To participate you will need to enter your login details:
Go Back   The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community> > Travel Insider Resources > Travel Insider Tips > Immigration & Customs
 
   

Digital Luggage Scales
product picture

Engine makers under pressure to be more efficient

» Read Article

Across the Globe in 4 Continents

» Read Report


Reply

Registered Users have the option of removing this and all other advertisements.  More

 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 02:01 PM
cssaus's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Sydney
Member of: UA 1K, QFF
Posts: 420
Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

In today's Daily Telegraph:

Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

Certainly negates the advantages of holding an APEC travel card when flying back into Sydney!

Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Registered Users have the option of removing this and all other advertisements.  More
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 02:21 PM
markis10's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Brisbane
Member of: Hertz Presidents Circle, PC PLat
Posts: 860
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

Wonder if the jurno has travelled, did not seem to know the difference between the immigration line and the customs line!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 02:26 PM
serfty's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Member of: ¤QF WP[96-01,05-09] 102%LT SG ¤HHG
Posts: 8,171
Like that's News? Sydney (+MEL +BNE) has been doing that since early this year ...

Maybe the September Holiday crowds have made it worse and hence worthy of mention in the Tele?
__________________
utilities¤)

Last edited by serfty; 27th September 2007 at 10:12 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 03:10 PM
milehighclub's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 109
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

I wish Melbourne airport would get an increase in staff. Passport control is no problem but quarrantine - 1 Staff for 2x777 and 1x747 with full loads and a A345 with some terminating passengers!!!! The lines were so long no one knew where it started or end and people unintentially cutting the line. Then once seperated into a line, they also moved very slow - and not every passengers was being x-rayed either.
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 05:51 PM
stryker's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Member of: Star Gold
Posts: 212
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

Quote:
Originally Posted by milehighclub
I wish Melbourne airport would get an increase in staff. Passport control is no problem but quarrantine - 1 Staff for 2x777 and 1x747 with full loads and a A345 with some terminating passengers!!!! The lines were so long no one knew where it started or end and people unintentially cutting the line. Then once seperated into a line, they also moved very slow - and not every passengers was being x-rayed either.
Thankfully they do seem to be acquiring a modicum of common sense.

The last 2 times arriving at SYD INT with only a small carryon (and from a "sanitised" point of origin), I have been waved through the AQIS checks.
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 27th September 2007, 06:10 PM
Hvr's Avatar
Hvr Hvr is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Member of: QC SG, Hertz Gold
Posts: 248
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

"Mothers also complained they were told to put up with the delays, with no special provisions, even for parents with infants.

The young mum, who had nothing to declare, should have been allowed to clear the area without delay."


Dare I ask why? Surely all passengers are affected not just those who think they are special?
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Registered Users have the option of removing this and all other advertisements.  More
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 28th September 2007, 03:46 AM
simongr's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Member of: QF Gold AA EXP
Posts: 5,906
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

Quote:
Originally Posted by stryker
Thankfully they do seem to be acquiring a modicum of common sense.

The last 2 times arriving at SYD INT with only a small carryon (and from a "sanitised" point of origin), I have been waved through the AQIS checks.
On my last RTW I was waved through as I had just carryon and was coming from the US. Not sure how it will play out coming from Cyprus this time. Quarantine is definitely the killer for me.

Re the mum and baby - I agree unless the child was ill/needed changing (I havent seen any bathrooms on the baggage hall side of quarantine) then she can wait with the rest of us.

Note the the sleight of hand here:

A Customs spokeswoman last night said: "Customs aim to process 95 per cent of arriving international passengers through the immigration line within 30 minutes of joining the queue. This standard is generally met and often exceeded."

No reference to quarantine
__________________
Waging War on Corporate Travel agents! Fight the Powers!!!
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 28th September 2007, 08:20 AM
Soundguy's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: The Banana Republic
Member of: Qwont-ass & AA
Posts: 267
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

Quote:
Originally Posted by milehighclub
I wish Melbourne airport would get an increase in staff. Passport control is no problem but quarrantine - 1 Staff for 2x777 and 1x747 with full loads and a A345 with some terminating passengers!!!! The lines were so long no one knew where it started or end and people unintentially cutting the line. Then once seperated into a line, they also moved very slow - and not every passengers was being x-rayed either.
Oh I don't think you do. Adelaide has too many customs staff - far too many for the paltry number of international flights - and the situation is worse because they think have to try and justify their existence. Honestly you would think you are entering the Gaza strip. Everything carried by everyone gets searched, inlcluding looking inside books and purses etc, everything gets xrayed and the contents of suitcases entirely emptied on the counter often. In addition many of them are plain rude and leave you to repack all your now messed up suitcases. It can take more than an hour to process a single plane load (it is rare to have more than one international flight in at a time).

Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are a dream in comparison, I will always pay extra if necessary to fly into Australia through one of these ports.
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 30th September 2007, 11:21 PM
ethernet's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 105
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

A Customs spokeswoman last night said: "Customs aim to process 95 per cent of arriving international passengers through the immigration line within 30 minutes of joining the queue. This standard is generally met and often exceeded."

No reference to quarantine. (shhhh you hit the nail on the head).

It would be nice if the nice journalist rang both Customs and AQIS to get decent numbers. And it would be nice if SYSTEMIC issues were followed.
But it is clear, perception is that its not acceptable, whatever lame service standards get recited.

Given the 'going over' is a lot more than I remember, can we have some stats on what EXTRA they are finding. I suspect there is a measure of justification, and bull**** wishy washy risk assessments re-jigged after letting horse flu in. No fireblight apples yet.

The following rant occurred, because JETSTAR did not hand out declaration forms on an international-domestic flight, or give a 2 minute pep talk to grease the way. The airlines are not doing their bit.

The other observation is that low risk int-domestic pax are getting blended in, and dune over. One assumes that they are wise to, and on the lookout for inflight mulling. Trouble here is, healthy load factors will amplify peak arrival congestion.

Recently had a nice doggy sit beside my luggage and paw the heck out of a carryon. International collection. Fortunately I knew I had no issues, and quickly surrendered on prompting, my Cairns booty - tub of fruit pieces. - binned! They professionally kept tabs on us, I could feel the eye.

Stood in line, knowing special treatment lay ahead. But told they were not interested in the huge suitcases, just carryon, and cleared. Then remembered the coffee pot, and Kunandra roasted coffee beans in it - maybe the dog goes for coffee. Nothing said, and we were out.

The point is,I forgot something. AQIS should just telll BogStar to give quarantine forms to everyone, and run a video. The form would have jogged my memory.

Another family member is pissed off, because he declared spice, and suspect footwear, but copped an official warning for the undeclared wooden spice rack when he showed the bottles. Heavyhanded and inappropriate. Can one make a complaint and whom to?

How do we solve the mess?. Well the journo needs to publish their think tank of ideas, and get the community to help. Opening up an 'Amber' Qline is one idea.
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 1st October 2007, 12:55 AM
econgdon's Avatar
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Melbourne
Member of: Qff,United,Enrich,Velocity,Miles&Smiles,Kris,AA
Posts: 29
Send a message via Skype™ to econgdon
Re: Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

I personally think that not Xraying every person going through customs is a step up, not down.. where else in the World are entering people all held up while their luggage is xrayed?? .. its not a lapse, its an advancement .. this country is paranoid about people entering and all this hold up achieves nothing, because guns and drugs are more prevalent than ever before in our Society and its criminal members .. In my opinion it is mainy about making an appearance, and getting revenue out of the uninformed traveller who brings back an extra bottle of wine or two, or some extra smokes. I find it disgraceful that if a traveller declares additonal items ( being honest) on return, that they are taxed on the lot in their posession, and lose their whole duty free entitlements and also, that a person taking a bottle of wine out of the coutry as a gift, which they have paid tax on. Cannot get a credit to bring an overseas gift back which was received as a contra.. "Take all .. give nought". Thats the attitude of our Government in my opinion.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Sydney Airport cameras 'sabotaged' Yada Yada Open Discussion 10 12th October 2007 05:54 AM
Sydney Airport to welcome A380's arrival Yada Yada Open Discussion 37 18th June 2006 03:52 PM
New Sydney airport pickup rules Yada Yada Open Discussion 23 23rd April 2006 03:39 PM
Adelaide Airport road access in 'chaos' Yada Yada Open Discussion 2 31st March 2006 08:21 PM
D-Day 25th May 2005 dvmcl54 Qantas Frequent Flyer Program 14 25th May 2005 10:41 AM


All times are GMT +11. The time now is 10:16 PM.


 
Powered by vBulletin Version 3.7.0. Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SEO by vBSEO 3.2.0 RC4 ©2008, Crawlability, Inc.
Designed by
 
Copyright © 1998 - 2008, The Australian Frequent Flyer. All Rights Reserved.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80