- Fee for first 15 minutes removed
- Start your wait at McDonald's
- Don't wait for loved ones by the car
HAVE the Sydney airport gods gone crazy? The city's greatest gougers have made parking free.
However, you may need to channel tactics used in the The Great Escape to take advantage of the very limited generosity.
The rapacious-by-reputation Sydney Airport Corporation has removed the $7 charge for the first 15 minutes' parking at the International Terminal.
The question is, can you get a ticket, park, collect your passengers, validate the ticket and exit in time? It's a tall order. But as we discovered yesterday it is possible, if it is done with military precision.
Firstly, establish a beach-head near the target location. McDonald's, for instance, where you can await a call or text from the inside.
Instruct the arriving party to hold off making contact until they have cleared duty free, immigration and customs. Don't pre-arrange a meeting point - a mistake for young players. Tell them to wait near the road outside the terminal.
Get in your car and proceed to the car park. Once you've taken your ticket the clock is ticking. Look for a park close to the terminal. Get out.
Now for the most critical phase of the operation. You must resist temptations of the heart that may draw you to your loved ones.
Call the "Arrivals Party" leader. Give them the vehicle location. Tell them to go to the car and wait.
You head to a ticket machine - you have to validate inside the 15-minute limit. By validating now, not at the gate -- and while your passengers are on their way to the car - you buy valuable minutes.
If you wait for your passengers, or try to find them, before then inserting your ticket at the boom gates, your mission is doomed to failure.
Return to the car. Your passengers should by now have unlocked the car (with their own keys) and loaded luggage. If they haven't, give them a hurry up. Or help. Get in the car and exit. For free.
