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BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?

Austin
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BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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My husband has to fly to Cairns next July for business and of course my daughter and I are coming along. Flights from LAX go through Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney -- which one one should we connect through to Cairns? I've already read the previous posts about the long lines at Sydney, so assume I should not consider connecting through SYD.

Thanks in advance. Two years ago, TA advice about Wollongong (another work trip) was spot on. My little girl still talks about Diggies.

australia
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1. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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Melbourne being ni the same building is simpler, but Brisbane has the train service between terminals - that isnt difficult and Brisbane is haf the ditance/time to Cairns of Melbourne so tha should decide, all nelse priceing and arrival/connnection times being equal.

Dont some airlines fly into Cairns - its a few years ago now but I am sure I met a US friend in Cairns who had arrived on a Qantas flight from LAX

Queues for customs/immigration etc vary at all airports based on number of arrivals and the staffing balance at the time - no airport will always get it right, and Sydney is disadvantaged by having a curfew that means even more flight s arrive at same time, and just naturally because biggest means busiest.

Adelaide, Australia
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2. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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Australian airlines flying Los Angelos - Brisbane

http://www.qantas.com.au with QANTAS domestic connection to Cairns

http://www.vaustralia.com.au with Virgin Blue domestic connection to Cairns

Adelaide, Australia
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Brisbane airport

http://www.bne.com.au

Sydney, Australia
Destination Expert
for Sydney, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands
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There used to be an international transfer from LAX to Cairns thru Sydney which was ideal...no lines at any of the capital city airports as everything went staright thru an then a really short line in CNS and the plane was enroute to narita so lots of locals taking advantage of the flight as a domestic route...this was my preferred flight into cairns.

However, this seems to have disappeared....

so in that case Cairns because the domestic leg is likely to be cheaper and the flight maybe a bit shorter...it will really depend on scheduling what works best

Sydney, Australia
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for Sydney, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Business Travel, New South Wales
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5. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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If you cannot fly direct LAX to CNS , then I would opt for Brisbane Airport. Its the smallest of the three and you won't have the huge wait at customs like Sydney Airport. Its also the closest destination to Cairns. (approx 2hrs).

You can fly LAX via NRT (Japan) direct to Cairns with Qantas. However, it does work out to be a much longer flight.

EM.

Sydney, Australia
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for Sydney, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands
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EM, no NRT flight to Cairns on Qantas anymore...you have to go jetstar......

Sunny Queensland...
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Though out of left field you can fly Continental to Guam and i think twice a week they fly Guam-Cairns.

Brisbane should be the shortest time-but customs etc can take a long time as not as many counters as SYD and several flights arrive at about the same time as the QF LAX flight..

Really not much difference in the connections-

BNE-train,free.

SYD-bus,free

MEL-shanks pony,free,but do you want to do that early in the morning after an overnight flight?

Austin
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933 posts
12 reviews
34 helpful votes
8. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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Big thanks for the seasoned advice. Looking at an airport's website is one thing, yet knowing how a transfer works on the ground is another. (I'll take Dallas Ft. Worth over Houston or LAX any day; O'Hare requires copious amounts of Xanax.)

Sadly, there are no longer direct flights to Cairns. They had even disappeared the last time my hubby flew there. Routes and airlines have changed in the seventeen years since we began flying to Australia. (On Northwest!)

The times vary only by about an hour and the prices are the same.

Sydney, Australia
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for Sydney, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Business Travel, New South Wales
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9. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?
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G/W,

Are you sure.....on my Qantas programme it says you can fly direct from NRT to CNS. ?

Maybe, it needs updating .......

Yes your correct G/W , as I've just looked in this months Qantas Mag (routes)...and its Jetstar......

EM. ☺

10. Re: BNE or MEL best for international to domestic transfer?

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