VA Interline Baggage with OZ
 

Hi all, I've been searching the VA site with no success.

I have a flight from ICN to SYD (on OZ in J) and then three hours later, on a separate ticket obviously, I have a SYD-ZQN flight (on VA in J). Is there any chance the OZ people would be able to check my bag all the way through?

Unfortunately, I assume the answer is no. If my assumption is correct, could someone more familiar with SYD layout tell me how much of a hassle this will be? Surely, three hours is enough time, right?

What are the policies of OZ in relation to checking through on separate tickets?

There are three main possibilities at ICN:

1. They check your bags through to ZQN and are able to be checked in for your SYD-ZQN flight (note VA do not have OLCI for international flights).

2. They check your bgs though to ZQN only. You still need to check in with VA.

3. They check your bags through to SYD only.

In the first case you should be fine, simply using the airside transit security to go from arrivals to departures - but I doubt this will happen.

For the other two circumstances, you will need to go through immigration and customs (collecting any bags in the case of #3) and proceed to VA check-in. You would need an electronic Visa.

I don't think VA has an interline agreement with OZ. I don't see them listed on the partner pages (http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en...ther-partners/).

Without an interline agreement, I doubt they can through check.

Since *A is now stopping checking through even between members of *A on separate tickets, I would presume OZ will not check through to VA. VA is still technically, LCC and OZ website clearly states:
from http://au.flyasiana.com/C/en/homepag...uType=CMS#none

Considering check-in deadlines VA has, I would suggest that three hours in SYD on two tickets might be cutting it tight.

OZ601 arrives into SYD in the middle of the morning peak arrival bank for international flights. If OZ are not prepared to through check onto VA and especially if you are on a non-Australian passport the queue times for passport screening and customs can be very unpredictable during this period. While a connection on separate tickets is doable, there is quite a chance of queues and a risk of misconnect.

Also-have you ensured that you have the appropriate visa for Australia? You may have a onward ticket but you may still require a visa, especially if you wish to self connect on separate tickets.

Oh, poop. I am both expecting OZ to not check my bags through AND am traveling on a non-Australian passport. I'm really hoping three hours is sufficient. Would I be needing to connect to a different terminal? Is there lots of walking involved here? Thankfully, we'll be arriving as J pax and also departing (on VA) as J pax.

As a US citizen, I've already applied and paid for our e-visas.

Same terminal just allot of walking, think of an shopping mall that has check-in desk and gates.

US Passport Holders get to use the SmartGates, same as Australian/New Zealand passport Holders.

If your bags are checked through, (OR not in the most possible case), you will find that even thought its the same terminal, ie, SYD international terminal 1, due to the fact you have to get through Aust Customs and/Quarantine, it will be a very lot of walking.
No fun.
Even coming back from NZ to Au via SYD for me, does mean a lot of walking.
No travellators from the arrivals gate to the Border Force hall, left and right hand turns, (not like SIN Changi), ...
I would change a flight, but thats me, change the INC - SYD one to the day before if at all possible.
If same tix (same PNR)/same alliance (which its not in your case), I don't like your chances.
Even if its 30 mins from plane getting to gate, you have to walk from gate to hall, then take a few mins to slip your passport into Smartgate reader, few mins to wait for the bright lights, then collect bags, then to go to green channel, and maybe get chatted to, maybe not, then face the scrum of people meeting friends/relatives, go upstairs to international departures, wait in line to check in, rush through international outwards immigration...
Best of luck anyways.

It takes me 15 minutes to walk (I'm mildly arthritic in the legs) from the farthest gate and be through passport control using Smartgate at Sydney Airport. Melbourne is slightly longer. The longest wait is going to be for your baggage, and that can vary. I've never ever had my baggage waiting for me by the time I've got through Smartgate, so just ignore all the negative comments you've heard about getting from the plane to Smartgate. By the way there are several Smartgate terminals along the way. I always use the first one I come to unless there's already a queue, and then head to the Smartgate "gates"

I'd say you'll be out of the Arrivals side in (well) under an hour from de-planing. The so-called "shopping mall" is a single duty free shop of about 50 metres in length

Then it's straight upstairs (there are elevators) to check in. It could take a few minutes to find which check-in aisle you'll be using. It's not clear if you're on a VA aircraft or a codeshare with NZ; both airlines use check-in aisles from H onwards, usually. There will be queues but it's a small aircraft so that shouldn't be too bad

Outwards passport control is another Smartgate; there is an outbound card to complete for each passenger as well and you're supposed to deposit that in the appropriate box after Smartgate (I never have)

The real "shopping mall masquerading as an airport" is after hand-held baggage x-ray. The quickest way to avoid that is to look to your right to find a large sign about processing purchases bought in Australia for GST (sales tax) reimbursement. Head straight for that sign as it's a short-cut to the departure gates you'll be using which will be a gate number of 50 or higher. I'd say that you should have plenty of time; if you're delayed by the time you get to check-in the airline staff will organise a priority pass to get you through outwards passport control (slightly) quicker. They may even walk you through themselves

Good luck

Finally, some positivity!!!

It's nice to be positive, and there's a good chance you'll manage, even if you need go landside to collect luggage and recheck. You will need to be onto it from the outset.

Fail and you are likely SOL with your flight to ZQN.

Most experienced travelers would rather avoid putting themselves in such stress - for the majority of FTer's there's generally a lounge to await the next flight if early etc.

Delays outside of your control can eat up the time. Once with a 4 hour layover at LAX, my flight from SYD left 90 minutes late, arriving 100 minutes late. CBP took 75 minutes followed by a sprint from TBIT to T7 seeing me fall into my seat breathless 20 minutes before departure - I had five minutes to spare. So, I did not miss the flight .... but I could have done without the stress....

VA is not a LCC any more, at least its no more of a LCC than most US and European legacy carriers.

SQ still does through check baggage (to the best of my knowledge) anyway, irrespective of what star alliance may or may not want it to do. It depends on the policies of individual airlines. I am not sure what OZ's policy is on this.

According to Expertflyer, VA is listed as an airline OZ will check bags through to. They definitely should if on the same ticket. However it does depend on their policy and the capability of the check in agent, if they will do it on separate tickets or not.

Have we established yet whether the OP is on a VA aircraft or merely a VA flight number on an NZ aircraft?

The flight SYD-ZQN departing at 3 hrs after OZ arrives is definitely VA operated. IIRC NZ don't operate flights with J to ZQN (A320's only), only to AKL on widebodies.

OP wrote in the original post that the flights are on separate tickets, so any baggage interline is not certain and purely at the discretion of the check in agent. Given that VA is not an alliance partner, nor even a codeshate partner or a carrier which OZ typically does business with, my feeling is that interlining is unlikely.

As for the connection itself, I have done OZ601 several times in J as an Australian and with my non-Australian wife. Pure aircraft to exiting customs times have ranged from 40 mins to 2,5hrs. Any potential flight delays would be on top of this.

The connection is doable but with a certain level of risk and if the OP wants to take the risk then by all means. Me personally I would reduce the risk by taking a later flight.