Baggage on multi flight long haul.

[jagracer]

My daughter is flying to Gold Coast in a few weeks from Heathrow via Abu Dhabi and Sydney, changing airlines at Abu Dhabi and flights at Sydney. Does she have to collect and redeposit her baggage at each airport or does the airline do it for her. The Virgin Australia doesn't appear to give any info on this.

[frank hovis]

Not need ,
I flew to Bali which was
Aberdeen - Manchester - Qatar - Sinagpore - Denpasser without seeing my baggage ( bit of a worry but worked out fine )

[Puggit]

It should be alright if on one ticket.

Exception is of course the USA who don't understand the concept of 'transit' - although occasionally they get it right on so e journies but not always the reverse. Retards.

[onny]

She will need to pick bags up in Sydney international airpot and clear customs and immigration. Go to domestic transfer desk at Sydney international for transfer to domestic airport for flight to gold coast.

[onny]

She will need to pick bags up in Sydney international airpot and clear customs and immigration. Go to domestic transfer desk at Sydney international for transfer to domestic airport for flight to gold coast.

[onny]

She will need to pick bags up in Sydney international airpot and clear customs and immigration. Go to domestic transfer desk at Sydney international for transfer to domestic airport for flight to gold coast.

[jagracer]

That sounds like it could be a bit of a mission with only 1hour 50mins between flights.

[Norfolkit]

jagracer said:

That sounds like it could be a bit of a mission with only 1hour 50mins between flights.

Not sure about Sydney but Brisbane has self service check in machines in the domestic terminal, key in ticket number, bags on weighing machine, print luggage tags and boarding card, stick 'em on bags, bags on conveyor, job done. Takes all of five minutes. Just security to go.
I assume Sydney has something similar.

Edit to add - it has a lot of said machines.

Edited by Norfolkit on Tuesday 25th June 12:50

[jagracer]

Norfolkit said:

Not sure about Sydney but Brisbane has self service check in machines in the domestic terminal, key in ticket number, bags on weighing machine, print luggage tags and boarding card, stick 'em on bags, bags on conveyor, job done. Takes all of five minutes. Just security to go.
I assume Sydney has something similar.

Edit to add - it has a lot of said machines.

I was more think about baggage collection, clearing customs and immigration when she lands, if it's anything like the US she could be there hours.

[motomk]

I am speculating she is flying Etihad for some of the way too? Etihad and Virgin Australia are partners. Did you book it all through the Virgin Australia or Etihad website? I am guessing they will put the best connecting flights on the webpage, they show you. One of the flights will probably be VA30 or EY450, they alternate between Abu-Dhabi and Sydney, some days it is a Virgin Australia aeroplane, some days an Etihad aeroplane. They get into Sydney at 6 or 7am in the morning, so if you miss a flight to the Gold Coast, there will be plenty of others throughout the day. I am sure if the aeroplane from Abu Dhabi is late, they will put her on another flight to the Gold Coast. I have counted 12 flights a day on their webpage up to the Gold Coast, not including Brisbane which is close by too.
First paragraph on this link applies to Sydney.
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/experience/at...

Edited by motomk on Wednesday 26th June 06:23

Edited by motomk on Wednesday 26th June 06:55

[WhereamI]

I do this a lot, I've done three trips to Australia this year alone.

If she is through ticketed - so if her ticket was purchased to fly to the Gold Coast rather than her buying the Sydney to Gold Coast bit separately then it will/should work like this.

She will get three boarding cards at checkin, one for each flight.

In Sydney she will have to clear passport control, collect her bags, clear customs and then she needs to follow the signs for transfer passengers where they will take her bags off her and put her on a bus to the Virgin Domestic terminal.

1 hour 50 is fine, she won't have a great deal of time to enjoy the delights of Sydney airport and there is two lots of queues for passport control and customs but she should be fine particularly if she can answer no to all the customs questions and gets sent through 'gate 8' which means they don't feel the need to scan her bags.

Incidentally, although she won't need to use it, the information about self service checkin and bag drop only applies if you are flying Qantas

[jagracer]

Thanks for all the replies they are really helpful. All booked on Virgin Australia as on flight. Ethiad to Abu Dhabi, VA to Sydney and VA to gold coast. Flight arrives Sydney I think at 6.25am depart 8.15am.

[jagracer]

Update, the journey went without a hitch apart from her cabin baggage was too heavy which required a bit of reshuffling and ditching some stuff at Heathrow. She did get a bit concerned at Sidney as she doesn't recall going through immigration, I think she was expecting something like a Newark NJ Gestapo type reception. Just a quick self scan of her PP and hand in a visa to someone and that was it. She managed to get her connection with about 30 minutes to spare
Thanks for the posts guys.