Is 2 Hours Enough Time for Transfer from Domestic Flight to International Flight Leaving Melbourne Tullamarine?

• 

  Gervais fanboy on 08/11/2022 - 19:15

  +2

  Even with domestic flights, there can be unforeseen delays… Also, I think there’s a fair walk from T4 to T2.
  If everything goes to plan, yes 2 hours should be about okay.

• 

  Hybroid on 08/11/2022 - 19:21

  +1

  Do you think there is enough time?

  It's doable but tight if you have to check-in at international desk again. Your saving grace will be that terminals are in the same building and not a very long journey from each other or need a train or anything. But any flight delays landing or taxing to gate or getting approval to open doors and you're scuppered. Would suggest sit upfront on domestic flight and really leg it when landed.

  I wasn't sure how long it takes on average for a domestic flight to have luggage arrive on the carousel after landing.

  There's no answer to this. You could land at closest gate to luggage terminal with a team of luggage handlers ready to rock or furthest one away same time as 3 others and wait half hour for a team to be freed up (unlikely).

  I was also wondering if there is any recourse or ability to rebook if I accidentally miss my United Airlines flight because I was delayed by my prior flight booked on separate tickets?

  Check your ticket conditions. We don't know what you booked. Generally though if it's a non-refundable ticket then no. Not United Airlines issue if you missed their flight due to preceding flight or taxi traffic or woke up late etc (because it's separately booked tickets).

  Hopefully your flight to Melbourne arrives earlier than scheduled and smooth safe travels.

• 

  detlef7 on 08/11/2022 - 19:30

  +2

  Recently left MEL on an int'l flight. One cool thing they've streamlined at security is not stuffing around with removing laptops & liquids. Just pop your bags on the cart and off you go. The whole process is so much smoother.

  • 

    plmko on 08/11/2022 - 19:33

    That's amazing. So you just shove your bag into the scanner and that's it?

    • 

      Seraphin7 on 08/11/2022 - 19:37

      +2

      Yep, it's amazing! It's just like 2001 all over again!

      • 

        Gervais fanboy on 08/11/2022 - 19:38

        🤣🤣

    • 

      detlef7 on 08/11/2022 - 19:43

      Still have to put your passport, mobile, jacket & other junk in the cart before you go through the gate. But that minute or two of not needing to unpack & re-pack liquids/laptops adds up and you can shove more people through security quicker.

      • 

        plmko on 08/11/2022 - 20:06

        The shuffle and struggle on shoving all those sardines back into the can is worth just avoiding that Everything else is pretty easy.

      • 

        Mechz on 08/11/2022 - 23:32

        -1

        I always put that stuff in a pocket of my bag so the only thing to do is put jacket and or hat into a tray.

        It's not hard to be organised for these things.

        • 

          cybapete on 11/11/2022 - 17:29

          @Mechz: i also put my car keys, change, phone and anything else in my pockets in a pocket in my bag
          my laptop is in a separate pocket so it's easy to pull out and put in a tray then pop back into the bag afterwards

  • 

    original15 on 08/11/2022 - 20:49

    Was like this for me in Perth a fortnight ago, but not Melbourne on the way out

• 

  park on 08/11/2022 - 20:20

  +1

  The other thing I'll note is that a lot of domestic flights have been running behind schedule recently. More than in a typical year.

  This is caused by short-staffing at airports due to staff illness, inexperienced staff due to plenty of the experienced ones switching industries when borders were closed, and companies generally playing catch-up on staffing as demand rises. If your first flight pulls up to Tullamarine 40 minutes late you're cactus.

  So while nobody can definitively answer OP's question, the answer is probably "maybe it's enough time, but with the heightened risk of delays, added time to collect checked luggage, and the high price/disruption of missing an international flight, is it reeeeally worth the punt compared to showing up in Melbourne the night before and getting a shit motel somewhere?"

  I've had a positive experience with United in the US, where I missed a domestic flight and they booked me for free onto the next available flight. But I think that would be much less likely on a long haul flight, especially with bookings and loads as tight as they currently are.

• 

  capslock on 08/11/2022 - 20:56

  +3

  Today, that Cairns flight landed at 11.17am. 10 min wait to get off the plane, 10 min walk to the baggage carousel, 10 min wait for your bag, 10 min walk to T2. You will get to the check in counter at 11.57am, with 3 mins to spare before check in closes.

  Very risky itinerary with a moderate chance you will miss your flight. I expect a last minute replacement flight to Canada will be very expensive if you miss your flight.

  • 

    r3quiemcva on 08/11/2022 - 23:02

    +1

    Thanks for the details on that. I think from the sound of it, I will just forgo the checked baggage so I can just get off and leg it as soon as possible. Cheers.

• 

  SnowDragon on 08/11/2022 - 21:42

  +2

  Even if I had a connecting international flight I'd think 2 hours was risky.
  The last couple of domestic flights I've had have been delayed from 20 minutes up to 2 hours - most of them with Virgin.

  I asked something similar a few months ago where I had a 45 minute layover for a domestic connection. My first flight came around 25 minutes late and we had about 10 minutes in the terminal before we boarded for our connecting flight.

  If you didn't have checked baggage I would probably say you'd be alright. But as @capslock mentioned, you'll be cutting it very very tight getting your bag checked in for the international flight even if the flight is slightly delayed.

  I was also wondering if there is any recourse or ability to rebook if I accidentally miss my United Airlines flight because I was delayed by my prior flight booked on separate tickets?

  With multiple bookings the airline will put you on the next available flight (pending seat availability) however I'm not sure what happens if you miss a flight you've booked standalone. If you don't make it to Melbourne in time you won't even be able to check in for it with your bags etc.

  tentative arrival time of 10:55 in Melbourne

  So your flight would likely be be JQ 941. You can check out the history of this flight here.

  • 

    Gervais fanboy on 08/11/2022 - 23:27

    Damn I am not even flying anywhere anytime soon and I still found your comment soo helpful..

• 

  vodamerc on 09/11/2022 - 00:24

  Yes

• 

  SBOB on 09/11/2022 - 07:42

  +1

  If be flying night before and finding a cheap hotel nearby
  Friends on recent flights have had up to 2 hour delays and missed connecting domestic flights which is annoying enough.
  Missing international on a completely different carrier is just throwing that money away
  (hope you've got some good travel insurance already purchased and found one that covers potential flight delays and missed flights)

• 

  brad1-8tsi on 09/11/2022 - 08:37

  Sometimes it's better to use a travel agent. They would/should have been able to book that trip as a single flight.

  I did single tickets Sydney-Auckland-Tauranga with a similar layover. Missed the domestic flight due to a slow flight across the pond. Had to pay an extra $90 to get next flight. I considered myself lucky to get out of it that cheap.