Connection Time at Sydney Airport
 

We are flying biz class on Thai airlines into Sydney. Our flight arrives at 7:30 am. midweek. We will have to take another flight (not biz class) on a separate ticket onto Tasmania. I am aware the international and domestic terminals are in different buildings. We can take a 9:35am, 10:30am (on a budget airline) or 2:00pm flight. Which one would you experienced flyers choose?

I'd take the 10:30 but make it a flexible fare so you can change to the 2pm if your flight is late in/ there is some other glitch.

Thanks, that's a good idea! The 10:35 is with Jetstar and I haven't seen a flexible fare offered. Am I missing it?

Mmm ... They usually have a few fare
structures, I think. If there is only one option showing on their website, they may not. Is the 2pm with them also?

Have a look at their T & C's. they might allow changes on the fare you have. Just beware the change costs.

It's a tough one.

10.30 might be doable.
I'd ensure I had nothing to declare at customs (no food, no wood, have a look at the form you have to sign) sorry tried also sorts of ways to attach a link - Google "Australian customs incoming passenger card"

Look at your luggage allowance, you might need to check it. On some budget airlines the carry on allowance of 7 kg includes your personal item. Some also weigh your luggage at the gate.

2pm would be much safer, but gives you several hours to kill in Sydney if you're flight is on time.

The 930 is a nonstarter.

The 1035 will be close but can happen. Be forewarned, the overnights from various Asian countries will hit about the same time as overnights from western North America, so you could have a sizable clustering at Immigration. Customs will be a breeze if you have nothing to declare. And do NOT mess with Aussie customs - it's a semi-isolated ecosystem and the customs controls are strict.

Best to take a cab between the terminals if there's no free transport from your airlines. The CityLink trains will cost more for two people for the one stop than a cab would.

The terminals are not just in separate buildings, they might as well be in separate ZIP codes... You need a bus, or taxi, and it's not trivial.

See here for details: http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/go/t...-transfer.aspx

10:30 should do it, but since the domestic airline has no obligation to accommodate you if Thai comes in late, that could be a problem.

Ideally you should try to book it all on a single ticket, with Star Alliance codeshare partners, but I don't think Thai has any partners that fly to Tassie.

Have you signed up with Global Entry? Sydney Airport is a signatory, you can use the kiosk to whizz through immigration in a jiffy, so that would help in your case.

Thanks! We'll take a taxi between terminals. It's a Star Alliance FF ticket booked several months ago. No options beyond what I booked. Great news about GE that should speed it up some. I wasn't aware GE could be used in countries other than the US.

BigRuss, haven't looked at entry requirements beyond visa. Is there something special that they don't allow that I need to be aware of? We won't have wood or food. Your warning caught my attention.

We will need to check bags if we fly on the budget airlines. We generally have more than 7kg...esp for a 6 week trip��

Make sure your hiking boots are clean, assuming you have any. Same goes for hiking equipment of any kind.

The customs warning is valid - even something as seemingly trivial as a small handful of almonds that you forgot to eat before arriving can get you into trouble. They use dogs that have uncanny sniffing ability - I speak from experience. I had eaten a banana after deplaning while walking to the baggage carousel (ahead of customs of course), but the scent must have lingered, because the doggie went nuts, ahem, sorry, went bananas. Had to open everything, took forever.

Thanks for the warnings! Will clean my hiking boots thoroughly and no food of any kind.

Global Entry is available in certain spots in these countries:
• Australia
• Canada
• Germany
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea
• Singapore
• United Kingdom
See https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-t...l-arrangements

Just the food. Back in '99 I received a dirty look and mild admonishment for bringing an uneaten orange (forgot about it on the flight) to OZ.

In 2015, I'd probably have been detained.

Yea, I've done that with fruit, but will be careful when we come to Australia. Thanks for the warnings.