United IAH-SYD connecting to seperately ticketed domestic flight - a few questions
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,686
1) IMO it's a crapshoot at this point. Could easily move an hour later; probably not 3 hours later. Especially with SYD curfew issues if they find they're getting in early on light winds days.
Beyond ~3 mo out, UA schedules are notional at best; 85% have a change last time I looked.
Beyond ~3 mo out, UA schedules are notional at best; 85% have a change last time I looked.
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,984
j_flowers Welcome to FT
Have you been to SYD - Australia before?
On separate tickets 3 hours minimum is the usual recommendation for a domestic flight from SYD. (You are not "connecting")
At SYD the international & domestic terminals are some distance apart.
From 05:00 to 08:00 there are many long haul haul wide body aircraft arriving into SYD.
There are no arrivals lounges at any Australian airport:- only departure lounges.
Look here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...transport.html
I was able to book a business saver award last Thursday within a few hours of the new route being announced. Currently it shows 8pm departure on Wed 1/24/18 from IAH and 6:30am arrival on 1/26 in SYD.
I need to book another ticket to Melbourne that day, as I want to be at the Australian Open by about 3pm.
My plan was to book a 10am flight from SYD to MEL, giving me enough time for the flight to be late an hour and for it to take 2 hours to get through immigration, customs, quarantine, transfer terminals, etc. But if United changes the schedule and suddenly I'm arriving at 7:30, I could be in a tight spot.
I need to book another ticket to Melbourne that day, as I want to be at the Australian Open by about 3pm.
My plan was to book a 10am flight from SYD to MEL, giving me enough time for the flight to be late an hour and for it to take 2 hours to get through immigration, customs, quarantine, transfer terminals, etc. But if United changes the schedule and suddenly I'm arriving at 7:30, I could be in a tight spot.
On separate tickets 3 hours minimum is the usual recommendation for a domestic flight from SYD. (You are not "connecting")
At SYD the international & domestic terminals are some distance apart.
From 05:00 to 08:00 there are many long haul haul wide body aircraft arriving into SYD.
There are no arrivals lounges at any Australian airport:- only departure lounges.
Look here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...transport.html
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Sep 14, 2017 at 4:11 am
#18
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
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Posts: 8,147
You need to re-read the original post. The OP is talking about his connecting flight from SYD-MEL, not the inbound from the US. Booking that flight as business on QF or VA, or booking on VA economy and paying for lounge access, will get him access to the QF or VA lounges.
#19
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Carmel Valley(was Hawaii)
Programs: United 1K 2.7 MM
Posts: 1,171
Odd. I've flown into Sydney and taken the Virgin transfer bus four times this year (3x from UA 1x from NZ) and they've never asked me to pay, they just handed me the little red transport pass. I've never paid the transfer fee directly. I was connecting on one PNR if that makes a difference.