Originally Posted by
thadocta
Your bags will be through checked, but for all practical purposes, it wouldn't matter if they weren't (in the inbound direction, outbound will be a different story, which I will get to).
As you are on a domestic flight SYD-BNE, you will have to go through immigration upon arrival at SYD, then reclaim your bags (whether they have been through checked or not) and then go through customs and quarantine inspection. Upon leaving the arrivals hall with your baggage (wther through checked or not) you would then turn right and go to the very end of the terminal for the domestic connections counter, where you would be relieved of your bags. The only difference (in this direction) is that if your bags are checked through, they will already be tagged to BNE, if not through cheked they will be tagged to SYD and new tags will be placed on them for the SYD-BNE leg. You then go through security and board the free transfer bus to the domestic terminal. There really isn't a benefit to through checking your bags in this direction.
There are showers available at SYD T1 (the international terminal, but having QP access, I have never needed to use them - I believe you need to BYO towel) which you may be able to utilise before making your way over to the domestic terminal.
On the return flight, there IS a benefit to through checking if flying out of BNE on QF.
(Note, you mentioned you will be going to the Gold Coast - but haven't given any details of your flight back to SYD - are you flying OUT of BNE on QF, or out of OOL? If out of OOL, it will be on JQ, even though carrying a QF flight number, and this will have a bearing on through checking of luggage)
If flying out of BNE on a QF service, your bags will be tagged through to SFO, and this is the last you will see of them until you arrive in SFO (hopefully!
) - you will also be given your SYD-SFO boarding pass at BNE, so it will be an almost seamless transfer in SYD, using the same shuttle bus that you used on the earlier transfer.
It is all quite painless really, and far more civilised than travelling in the US.
Dave
My husband nows wants info about the showers. I told him we had a 3 and a half hour layover...but it's as if this is the first time he has heard that.
Anyway, while we are on an international flight from SFO to SYD, the SYD to BNE was made long after and it just so happens to be on Qantas as well. The 2nd leg (to Brisbane) is completely unrelated to the first flight.
We are not flying out of BNE back to SYD, but rather on OOL to SYD, and it is on Virgin Blue.
As far as the showers....and because we'll be slightly rummy from such a long flight and, basically, staying up all night (it's been YEARS since we did that)....exactly where do we go for the showers? I'm guessing it is after we pick up backs/go through customs/quarantine, and I'm guessing it is somewhere after that but before we catch the bus to the domestic portion of Qantas. I don't want to be in line for the shuttle only to realize we have been walking in the wrong direction for the last 20 minutes.
While Qantas is very generous with luggage on our international flight--not so on the domestic. I have yet to figure out how to do a carry-on with a max of 15 lbs when the bag itself weighs 7. My carry on is the older version which exceeds the 19" max length by 3" (it's 22")....besides, that bag itself is over 10 lbs. so it would be a waste of time to bring that.
So I'm thinking for us to just bring two old towels/washclothes and leave them because we won't be able to put them in our carry on (too much weight) and our checked bags will already be at 50 lbs.
Is there anywhere to sit and wait for one another while the other is showering? That way, one can watch ALL the luggage (I'm assuming at this point....we'll have all of our luggage....or not...not sure if the shower point is past the "drop luggage back off for domestic flight" point or not).
Sorry for all the questions...but it looks like hubby wants to shower now so the more I can figure out now, the better...he'll probably not be the nicest, sweetest mood after that flight!
