Western Sydney Airport (WSI) Discussion

[Tacit Dionysus]

I’m not a public transport snob but I’m not looking forward to going to and through St Mary’s.
It’s ironic that the one piece of infrastructure in 40 years that has been delivered on time is the same one I’d be fine with a long delay.
I love SYD, a 10 minute walk to Town Hall station, 15 minutes to Wolli Creek and a nice 25 minute leg stretch before a long flight (I’m a one-bagger) and a lot of efficiency improvements there this year.
My dream was a walk to Central for the fast train to the International Airport at Wilton. What a wasted opportunity.

I suppose that’s OK if you want to take the risk to your safety. The Police stats for the area that covers St Marys has less than half the assault and robbery rates of the area that covers the inner city. And if you live in the inner city, why would you not continue to use SYD airport.

 

[Tacit Dionysus]

Probably also waiting for more a220s. This seem like an a220 sized plane route to kick things off (or as more 321XLRs roll in have some spare 737s do some runs ).

It’s what I thought at first, but the evidence now makes me doubt it’s a matter of aircraft availability.

There are plenty of Embraer E-190s available for wet-lease from Alliance Airlines (who own and operate them for QantasLink). It's a smaller aircraft to fill. It’s virtually as fast as its bigger brothers. It’s big enough to feel like a bigger jet, but far less cramped with 2+1 Business and 2+ 2 economy seating. It’s an ideal aircraft to test out the business / workplace travel market before committing to two class 737s or A320 family.

Qantas know they will be on a. fairly sure thing with Jetstar. but while SYD Airport is the "devil they know” for business purpose travel, it’s less clear how it will work at WSI. There are plenty of people in the west who fly regularly for work, but that doesn’t mean they’re all in business class. The risk is that some other airline just watches and beats Qantas to the punch, with (maybe) a structure optimised more for the technicians, middle managers, trainers, conference attenders or industry consultants; rather than CEOs, CFOs and Board Members.

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to AFF @Tacit Dionysus . With a name like that, you’ll fit right in.

 

[Tacit Dionysus]

HEX was only convenient if staying at Paddington, i never thought it worth the premium over taking Picadilly line, given the back tracking needed to get to a convenient station. Elizabeth line priced in between but then only useful for some parts of the city.

Re trains to SYD if you sit in vestibule area not really any different to picadilly line trains which dont have a dedicated luggage area either. Noting NYC trains from JFK and NJ Transit (2 story like Sydney trains) which you have to take from to NY from EWR also no dedicated luggage area, not a deal breaker.

Of course WSI wont have special trains to city or anywhere else either, have to get on same style Sydney Trains as service SYD from St Mary's just travel for much longer.

My thoughts are that passengers transferring at St Marys would be much more likely to be headed for home in places like Springwood, Penrith, Seven Hills or Westmead.

Location is a big factor in choosing an airport to use. So those using WSI are more likely to live in the west and reasonably close by.

There are plans for a second rail line fast-linking WSI with Parramatta and the CBD, but that’s decades away. Space has already been set aside fro it in the airport itself. The point of it would be to enable more parts of Greater Sydney’s population to be poached as passengers to WSI.

 

[Warragul]

Light hearted take on WSI opening.

Cranky Weekly Review presented by Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport: Spirit Wins in Court, Sydney’s New Airport is Nearly Ready – Cranky Flier

 

[n7of9]

I'm a big fan of Sydney finally opening its second airport that I've been hearing about for at least the last 35 years...but with very poor public transport options, and Wilson managing the parking, I suspect it will be $59 JQ flight plus $150 parking

I really really wanted to be on one of the first flights for coughs and giggles, but without parking rates I can't bring myself to book anything.