Flying into Sydney pre-cruise question

[calmjac]

Hello,

We have booked tickets with Princess EZ Air and arrive from Los Angeles into Sydney airport at 7am.
Our cruise leaves at 6.45pm that evening.
We have also arranged transportation to the ship from the airport through Princess, but wonder what the timing will be?  If anyone has done this before could you tell us what happens?  
Will we have to wait at the airport for hours? Thanks very much.

[FlyerTalker]

The best answer would come directly from Princess.

 

Past experiences by others would have little bearing on the current operation, as it would be highly dependent on the total situation of all those arriving with Princess transfers, not just your flight.

[CruiserBruce]

The timing of port transfers is always based on demand. As most flights from the US land in Sydney first thing in the morning, Princess will have transportation waiting for you. No, you will not have to wait for hours. You might get a tour of Sydney so you arrive at the port close to when boarding begins. Immigration,  claiming your bags and Customs might take an hour.

 

But why arrive day of sailing? First of all, it's risky. Given the length of the flight, there are crew rest restrictions that can cancel your flight pretty easily. Plus Sydney is a beautiful city...spend a couple of days seeing, getting over jet lag, and making sure your bags make it with you.

[Zach1213]

Oof...flying from LAX to Australia (a trip I do several times this year) and then immediately stepping on to a cruise sounds miserable, and risky, as mentioned above. There's really no way you can add even a day to the trip? 

[calmjac]

Thanks for the replies!  
Normally we would not arrange to fly in on the day of the cruise, but we decided to book through EZ Air to make sure Princess will get us to the next stop (Brisbane) if there is a problem with our arrival into Australia.  I don't think it will be possible for us to leave the USA any earlier, so we have to keep our fingers crossed that all goes well.  

I agree, Sydney is a wonderful city, we were lucky enough to spend time there a few years ago and we loved it.  Our cruise will return to Sydney, so we will not miss out. 

[FlyerTalker]

13 minutes ago, calmjac said:

Normally we would not arrange to fly in on the day of the cruise, but we decided to book through EZ Air to make sure Princess will get us to the next stop (Brisbane) if there is a problem with our arrival into Australia.

 

You have read the actual terms and conditions - right?

[calmjac]

Hello,

Now you have me thinking!  It is my understanding that we will be taken to the next port of call to board if one of our flights booked through EZAir misses a connection.  That would mean we arrive a day late.
Am I wrong?  We don't have the option to change our flights, but we can cancel and rebook if necessary.  Thanks for your help.

[CruiserBruce]

10 hours ago, calmjac said:

Hello,

Now you have me thinking!  It is my understanding that we will be taken to the next port of call to board if one of our flights booked through EZAir misses a connection.  That would mean we arrive a day late.
Am I wrong?  We don't have the option to change our flights, but we can cancel and rebook if necessary.  Thanks for your help.

The wording in most of these "guarantees" to catch you up with the ship say something to the effect of "we will assist you" in getting to the next port and boarding the ship. First, that doesn't sound like a promise that they will get you there totally at their expense, no questions asked. Second, what, when and where is the next port? Many cruises start out with a day at sea, then may include a small out of the way port with limited air service. All depends on the itinerary. Third, who is paying for the hotel, food, other transport besides the flights, etc. Again, it doesn't sound like a guarantee to me. In a related subject, on our Copenhagen to Boston cruise this last summer, after sailing, we had a sea day, then a port day, then Alesund, Norway. The SAS airline strike was in progress. There was about 20 people (some were crew) waiting at the port when we docked (plus who knows how many others that arrived to catch up with the ship during that day), and a huge pile of baggage.

 

It always seems smarter to come in a day early to avoid possibly missing 2 or more days of your expensive cruise. The same thought applies to luggage.

[nini]

To me, this would be a trip of a lifetime. It is so far away. Flying in the day of is a real stressor for us and cruises are supposed to be a relaxing enjoyable time.

You have had some great advice and there are so many variables, especially with the craziness in the flight business.

Why do you not have the option to change your flights? Maybe a later time would work out better.

[Hlitner]

On 1/5/2023 at 3:45 PM, calmjac said:

Hello,

We have booked tickets with Princess EZ Air and arrive from Los Angeles into Sydney airport at 7am.
Our cruise leaves at 6.45pm that evening.
We have also arranged transportation to the ship from the airport through Princess, but wonder what the timing will be?  If anyone has done this before could you tell us what happens?  
Will we have to wait at the airport for hours? Thanks very much.

Anytime one depends on cruise line transfers, they run the risk of a long wait at the airport.  Most of the time your wait will be reasonable, but it often depends on how long it takes for the local transportation provider to fill their vehicle.  That is why many folks (including me) usually avoid cruise line transfers and just grab a taxi or some other mode of transport that we can control.

 

Hank

[calmjac]

Thanks for all the advice, it seems we booked non refundable tickets, so we are stuck with this timing.  We will keep a positive attitude and hope for the best.  We will be joining you on this fantastic long cruise sooner or later.

[MELso]

Mascot airport is really close to Sydney (as in 25 minute door to door train trip close), and if you hadn't have booked the transfer (or can cancel it), I would've suggested buying an Opal card, catching the train in to Circular Quay station which drops you right near the Overseas Passenger Terminal (I presume that's where it's going from - if you're going from White Bay, it's a bit more of a faff to get to), finding a left luggage service and spending the day exploring Sydney.

 

As for flying in the day of the cruise, in the event of IRROPS, the airlines will sort you out with a flight on a different airline if need be, and there are plenty of airlines flying LAX-SYD that would get you there that day.

Edited January 27, 2023 by MELso

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, MELso said:

As for flying in the day of the cruise, in the event of IRROPS, the airlines will sort you out with a flight on a different airline if need be, and there are plenty of airlines flying LAX-SYD that would get you there that day.

 

Au contraire.

 

You are not guaranteed to get on another flight that same same.  You are contractually to be provided with transportation on the same airline on the next flight - with available seats.  They are not required to put you on a different carrier. Nor to bump someone else to make room for you.

 

Also, as far as the "plenty of airlines" -- there are four airlines flying between LAX and SYD, with each having ONE flight a day.

 

 

 

[MELso]

35 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Au contraire.

 

You are not guaranteed to get on another flight that same same.  You are contractually to be provided with transportation on the same airline on the next flight - with available seats.  They are not required to put you on a different carrier. Nor to bump someone else to make room for you.

 

Also, as far as the "plenty of airlines" -- there are four airlines flying between LAX and SYD, with each having ONE flight a day.

 

 

 

And Air NZ, Hawaiian and others going one stop.

 

It's quite true they're not contractually obliged to do so, and they certainly won't bump other passengers, but in practice, they will do a lot to accommodate you, particularly if you can research and provide alternative options (it may mean, for example, that the airline rebooks the OP on a flight to SYD via SFO, or puts you on an interline partner). Will it be the same same? No. Will it stick to the original routing? Also no. Will it be likely to get you where you want to be in a reasonably timely manner. If circumstances permit, yes...

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, MELso said:

And Air NZ, Hawaiian and others going one stop.

 

It's quite true they're not contractually obliged to do so, and they certainly won't bump other passengers, but in practice, they will do a lot to accommodate you, particularly if you can research and provide alternative options (it may mean, for example, that the airline rebooks the OP on a flight to SYD via SFO, or puts you on an interline partner). Will it be the same same? No. Will it stick to the original routing? Also no. Will it be likely to get you where you want to be in a reasonably timely manner. If circumstances permit, yes...

The problem with that plan is the SFO-SYD is leaving at approximately the same time as LAX-SYD. So unless this switching is done hours in advance,  with time to get you on a LAX-SFO flight and make the connection,  you aren't making it that same day.

 

And of course, there is the other maybe 200 pax trying to re-arrange because one flight went mechanical. You think there is hundreds of empty seats going from the US to SYD every night, waiting for one flight to go mechanical? 

[MELso]

It depends on the relevant airline rebooking policy, but time-critical matters (like vacations) are one basis for getting priority when facing rebooking, whether with rerouting or on OAL (another airline). Naturally, airlines will give priority to rebooking on their own metal (hence why, if time permits, they'd re-route via SFO rather than rebook on another airline), but if this is problematic, then rebooking on another airline is possible, particularly if there are seats in an equivalent fare class (bucket of seats, rather than booking class like economy).

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/aa-clarifies-how-pax-will-be-rebooked/ is a good article that explains how it works for American Airlines...

 

 

 

 

[Zach1213]

On 1/27/2023 at 9:05 PM, MELso said:

And Air NZ, Hawaiian and others going one stop.

 

It's quite true they're not contractually obliged to do so, and they certainly won't bump other passengers, but in practice, they will do a lot to accommodate you, particularly if you can research and provide alternative options (it may mean, for example, that the airline rebooks the OP on a flight to SYD via SFO, or puts you on an interline partner). Will it be the same same? No. Will it stick to the original routing? Also no. Will it be likely to get you where you want to be in a reasonably timely manner. If circumstances permit, yes...

 

If there's truly IRROPs, even the addition of Air New Zealand and Hawaiian won't help a ton if 400+ people need to be reaccumulated. Add to the fact that a lot of people will have First, Business, Refundable Economy, and/or high frequent flier status and get priority, most times, before an average economy class customer, and you can be waiting quite a while for your next available seat. 

[CruiserBruce]

12 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

If there's truly IRROPs, even the addition of Air New Zealand and Hawaiian won't help a ton if 400+ people need to be reaccumulated. Add to the fact that a lot of people will have First, Business, Refundable Economy, and/or high frequent flier status and get priority, most times, before an average economy class customer, and you can be waiting quite a while for your next available seat. 

Totally agree. I am always amazed that people think being put on another flight is simple. It isn't, and it definitely isn't going US-Australia or NZ, because the flights all leave about the same time. The OP is very unlikely to make their sailing if their plane goes mechanical in the US, and they are scheduled to arrive the morning of their sailing.

[Trunkabella]

Last Sunday we were scheduled to fly business class Sydney to LA on United.  An incident in the control tower diverted our incoming flight.  We got the last two business class seats SYD - SFO but had to split up SFO to PHX.  Seeing the long line of people trying to get rebooked made us grateful for what we got.  I’m sure there are many that didn’t make it out that day.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, Trunkabella said:

Last Sunday we were scheduled to fly business class Sydney to LA on United.  An incident in the control tower diverted our incoming flight.  We got the last two business class seats SYD - SFO but had to split up SFO to PHX.  Seeing the long line of people trying to get rebooked made us grateful for what we got.  I’m sure there are many that didn’t make it out that day.

There was a fire in the control tower.

[Zach1213]

9 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

There was a fire in the control tower.

Wow, I had not heard about this...no idea how I missed it. That's scary. 

[Trunkabella]

I had heard it was a refrigerant leak, not a fire.

[calmjac]

On 1/22/2023 at 10:53 PM, Hlitner said:

Anytime one depends on cruise line transfers, they run the risk of a long wait at the airport.  Most of the time your wait will be reasonable, but it often depends on how long it takes for the local transportation provider to fill their vehicle.  That is why many folks (including me) usually avoid cruise line transfers and just grab a taxi or some other mode of transport that we can control.

 

Hank

Hello,

Thanks for your message.  We will be arriving early in the morning and assume we will have quite a wait until the bags can be checked in for the cruise.  We arranged the Princess transfer to (hopefully) avoid dealing with our luggage all day.  

[6rugrats]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:17 PM, CruiserBruce said:

There was a fire in the control tower.

No fire.  It was gas fumes coming from the A/C system.

[6rugrats]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:05 PM, MELso said:

 

 

It's quite true they're not contractually obliged to do so, and they certainly won't bump other passengers, but in practice, they will do a lot to accommodate you, particularly if you can research and provide alternative options (it may mean, for example, that the airline rebooks the OP on a flight to SYD via SFO, or puts you on an interline partner). Will it be the same same? No. Will it stick to the original routing? Also no.

I personally hate it when a passenger needs to be rebooked, and they stand at the counter telling me that Expedia shows a flight I should put them on, or suggests routing to me.  Believe me, most agents already know the applicable routings and for OP, there are very few that will work.  It is annoying and distracting to have the pax shouting out instructions while I'm trying to work. 

 

On 1/27/2023 at 11:56 PM, MELso said:

It depends on the relevant airline rebooking policy, but time-critical matters (like vacations) are one basis for getting priority when facing rebooking, whether with rerouting or on OAL (another airline). Naturally, airlines will give priority to rebooking on their own metal (hence why, if time permits, they'd re-route via SFO rather than rebook on another airline), but if this is problematic, then rebooking on another airline is possible, particularly if there are seats in an equivalent fare class (bucket of seats, rather than booking class like economy)

 

 

 

 

Uh, no.  You are not rebooked at a priority because you are on vacation.  Usually in IRROPs, there are lots and lots of passengers who have to be rebooked, and very few seats.  I wouldn't hold my breath for this routing.  There are often weight restrictions on Australia flights, and they frequently don't go out or return with a full load of passengers.  Anyone flying in the day of the cruise to Australia really should rethink this.  Very bad idea.

Edited February 24, 2023 by 6rugrats