SYD Retail renovations Complete after over a Year

[kpc]

I've got a flight in SQ J leaving from Syd (Pier C) coming up in 2 weeks. I probably will need to claim GST back from TRS prior. Will report back as to how far I have to walk....just have to subtract that distance from my 2nd daily jog! :shock:

 

[simongr]

I am not sure how much character you want from an airport - I am more interested in services than character. In terms of character HKG, LHR and JFK have no more or less character and are deemed by me to be good airports by virtue of the services rather than anything else.

 

[anat0l]

I am not sure how much character you want from an airport - I am more interested in services than character. In terms of character HKG, LHR and JFK have no more or less character and are deemed by me to be good airports by virtue of the services rather than anything else.

I'm not sure how much HKG has in extra services (perhaps free wifi) - and the same for LHR and JFK (mainly because I haven't been to either) - but I do know that HKG and SIN are consistently ranked amongst the best airports in the world. I don't think all of that has got to do with just the services provided. Otherwise, why would anyone spend so much money painstakingly making an airport with good looks etc.

In saying that, however, in the 2009 World Airport Awards, there are some nice airports that didn't make the cut, like BKK. MUC and ZRH - although I haven't been to either - are a bit of a surprise. And what the hell did AKL do to make the top 10 (I smell a sheep sham here).

 

[fortymilliondaggers]

Zurich is just...good. Efficient, easy to use, convenient to the city. That's why it made the list.

 

[odysseus]

Given you have duty free on both sides, I'd expect they'd open a channel straight through to the travelators on the top right of that Customs box, so there's no extra walking aside from the left to right. Sure, if you've checked in on the right and wanted to go direct you've got to walk back through the food court area. However, I've used the travelator path heaps of times and it's a fairly quick and potentially scenic path, and certainly no longer than that in many other international airports. It takes me probably 2-3 minutes to walk along so I don't really see the issue. They have the terminal vehicles for anyone needing assistance.

 

[serfty]

Given you have duty free on both sides, I'd expect they'd open a channel straight through to the travelators on the top right of that Customs box, so there's no extra walking aside from the left to right. ...

No way on in the world would that happen!

The plan is to FORCE passengers past shops.

It was posted by File 51 that passengers will be able to walk through the open plan duty free are B0, coming out near B10.

I estimate this duty free shortcut reduced my originally estimated *A PAX walk from ~400 meters by around 100 metres to merly get to the base of pier C. (Where there are more duty free stores to walk through.)

Sure, if you've checked in on the right and wanted to go direct you've got to walk back through the food court area. However, I've used the travelator path heaps of times and it's a fairly quick and potentially scenic path, and certainly no longer than that in many other international airports. It takes me probably 2-3 minutes to walk along so I don't really see the issue. They have the terminal vehicles for anyone needing assistance.

... the distance of travelators availability has been reduced.* There is still the necessity to walk ~200 meteres from the *A check-in before reaching the travelators.

*You used to go down an escalator to the arrivals level and travel along (perhaps waving perhaps to the passengers using the arrivals pier transit on the other side of the glass) before heading back up and escalator to the departures level.

 

[file51]

Agree with Serfty with this.

This is no way on earth a channel will be opened up as a short cut and deny the shops an opportunity.

I doubt there will be any signage advising that pax can cut through the duty free store either, rather to try and get them to do the full loop, and if you are not familiar with SYD, that is what you will do

 

[brett-au]

Hmm. I'm not going to suggest that this is a good thing. Obviously its money saving for mac bank (and money making as they will be able to charge the shops more), but is there any reason why they can't move the premium *A carriers from check in H, J and K and push them into E/F/G?

Then you will find that the budget carriers get stuck with J & K and who cares if their passengers have to walk.

 

[trooper]

The "new" SYD... Ouch!

On my last trip... in July/August ....I checked in at the NZ desks.. then did the short walk to security and on to the Lounge (in the 50+ gate area...)

It seems the new single checkpoint (?) opened a week ago.. once through it was quite a hike to this end of the place....

Not impressed......

On the bright side the QF agent at the NZ check in DID provide an Express departures card... and it actually came in handy for a change...

AND the UG for AKL-LAX had already cleared... so one can't be too unhappy....:mrgreen:

 

[serfty]

I've merged that post - a bit of a discussion on FT as well:

SYD Retail renovations Complete after over a Year - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[trooper]

Thanks serfty...and sorry!!!

Once through screening it really did feel like it was all "Brought to you by the Duty Free store"... It was not immediately obvious which were the checkout lanes for purchases and which were just exits....:shock:

The warm corridors down to the *A end didn't help either....

 

[kpc]

I've got a flight in SQ J leaving from Syd (Pier C) coming up in 2 weeks. I probably will need to claim GST back from TRS prior. Will report back as to how far I have to walk....just have to subtract that distance from my 2nd daily jog! :shock:

Sydney airport is a coughking disgrace:evil:. It is now a very long walk from check in counter K (where Sq flights check in), to the only C & I gate, to then be greeted (no, harassed!) by the DF sales staff, and then have to track all the way back to Pier C. I hate, hate the new setup, esp if you are departing from Pier C, D, and I have vowed NEVER to buy anything from Macquarie's shops!!

The airport should NEVER have been privatised...don't get me started on parking costs!!

 

[moa999]

I think the new setup remains temporary.

The new outward bound Immigration desks are quite good, although who was the stupid idiot who put the APEC line at the other end to the Express Bag Scanning (I think it is a reasonable assumption that a decent number of APEC card users will also be getting the Express Card) - when I went through there was still a decent queue in priority Immigration so it was a quick walk to the right for APEC, then back to the left for baggage.

The old Duty Free area is now totally boarded off and Duty Free now occupies half of the new glass roofed area. From the Syd Airport site and video walk through I think this area will ultimately be more food and beverage and I suspect Duty Free will move back to where it was (with an expansion no doubt).

At the moment there is no shortcut to the QCs, it is through Duty Free, through some seating area then straight up the escalators

 

[stryker]

Just another reason to use MEL over SYD.

Macquarie Bank... ugh!

 

[anat0l]

Went through SYD on 2/10. The entrance to immigration straight from the inter-terminal transfer area is closed. #1.

The new immigration area does look cleaner though. However, there was very lax management of Express and non-Express people to appropriate desks. #2 + :evil:. And how simple can it be? There is one feeder line which ends at the end of the tape, then free counter staff will call new people to counters as required. The whole line up at each counter (and if you're a smart person you'll try to guess which line will go fastest) is messy and absolute b***s***, and no credit to the blockhead staff monitoring the lines that enforced the faulty and crowding system. #3.

Again, poor management of Express and non-Express pax at security screening. #4.

Finally, the "secret" staircase to the QF lounges has been closed! Which means needing to weave through the crowded Duty Free shop. If I were grumpy enough I will have to start shoving people out of the way / into the shelves to get through because the way the shop is set up is an aberration in terms of egress. I feel very sorry for those that are disabled, or have a troupe of kids. #5.


If there is any credit to SYD, I'm glad that most of the renovations are complete, because the constructions at SYD T1 really made it look ghastly. A fresh feel to the place is also a nice lift. Signage is also a bit clearer.

 

[Mal]

Finally, the "secret" staircase to the QF lounges has been closed!

That's disappointing. Maybe there's a new "secret" staircase or a lift. I'm sure VIP's get to the lounge somehow not involving wading through duty free.

 

[anat0l]

That's disappointing. Maybe there's a new "secret" staircase or a lift. I'm sure VIP's get to the lounge somehow not involving wading through duty free.

Maybe I didn't search properly, but I didn't see anything. Perhaps a veteran here will hopefully prove me wrong, otherwise the only viable option I can see is to have some sort of bulldozer* and drive through the duty free shop.

* You know - the kinds they use against riot crowds

 

[ashsta77]

I'm not sure how often the OS for Sydney Airport is being updated.
A number of retail outlets are listed as 'Opening Soon'.
I'm not flying until December but was wondering if any posters here would be willing to frequently update us all with news/photos/developments, from a passenger viewpoint, on the ongoing renovations in T1?
How's the airside McDonald's development coming on?
For us unlucky non-loungers here the dining options in the *A side are pretty lame!

 

[clifford]

I'm not sure how often the OS for Sydney Airport is being updated.
A number of retail outlets are listed as 'Opening Soon'.
I'm not flying until December but was wondering if any posters here would be willing to frequently update us all with news/photos/developments, from a passenger viewpoint, on the ongoing renovations in T1?
How's the airside McDonald's development coming on?
For us unlucky non-loungers here the dining options in the *A side are pretty lame!

Why not just have a bite to eat before leaving home?

 

[BlueAU]

That's disappointing. Maybe there's a new "secret" staircase or a lift. I'm sure VIP's get to the lounge somehow not involving wading through duty free.

I tried to find another one yesterday. I asked one of the QF dragons and she was grumpy as they have to walk the very long route too through DF shop .... :shock: