Australia - A few things about domestic flights that might surprise you

Hello everyone,

I am on the plane from Melbourne to Perth which will take just about 3.5 hours to get there. I have already taken a few domestic flights within Australia, mainly with Jetstar but also with Qantas: Cairns to Ayers Rock, Ayers Rock to Sydney, Sydney to Melbourne, from Melbourne to Hobart and return and from Melbourne to Adelaide and return. It is almost a completely different experience in regards to the security procedures at the airports. Whereas in Germany you still have to undergo the known restrictions to fluids and liquids that you take onboard and you cannot pass the security to enter the main terminal gates without a valid boarding pass. Here in Australia they don’t care about what fluids and liquids and how much you take with you! Seriously, take a few bottles of wine and water or whatever in 1-liter-containers or so with you and no-one cares. What they might ask you about is aerosols and pressurized containers like deodorants and hairsprays etc. You have to make sure that the caps are on them.

 

Also, you can pass the security in domestic terminals without a valid boarding pass! This means that if you are awaiting someone you can already meet them at the gate as they leave the plane. How fantastic is that? Due to this there are no Duty Free shops in domestic terminals. On this note I also would like to point out that most airports here in Australia don’t seem to separate the stream of incoming and outgoing passengers like in Germany (I am sure I haven’t experienced this passenger cross-over on any German airport but please correct me if I am wrong). I experienced that in Spain and other European countries and it can get quite crowded at times. Especially when a big, fully loaded plane just arrived and everyone rushes through the terminal while at the same time passengers are walking in the opposite direction to the gates to board the next plane.

Although you are allowed to take any food with you onboard when you are flying interstate in Australia they ask you to place any fresh fruits and vegetables in a Quarantine Bin (which actually look like over-sized bins). This is to stop the spreading of any insects or floral pests and to protect the local crops. I am sure I read that even whilst driving from one state to another that you are asked by big billboard signs on the road to dump any fresh products before entering the next state. Along the East Coast we encountered sometimes signs stating “No bananas permitted past this point” or similar.

 

Another thing that really surprised me are the carousels where you pick up your checked-in baggage: they are located outside the secured area within the waiting hall. So if you are trespassing the terminal you could just take any baggage from the carousel and wander off before the real owner of the baggage arrives from the plane. Of course there are cameras everywhere but still… If you are picking someone up but don’t want to hassle with the terminal security you just wait at the according carousel.

Well, I have another three hours on this plane before my host mother Cécile will pick me up at the carousel in Perth and I have one more apple in my bag which I need to eat up before landing. Luckily I have my 1.5-liter water bottle with me, so I don’t have to buy the expensive water onboard as Jetstar is like Ryanair where meals and drinks are not automatically included in your flight fare. Even on such long flights. Perth is about three hours behind Melbourne. So, although I left Melbourne at 9pm I will arrive in Perth at 10pm local time. Let’s see how fast I can adjust to this new time zone. And let’s see how I get on with my new host family…

Yours all-over-Australia-flying Stefanie