Australia to canada
- 14,175 miles
- 27 scheduled hours of flight
- >36 hours for connections and a stopover
Part 69 – Long Journey Home begins
Overture
Our time in Australia & New Zealand had come to its end. After spending a week in Sydney at the same hotel, we had time to reflect on the pace of the trip at the beginning, where one or two night stays was the norm. The upside to that pace was the many locations, and opportunities to explore the many parts of the Australia. And even after 5 weeks we still had not set foot in the state of Western Australia!
After a short and efficient ride from the hotel, we arrived at Sydney’s International airport to begin our journey home. Our first flight was operated by Gaurda Indonesia, but before the flight, it’s time for the Lounge Report of Skyteam Lounge Sydney.
Check-in
We made sure to arrive early to avoid being rushed. At the time of our visit Sydney airport was undergoing construction works, and the early hour enabled us to travel effortlessly to the international terminal to check-in.
Works near the airport
Leaving Sydney
Snapped after passing multiple car dealerships beside each other
Upon arrival to the airport we quickly found the check-in are for Garuda and within 5 minutes of our arrival the agents started checking-in passengers. During the short wait for check-in to open I grabbed a few pictures of the area.
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Ready for check-in
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Next stop Bali!
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Dedicated check-in lines
Check-in was fast, efficient, and friendly. We bid farewell to our checked luggage and hoped they would be reunited with it in over 24 hours when we were scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam.
Sydney International Terminal
After check-in we were given an express path for security. This required us to walk part way through the check-in side of the terminal to its entrance.
SYD – Express Path entrance
SYD – Express Path entrance
The entrance is well signed, and like our flight from Australia to New Zealand, it was well worth the walk. We arrived in the express area where there was no line to proceed through passport control, and security screening was quick and efficient.
Once airside at the terminal there is plenty of space, in addition to the shops and restaurants. However, we had already browsed the shops and headed straight for the lounge.
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SYD International airport
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SYD International airport
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SYD International airport
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SYD International airport
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McDonalds food elevator
Lounge report of Skyteam Lounge Sydney
Signs for the lounge are part of the main signage in the terminal, making it easy to find. Once inside, and our entrance granted we took the escalator down to the lounge.
Our early arrival enabled us to walk through the lounge. At the far end were two small rooms. Not just an alcove, or result of furniture, but two rooms complete with doors (they were clear glass, but still it blocked almost all the sounds from the rest of the lounge). We settled into the smaller room as it only had a few chairs, and floor to ceiling windows faced the terminal’s apron.
Buffet
We had breakfast in the lounge and I found the selection of both hot and cold items to be fine for our stay. Although some may look down upon the pancake machine, I do enjoy the novelty of knowing that my pancake was made fresh, just for me.
Beverages
What lounge would be complete without a selection of drinks. I do admit that making our own mimosa was a good choice while watching the activity out on the apron.
Lounge Layout
The lounge is one large open area. The buffet area is beside the escalators used to enter & exit the lounge. There was some dining tables set up near the buffet and the rest of the lounge had typical leather seats. To break-up the seating there was a large communal table in the middle of the area complete with power outlets to charge up devices.
There were a few computers against the wall that were available for use.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the lounge as it provided us with a quiet and calm. I did enjoy taking full advantage of the quiet area we were in to take a few pictures using some of my carry-on contents.
Read more about our trip by clicking here.