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Hi all.
Im on this flight in 12 days time. Does anybody have any experience of this flight and the possibility to leave the flight at Melbourne and not carry on to Adelaide.
Ive read so many reports about this, the ghost flight from Melbourne to Adelaide with about 30 people on a 777-300 as everyone gets off in Melbourne and doesnt reboard, also people saying that no you cant enter Oz in Melbourne as they’re expecting you in Adelaide.
I understand that the only reason Qatar have this flight (they have a direct service to Adelaide too) is that Qatar want an extra entry into Melbourne but the arrangement between Australia and Qatar prevents more than 1 flight per day.
Im leaving London on the 15th January and am inclined to just leave the airport in Melbourne (I will have hand baggage only). Whats the worst that can happen I wonder?
Does anybody have experience of this flight and leaving to in Melbourne?
I snagged this flight last January – 90000 avios and about £240 in Qsuite all the way- which Im quite pleased about). A seamless exit at Melbourne would seal the deal!
Id really appreciate any feedback from this most excellent forum of super experienced flyers.
Thanks in advance
LuisNot done this in Oz, but have done elsewhere.
It’s totally possible as you have no hold luggage, and if you off the aircraft anyway just walk through arrivals and immigration. The airline can’t stop you, and the airport won’t care.
The airline will care though. You are breaking your contract so if you do this a few times you risk being blacklisted.
And the aircraft crew will care as well as they will be waiting for you, and calling you. You’ll make the flight late, so to avoid bad karma tell the crew as you walk off.
You will delay the flight (and telling the crew which is getting off at MEL won’t help one jot with their pax reconciliations) and create immigration issues as you are expected in ADL. QR is perfectly entitled to bill you for the fare difference, plus any extra costs they incur. You have picked the wrong airline and country to play games with. Apart from that it is absolutely fine.
Would highly recommend asking on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum, where it is highly likely contributors will be able to tell you from experience.
Would highly recommend asking on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum, where it is highly likely contributors will be able to tell you from experience.
G’day mate. Strewth, did ya maybe think ya weah on the flyertalk fawrum instead of ovah here?
@Luis170837 – in addition to my general comment above that it seems a bad idea, the repercussions of which may not be immediately felt, I did travel with QR to Adelaide in April when that flight continued on to AKL. Everyone was required to disembark and at the point in the airport where there was a choice of turning towards immigration or the transit area, there were QR and border officials checking boarding cards and their own lists.
G’day mate. Strewth, did ya maybe think ya weah on the flyertalk fawrum instead of ovah here?[/quote]
As an Englishman, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about 😉
Oh sorry.
Australian isn’t my first language.Oh sorry.
Australian isn’t my first language.Nor mine, it’s often incomprehensible 😂
By the Australian Border Force “expecting” you in ADL, all that means is the e-gates at MEL won’t work. They are not in the business of enforcing airline revenue.
I haven’t looked at the breakdown of taxes&fees on booking to MEL vs ADL, but if anything you should get a refund as you wouldn’t be going through security at MEL. Are the Avios amount and carrier surcharges different? If you booked through BAEC I imagine QR would find it difficult to bill BA. If you booked through QRPC it would be relatively simple to charge you extra though – or suspend your account if you made a habit of this.
I think what you cannot do is exit at MEL and then decide you want to continue to ADL after all. As you wouldn’t be able to get clearance to re-enter the international terminal. Apparently you only get a single DOH-ADL boarding pass if booked to ADL. QR isn’t allowed to sell domestic tickets.
If you did have checked luggage, it seems that QR’s conditions of carriage permit them to charge you for any costs of retrieving the luggage.
The previous DOH-ADL-AKL is a different matter. QR was allowed to sell tickets ADL-AKL, it was a regular flight with two international segments (EK still operates something similar DXB-SYD-CHC). Some passengers would have had permission to enter NZ but not enter Australia. But they could not stop an Australian citizen entering at ADL even with the short transit, although you may have had to explain yourself from a customs perspective. Tourists attempting to enter would potentially have been denied entry.
You will have difficulty finding someone speaking like that in Melbourne CBD, I heard more French and Spanish than Australian accents.
You could try asking at the check in desk in Doha if they can change your ticket/pass to get off at Melbourne. That would alleviate all of the issues but I have no idea if they would entertain this.
You could try asking at the check in desk in Doha if they can change your ticket/pass to get off at Melbourne. That would alleviate all of the issues but I have no idea if they would entertain this.
That seems sensible advice. Much better than planning to jump ship and hoping not only to wing it but outwit both QR and Australian Border Force which seems properly madcap idea.
Maybe watch the miniseries Stateless before attempting all this!
Or maybe don’t…There is such a huge Avios saving to be had by doing this. I would very much like to do the same early February.
It would enable me to get to Mel in business for the same amount of points as an economy booking directly to Mel.
If I’d have to continue to Adelaide, I would, but that would mean staying overnight in Mel airport and then booking a separate flight back from Adelaide to Melbourne the following morning.I’m surprised no one has more concrete info on this despite the obvious huge savings. And this seems to be the only way to fly Qatar to Melbourne without incurring the typical 2x points issue.
Being that the Melbourne stop is overnight, it probably wouldn’t be unreasonable to request (in Doha) to retrieve luggage for the overnight stop
Being that the Melbourne stop is overnight, it probably wouldn’t be unreasonable to request (in Doha) to retrieve luggage for the overnight stop
People actually going to Adelaide wouldn’t ordinarily leave the airport, and there is no way to check the luggage back in or get back airside once you have passed immigration in MEL
See this flyer talk thread and the two linked threads/articles in post 2
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