For best pricing options and logistics, our group ticket and personal connection flights will be arranged through Student Universe

Domestic Flights in the USA

Travel to Los Angeles.  Students will meet (unless you are flying from a place outside of the US) at Los Angeles International Airport from where they will embark as a group on their journey to Australia. Student Universe will help you (they will contact you via e-mail) with arranging connecting flights to LAX, from where you will embark on your journey.  The instructor and teaching assistant are flying out early for logistical preparations, but will meet the cohort at the Sydney airport upon arrival.

International Flight to and from Australia 

Travel to Australia.  Our flight will take approximately 15 hours and we will enter Australia through its largest city Sydney.  Here we will go through passport and visa checks, as well as customs. Because we will have crossed the International Date Line our arrival in Sydney will be on the 3rd of July despite leaving on the 1st (Sydney is 14 hrs ahead of US EST).

Los Angeles (LAX) Departure; Quantas Flight 0012; July 1st; 11:45pm

Sydney (SYD) Arrival; Quantas Flight 0012; July 3rd; 8:10am

Family and Friends: Track this flight here

Travel Back to USA.  For those of you who are planning on returning home on the last day of the program, we will embark from Brisbane on the 2nd of August.  Arrival in the USA will be on the 2nd of August (yes, you read that correctly).  If you are planning on further travel in or outside of Australia, please let our Student Universe agent know so they can issue you the correct tickets.

Brisbane (BNE) Departure; Quantas Flight 0015; August 2nd; 10:00pm

Los Angeles (LAX) Arrival; Quantas Flight 0015; August 2nd; 6:30pm

Family and Friends: Track this flight here

Domestic Flights in Australia

Sydney to Darwin.  Domestic flight to Darwin

Sydney (SYD) Departure; Quantas Flight 840; July 16th; 8:25am

Darwin (DRW) Arrival; Quantas Flight 840; July 16th; 12:35pm

Family and Friends: Track this flight here

Darwin to Cairns.  Domestic flight to Cairns

Darwin (DRW) Departure; Quantas Flight 1889; July 25th; 7:20pm

Cairns (CNS) Arrival; Quantas Flight 1889; July 25th; 22:15pm

Family and Friends: Track this flight here

Cairns to Brisbane.  For those of you who are planning on returning to the US on the flight home from Brisbane. Students staying in Australia or flying elsewhere might have a different flight itinerary.

Cairns (CNS) Departure; Quantas Flight 1883; August 2nd; 2:35pm

Brisbane (BNE) Arrival; Quantas Flight 1883; August 2nd; 4:45pm

Family and Friends: Track this flight here

Baggage Allowance (NOT YET UPDATED FOR 2024)

Carry-On: ONE piece of luggage up to 15lbs, total dimensions (height+width+depth) must not exceed 45 inches.  You may also carry on a “personal item” as well well (from Quantas):

“In addition to your carry-on baggage allowance, you may also carry onboard one small personal item such as a handbag, laptop computer*, overcoat, small camera, a reasonable amount of reading material or a small amount of duty free goods (where permitted)”.

“* For a laptop computer to be considered a personal item it must be carried in a slim bag. Laptops carried in large laptop bags will be counted as part of your carry-on baggage allowance. Laptop computers must conform to any applicable regulatory requirements, be submitted for security screening, and must not be used during take-off or landing or interfere with the aircraft’s power supply”.

The Quantas website claims that our international flight aircraft provides “shared PC power” outlets in Economy (in addition to USB plugs) BUT this was not the case in the past, so don’t count on it. 

Checked: ONE piece of luggage up to 32kg (70lb) each, total dimensions (height+width+depth) must not exceed  62 inches

This applies for all domestic flights as well.  You WILL be charged if your luggage exceeds any of these numbers.

Airport Security for Beginners

dailybail.com

It is hard to start a paragraph on airport security on a good note. Everyone who has flown has had their own stressful nightmare scenario of long lines, belligerent, patronizing personnel, and annoying fellow fliers.  Without getting too political, remember that we get what we pay for in this country.  Next time you face an angry, stressed out, and overstretched TSA officer just ask yourself what kind of job they have and how small their compensation package is (especially in light of the fact that these people are essentially in the business of saving lives).  So be polite and take it with a smile (this WILL be difficult at times).

Here is what you can expect:

Long Lines.-In the good old days, checking in 1 hour ahead of domestic flights and 2 hours ahead for international flights worked well.  Now you might find yourself in just the TSA line for nearly half that time, so check in EARLY.

Airline Counter.– Airlines have largely done away with the personal “Welcome to our Airline” check-in counter personnel.  You will find that you will most likely check-in using a self check-in computer terminal such as this.  If you are lucky, these machines will look up your ticket based on a scan of your passport, itinerary numbers, flight numbers, etc. so be sure to bring your e-ticket receipt that you got from Student Universe.  If you are not lucky, the machine will fail and you have to talk to a local attendant.  If you have bags to check (and you probably will), you will then proceed to the actual counter to have your bag weighed and marked with a baggage claim tag.  Be sure to get your baggage ticket receipts.  If you have baggage above your allowance you will be asked to pay extra.  Different fees apply, bring a credit card to expedite the process if necessary.  Usually you get ONE checked baggage, and a carry-on bag.

Security Check.– Once you have your bags checked, have all your documentation, and are aware of your departure gate you will enter the security check-point.  A couple of things to expect here:

1. Have your ID (passport abroad, drivers license in the US) and boarding tickets ready so a TSA agent can look at them and put some illegible (but surely highly significant) scribble on them
2. Because of the threat of liquid explosives, you are only allowed to take on board a QUART-sized bag that contains any and all tinctures, potions, cremes, lotions, gels, and pastes you need to look and smell good on your flight (especially if you are sitting anywhere near me).  Individual sizes of EACH of these items MUST NOT exceed 3.4 fluid ounces (100ml).  Take your quart-sized bag OUT OF YOUR carry-on bag and place it in (alongside items described below) one of the provided bins so everyone around you (and their cousin) can see what cosmetic brands you support or whether your toothpaste is ADA approved.  Oh, and about that soda, water bottles with fluids, emergency flask,…they should be DRAINED or discarded before entering security (don’t worry you will be able to repurchase liquids at outrageous airport prices at various predatory vendors between security and your gate).
3. If you have a laptop or tablet you MUST take it out of your bag and place it SEPARATELY into a security bin.  Probably also want to add whatever power cables that go with it (unless you left those in your checked baggage) although at times I have gotten away with keeping them in my carry-on bag.
4. Now remove the following items from your carry-on bag and place it in another bin (separate from your laptop/tablet): your cell phone and any and all other electronic devices (this includes cameras).
5. Now it is time to turn to all the things you carry on your body.  Take out ANY AND ALL things that are in your pockets (yes that includes your boarding pass and form of id), your keys (why are you bringing your keys?!), nearly-melted lip balm/gloss, and that loose change you should have left in the glass jar at home.  You can probably leave that unidentifiable small, crumpled wad of (what you assume to be) paper in there.  It has already gone through three wash cycles so it won’t hurt anyone.
6. Now to your clothes.  Take off your shoes and place them into the same (now steadily-filling up) bin.  Here is why.  Experts bring shoes that can be taken off and put on (whilst balancing on one leg since there will likely NOT be a place to sit down after you are through security) quickly.  Newbies bring knee-high gladiator sandals or boots with lots of stringy-straps and buckles.  Wait! Not so fast.  Now take off your belt.  Good thing your belt was only a “vanity belt” and your lower clothes won’t fall completely off you at this point (much to the horror or delight of passengers around you, many of which also have their pants somewhere between ankle and hip bone).  Good thing you wore a fresh, new, and decent pair of underwear like your mother always told you.  Now take off your watch, wrist fit gadget, those giant 4 inch diameter loop-earrings, and any heavy bling over 3/4lb (unless the latter is piercing through or semi-permanently affixed to your biological tissue somewhere).  Also, don’t forget your glasses (wish you had worn those contacts).
7. Many of us can now proceed through the full-body scanner (or similar).  To the rest of us, it quickly dawns that we probably should not have worn that fancy metal-underwire bra.  No worries, if you set off the machine, you can still pass, by being personally scanned with “The Wand“.   BE assured that the experience is probably as uncomfortable to the TSA agent as it is for you.
8. Once scanned, you can usually proceed to use all four of your agile, prehensile limbs to quickly remove your (now) secure carry-on baggage, and multiple, multiple bins, while the impatient person (how is it that THEY were able to fit it all into ONE bin???) behind you is annoyingly tapping their fingers and rolling their eyes.
9. Don’t forget ANYTHING at the security gate!
10. Some of us are probably not-so-lucky and packed any of the following things in our carry-on baggage: knives, cigar tools, lighters, matches, pepper spray, hand cuffs, razors, gas masks, 16oz of Paul Mitchell products, nail clippers, nail files, scissors, Sears multi-tools, wrenches, rock hammers, bear spray, chisels, whips, full set of silverware, sporks, knitting needles, or any other form of actual weaponry.  Sorry, you will have to give these things up under the watchful and “what-were-you-thinking” stares of TSA personnel (who have seen it all).

If you are able to keep composed and keep your cool throughout this process, you win!