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QF161 at Sydney Airport airbridgePeter Needham reports that Sydney Airport’s international terminal is running more efficiently than its domestic counterpart, judging from his experience on Monday.

Both terminals have security screening (obviously), and the international terminal also has passport control.

First, the domestic terminal. According to a report in the Guardian online, long queues formed on Monday morning, with check-in queues spilling out of Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal as major delays hit travellers.

An airport spokesperson blamed staff shortages for the extended wait times, as lines stretched beyond 150 metres to get through security screening at domestic terminals.

Qantas advice

Qantas advice

“Our security contractor has had significant staff sick leave today, meaning some security screening lanes were not able to be opened,” the spokesperson told the paper.

Passengers vented their frustration on social media. 

Now, the international terminal. Here is my experience on Monday morning, using the Sydney Airport international terminal to catch Qantas flight 161 to Wellington, New Zealand.

When checking in online the day before the flight, my first surprise was to be advised by Qantas to arrive at the airport FOUR HOURS before takeoff.

“Always ensure you have enough time to clear security,” Qantas advised. “We suggest getting to the airport early, at least 4 hours before departure. ARRIVE BEFORE 05:40.”

My flight was scheduled for 9.40 am. Taking the Qantas advice seriously, I set the alarm for 4.45 am. In the event, I woke at 4.30 am and headed for Kings Cross station (the nearest station to where I was staying), travelling by train to the airport with my luggage and arriving at the international terminal at 5.45 am.

At the check-in area, I showed staff the New Zealand government QR code on my phone, confirming that I had completed my passenger declaration (currently mandatory for travellers to New Zealand) and was then allowed to obtain my boarding pass and luggage tag from a Qantas kiosk. This was swift, and the Qantas staff were helpful and efficient.

I loaded my check-in suitcase onto the belt, took the receipt and headed for passport control and security screening. The time was 6 am. There was a short queue at passport control and a lengthy but orderly queue at security. It took about 30 or 40 minutes for me to reach the scanners and pass through to the airside of the terminal.

Result: I was in the international terminal airside before 7 am, for a flight set to take off at 9.40 am. My flight turned out to be delayed by an hour, so I spent almost five hours in the terminal for a flight that generally takes less than three hours.

I have no complaints at all. These are challenging times, and the main thing is to catch your flight and reach your destination. I was chatting to a woman working at a coffee outlet in the terminal, who assured me there are some days when it is so busy you really do need to get there four hours ahead.

The flight was pleasant and smooth; I was seated in 14D, an economy-class exit row with extra legroom. For lunch, I had the macaroni beef. The wine (Cumulus Shiraz-Cabernet 2019) was so robust and enjoyable that I drank two bottles (airline-size 187ml bottles, natch).

On arrival, my suitcase turned up at Wellington Airport as it should (always nice to see!) and I caught a bus to Wellington station and a train to my destination, arriving at about 8 pm local time.

Written by Peter Needham