Travelling without visa through Sydney Terminal 1 - what if I miss second flight?
I'm flying Auckland to Manila on a Filipino passport, transiting through Sydney. Both flights are on the same carrier and there is no requirement to collect the bags and re-check them in Sydney. The transit time in Sydney is less than 8 hours so based on that information I see there is no requirement for a Transit Visa (Class 771).
HOWEVER... the connection in Sydney is 1hr 50 mins. It should be long enough, but what if there is a delay in the Auckland to Sydney leg that causes a missed connection in Sydney? The next flight from Sydney to Manila is the following day and Sydney is not a 24 hour airport so I would need to leave the airport for accommodation, but have no transit visa. I have tried contacting Sydney airports, the airlines and Australian immigration, but they all pass the buck to one another.
Best Answer
In case you miss the connection in SYD through no fault of your own, Qantas (I assume it's Qantas based on your itinerary) will rebook you on the next available itinerary to get you to Manila, but that is not required to be a nonstop flight. For instance the rebooked flight may be SYD-SIN-MNL or SYD-HKG-MNL or any number of other itineraries, each of which depart after the one daily nonstop SYD-MNL flight but still on the same day and within the eight hour window.
SYD airport does close overnight, as most passenger flights are not allowed after 23:00 due to noise reasons. If it does become necessary for you to remain in Sydney overnight because of being unable to book you on an earlier itinerary, the airline will explain the situation to the Border Force, who will then usually admit you under Border (subclass 773) so that you can leave the airport and stay in a hotel overnight.
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Do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight in Sydney?
For those arriving internationally and connecting to a domestic flight: You will need to clear customs and immigration, which can take upwards of an hour if busy. You will need to transfer on the airside bus, which can take ten minutes when it arrives.Do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight in Australia?
All International to Domestic connections:All arriving passengers into Australia will need to collect your baggage at your international arrival port and clear Customs and Quarantine.Do's and Don'ts in Connecting Flights | Points to Remember
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