Sydney Airport- A National Disgrace

[Miksmith]

I arrived into SYD from LAX last week. The Border Force procedure was fine and it all went downhill from there. Lining up for domestic transfer we were told the security screening equipment wasn’t working and we could either wait and QF would rebook us if we missed our flight or take the train.
We decided to take a gamble on the train. On arriving at the lifts we found out of two, only one was working causing a massive queue. I also noticed the up escalator was also not working. We then paid our $8 each to go the one stop, by comparison I paid $4 for the whole day on the SEATAC train.

The SAC Website states “one of Australia’s most important pieces of infrastructure”. How about treating it that way.

I suggest the management go to Singapore to see how an airport should be run.

 

[Forg]

Nah, Changi is poorly-placed in the nasty tropical sweat of Singapore. That’s a terrible decision that should never have been made,

 

[Cruiser Elite]

So Sing Govt should built Changi in a foreign country?

 

[justinbrett]

Sydney Airport has the best public transport of any airport in the country. You're taking a very unfortunate outage and assuming that's the normal situation.

The train is $6.65 but is not funded by Sydney Airport, as they provide the free T-bus to transfer between terminals.

There are many valid things to rant about when it comes to Sydney Airport, the train is not one of them.

 

[tdimdad]

With the lifts, depending on your luggage size, you could possibly have been able to use the escalators, as well. I have no recollection of ever using lifts at SYD, always going on the escalators up and down (despite of the signs instructing otherwise). It's possible with a mid-sized bag.

 

[DC3]

Have you followed up your grievance with Airport management?

 

[SYD]

Sorry to hear about your experience that’s never fun when things aren’t working as they’re supposed but IMHO, I’d be sticking MEL and half of PER on the “National disgrace“ list well ahead of SYD.

 

[BAM1748]

Sydney airport is a private business, two things you can do, join a political party, run for preselection, get elected, become a minister and start the process of getting it back in.public hands, or do nothing and vote by using the western Sydney airport when it opens.

While Sydney Trains fixes things like escalators and lifts ASAP as it provides a social service a private business will fix it when economic to do so.

 

[jcwhizz]

To be fair to it I reckon SYD is ok - admittedly it’s a bit of a pain to get across to the Domestic terminal after a big international leg but no worse than many US airports - for me the key functionality of immigration etc generally seems to work more smoothly than MEL - which really struggles when a few large carriers land at once. Lounges in SYD are ok as well. Really the biggest thing that bugs me is having to fill out the ancient passenger card AND go to the passport kiosk AND then go to the electronic gate - always seems one step too many but that’s not the airports fault.

 

[Forg]

So Sing Govt should built Changi in a foreign country?

They should’ve built Singapore somewhere with a more temperate climate; it’s the climate that makes them so uptight & ruley!!

Sydney airport is a private business, two things you can do, join a political party, run for preselection, get elected, become a minister and start the process of getting it back in.public hands, or do nothing and vote by using the western Sydney airport when it opens.

Should prolly work OK to transit through &/or go to domestic from international or vice-versa given how new it is and surely it‘ll therefore be designed properly … but for getting into Sydney itself, the public transport connections out there aren’t particularly fast to anywhere, and it’s a helluva hike from most of Sydney to drive.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I’d be sticking MEL ……….. on the “National disgrace“ list well ahead of SYD.

Sounds a lot like the old SYD v MEL yawn fest - to ask why you say this would be going OT so best I don’t huh

 

[mrsterryn]

Isn't there a bus that is a specific transfer from international to domestic in Sydney ?
Notwithstanding the normal buses right outside international exit that go to domestic

 

[SYD]

Sounds a lot like the old SYD v MEL yawn fest - to ask why you say this would be going OT so best I don’t huh

Just questioning the thread title.

PER also got a mention. The tired T3/4 outhouse is well past its use by date. QF and PER airport need to get their acts together fast.

I did the PER T1 to T3/4 transfer yesterday for the first and probably last time. No luggage transfer, so you need to schlep yourself and bags over. There is a free shutttle but I had to ask directions - the only signage just says “buses”. Fortunately timed it ok but if you just miss it, wait 20 mins or pay $22 in an Uber (well, that was the Sunday arvo price probably triple in peak hour). An equivalent QF/JQ pier like the newish VA pier could make PER one of the best airports in the country.

MEL is actually coming along in leaps and bounds but the old dingy low ceiling domestic piers are relics from the 70s. SYD T2 is equally miserable. Compare those with ADL and CBR!

 

[Rich]

There are many valid things to rant about when it comes to Sydney Airport, the train is not one of them.

I don't think the OP is ranting about the train as such, but that they were forced to pay for a train in the first place, with security equipment not working and therefore no free bus. That is pretty poor IMO.

 

[justinbrett]

I don't think the OP is ranting about the train as such, but that they were forced to pay for a train in the first place, with security equipment not working and therefore no free bus. That is pretty poor IMO.

The Sydney T-bus is landslide and free.

 

[mrsterryn]

The Sydney T-bus is landslide and free.

Ok so there is a transfer bus? .

 

[Mwenenzi]

Offish topic

Really the biggest thing that bugs me is having to fill out the ancient passenger card AND go to the passport kiosk AND then go to the electronic gate - always seems one step too many but that’s not the airports fault.

Compare to NZ where your passport goes direct into the gate machine.
Not the Au system where your passport is scanned in the koisk, that gives you a card to put into the next gate machine. {Cards to landfill or reused?]
NZ is going towards to electronic arrival cards. Started a few days ago at CHC. Other airports over time.

The Sydney T-bus is landslide and free.

Ok so there is a transfer bus? .

The free airport operated T bus is the "transfer bus" running on the public roads landside.
QF operate their own free bus from T1<--->T3 airside
And the (expensive) NSW govt train, part of the metro train system

 

[Rich]

The Sydney T-bus is landslide and free.

That wasn't made clear to the OP.

 

[Forg]

That wasn't made clear to the OP.

Well if they make all available resources apparent, people will use them & they'll have to provide more capacity!

 

[Rich]

Well if they make all available resources apparent, people will use them & they'll have to provide more capacity!

We laugh, but they could well have directed people to the train because the buses couldn't cope with a few extra plane loads of people.
I know from my last experience there that the baggage handlers couldn't.