New Check-in Facilities @ SYD T1

[Arthur T]

I took bus 400 which drove through SYD's T1 tonight and I saw there's a new building next to the coach parking area which look through the glass door you will see some new Check-in Facilities there.

Anyone have any idea(s) of that new facility at SYD? Is that for QF Exculsive or for other purposes (as I think the interior design look quite similar to QF's Domestic Terminal)

[Skip Fulton]

I think this is the new QF domestic transfer check-in area for passengers transiting off arriving international flights.

[D Chan]

This is Qantas's new seamless domestic transfer facility - which is larger than the previous facility near the train station entrance. Virgin has their own transfer area at the opposite end of the terminal near the SACL ID service office.

It is a government requirement for arriving intl pax to go through customs and quarantine first before catching their connecting domestic flights. That's why transit pax have to collect their bags to go through customs, then drop their bags again at the domestic facility and hop on a bus to the domestic terminal. When the bags are dropped or checked at the domestic transfer the pax will not see their bags again until their destination.

[Ash W]

What I don't quite follow is why Qantas are now restricting passengers who are connecting to Qantas domestic flights but who arrive on non one world flights from using this at certain times of the day. Their website now says "* Non-Qantas and non-oneworld passengers transferring to a Qantas, QantasLink or Jetstar domestic flight between 6.30am and 9.30am proceed to the Seamless Transfer area where you will be directed to a dedicated bus bay outside the terminal for your transfer to the Domestic terminal. The bus arrives at T3 next to the Group check-in area. Proceed to check-in with your baggage."

If the new facility is bigger and better and the passengers are going on a Qantas domestic flight then why not let them use it? Out of interest is the bus they direct these passengers to free like the Qantas bus or at a cost? I assume it is an airport provided bus rather than a Qantas one.