10 Hour, overnight layover at Sydney airport on way to Melbourne

[Envelope21]

Hoping to find some suggestions about our upcoming trip. We are booked on a cruise next March out of Melbourne, Australia. It appears that almost all flights from the US must stop in Sydney ... some with a very long layover. We have miles with Hawaiian Airlines and their flight has a 10 hour overnight layover in Sydney. We are considering booking a room at the airport hotel. The flight out the next morning is at 6 am.

 

Would we be able to leave the terminal and then come back the next morning? Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing?

[woodscruise]

When you arrived in Sydney, you will need to clear customs and immigration. Also when you arrive in Sydney it will be at the international terminal. The flight to Melbourne will be from the domestic terminals, which are serparate terminals. You will need to go by train or taxi to the different terminal.

My suggestion is stay at an airport hotel that has a shuttle from the international terminal and the following morning to the domestic terminal.

 

[lyndarra]

When flying out of Sydney I  have used the CKS Airport hotel many times. The prices are reasonable and they have a free shuttle to and from either domestic or international terminals which are only 10 minutes away. They serve nice dinners in their restaurant and good breakfast is also available. Close by is the Novotel Sydney airport hotel which shares the same shuttle service. I have stayed there once and found it a little more "up market" - read expensive.

https://www.ckssydneyairport.com.au/

https://all.accor.com/hotel/5603/index.en.shtml?utm_campaign=seo+maps&utm_medium=seo+maps&utm_source=google+Maps

[mr walker]

16 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Close by is the Novotel Sydney airport hotel which shares the same shuttle service. I have stayed there once and found it a little more "up market" - read expensive.

 

Yes, the airport Novotel, just across the street from the Int terminal is very convenient but has become expensive as just a bed-for-the-night deal. When it first opened it was quite cheap & I often stayed there pre early morning flight, rather than get up super early & drive to airport in the morning.

For a one-off I suggest it is a good option. You can even take your luggage over & check-in at Int terminal & then come back to hotel for breakfast before heading off (not for OP in this case who will be going to Domestic terminal).

[reeves35]

 

 

As has been said, you will clear customs and immigration on arrival in Sydney (T1) and your domestic (probably with Virgin as they partner with Hawaiian) flight will be from T2 with much less restrictive security controls than international or what is normal in USA. 

 

The international terminal and the domestic terminals are on opposite sides of the airport but are connected by a free bus as well as a train but the train has a cost.  

 

There are plenty of hotels near the airport and most will provide a free shuttle from the international terminal (T1) and again to the domestic terminal the following morning. The Rydges Hotel is just a short walk from the international terminal and on the domestic side there is a wide range of hotels that will happily shuttle you to T2.  These include the Stamford, Pullman, Holiday Inn and Ibis.  Obviously some are fancier and more expensive than others.  As you have a 6AM departure, you would need to be at T2 by about 5:15AM at the latest.

 

If you chose an airline other than Hawaiian, there are non-stop options from the USA to Melbourne.  Qantas fly non-stop from both LA and Dallas whilst United fly non-stop from both San Francisco and LA.  There are also good connections to Melbourne without long layovers on Air New Zealand from Houston or LA via Auckland.

Edited May 17, 2023 by reeves35

[Docker123]

As reeves35 has pointed out, there are various airlines which come into Melbourne without going to Sydney. Better options.

 

As to Hawaiian Airlines, I would not recommend it for transferring into Australia.  Last year, my daughter flew Hawaiian on a trip to Boston. Trip there was really positive.

 

Return trip had her stranded in Sydney in the middle of the night,  as the flight was late getting in and onward to Melbourne was not confirm. All Hawaiian staff had disappeared, so no assistance at international terminal. After a very expensive taxi trip, she got to domestic terminal with Qantas closing down, and no transfer record from Hawaiian.

 

Qantas staff, although they were off shift, comforted her and provided her with with directions for safe accommodation.

 

Not positive advertising for Hawaiian.

[sewgood]

2 hours ago, reeves35 said:

The Rydges Hotel is just a short walk from the international terminal

This is our go to hotel for Sydney airport, we find it very convenient as it is really just across the road from the terminal.

The rooms are great with comfortable beds and it has terrific meals.

[cruiser3775]

If you can avoid Sydney airport and a long layover, I would do it. It is not going to be a good start to your visit.  The two terminals that you cannot walk between are one problem. The middle of the night and very early morning start are another. You are not going to get much sleep, and will be tired and jet lagged after the long flight. You can't just stay in the airport, as it closes overnight and has a curfew for flights.

If you can come one day earlier, you could actually have a day's sightseeing around Sydney harbour, which is beautiful.

Melbourne will be much easier. A night's accommodation there will cost less than in Sydney.  It would be worth the cost of getting a flight that arrives in Melbourne, not Sydney.

 

[sewgood]

56 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

f you can come one day earlier, you could actually have a day's sightseeing around Sydney harbour, which is beautiful.

Very good suggestion.

[beatleman]

You are cruising from Melbourne, it's a no brainer a direct flight to Melbourne by Qantas, Lufthansa or United to name a few;problem solved. You have East to West USA to start your trip don't add any problems to what is a long flight.

[yarramar]

Agree with above comments. Use your miles to get to West Coast, stay a night then fly direct to Melbourne.

Alternatively if you can avoid Tuesday & Thursday there is a Jetstar flight from Honolulu direct to Melbourne. Hopefully by next March they will have improved on their reliability.

[MMDown Under]

Florida to Melbourne is a long haul flight.  Choose the best option that doesn't leave you exhausted to start your cruise.

[ceeceeDee]

Agreed. We did Florida to Brisbane. Punishing.

[Envelope21]

I am the OP. I am very very grateful to all who responded. We will take all your suggestions into consideration as we figure out what to do. We already have two hotel nights booked in Melbourne prior to the cruise, so we aren't under the gun to arrive in Melbourne at a particular time.

 

Again, thanks so much for all your input!

[Mareblu]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:04 PM, sewgood said:

This is our go to hotel for Sydney airport, we find it very convenient as it is really just across the road from the terminal.

The rooms are great with comfortable beds and it has terrific meals.

Completely agree.  Novotel is somewhat similar, but further away, so you need to add in the cost of a taxi, in case the shuttle is full, which happened to a couple we were chatting to last time we stayed there.  On a previous stay, they almost missed their flight because the next shuttle zipped past full, and they managed to scramble on the next one, only just making the departure gate with a whisker to spare.  Like us, they had booked a taxi for that stay.  Novotel suits us because we have an Accor Card, and get one night's free accommodation per year, plus one free meal each time we use the restaurant, which is very nice there.  For convenience though, we'll be staying at Rydge's Airport next time.  We arrived in Sydney about 9pm from London via Hong Kong last October, so it was sublime to clear customs and immigration and walk literally across the road to a comfortable room with a blissful hot shower and a cup of tea.  

[MMDown Under]

12 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Completely agree.  Novotel is somewhat similar, but further away, so you need to add in the cost of a taxi, in case the shuttle is full, which happened to a couple we were chatting to last time we stayed there.  On a previous stay, they almost missed their flight because the next shuttle zipped past full, and they managed to scramble on the next one, only just making the departure gate with a whisker to spare.  Like us, they had booked a taxi for that stay.  Novotel suits us because we have an Accor Card, and get one night's free accommodation per year, plus one free meal each time we use the restaurant, which is very nice there.  For convenience though, we'll be staying at Rydge's Airport next time.  We arrived in Sydney about 9pm from London via Hong Kong last October, so it was sublime to clear customs and immigration and walk literally across the road to a comfortable room with a blissful hot shower and a cup of tea.  

No transport hassles is just what you want after a long haul flight.