Sydney Airport- A National Disgrace

[CaptJCool]

various Victorian and SA governments never saw it as that important.

Gosh 100 years after sydney and melbourne electrified their trains, we got the second line done slowly and expensively and two to go on the never never

and they're building NEW houses 300 metres from the end of the main runway - the side streets are that close to it!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

In truth, they shouldn't have joined MEL T3 and T4.
Separately, MEL airport T3 and T4 were manageable to use, in and out.
But with them now conjoined, that zone is now like a big huge giant Scentre Westfields.
Too many people, and years ago, VA was easy to get through dom sec screening, you could even get out the VAd lounge onto the priority screening lane.
Now, no such luck, to get out of the MEL VAd lounge, you have to waste time going out the front way.
If your plane departs from the old (read former) T4 zone, you have to walk backwards that way past the zoo.
Of course, the airport authority and the shop people love it, as they make more money, but it downtrodden the VAd experience to real LCC material level.
I didn't realize that they have stopped plans for the rail link now to Tulla.
And they said the MEL cross city rail link was supposed to make it faster to get to Tulla by train, once the link from Sunshine reaches Tulla.
===
Edit: ah, mothballed the article says, and the news was out 04 Sept 23.
Just about when DA decided to jump.
===
Skybus will be happy.
If their app recognised and gave 1 free ride after 15 purchases via the Skybus app, I would be happy.
I don't use the trip more than 4 singles a year, or 6, not up to 10, so don't benefit by buying the 10 single trips per go.

 

[Forg]

and they're building NEW houses 300 metres from the end of the main runway

Ah, the serenity!

 

[CaptJCool]

Ah, the serenity!

 

[33kft]

I can hear the china rattling from here.

Countdown to petition from new residents for curfews and noise restrictions?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Compared to Heathrow, Sydney is paradise.

T5 is already at capacity, overflowing in fact. Lounges? Not a single seat available and the business lounges there are huge.

I will never complain about an Aussie airport again!

 

[SYD]

Compared to Heathrow, Sydney is paradise.

T5 is already at capacity, overflowing in fact. Lounges? Not a single seat available and the business lounges there are huge.

I will never complain about an Aussie airport again!

Yes, the BA 1st Lounge in T5 has been over capacity for years. I’m surprised they didn’t add new 1st lounges in the satellite piers (B & C gates) and/or North A Gate…..

 

[Lynda2475]

Maybe it depends on time of day because I found the BA First Lounge in T5 in August fine, was there from 10:30am to 12:30pm plenty of seats, and both breaky and lunch available

 

[dajop]

Before your mentioned LHR T5 I was thinking that MEL T4 (and indeed all of SYD) is paradise compared to various UK airports - - the likes of Luton, Stansted or Manchester T3. Probably would rank Luton as the worst, much worse than T5 at LHR.

 

[Himeno]

and they're building NEW houses 300 metres from the end of the main runway - the side streets are that close to it!

Step 1: Move in next to existing airport
Step 2: Complain about existence of airport
Step 3: ?
Step 4: Profit?

 

[eastwest101]

Step 1: Move in next to existing airport
Step 2: Complain about existence of airport
Step 3: ?
Step 4: Profit?

Revision:

Step 1: Move in next to existing airport

Step 2: Complain about existence of airport

Step 3: Get expensive sound-proofing installed at taxpayers expense

Step 4: Profit

 

[yachty]

I don't think SYD is that bad... it's certainly miles ahead of where it was a decade or so ago, but definitely not going to cope with anymore growth. Thankfully we have WSA coming.

Terminal transfer is a perennial nightmare... if you haven't got seamless I'd always just recommend the train. It's something like $8, worth it to avoid the traffic.

Flew in to SYD a few months ago and had a similar experience to OP... about half the ticket smartgates were out of action, and the queues to get out after baggage claim were chaos with no order whatsoever. But that's Border Force's realm, not the airport. If they kept the machines operating, and opened the 'nothing to declare' lane in peak times (which they occasionally do), things move much smoother.

Other than that I don't see much to complain about. It's no Changi but things work fine most of the time, there's a train, it's usually clean and tidy. T2 was a bit shabby before the renos but it's nice now.

Definitely agree that MEL is probably worse... In addition to the rubbish and general unpleasantness of the arrivals area, I don't understand why the airport can't/doesn't do anything about the taxi hawkers all over the place. Makes it feel very seedy. Will be good when T1 gets cleaned up with the refurb... T2 is shocking but, will go out of my way to avoid it. Probably not much they can do with the space though. T4 is nice I think! I'd rather fly through there than the old T3 or T1.

 

[dajop]

Revision:

Step 1: Move in next to existing airport

Step 2: Complain about existence of airport

Step 3: Get expensive sound-proofing installed at taxpayers expense

Step 4: Profit

Your forgot Step 0 … property developer "lubricating" the relevant planner, politician or group of politicians to enable the development in the first place.

 

[Franky]

Yup, and even Perth and Brisbane have airport rail links, just totally unacceptable.

Yup, and even Perth and Brisbane have airport rail links, just totally unacceptable.

Well barely acceptable. The rail line to T3 and T4 terminates about 1km from the airport and it is then either a long walk over a freeway or a shuttle bus. The main Perth train line to the international terminal(s) has been completed recently, but as is the norm, is now a year ahead of the second terminal and runway which were supposed to be well under way by now, with no start in sight.

 

[Lynda2475]

definitely not going to cope with anymore growth

It could easily if they removed the curfew, no one living under the flight path pre-dates the airport, so they made decision to live with aircraft noise.

The one thing i prefer about MEL over SYD is the dedicated Uber pick up rank (right outside the arrivals exit), where drivers are waiting for you, no need to book and wait for them to arrive.

 

[Himeno]

The one thing i prefer about MEL over SYD is the dedicated Uber pick up area, where drivers are waiting for you, no need to book and wait for them to arrive.

A number of US airports have, not only dedicated share ride app pick up areas, but also nearby packing lots for such share ride drivers to be close to the airport to wait for new bookings.
ie, they have dedicated separate pick up points and waiting infrastructure for normal taxis and share ride apps. (though in many cases, the normal taxi pick up point is right outside the baggage claim area, while the Uber etc point is some distance away.)

 

[Himeno]

CBR doesn't have a rail link either. Just a bus service, which isn't express and is more of an add on to the public transport service to the office buildings next door.

They spent close to 2 years debating if the phase 2 of the light rail would be Civic to the Airport or Woden.

 

[Lynda2475]

A number of US airports have, not only dedicated share ride app pick up areas, but also nearby packing lots for such share ride drivers to be close to the airport to wait for new bookings.
ie, they have dedicated separate pick up points and waiting infrastructure for normal taxis and share ride apps. (though in many cases, the normal taxi pick up point is right outside the baggage claim area, while the Uber etc point is some distance away.)

Sure heaps of airports have allocated pick-up and waiting areas, but that usually means a hike through car park etc, whereas at MEL the Uber rank is right at the arrivals exit actually closer than the taxi rank.

 

[Scarlett]

Your forgot Step 0 … property developer "lubricating" the relevant planner, politician or group of politicians to enable the development in the first place.

Where does ‘sue the Victorian Govt’ fit in to that list, for approving the subdivision in the first place?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I can hear the china rattling from here.

Countdown to petition from new residents for curfews and noise restrictions?

Noise levy ala SYD in the mid 1990s.
===

Where does ‘sue the Victorian Govt’ fit in to that list, for approving the subdivision in the first place?

With the houses now being built very close to the fence line, this does now stop the airport from ever expanding in that direction.
They would need to make many cross runways, apart from the current X and the new upper north one.
If ever they need another Tulla, it would have to be like in the case of GWSAirport, ie, another airport further out in the outer metro/inner countryside side, who knows where.
They thought SYD KSA was enough, then found out they neede GWSAirport.
Where would the new MGWAirport be?
AValon being upgraded to become the 2nd **(major)** international airport for MEL and Vic?