Virgin Sydney Premium Entry Permanently Closing

[shuuy]

1) New 3D body scanners and CT hand luggage scanners, meaning no need to remove laptops etc, make it much faster than the old scanners VA were using.

I fundamentally disagree. I have multiple experiences of iPad + laptop on top of each other gets pulled to secondary scan. Or my cords bag (I don't carry many) having questions. As a result, I always take everything out into multiple bins. They get annoyed at the start, but it goes through the machine faster

My sense is security company KPI's are based on how fast someone goes through the body scanner, not how quickly they depart with all their belongings at the end. SYD int'l had 3 people getting people through body scanners (so no wait). but only 1 poor soul doing the secondary review... which was up to 8 trays before a polite discussion with a team leader asking him "what do you see - where is the bottleneck" adjusted the staffing configuration

 

[moa999]

Agree I've gotten secondary international everytime when carrying laptop, tablet, power banks and a bunch of cords.
Albeit at secondary they've just waived me through, after a decent wait behind 5+ people.

 

[Warks]

As a side issue are all terminals in major airports in Aus (capitals plus OOL, TSV and Cairns) free from boots off, laptops out now? Just flew back from CHC yesterday and they were making us take boots off even though they had the scanner (not operating though). I made some comment about the inconsistency between airports (to my travelling companions) and a security guy started coughping on about IEDs being concealed in boots etc. I felt like saying I go through dozens of airports a month and I wouldn't mind betting he probably was in one per year but I would have come off as a total turd...

 

[SeaWolf]

I've found with the scanners that my work boots generally produce a square on my ankles that prompts a pat down in every airport except Melbourne, where I'm asked to take them off. I dunno what they'd do in Melbourne if the square appeared on my shoulder, ask me to take my shirt off?

I have noticed that in the last couple of months though, the scanners have seemed less inclined to produce the square and I'm getting it on one ankle or not at all. When I went through Sydney T2 a couple of weeks ago (with the newly installed body scanners) I got a square on one ankle and the guy just asked me to go through a second time, which then produced a Pass. I dunno if this is a reflection of a software update or something.

 

[servicerequired]

I've found with the scanners that my work boots generally produce a square on my ankles that prompts a pat down in every airport except Melbourne, where I'm asked to take them off. I dunno what they'd do in Melbourne if the square appeared on my shoulder, ask me to take my shirt off?

I have noticed that in the last couple of months though, the scanners have seemed less inclined to produce the square and I'm getting it on one ankle or not at all. When I went through Sydney T2 a couple of weeks ago (with the newly installed body scanners) I got a square on one ankle and the guy just asked me to go through a second time, which then produced a Pass. I dunno if this is a reflection of a software update or something.

This is interesting ... I just wear bog standard RM boots for work - normally 100% airport friendly ... you may get the ankle pat down, but that it.

I've noticed over the past few months that the ankle pat down has not occurred at all (MEL T1/T4, SYD T3, MQL, BNE, OOL).

However - yesterday at SYD T2 ... scan ... FAIL ... boots off please !!

WTF !!

 

[kallinch]

As a side issue are all terminals in major airports in Aus (capitals plus OOL, TSV and Cairns) free from boots off, laptops out now? Just flew back from CHC yesterday and they were making us take boots off even though they had the scanner (not operating though). I made some comment about the inconsistency between airports (to my travelling companions) and a security guy started coughping on about IEDs being concealed in boots etc. I felt like saying I go through dozens of airports a month and I wouldn't mind betting he probably was in one per year but I would have come off as a total turd...

Yeah NZ airport diff policy. I’ve had to take RMs off at ZQN most times.

Generally there’s a deadline for all Aus airport to be consistent with new level 3 scanner by NYE this year.

 

[prelude]

However - yesterday at SYD T2 ... scan ... FAIL ... boots off please !!

With the new scanners, it's been around 1 in 10 times my RMs get picked up. I try make sure my trousers aren't bunched up when I pass through, but really it's impossible to tell what works.