VA domestic to UA International check-in at Sydney domestic lounge?

[SBD]

Hi all,

I should have clarified this well before now and I’m flying in <8 hours: can I check into an international flight from the Sydney T2 lounge?

I’m on a VA reward itinerary, VA800 SYD-MEL connecting to UA99 to LAX.

Carry-on luggage only.

The United app won’t let me upload my travel documents in the normal way, saying instead that VA check-in staff will check them in Sydney.

Can that happen in the Sydney lounge, with an easier security line?

Thank you,

SBD

 

[serfty]

I should have clarified this well before now and I’m flying in <8 hours: can I check into an international flight from the Sydney T2 lounge?

How did it go?

VA have a special queue at SYD T2 for such connections. With HLO, you can try the lounge but if they indicated no, then you'd have done security
twice.

 

[SBD]

How did it go?

VA have a special queue at SYD T2 for such connections. With HLO, you can try the lounge but if they indicated no, then you'd have done security
twice.

Hi Serfty,

Thanks for asking.

Lounge was closed until 5am so checked in at 4:30am at the ordinary T2 desk - no dramas, got both boarding passes (SYD-MEL on VA and MEL-LAX on UA). Had onwards UA ticket too on another booking for which I checked in online with UA's excellent app.

Then through security, which took maybe 15 minutes. Directed down escalator as lounge still closed and no loitering near security - fair enough.

But there's no way to get up to the VA Lounge except by the elevator which nobody changed from no-access mode at 5am. Ordinarily you could walk up the stairs next to the twin downwards escalators (de-escalators) but it was guarded with a big "No Access" sign halfway up, and an officer telling anybody who tried that they should read the sign.

The Lounge was clearly open by this point (5:15, 5:20, 5:25am) as the private lounge de-escalator was up and running, with one or two passengers descending.

With no access to lounge (short of going out to the street and back in), and no way to get a message to them to turn on the darn lift, I choose to get my morning coffee from the terminal . Overpriced but excellent coffee.

Some people chose fury and frustration instead and stood repeatedly pressing the lift button like automatons - I left them to it.

The 6am flight to MEL left on time. Long-ish flight due to strong headwinds. Made the UA connection in MEL just fine. No running but no slouching either.

SBD