anlopa Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Greetings All, My Mum and dad are flying out in October from manchester - Abu Dhai then Abu Dhai - Sydney and finally sydney - Brisbane. Dad is gets anxious and is already worried about missing the connecting flight. i am looking for departure gates that etihad use at Abu Dhai airport so i can point them in the rough area of where their flight is likely to depart from. I know if this flight goes wrong they will never come back.:no: I miss my mum and dad so much that I want this to go smoothly Ive looked on the airport website and their is little information. Yes i can book the meet and greet but i would be much happier spending the $250 on them once they are here. Thanks in advance. This is a happy thread please people :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 We did a similar flight in June, Manchester to Brisbane! I don't have the boarding passes to hand to let you know which gate we used, but the onward flight to Sydney will depart from the same terminal as the arrival from Manchester. The routine is: get off plane from Manchester, walk along fairly long corridor towards transfer area where there will be screens listing departure gates, then there are stairs/escalator down to the actual transfer area. As a queue forms directly at the bottom of the stairs, I recommend NOT using the escalator. I am not exaggerating when I say that we witnessed utter chaos when people on the escalator got backed up as they couldn't get off the damn thing due to the queue/crowd at the bottom! Crazy. Next up they will go through security, which is quick and painless, though the metal detector is very sensitive so take watches off! Then you are through to duty free in the departure area. The gates are set along a rather long corridor. There will be another security check here, they go through everything in cabin baggage by hand. They managed to destroy a chocolate muffin I had in a napkin and got crumbs all over my stuff, cheers! They are unlikely to miss the connection, even if the first flight is running late they tend to hold back the next flight until everyone has boarded :-) how long do they have to connect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 It's not the type of information that's available in advance I don't think. I get anxious myself but You just have to tell yourself that if you miss a connection, the airline is obliged contractually to get you to your final destination provided everything is on the same ticket. In Sydney your parents will have to transfer from he international terminal to the domestic terminal. You might want to check with the airline whether they will have to collect their baggage in Sydney and check in again for their Virgin Australia flight to Brisbane. Nothing to worry about....loads of help around if they get stuck. That's what I would be telling them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 That kind of info re departure gate isn't usually available beforehand. They tend to only list a few hours worth of departures on the boards at the time. So long as you have the terminal numbers they should be fine. Do they land and take off in the same terminal? If so there should be nothing to worry about. My 72 year old mother flew over last year. Got her connecting flight just fine, found her way round the terminals of her connecting airport. Said it wasn't a problem. Just remember, there is always an information desk they can ask at if they are unsure. And to not panic if they arrive and their connecting flight isn't showing up due to a gate not being assigned yet. Sometimes they appear an hour before if in the same terminal. The boards can only list a couple of hours of flights and as some take off, others will be added. They just just need to follow the signs once they disembark the UK leg. They usually announce on the plane what to look for for those getting connecting flights. And the cabin staff will be able to explain if they are really worried when the time comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Unless there is absolutely no chance of making the connection, then everything will be fine. I've flown through many Middle Eastern countries more times than I can remember. Only once did I miss a connection and we knew that would happen before we took off from Glasgow ( plane got a puncture upon landing on the way in to Glasgow) The luggage will be checked through, and the connecting plane at AD won't be taking off without the passengers associated with the baggage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anlopa Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thanks for your replies, I have tracked a few flights now (im sure some embassy will be monitoring my movements) to gain a but of knowledge of the rough departure gates the airline is going from. if I can give mum and dad as much info as possible before they fly that will ease the anxiety of dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thanks for your replies, I have tracked a few flights now (im sure some embassy will be monitoring my movements) to gain a but of knowledge of the rough departure gates the airline is going from. if I can give mum and dad as much info as possible before they fly that will ease the anxiety of dad. I think it is unwise to do anything but wait and see what the departure gate is. I have travelled back and forth many times and have never detected a pattern or trend to departure gates. I must have done Sydney to Brisbane but two hundred times and there is no pattern. It varies, it is set on the day, with a few hours notice. If you tell them to expect something, they might get fixated upon that and not check where they really should be. You might be better off reassuring them that airlines will do all they can to find passengers and will wait within reason became they don't want to off load bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Depending on their age, you can ask the airline to identify them as requiring special assistance; they will be assisted at all stages of the flight. Abu Dhabi is a very easy airport to navigate though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thanks for your replies, I have tracked a few flights now (im sure some embassy will be monitoring my movements) to gain a but of knowledge of the rough departure gates the airline is going from. if I can give mum and dad as much info as possible before they fly that will ease the anxiety of dad. Only bit you can be definiet about is that they MUST collect their bags and clear immigration in Sydney. They will then ned to transfer by bus to the domestic terminal. Not used Virgin, but with Qantas this process can take 2 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Only bit you can be definiet about is that they MUST collect their bags and clear immigration in Sydney. They will then ned to transfer by bus to the domestic terminal. Not used Virgin, but with Qantas this process can take 2 hours. Unfortunately this will be the worst part of the entire trip, and if the travel agent can re-route them onto a direct flight to/from brisbane-abu dhabi for a slight increase in fare, I'd definitely go for it. Transfer with QF is bad enough even though they have an airside setup, with Etihad/Virgin it is far worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anlopa Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 We have confirmed that they don't uptick up their bags till they get to Brisbane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 We have confirmed that they don't uptick up their bags till they get to Brisbane I fear you may have been given the wrong information by your travel agent or Etihad; "If transferring to a domestic flight, you must collect all checked baggage before transferring" . You MUST go through customs and quarantine processes before connecting to the domestic flight, otherwise you would totally bypass this arriving into Brisbane domestic. http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/prepare/arrivals/intl-arrival-procedures.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/go/terminal-transfer.aspx The process involves arriving at Sydney from the Etihad flight, clearing immigration and then customs/quarantine, then turn immediately left after quarantine into the 'Virgin Seamless Transfer' area where they will take the bags and put you onto a free shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 We have confirmed that they don't uptick up their bags till they get to Brisbane No that is definitely, 100% incorrect. I have flown from Sydney to Brisbane a gazillion time and it will definitely arrive at a domestic terminal, there will be no immigration to meet you, this must be done in Sydney. And not to mention that to even board the flight from Sydney to Brisbane they will need to be in the domestic terminal in Sydney and they can only get there if they clear immigration. The important thing to remember is to pick up bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Pretty sure that when my friend came from Manchester on Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Sydney she had to collect her bags in Sydney. I agree with Captain I just didn't want to say it first time around. Get your parents on the Abu Dhabi - Brisbane direct service if you can. Faffing around in Sydney with baggage collection, biosecurity and passport control then having to transit to the domestic terminal will take time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 You can of course get right up to the gate at Brisbane domestic and meet your parents off the plane this way :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.