What the heck is wrong with SYD international arrivals?

[Berlin]

Apologies in advance if this is covered already somewhere what but what the heck is suddenly going on with evening arrivals into SYD (international)?

Arriving into Sydney has never been a joy but since the arrival of the auto e-gates for immigration, at least in the evenings got halfway bearable. For the last three or so weeks now, they suddenly started closing one half of the e-gates (which is where you usually arrive from Qantas planes), send you through an endless long hallway all the way to the other end of the arrivals area and to a different section with separate e gates. This is an area I hardly knew existed beforehand and it tends to mix you up with hordes of unwashed people from the likes of Jetstar and certain Chinese carriers. Endless queues ensue and once you’re finally through, you have to get back all the way past all the luggage belts to then end back up straight in front of the closed immigration counters.

Anyone know anything further? Is this a new and ongoing cost cutting exercise? Or, hopefully, just a technical glitch that gets fixed sooner or later? It’s really really annoying right now and adds a little whole addional layer of stress to the arrival into Sydney.

 

[Himeno]

They sent you from gates that feed into Arrivals A into Arrivals B?

 

[Berlin]

They sent you from gates that feed into Arrivals A into Arrivals B?

Yea, that could be the official description of it. But it all seems very makeshift, the usual e-gates and immigration gates are just taped off and a staff member waves everyone into this corridor which seems not made for passengers to begin with, appears more like back of house and you see plenty of customs agents and airport personal arriving out of doors and entering others.

Luggage is then usually back at the opposite end which really sucks. Hadn’t happened to me ever before and now suddenly three times in a row. So just curious if it’s maybe (hopefully) just done short term defect or “enhancement”.

 

[RooFlyer]

Sounds like a temporary, unplanned for thing to me.

Unlikely they have just axed half the arrival immigration processing area.

 

[Berlin]

Sounds like a temporary, unplanned for thing to me.

Unlikely they have just axed half the arrival immigration processing area.

I hope you’re right. I just hope it’s not implemented ongoing in the later parts of the day, similar to departures when they close half the e-gates after the morning. The latter never bothers too much but the former is really really annoying. So I hope you’re correct!

 

[kelvedon]

Sounds like a temporary, unplanned for thing to me.

Unlikely they have just axed half the arrival immigration processing area.

Happened to me arriving on EK 417 2 weeks ago too. One side roped off and a 40 m solid queue to get to the other entrance of immigration. Mass of ineligible people clogging up the e gate queues because no one was there to advise them otherwise. Even flight crew couldn’t wriggle through the hordes. Not a very nice welcome to Australia.

 

[Scarlett]

Berlin, lodge an FOI request with ABF for any info why it's been closed, detailing the specific times you've arrived. It might be an ABF decision or it might be a SACL decision.

Then the next question is who to formally complain to?

 

[Archphoto]

In one word: Everything!

I detest SYD International and do almost all I can to not travel through it at any time unless I have no other choice.

For me I’m always transferring to/from a domestic flight and missing flights due to delays is (sadly) the norm.

The sooner it’s renovated and made flyer-friendly the better; how the heck did it survive the 2000 Olympics??

 

[dajop]

The sooner it’s renovated and made flyer-friendly the better; how the heck did it survive the 2000 Olympics??

According to Airport traffic data in 2000 there were 4,033,463 international arrivals. In 2017 there were almost twice as many 8,057,732.

Had my first arrival into SYD international for 5 years last Saturday, was a lot of people, but with HLO was very quick to get through, but it might not have been, if I'd made the wrong choices. 10+ pax per ticket machine (pre DF store), but I turned into side corridor with machines and only 2 deep there. After DF store, the machines were >20 deep. Also smart gates were about 7-8 deep, but I walked to end machine, only 1 person in front of me. People like following others I guess.

 

[RooFlyer]

but I walked to end machine, only 1 person in front of me. People like following others I guess.

Isn't that one of the frequent-flyer 'secrets' ? In most places on arrival if you walk to the machines or booths 'towards the end' you'll nearly always get a shorter queue than the rest and much shorter than the first-encountered ones.