Denpasar Bali Airport Passenger Reviews and Denpasar Bali Airport Traveller Reports   No Star Ranking Awarded         Add your Denpasar Bali Airport Review   Denpasar Bali Airport Ranking     Customer Review scoring : Denpasar Bali Airport   4.1 out of 10 58 reviews

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  14 November 2012 by C Tung    (UK)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Arrived at Bali late afternoon with Malaysia Airlines. Had arranged VIP service so arrival experience was great. Walk straight through the immigration. However if you are not arriving at the peak hours save your money. The queue wasn't too bad at all. I was also surprised how fast they deliver luggage to the belt. The meeting points for pick up was chaotic. I have never seen an airport so busy. Even if you stay at a 5* hotel you might have difficulty in locating your driver. Traffic leaving the airport was bad but that was part of the Bali experience – chaotic order. Leaving the airport was a bit easier. Took a midday flight and it wasn't the peak period at DPS. Before proceed to the check in area we were asked to show our ticket. I was bit amused since nowadays who would have a paper ticket? Luckily they just wanted to confirm that I was actually a passenger so my iphone calendar with flight number confirmed that. Luggage drop was easy, no queue and was handled by a very friendly lady. The departure hall was larger than I expected with a lot of shops. Most of them overpriced but that’s the same in all airports in the world. Terminal building is very dark and not interesting so I went straight to the lounge.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  31 August 2012 by T Maddern    (Australia)
	Rating : 2/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	The check-in area for international on the ground level is fine, but when you get to the departure area through immigration, that's where things go bad. Seating is very poor and rather than create areas with windows, the airport management have given priority to making it a giant shopping mall full of overpriced goods and people in the walkways continually hassling you for massage services. There are very few seats in the airport, despite many empty seats in the numerous eating outlets. If you want to watch the aircraft coming and going, you have to go to the gate lounge, but you're not allowed into this area until shortly before your flight departs. The cleanliness of the airport is satisfactory and staff are friendly. One other negative thing about the airport is that it is about a 300-500m walk once out of the terminal to the start of the car park. Unfortunately for those of you travelling to Bali - this is the only airport option. On the positive side - there is the selection of a new airport building and a couple of cranes, so hopefully in the next 3 - 10 years, this will be completed with adequate windows and runway viewing areas.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  20 August 2012 by G van Glabbeek    (Netherlands)
	Rating : 7/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I really like this airport, it really is Bali in a nutshell. I read people complaining about porters and immigration officers who let you walk past the line for $25 extra. Those people have to understand that that is just how Bali, and frankly Indonesia in general, is. Westerners don't usually understand the approach of these porters, they can seem intimidating. In the end it's of course money that makes the world go round, but a part of them is genuinely trying to be helpful.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  27 July 2012 by R Tan    (USA)
	Rating : 4/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	The domestic terminal of this airport is in desperate need of serious upgrades. The waiting areas are overcrowded with seats that are not well maintained. The check in area looks very unappealing. Also, the check in staff need to tell passengers to ensure that they pay airport tax as there is no clear signage about it. I had to go back to pay the airport tax before I could proceed airside.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  18 June 2012 by C Kear    (Australia)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	What a badly designed, badly run, and expensive place to travel through! US$25 per traveller coming into Bali, and $15 in Rupiah going out. The drop off/pick up points are a couple of hundred yards from the international terminal. This means you have to run the gauntlet of greedy porters, and it also means trouble for anyone with less than perfect physical fitness. Strangely, there seem to be pick up lanes just outside the terminal, which have been closed off and disguised with large pot plants. Coming into Bali, airside, you are presented with a line of men in casual clothes who will short cut the immigration line (and also allow you to bypass the mandatory fingerprinting of visitors) if you pay them an extra fee. Then it's a case of fighting through the porters and the mystery of locating the pick up point to leave the campus. Leaving Bali, there is the security check as you enter the terminal (not sure why), followed by heaps of expensive shops and several so-called business class lounges which in fact are just lounges which bargain against each other to try and get you to pay, enter and use their services. You'll be generally badgered by retailers and lounge staff, as you move through. However, where staff are genuinely needed, at the second set of security checks before the gates, you'll find a paucity, with the predictable enormously long lines. I arrived 3 hours before my flight, and despite doing no shopping or "lounging", I only just boarded my plane in time. The second security check had 3 staff checking hand baggage and passengers for 3 flights. Then another "open your bag" security check at the gate itself. Denpasar is a horrible airport set out to extract the maximum amount of cash from unwary travellers, and it can, at times, feel threatening. I've never been through such a bad experience when travelling. I couldn't come up with a similarly bad airport.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  26 April 2012 by Karl Parkes    (Australia)
	Rating : 2/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Arrived by Garuda who have really lifted their game. However, organised chaos would be a good description. Earlier comments re porters is true, airport authorities need to take a more proactive attitude and not be complacent. Departures information boards are sketchy, there is practically no public seating, so I stood and walked around for 2 hours. Went out to a plane in a bus during pouring rain.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  19 March 2012 by Dominic Olsson    (Timor-Leste)
	Rating : 4/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Clearly not designed for the numbers of people it handles. However, I was there in low season and I think staff at least make a good attempt at moving people through efficiently. The biggest problem is the huge distance from the terminal to drop-off points, with touts all along the way. Also the prices in the airport are the same as western airports (despite Bali being otherwise very cheap).

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  28 February 2012 by N Watson    (Australia)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	A total circus at the airport, immigration wait was not too bad, although very unfriendly at the Visa Section. The Porters are a total joke! We ended up with 5 Porters holding onto our two bags and all demanding copious amounts of US dollars for handling them. We found the Porters intimidating to say the least! Completing the checking in process took an age, so my advice would be to leave sufficient time prior to boarding.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  16 February 2012 by C Effe    (Australia)
	Rating : 6/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Make sure to use the toilets on the plane, the next toilets will be before immigration but that could leave you even further towards the end of the queue. It will be hot in the immigration hall and there are no seats. The entry visa of US$25 can be paid in rupiah. Would always recommend to get transfers organized by the hotel, not an external company. Departing from Denpasar, get there in time, as immigration can again take quite a while. Sitting in the final waiting area before departure can get confusing as there are only printed paper signs with your flight number stuck up. Wait outside the boarding gate until the flight has been called a few times.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  27 January 2012 by S Hedden    (USA)
	Rating : 7/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I got to experience both transfer and local arrival and departure. Arrival was fine. I had read horror stories about Visa on Arrival procedure especially with several flights arriving around midnight, but process was smooth and fast. Everything is clearly marked, pay for Visa, process immigration, then exit through customs. All desks were open and took 10 minutes. Transferring to domestic flight had to walk outside to domestic terminal. Domestic terminal is a bit haggard and worn with struggling aircon, but well labelled and efficient. Must have Rupiah to pay departure tax. Lots of Taxi touts on exit, but just refuse and proceed to taxi desk where rates are preset. Departing from international terminal was smooth but all the shops burning incense inside makes the air quite acrid, and there is no place to sit until about a half hour prior to departure when you are finally allowed inside your gate area.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  19 December 2011 by J Vandenberg    (Australia)
	Rating : 6/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Flew into Bali December 2011 with Virgin, arriving on time at 2.30pm. As I expected this to be a busy time in customs and immigration, and being a senior lady, I'd prepaid $25 to be met by concierge services at the entrance to the arrival hall. Transfer from the plane to the hall was by bus. I was in the second bus, and on arrival, no Bali Concierge representative to be found, and no one holding up my name. I walked around enquiring about the company and looking for assistance, but no one knew this company and no help was in sight. I bought my own visa, continued through immigration on my own, collected my own luggage and passed through customs. This probably took only 30 minutes, so wasn't particularly busy, and I was very lucky. The following day I SMS'd the Bali Concierge services, who requested what my arrival flight details were, assured me they were at the airport from 11am to 11pm, and if I'd like to use them for departure, it would cost me another IRP125,000. Needless to say I did not use the company again, and have put this down to another of the Bali scams. So, be warned, obviously hoping to make the entry to Bali easy doesn't always work.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  15 December 2011 by A Aigner-Muehler    (Australia)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Arrived Sunday lunchtime. Very humid. Lines are ridiculously long at immigration on arrival, it took us 45 minutes to clear. Once through, the baggage carousal is not clear, you need to ask what carousal your luggage is coming off. Once you walk out of the airport, there are no signs for shuttle buses to hotels, nor is there a taxi bay. Trying to get information from the information desk, is like talking to a brick wall. Unpleasant experience.

	DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  29 November 2011 by J Mackay    (Australia)
	Rating : 2/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	As a frequent traveller to Bali I have got to know it reasonably well and the key to the experience is when you arrive and depart. If you are fortunate enough to arrive from Kuala Lumpur at lunchtime you will have a much better experience than if you arrive in the afternoon when there is a rush of large planes. Same as when you depart. The midnight flights back to Australia are usually packed so expect long delays when you are departing. The queuing for visas and then the queuing for immigration make this one of the worst airports in South East Asia. There is the corrupt VIP service which allows you to skip the lines if you pay an extra $25 each, and families often fork out this to avoid hour long delays in non air-conditioned space. There is no duty free on arrival either and as other reviewers have mentioned beware of the porters. The shops when you are leaving though are excellent.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  11 October 2011 by Peter Vincent   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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An openly hostile attitude greets travellers at both immigration and customs but my gripe is that the transit lounge has been closed which means that travellers are forced to purchase a temporary visa (US$25) irrespective as to whether their connecting flight departs in five minutes or five days.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  8 September 2011 by G Forrester   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Arrived about 18.30 for our flight to Darwin and had a meal in the main lounge area. The meal was good, both my wife and I remained at the cafe for 2 hrs and then moved to the boarding lounge, had no problems passing through immigration or any of the security posts. When the boarding call was made for this flight we moved through the check-in, down the passage way to the last security post, this is where it started to go wrong. A young man on the security check told us we were on the wrong flight, during this time he became quite animated using a loud voice. It had now been announced final call and we were still having trouble, he maintained that this was wrong and would not listen to us, to resolve this I waived an older officer over to sort things out and all was cleared in a matter of minutes.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  10 August 2011 by Brian E Smith   (Japan)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Depending on arrival time, the place can be smooth to get through or backed up for a good hour. Porters are pushy and always around to carry your bag for a fee. Be careful to book your taxi at the counter just outside the greeter area. The airport is sorely in need of renovations. Only two toilets at either end of the terminal, shops full of junk, smoking allowed in cafes and no wifi. Better hope you have lounge access.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  9 May 2011 by Adrian Adkins   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Arrived late, after midnight. Visa on arrival + Immigration took at least 1 hour. Bags had been removed from the carousel by relentless porters. They'll grab your bag before you have a chance to get to it. They shouldn't be allowed inside the customs area- we weren't sure if they were legit airport staff. Had one follow us through customs and direct us to money changer (not great rates). We ditched him without tip because we didn't really want him following us anyway. Taxi queue outside was very long and slow moving. Suggest you arrange a transfer in advance.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  24 March 2011 by Dave Williams   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Pleasantly surprised - both incoming and outgoing - no real hassles, crowds or delays - just follow the signs. Arrival to pick up approx 30mins, drop off to duty free shopping approx 25 mins. That was in March 2011. Can't say the same about Melbourne arrivals - 1hr 30mins!

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  16 January 2011 by M Elizabeth   (UK)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Didn't really like the atmosphere around the airport. It was way to crowded and unorganised. There was a very long queue when I had to pay the airport tax and could hardly find anywhere to sit.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  2 September 2010 by N Werner   (Switzerland)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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I was prepared for the worst when I arrived at Bali airport after reading all those terrible reviews. I was arriving on Malaysia Airlines from KL and our flight was delayed for 1 hour. Maybe that was the reason that there was nobody queuing at immigration and we were outside within 20 minutes after arriving. Immigration and customs took no more than 5 minutes as my passport allows for a visa free entrance to Indonesia. Once you leave customs there is a long row of money changers but don't be a fool and change money there. The rates in town are much better. Our arrival was very efficient and I could not fault it except the long walk from our gate to immigration which took about 5-10 minutes as gate 2 is at the far end. Departure was not as good as you already have to pass through security just to enter the building. Check-in was ok and took a while even though we were already checked in online. Paying the exit tax was pretty straight forward and involved no queuing. Once pass immigration there are a few shops but the prices are not competitive if you compare it to other Asian airports in the region. The airport is old but I have seen worse. You pass through security again at your gate and once inside there is nothing much so do not bother going to early. Boarding was civilized but the infrastructure is really outdated. The gate agents set up a microphone and stereo set to announce the boarding calls as the gate did not have a speaker system. I found I was probably very lucky to have this smooth experience in Bali.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  31 August 2010 by J Baker   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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While expensive, I recommend using an arrival concierge service. The mid-afternoon is particularly brutal as multiple widebodies arrive within a few minutes of each other. We arrived, took our time walking, then met by our agent. He took passports and visa fee, then escorted us past immigration to where we waited for luggage. Around the time it came off, he appeared with our passports. So we're talking 15 minutes top, which we killed hitting the ATM and bathrooms. He then helped us to the front of the final xray queue, then past the hawkers and helped us locate our driver. $30 per person but worth it.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  12 August 2010 by Andreas Dubiella   (Germany)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Horrible experience, waited 1 hour at immigration. On top of that, they take 25USD visa fee from you to come into the country and 15USD tax to leave the country. Therefore you get an old ugly airport and chaotic surroundings. For me, such kind of handling is unacceptable in a popular tourist destination and we will never go there again and spend our money somewhere else like in Thailand or Malaysia.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  11 August 2010 by G Shepherd   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Arrived 17th July, absolute chaos. We waited 3 hours in the stuffy immigration hall. At one point an immigration officer waved goodbye to us and left his post - he was not replaced. It appears the whole system is totally overwhelmed - what a welcome to Bali.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  8 August 2010 by Paul Meerman   (Netherlands)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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On arrival horrifying lines at immigration. More than one hour we stood in line, and hall was totally overloaded. Baggage was already taken off the carousel, and you have to search very good to find your baggage. Outside the airport some money-hunters take your luggage to carry out for a lot of money. Beware! On departure again paying tax. No lines at customs. Inside a lot of shops, but expensive if you compare it with Bali itself. This airport needs a huge facelift and some new ways to manage the incoming passengers.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  21 July 2010 by J Bodine   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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The Airport in peak season is a shocker. We had a 2 hour wait to get through immigration and only half of the counters were manned. Being pinged USD$25 on arrival and with two small children who were tired and extremely hot - it was an appalling start to the holiday. Due to the massive delay our bags were left unattended on the floor - lucky they were locked. Departure was even worse with some people being charged USD$20 departure tax, and one family got ripped for USD$25 per person. For such an established tourism destination I give it a score of 1 out of 10 for the airport. I recommend Phuket anyday - far cheaper on all accounts. Bali Airport Management need to stop lining their pockets.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  11 June 2010 by S Hayes   (New Zealand)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Not very impressed at all. Expensive entry visa USD25 then a 45 minute queue to move 10 metres. Non airconditioned immigration hall, so everyone standing there in queues, sweating. Fingerprint machine not going, nor was the screening camera, so no security scanning of incoming passengers. Hassled by porters trying to grab my case from me to wheel it all of 30 metres to the exit. On leaving, exit tax of 150,000 rupiah would be better if it were included in the ticket price. Another 45 minute queue this time to pass immigration. Only saving grace is the lounge upstairs, which has nice friendly staff and a good range of refreshments. Overall not a great welcoming image for a tourist Island.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  25 May 2010 by L Wotherspoon   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Arriving at 1:15pm it took us 2 hours and 5 minutes to move about 25 metres in the Immigration queue. Each person was being photographed and fingerprinted and it was taking 3-5 minutes per person so if there were 30 people in front of you. By the time we got to the baggage it was all there and had been sitting around waiting for us! At customs, we tried to declare some dog food we were bringing in (for donation to BAWA) but he wasn't interested and waved us through. We spoke later with some other people who said the fingerprinting had only just been introduced. Not sure if this is correct or not but they clearly didn't have the hang of it. On departure, go through security and give up your water bottle. Checkin was quick as there was no queue (Jetstar to Perth). Then another security check. Then we thought we'd buy a bottle of water for the flight (USD1) - figured as we had already given up our water and been through 2 security checks, this would be OK. Another security check to get to the gate and they made us give up our newly purchased water. Lots of people in the queue had the same problem. What a waste of money and plastic bottles!

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  7 April 2010 by Margaret Hickey   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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The Prada Lounge was the best way to enjoy the horrible waiting time at the airport. The staff were friendly, courteous, and the food and drinks were very enjoyable. I would recommend this lounge as an alternative to sitting in the main area, although you will pay for it. Depending on how much you eat and drink, as to whether you get your money's worth.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review :  26 December 2009 by J Leech   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Arrival very frustrating, long queues very slow through immigration. Over 3 hours just waiting, and wasting valuable holiday time. Hope they can improve service soon. Cannot see why they are understaffed and so slow. Departure from this airport slow, so many people at the top of the escalator no room to go. Not as bad as the arrivals though.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT customer review : 19 October 2009 : by John Lynn

Customer Rating : 5/5

Denpasar - seemed like a brand new terminal (international) - sailed through check in - no longer than 5 mins, straight to passport control - no queue paid my 150,00 departure tax then into a superbly clean departure area. Many shops and eateries (bit pricey though) - although all outlets charged different amounts for same things. Went to one outlet that wanted 40,000 rupiah for a bintang beer another on same aisle with better seating only charged 25,000 - it pays to compare). Amusing to see in the gents toilets above urinals a fish tank with tropical fish - novel idea !

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT review : 28 September 2009 : by S Golledge

Customer Rating : 2/5

Checking in at Denpasar was chaotic. There seem to be all sorts of so called security checks without sufficient staff and proper facilities. We were travelling Business Class and had access to the Prada Lounge - a joke. The seats are falling apart and dirty, there was very little food which was cold and unappetising. There were no clean cups and saucers for about 20 minutes. Outside on the lead up causeway was a man carrying a sign advertising access to the lounge for 100,000 Rupiah. Where is the advantage in paying extra for so called business class comfort. If we didn't like Bali so much, it would be off my travel agenda just because of Denpasar Airport.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT review : 24 September 2009 : by Ian Johnson

Customer Rating : 3/5

Arrivals are a nightmare with long lines and the requirement to purchase a visa,present passport and have visa checked. Once through this are pick up baggage (slow) and then walk into a sea of signs and drivers. Not the best experience but through in around an hour at 10.30 on a Sunday night. Departure was much smoother although multiple security checks and searches were interesting. Check in (star class jetstar) was quick, as was customs. JAS Business lounge was excellent but boarding aircraft required another two security checks (one x-ray and one by "Qantas" security doing bag searches and pat downs. Overall the airport has improved considerably (5 years since my last visit) and in comparison to some other airports I would rate it fair. Note: duty free and shops remain expensive.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT review : 2 September 2009 : by Brian Smith

Customer Rating : 1/5

This airport is dreadful. Security is chaotic, immigration takes forever to get through and is understaffed, the meeting area for hotel car drivers is too small and crowded, and the business class lounge is similarly awful. And what is really infuriating is that they charge 150,000 Rupiah to depart. I make annual trips to Bali and I ask myself where does the money go?. A necessary evil I guess.

DENPASAR BALI AIRPORT review : 12 August 2009 : by G Tudor

Customer Rating : 1/5

Dreadfully long wait on arrival at Denpasar airport. It was pandemonium with many flights arriving on a Friday afternoon and only 4 immigration counters open. Waited in the queues for over two and a half hours - hot and uncomfortable with young children and the elderly particularly suffering. Needs crowd control to organise the traffic of the public, as people forgot their manners and queue etiquette went out the window in the stifling conditions. Not good enough considering the enormous amount of tourists providing Bali with an economy. However, departure was a much smoother process.