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I've booked tickets from Melbourne to Santiago with Qantas. I'm going MEL to SYD T3 (arrives 9.55am) then SYD T1 to SCL (departs 11.25am) on a Monday. When I transfer between terminals in Sydney, what is the procedure? The checked luggage is already through I'm guessing. I read there's a shuttle bus, how long does it take? Do I then have to go through security and customs again? Is an hour and a half long enough to do all this?

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    Does Australia perform a customs check when leaving the country? That would be news to me...
    – DCTLib
    Jun 14, 2015 at 11:08
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    @DCTLib It seems pretty common here to have a question that says, "Blah blah, customs?" and a bunch of answers saying, "You mean immigration. Blah blah." Similar to the frequent confusion of ESTA and the VWP. Anyway, probably time for a comment clean-up. :-) Jun 14, 2015 at 12:39
  • Yes - I meant immigration. Everyone still calls it customs though...
    – James
    Jun 15, 2015 at 5:16

1 Answer 1

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Since you're connecting Qantas to Qantas, you're entitled to use the free Qantas transfer service. Basically:

  • On checkin in Melbourne, you'll get boarding passes for both flights and your bags will be checked straight through to SCL. (This means they'll be transferred through SYD for you, you don't need to pick them up or anything.)
  • On arrival at SYD T3, look for the Qantas Transfer Lounge at Gate 15. From here you can take a Qantas bus directly to T1.
  • On arrival at T1, go up to Departures and proceed straight to security (yes, again) and immigration.

And yes, if Qantas sold you connecting tickets, 90 minutes is sufficient, although only barely (IIRC that's the minimum allowed). You should be OK if your flights are on time, but even if it comes in late, Qantas will put you on the next flight -- although for SCL, that might mean waiting a day.

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  • One more question. When do I need to arrive at MEL? Does it count as a domestic flight or an international?
    – James
    Jun 16, 2015 at 9:39
  • Please ask separate questions separately; the answer is a wee bit complicated since there are a few domestic flights that use the int'l terminal. Jun 16, 2015 at 10:37

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