AlwaysOnTheRoad

Read on Australian Business Traveller that Express Path Outbound at Sydney T1 has been closed until August due to construction.

Has this gone into effect?

Do you think Qantas will attempt to mediate the situation for their premium passengers?

DownUnderFlyer

The last few times I used this there was almost no difference between the channels. Maybe I have been lucky.

jridge

Who are they going to mediate between?

AlwaysOnTheRoad

Short versus long lines.

og

JClasstraveller

RTWFF

Surely what they'd be attempting is to mitigate?

Dave Noble

What is the airline supposed to do if the facility is closed? Services such as fast track can only be provided where an airport provides the facility

DownUnderFlyer

They could work with the airport to have a temporary arrangement for premium passengers (and premium might be defined differently for this purpose): Using the staff entrance, random back door access etc.

whughes3

Precisely: surely there must be some alternative solution possible? This affects all airlines, not just QF, so collectively they would have a bit of clout.

Dave Noble

maybe it could have worked with the airport - though would expect that if a temporary replacement was to have been created , it would have been created for all airlines that use express path and not something put in place for 1 airline

Cannot really expect airline to offer a fast track where an airport doesn't offer it

As mentioned - with the self service passport checking machines now, passport control is nowhere near as bad as it once was

LTN Phobia

It was indeed closed this morning. No effort noticed that QF did anything to mitigate the effects but in their defence, it wasn't very busy this morning.

But to be honest, they could have done something with good old tensa barriers to be honest.

What are they constructing, more shops??!?

DownUnderFlyer

Sydney Airport will do this for whoever pays. So if QF would have wanted a QF only solution I am sure they would have been able to get this. Maybe just for people departing on QF F. Or P1s. Or only left handed WPs. You do find airline specific solutions at other airports. Fraport has dedicated facilities just for Lufthansa which no other airline can use for example. Then again, would have, could have.

lokijuh

I find these day where express pass helps most is at security - not passport control, although I've only passed through SYD a couple of times in the last two years, it did seem to help a bit (although not as much as at MEL, where security happens before immigration).

WiscAZ

I was flying AA in J last Friday on SYD to LAX. I did check-in online but always go and get a paper pass precisely to get the express pass to slide through security. There was an Agent there who guided anyone who normally would get the express pass through their own modified express way. Basically she just ushered me through the disabled entrance which probably got me in front of 20-30 passengers. After that I was just moving along like anyone travelling that day. It would have been helpful had the line been long but probably saved me 5 minutes max. As others have stated, the main benefit is with the security line. I was able to get behind 1 person waiting at the self service passport machines. I'll be doing the trip again in mid-August so will be interested to see if the express path is back.

All this being said, if you are relying on the express path it's probably worth arriving an extra few minutes early to be safe.