The short answer: at Melbourne Airport, AUSZ measures your waiting time from the moment your aircraft actually lands — not from the arrival time on your ticket. A delayed flight does not spend your waiting window for you.
Delays at Tullamarine are normal, not exceptional
Melbourne Airport handles both the country's busiest domestic corridor and a full international schedule. Weather in the Bass Strait, a late inbound aircraft, a congested Sydney departure — any of them push your arrival, and none of them are within your control or ours.
What is within our control is which clock we use.
What the waiting time actually covers
AUSZ tracks your flight and starts your waiting time from the moment the aircraft actually lands — not from the arrival time printed on your ticket. On top of that, you nominate a pick-up delay when you book (landing plus 30 minutes is typical, to clear customs and collect baggage), and the complimentary waiting window of 45 minutes begins after that. A traveller who nominates landing + 30 therefore has 75 minutes from wheels-down before any waiting charge applies. Beyond the complimentary window, waiting is $1.00 per minute. Point-to-point bookings carry 10 minutes from the confirmed pick-up time.
For a Melbourne arrival that means:
- Wheels down at Tullamarine starts the measurement.
- Your nominated pick-up delay runs — enough time to clear the terminal and collect bags.
- 45 minutes of complimentary waiting follows.
- After that, waiting is charged at $1.00 per minute.
Why this matters more for business travel
A corporate traveller landing at Tullamarine at 7:10am for a 9:00am meeting in the CBD has very little slack. The difference between a chauffeur who left because the scheduled time passed, and one who is at the kerb because the aircraft was tracked, is the difference between making the meeting and explaining why you did not.
It also matters for expense clarity. Waiting charges that appear without explanation are the sort of line item that turns a smooth trip into a conversation with finance. Everything above is set out in the terms, so nothing on the invoice should be a surprise.
How the tracking works
AUSZ monitors your flight from departure. When Melbourne Airport updates the arrival time, the booking updates with it and your chauffeur is re-timed automatically. You receive a notification so you can see the change was registered rather than wondering.
If your flight is diverted, the booking follows. If you land early, the car is brought forward.
Choosing a service that protects your schedule
When comparing business chauffeur services in Melbourne, three questions separate them quickly:
- Do you track the flight, or the booking time? Only one of those survives a delay.
- When does complimentary waiting start? Scheduled arrival and actual landing are very different answers.
- Is the waiting policy written down? Ours is clause 27 of the published terms, not a discretion exercised case by case.
Booking with AUSZ
- Enter your flight number so the booking can track the aircraft.
- Nominate a pick-up delay that reflects the terminal and your baggage.
- Save the chauffeur you liked and request the same person next time — the Preferred Driver feature is unique to AUSZ.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Does this apply to domestic and international arrivals at Melbourne Airport? A: Yes. Waiting time is measured from actual landing time on both.
Q: How long is the complimentary waiting period? A: 45 minutes for airport pick-ups, starting after the pick-up delay you nominated when booking. Point-to-point bookings have 10 minutes from the confirmed pick-up time.
Q: What if immigration or baggage takes longer than expected? A: Waiting beyond the complimentary window is $1.00 per minute. If a delay is exceptional, contact us and we will work it out with you rather than leave you rushing.
*Waiting time, surcharges and no-show conditions are set out in clause 27 of the AUSZ Terms and Conditions. Figures on this page reflect those terms as at August 2026.*
Book your Melbourne airport transfer in the AUSZ app and enter your flight number.
