vike

First time transiting through SYD. Seeking advise on what to expect, and maybe do, during a long layover (approx 9 hours). We arrive Feb 18 on an award ticket (issued by USAir) on LA801 (Bus) from AKL at 07:40 and depart on QF1 (First) at 16:50.

Will we be able to on arrival, if we want, to go directly to the QF first class lounge? Or will we have to wait until check in opens for QF1? Does anyone know if a boarding pass for this flight will be provided when we check in for LA801 in AKL?

Another option would be to go into Sydney for 5 - 6 hours if we could conveniently store our luggage. I've heard Bondi Beach might be nice for a ocean walk. Can anyone give me an idea on approximate taxi fare?

Thanks in advance for your well considered advise.

Dave Noble

Your bags should be able to be checked all the way through to QF1

If you want to leave the airport, should not be an issue, but do make sure that you have a visa for Australia organised

Taxi to Bondi, I would estimate to be about $60

Is there no award availability on a later service from AKL-SYD ?

vike

Unfortunately the early morning flight was the only one available.

Mwenenzi

9 hours in a lounge to too much. Been to Sydney before? If the first time to Sydney take the train to Circular Quay then the ferry to Manly for late breakfast / lunch. You will see the Bridge, Opera House & harbour There are several threads on what to for xx hrs in Sydney. Have the links on my other computer.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...estions-4.html

Edit (some are old, but useful. Train info may have changed)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...it-sydney.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...hours-syd.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...endations.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...rs-syd-x2.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...yover-syd.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...1-5-hours.html

Dave Noble

I would keep an eye for some later availability turning up ; if no, then you might as well pop out since it is a very long time to stay sat in an airport

Juts make sure that you have the appropriate visitor visa for AU - should be able to get one online

JP1981

I had a 10 hour layover from SIN-AKL in mid-December. There are free public showers in the main terminal (unfortunately there is no Qantas arrivals lounge). We then got the train to Circular Quay, had breakfast in The Rocks, got the ferry to Manly where we had lunch, and then had a walk round the Botanic Gardens before getting the train back to the airport. It is worth allowing yourself time for dinner in the QF first lounge, which I rate very highly.

og

The Manly Ferry trip shows the best of Sydney Harbour on the public vessel - for a fraction of the cost of the commercial tours. Most recommended!

serfty

The advice and suggestions as given should all be fine - enjoy your sojourn. (Although I do recommend you leave yourself at least 2 hours to enjoy the First Lounge - get back airside by 2pm, boarding should commence just after 4pm.)

However, note that if this is all on the one booking, then it would have been ticketed as a transit at SYD.

If that is the case, I recommended you do not tell any airline employee/agents of your plans to exit the airport.

Here on FT over time there have been reports that if "the airline" becomes aware of your plans there can be issues with: 1) Leaving the airport without your luggage & 2) non payment of the AU departure tax.

Keep it quiet and it should be fine.

Shamrock55

Personally i would recommend Coogee or Manly beach over Bondi, which tends to be jammed with backpackers. There are lovely walks near both and as above the ferry trip to Manly is a great way to checkout the bridge, opera house and islands from the sea.

Last time I did as you are doing I told the immigration guy I wished to enter his country only long enough to get to circular key to purchase a good ozzie pie. No problems whatsoever.

og

No problems after eating the pie?

Seriously though, there are much better pies than whatever you can find in the Circular Quay area - but these are in the suburbs and usually frequented by cyclists

Globaliser

Normally, I'd agree with this. But for me, the SYD first class lounge is an exception (possibly the exception) to that rule. I once spent even longer than that in the lounge; I made a day at the airport a day of my holiday. But it helps that I do know Sydney quite well, so going into town was not an imperative.

docbert

It'll take some talking, but it's also apparently possible to go through transfer security to the arrivals area, access the lounge, and then leave the airport. It's certainly not an expected path, but given the choice of that or public ("bring-your-own-towel") showers, I know which I'd be going for, and there have been multiple reports of people doing this without issue.

JP1981

It's a shame I didn't see this before travelling! Having been through SYD quite a few times, I didn't think this could be done, otherwise I definitely would have tried it! A shower, and not to mention breakfast, in the lounge would have been far preferable to the public (byot!) showers, however having just got off a long flight I was grateful for a shower anywhere!

hillrider

I am in a similar long int'l to int'l connection situation and may do this (given the lack of an arrival lounge, which is a bit puzzling), but this description makes no sense. I presume you go to transfer security to the departure area and then leave the airport from the departure area, correct?

I know this can be done just about anywhere until I hit HKG, which was a royal pain (after the lounge visit I found myself trapped in the departure area and had to be escorted to arrivals to exit the airport, and it took forever -- what a terrible airport design!)

Globaliser

Why should this be puzzling? There are very few airports that have arrivals lounges.You go from the arrivals stream through transfer security to the departures side where the lounges are. But when you have finished, you need to backtrack the way that you came, and go back to transfer security. You need to ask to be allowed to reverse through security into the arrivals stream, and then you go through to immigration in the usual way.It's not unusual for it to be difficult to exit from the departures side of a segregated airport. You're not supposed to be in the departures side unless you're departing, and if you're departing it would be unusual for you to want to access the arrivals stream.