Sydney Airport Customs Clearance Chaos

[cssaus]

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!

[markis10]

Wonder if the jurno has travelled, did not seem to know the difference between the immigration line and the customs line!

[serfty]

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?

[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.

[stryker]

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.

[Hvr]

"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?

[simongr]

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

[Soundguy]

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.

[ethernet]

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.

[econgdon]

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.