Crew lane for arriving crew, not!

[packrat]

Hey Mr.Hughes

Lets cancel the outbound crew line as well.
The next time your aircraft departs late(and you miss your connection) because the Tech and Cabin Crew were held up at the security checkpoint perhaps you will reconsider your assinine point of view.
You cant have it both ways Howie

[virgindriver]

I don't think Mr Hughes is an airline pilot- GA in a Beech 200.....

[lowerlobe]

I think if you read Back Seat Driver's post you will be close to the mark as to the reason for all of this....

In the Good Old Day's there was a dedicated Customs channel for Crew in Sydney.Then remember when crew for a short while had their own carousel for baggage...for a short while until ....and this is only a rumour....sheer nylon or Winnie had it shut down.Their argument was that it gave the pax the wrong idea that crew were being given preferential treatment....and anyone who has flown for more than one trip and read the post by HH will understand the jealousy that most pax have about crew and what they receive.

However, I think the real issue is that whichever group owns the airport will want money for providing a separate crew channel ...and the company will never be interested in paying that unless....both crew unions insist that crew pay includes time spent in terminals and does not stop until you have cleared customs and immigration....

Good Luck with that one but don't hold your breath.

[Howard Hughes]

Stick that in your 30" pitch you arrogant self absorbed tosser

Your post was quite informative until this point Ka Boom, so I will look past the attempt at an insult and give you the benefit of the doubt, it is probably fair to asume that you just completed a long tour! As Virgin driver has quite correctly pointed out I am not an airline pilot, however my family has been involved in the airline business for over 60 years, with experience in BEA, BA, AN, TN, KA & QF and I have a thorough understanding of the machinations of an airline!

Now to Mr Qanchor and others who can construct a valid argument. My suggestion would be that if there were to be a dedicated crew line (both inbound and outbound) that it be totally seperate from the passengers, with a simplified procedure. Those of you who have read my previous comments on crew screening at domestic ports will understand why!

Outbound a quick retina scan and stamp the passport. Inbound a quick retina scan, stamp the passport, pick up your bags, through the AQIS X-Ray machine, all totally out of sight of the passengers. Of course there would be random checks by sniffer dogs and the occasional random screening but otherwise a very simplified procedure.

May I be so bold to ask how it is done elsewhere? Do all foreign ports have a dedicated crew line for inbound crew, or only outbound?

Now back to my issue with the 30" seat pitch! To all those who are defending the comfort of the 30" seat pitch and God forbid the 29", I would purport that you have never completed an ultra long haul light in one of those seats!

It is no coincidence that the rise in the appearance of DVT's in airline passenegers, coincides with the reduction of seat pitch below 32"...

[Bad Hat Harry]

Howard Hughes

Considering that you have been associated with airlines for 60 years it is surprising that you are unaware of how foreign airports handle crew both in and outbound.
Every foreign airport has a dedicated crew line.
It has come to the point where a large number of Crew dont take a case with them any more due to the rubbish they are subjected to on arrival into Australia.
Your suggestion regarding retina scans etc is simplistic.
You ignore the cost of such a scheme...who pays?
Australia is becoming a third world country in regard to Airport infastructure.
Asian airports make Australian airports look like tin sheds.
As far as 30" pitch is concerned..start another thread...this is about crew channels

[twiggs]

I'm struggling to think of somewhere else in the world that there is a dedicated lane for crew to clear customs/quarantine.
I have waited in long lines in LAX together with pax, LHR we go out airside, FRA rarely has a long line but it is the same for pax and crew, SIN is the same.
NRT has a dedicated crew lane and is the only one I can think of at the moment.

Australia has the most thorough inbound screening of anywhere in the world so it really is no surprise that it is a longer process for us, and really means that comapring us with other countries is like apples and oranges.

Most Australian ports have improved a lot, especially Sydney with the dedicated lane for crew with nothing to declare. Even if you have something to declare and you get a green stamp you are straight out anyway.

I think the main delay when arriving into Australia for most crew is waiting for checked baggage.
Before and after that, it is pretty good.

[Howard Hughes]

Thanks for that balanced view Twiggs, it would appear that things are not all bad!

Harry, simple is what it should be! If retina scans are too expensive then fingerprint scans, this technology is not only affordable, but readily available!

As many have pointed out, where the system falls down is waiting for baggage, might I suggest not putting a crew tag on your bag...

[lowerlobe]

I'm struggling to think of somewhere else in the world that there is a dedicated lane for crew to clear customs/quarantine.

Twiggs...I know it's a while since I flew but I'm not the only one however, in one terminal in LAX at least there was a dedicated channel for crew immigration...might have changed since but it was there once.You then picked up your bag and pretty much walked out the door...Immigration was the biggest hold up but your bags were usually there quickly.

Singapore like Frankfurt is so well organised it doesn't take long unless there is a blitz on that day....and that can happen anywhere so you don't need a separate crew channel there.

London is a point where crew do not go through with the rest of the pax and go direct by bus...

Hong Kong had a dedicated crew channel.....

Narita has a separate crew channel....

Rome in the days when we used to fly there had a dedicated crew channel....

Amsterdam did as well from memory.....

San Francisco ....I think it did anyway it's a new airport there now anyway so it could be different.

BKK had a separate crew channel....for diplomats as well but there was never any delay unless you were being checked.

Bahrain did have a separate channel....

Bombay has or did ...at least in the old terminal

I can't remember YVR....too long ago or too many beers ago.

DPS from memory had a separate crew channel as did CGK..

JFK did....until the company and the union gave it away...

Sydney used to have a separate crew channel in the old days but that has been taken away as I said as has the crew baggage carousel and that was at the instigation of someone in the office...

So Howard it's not exactly as balanced as Twiggs has suggested.

I think the main delay when arriving into Australia for most crew is waiting for checked baggage.
Before and after that, it is pretty good.

Yep,I agree with you that before is was OK but after collecting bags and trying to get through AQIS and Customs was a nightmare at times in Sydney as well as Brisbane.

As many have pointed out, where the system falls down is waiting for baggage, might I suggest not putting a crew tag on your bag...

Howard..now I now you don't know what you are talking about....The company does that for a good reason which is obvious..however,you are right in a way and that I have often thought that it sometimes has a negative affect on where your bags end up....and not only in Sydney.However,that does not solve the issue about clearing customs and immigration..as well as quarantine

The bottom line is that the company has no say in airports around the world but at home seems not interested in a crew channel for a reason known only to themselves....probably money.

[mrpaxing]

must agree, with lowerlobe

twiggsy, been sprung again. when are youy going to give up possing as crew?
Howard here is the drill from a current bun tosser,
LAX-dedicated crew lane inbound/outbound
AKL-no dedicated lane but you can get through always by invitation from customs/quarantine
HGK- dedicated crew channel in/outbound
SIN-dedicated icrew channel n-outbound
FRA- dedicated crew channel lane in-outbound
PVG-dedicated crew channel in/outbound
PEK- dedicated in/outbound crew channel
BOM- dedicated in/outbound crew channel
SFO- dedicated in-outbound crew channel
NRT- dedicated in/outbound crew channel
LHR i havent been in years.

yes here in Oz it is a problem all around. and Howard we dont get a stamp in the passport otherwise we be changing passports every few months.
this is a national issue which the respective AIPA/FAAA excecutives should take up with the Minister/Airports/Airlines.etc.
that would mean they would have to get of their butts.................
thats another story all together

[twiggs]

mrpaxing, I think you are confusing passport control with customs/quarantine, and the latter is what the original post was about.
Australia definitely has a crew lane for passport control at all airports in and out.

[A Comfy Chair]

Singapore quarantine is irrelivant, you are never stopped, however we are all required to exit via the RED channel, where if there are passengers waiting you are waved to the front and out the door (unless they're in the mood for checking)

Hong Kong has its own Quarantine exit.

Los Angeles - Queue up with passengers but its a 2 minute wait then on your way.

Frankfurt - Never been stopped for Quarantine (so never been delayed by lack of crew channel), but its possible.

For me, the issue isn't that we don't have a dedicated crew lane... its that we don't have a way of exiting the airport in a timely fashion. I'm more than happy to stand in a 5 minute queue with the passengers. I'm NOT, however, happy to stand in a 1.5hr queue in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne having just done SYD - CHC - SYD and having not even stepped foot off the aircraft!

If they just sorted out AQIS, and put on some more staff so that the desks were actually manned on ALL days, not just the ones that the Border Security crew are there, we wouldn't have a need for a crew channel (and we'd have happier visitors to Australia!)

[DEFCON4]

E Passports

The Smartgate and Epassport facilities have not been available for over 6 weeks.
Dont take checked luggage and the Customs process is much faster.
As for Customs lines overseas it is pretty much a non event simply because the airports are far more effcicent than Australian Airports.
All inbound crews to Australia are subject to the same nonsense.
Heard one SingAir hostie descibe it as Farking ridiculous
Twiggsy you need to get out a bit more.

[jungle juice]

Miss Twiggs,yes sprung again as mrpaxing said.
The thread is about a lane for arriving crew as distinct from the passengers.

I'm struggling to think of somewhere else in the world that there is a dedicated lane for crew to clear customs/quarantine.

That means passport and then clearing customs/quarantine not just the latter.You might have trouble thinking which but that does not mean they don't exist.

There are a number of other international airports which want to distinguish between passengers and operating crew but those in Australia do not seem to be interested.
As DEFCON4 said you need to get out more.

In all honesty,are there any other airports other than ours that we fly to which are more difficult to clear.

[twiggs]

Originally Posted by jungle juice

That means passport and then clearing customs/quarantine not just the latter.You might have trouble thinking which but that does not mean they don't exist.

As has already been mentioned, crew have a dedicated lane for passport control at all Australian ports inbound and outbound which function adequately, especially with the option of Smartgate or E-Passport.
The issue is only about not having dedicated lanes at all airports for customs/quarantine clearance, and perhaps baggage collection.

From my experience, Sydney is fine if you have nothing to declare because you can use the dedicated express lane.
If you have items to declare there may be a wait, but for most crew who don't have anything to declare, you are straight out after x-ray following baggage collection.

[Beer Baron]

Twiggs is spot on here. The original thread was about AQIS. AQIS is 'Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service' NOT Immigration. Seperate but similar issues which make it hard to compare us against other countries. Australian dedicated crew immigration queues definately exist (some better than others), not so with AQIS.

[jungle juice]

The issue is only about not having dedicated lanes at all airports for customs/quarantine clearance, and perhaps baggage collection.

From my experience, Sydney is fine if you have nothing to declare because you can use the dedicated express lane.
If you have items to declare there may be a wait, but for most crew who don't have anything to declare, you are straight out after x-ray following baggage collection.

MS Twiggs,as said before I think you need to get out a bit more.

Sydney is a nightmare at times whether you have something to declare or not.If AQIS is in full swing and several aircraft have arrived at the same time it is not a lot of fun.Waiting for you turn at the X-ray is a pain when you have just done a long TOD.
Sydney is also only one of 3 main Australian airports that can be very testing on your patience with ADL & PER increasing in size every year.

As Lobey said other countries have separate crew channels for customs,why can't we?

In all honesty,are there any other airports other than ours that we fly to which are more difficult to clear.

So Ms Twiggs answer my question.

[twiggs]

No problem JJ, LAX has equally as many issues. If SYD and LAX are both busy, they have similar delays, except SYD has the advantage of the express lane, so it wins.

Now a question for you, JJ.
Is there any other country in the world that has stricter quarantine and customs regulations than Australia?
When you answer no, then maybe you will realise that our airports are doing pretty well now.
(It may not have been the case a couple of years ago , but most certainly is now.)

[A Comfy Chair]

I've never seen LAX slow at Quarantine at all. You must be unlucky! (Or me very lucky!)

I'd say that NZ has stricter Quarantine requirements than Aus.

[mcgrath50]

As I watch the crew jump the line I do think 'Ya bastards'

But understand they have a job to do etc. etc. (as others have mentioned) so its fair enough.

[Howard Hughes]

Did you willingly purchase this fare or were you forced into that seat for all those hours? Why do people travel when they don't HAVE TO?

Unfortunately there have been continually decreasing seat pitches for years! I would be happy to pay a little extra, for a little extra room without resorting to JC or FC. I think QF and others that offer 'premium economy' are certainly on to something!

By the way, those crew seats of ours are designed for survivability and functionality - not comfort.

But what about the crew rest?

PS: For optimum survivabilty shouldn't your seat be rearwards facing?