Ballz Welcome to FT, AU & NZ
Originally Posted by
Ballz
Cautionary tale for those transiting Australia on two separate airlines - I’m USA citizen flew DPS>SYD on Virgin Australia, with same day connecting flight SYD>AKL on AirAsia. Virgin does not have an international agreement with AirAsia, which means I couldn’t be seen as a transit passenger. In order to get my Virgin ticket issued I needed an Australian visa. Luckily I was able to apply for a visa and get it issued on the spot since I’m American.
When I landed in SYD was able to use intl transfer and avoid immigration altogether, even though I didn’t have my airasia boarding pass. Not sure if this issue was specifically with Virgin and Airasia or just Airasia. Either way, if transiting Aus on two separate tickets it’s best to confirm ahead of time or just apply for Australian visa to be safe.
As far VA were concerned they were taking you to Australia. So need proof you were admissible to AU. Many-most countries have the same requirement. That you had another ticket to leave AU is irrelevant. There was no guarantee you would get on that flight. More so if the DPS-SYD flight was late/very late.
That you were able to transfer airside indicates you had no checked bags. Some, but not all airlines, will interline bags on separate tickets. Some passengers that had checked bags would then need to go landside to check in - bag drop.
That you are a USA citizen makes little-no difference to getting an visa quickly. Citizens of many countries can apply on line. Most are approved quickly.