Hello all,
I've booked London-Sydney via Melbourne through Virgin using Qatar for the international legs. On return trip we land in Melbourne then connect to flight to Sydney but Virgin have only allowed 1hr 35 mins for transfer. I am concerned at this time as my understanding is all immigration/customs etc need to be cleared in Melbourne as first landing port. On calling Virgin the customer service person said bags would be checked through to Sydney but seeing as I'm arriving at Sydney domestic that doesn't make sense as when will they go through customs? This was not answered by the customer service, rather he just said I will need to check with ground crew. That would be too late of course. If the transfer is not viable I will need to change flights at cost to myself but would rather know beforehand.
Flight from Melbourne to Sydney is the last one of the evening therefore I don't want to end up stuck at Melbourne Airport.
Has anyone used the Qatar/Virgin combination and can answer questions about the transfer. Virgin customer service kept saying it would be ok but I'm not convinced. thanks in advance

I wasn't aware that Virgin had a relationship with Qatar . I thought Qatar were aligned with Delta and Korean for UK/Aus flights. BA and Qatar have an alliance. No matter though. If you booked a through ticket then it is the airlines responsibility to get you to your destination. If you miss a connection they will have to rebook you/pay for accommodation etc.

Whilst I would not be happy with that connection time , if they say it is ok then I think you have to accept that.

Was that flight a lot cheaper than the standard London to Sydney flight? If not what is the point?

It does sound a little odd to fly this route, when so many international flights go straight to Sydney, without an extra leg to Melbourne. Maybe it was a good price. Would the Melb/Syd sector be on an international flight? That sometimes happens, you can tell (I think) from the flight number. I'm guessing here but if the domestic sector is on an international flight, you could go through customs in Sydney (your final stop in Aust). Sorry I can't help more but if you do go ahead with this, I would let the flight crew know of your next flight, before you land and see if they can alert the ground crew. It may make a difference.

If the whole trip is booked as one journey (not separate flights) then the airline must get you where you are going, they will put you on the next flight. But I see your problem is there are no more flights that night.

Thank you both for the replies. The Melb/Syd flight is domestic which is why I was surprised the customer service said bags would be checked all the way. Transfer time to clear an international flight and recheck bags didn't seem long enough. I'm sure ground staff would be able to help but I think I'll need to weigh up if I want the worry or bear the cost of changing the flight

I think our query was "Why are you flying to Sydney via Melbourne, as Qatar has flights direct to Sydney?"

Qatar is a member of One World so partnered with AA/BA/QF/CX etc. so not sure how VS fits in the mix???

Thanks for the replies, my op was asking if anyone had done this route and was the transfer time do-able, only to have my ability to read the correct airline questioned and prying as to my choice of route.

Sorry for anything I said out of turn. It doesn't sound like very much time, you'd have to collect your luggage, go through immigration and customs and get to the domestic part of the airport. It may be that the airline has a streamlined system for transiting passengers. I don't think the airline would sell those flights/connections if it's not possible. Maybe try searching for other forums more specific to airlines and flights? Hope it all goes well.

Thanks Kay, I appreciate the reply. I didn't think it was a long enough transit time either, and knowing its Virgin's last flight of the evening from Melb to Syd I think the anxiety would spoil the rest of the trip so I'll look at other options.

If these flights are all on the one ticket that you purchased, then it is ok. It will be Virgin's problem if you miss your flight because of the short connection time.
they also have lots of flights from Melbourne to Sydney, so if you miss one, they will probably put you on another.
Although not sure how the whole immigration works.
Melbourne is not like Sydney. International and Domestic are next to each other.