told me that my flight was not available yet for check-in.

 

[vhojm]

We were just refused at SYD QF F check in counter for QF11 SYD-LAX departing 17:45

After checking with colleagues, the check-in agent said that all-day check in is not a thing here, and to come back 4 hours before the flight when it gets "opened".

Is this a US-bound flight thing or have the check-in rules changed at SYD? The kiosk also told me that my flight was not available yet for check-in.

I have had the same at Qantas First in Melbourne when i got there 6 hours early but had no bags to check in. Once they realised that, they were happy to print my boarding pass.

 

[justinbrett]

I have had the same at Qantas First in Melbourne when i got there 6 hours early but had no bags to check in. Once they realised that, they were happy to print my boarding pass.

It hasn’t ever been a thing at MEL.

We were just refused at SYD QF F check in counter for QF11 SYD-LAX departing 17:45

After checking with colleagues, the check-in agent said that all-day check in is not a thing here, and to come back 4 hours before the flight when it gets "opened".

Is this a US-bound flight thing or have the check-in rules changed at SYD? The kiosk also told me that my flight was not available yet for check-in.

Can you check in online?

If she said “not a thing” vs “no longer a thing” I reckon she’s wrong. It’s been a long term “thing” at SYD for over a decade.

The US checks shouldn’t be a deal breaker as they can be done at the gate.

 

[SYD]

“All day” checkin in hasn’t been a thing at SYD post Covid. Last time I tried we were lucky in that the flight just opened while we were there (a bit over 4 hrs before the flight). Don’t recall why we even went that early - recall getting bored at home for a late arvo flight.

The story was they were losing bags - probably exacerbated by the baggage issues all airports / airlines were having (not enough staff).

 

[justinbrett]

“All day” checkin in hasn’t been a thing at SYD post Covid. Last time I tried we were lucky in that the flight just opened while we were there (a bit over 4 hrs before the flight). Don’t recall why we even went that early - recall getting bored at home for a late arvo flight.

The story was they were losing bags - probably exacerbated by the baggage issues all airports / airlines were having (not enough staff).

It seems reports going both ways post Covid and nothing official either way.

So definitely “a thing” but not necessarily universal. I know in the past if you were the first for your flight it required a phone call to someone to open the flight early, could be lost corporate knowledge more than anything else. Strange its a well reported policy in LAX (early not all day but still well in excess of 4 hours).

 

[SYD]

It seems reports going both ways post Covid and nothing official either way.

So definitely “a thing” but not necessarily universal. I know in the past if you were the first for your flight it required a phone call to someone to open the flight early, could be lost corporate knowledge more than anything else. Strange its a well reported policy in LAX (early not all day but still well in excess of 4 hours).

Yes, it probably helps trying at the F checkin (and obviously WP+ status). We were also in J.

Yep, there’s definitely an “early” checkin option at LAX. Used that last year after dropping off a rental car. Extra handy if not flying in from elsewhere.

CGK also has it - ahead of the standard 3 hrs (for pretty much every other airline there). I recall seeing that HKG has restarted downtown checkin? There are probably others.

 

[RealtimeY]

Well we were able to check in at about T-6, so not quite the 4 hours the check-in agent advised but not all-day either.

 

[justinbrett]

Yes, it probably helps trying at the F checkin (and obviously WP+ status). We were also in J.

Yep, there’s definitely an “early” checkin option at LAX. Used that last year after dropping off a rental car. Extra handy if not flying in from elsewhere.

CGK also has it - ahead of the standard 3 hrs (for pretty much every other airline there). I recall seeing that HKG has restarted downtown checkin? There are probably others.

The bags excuse is weak, I think they're recycling excuses from 2022.

Doesn't make sense when somebody flies down from BNE in the morning that's been tagged on the same flight. The bags go to the same place. They should be less likely to go missing if they originate from T1.

I think it's just a technical thing of nobody opening the flight on the system.

Well we were able to check in at about T-6, so not quite the 4 hours the check-in agent advised but not all-day either.

Exactly. It's not a hard and fast time period, just when they get around to it

 

[madrooster]

The bags excuse is weak, I think they're recycling excuses from 2022.

SYD intl hasn't had all day check in post covid unless you are HLO. They can open the flight at any time which is just a phone call to make. The issue is the airport has not re-allowed QF to hog up the baggage make up room, which is why HLO is fine but not with checked baggage.

Flights are open for airport acceptance at T-6 hours normally.

As for why a pax who is through-checked from domestic is able to get around this restriction... checked baggage going to international can always be held at the domestic side if required, until closer to departure if there is insufficient baggage make up capacity at the international terminal. That obviously cannot happen for a pax checking in at international.

A number of foreign major ports have long transit baggage storage facilities built in, so for those ports checking in early or very long transits are not an issue, eg. SIN, HKG, DXB, DOH, LHR and others.

 

[sudoer]

I've had similar at SYD F check-in last year - the flight wasn't 'open' yet. The agent went off to speak to someone and said they'd open it. Just had to stand to the side and wait for a couple of min.

 

[Himeno]

I once had an international flight, connecting through MEL.
Checked in without issue, got to outbound border checkpoint and had to go to the manual desk because they didn't have the flight active in their system yet.

 

[justinbrett]

SYD intl hasn't had all day check in post covid unless you are HLO. They can open the flight at any time which is just a phone call to make. The issue is the airport has not re-allowed QF to hog up the baggage make up room, which is why HLO is fine but not with checked baggage.

Flights are open for airport acceptance at T-6 hours normally.

As for why a pax who is through-checked from domestic able to get around this restriction... checked baggage going to international can always be held at the domestic side if required, until closer to departure if there is insufficient baggage make up capacity at the international terminal. That obviously cannot happen for a pax checking in at international.

A number of foreign major ports have long transit baggage storage facilities built in, so for those ports checking in early or very long transits are not an issue, eg. SIN, HKG, DXB, DOH, LHR and others.

Do the bags from domestic come over loose, or will they start filling up containers from the domestic side?

 

[Warragul]

I once had an international flight, connecting through MEL.
Checked in without issue, got to outbound border checkpoint and had to go to the manual desk because they didn't have the flight active in their system yet.

In the ABF processing system, outbound flights are generally opened ( as opposed to closed - live movements will not be processed) each morning and choose automatically a few hours after the ETD or manually by staff. When there are flights that maybe mixed up in data input when using non smartgate processing, eg QF1 & QF11, if feasible the later flight will be closed to aid accuracy of data. Obviously this is not possible when the flights departure are within hours of each other.

 

[madrooster]

Do the bags from domestic come over loose, or will they start filling up containers from the domestic side?

All international transfer bags are sent over loose at all AU ports. This is because the bags that typically transfer to international can be going to a wild mix of flights with different aircraft and therefore different ULD (aka "cans") requirements. They also manifest what bags are in what ULDs... which can't be done if someone at domestic starts to load them up.

 

[Seat0B]

Doesn't make sense when somebody flies down from BNE in the morning that's been tagged on the same flight. The bags go to the same place. They should be less likely to go missing if they originate from T1.

I agree that this really does not make sense. As I reported in my TR about my trip to Japan in January 2025, we arrived in SYD (connecting from CBR) at about 1130 and had about 9 hours in the F Lounge. I know it's not quite the same as checking in at SYD 9 hours early, but as you're suggesting, it kinda is, isn't it! Our bags were checked through and hung around all that time in SYD and made it onto the flight just fine. So really, it does sound like a pretty dodgy explanation.

Edited to add: although @madrooster has thrown a bit of light on this seeming anomaly