Melbourne Airport review by Erica Lewis

31 August 2004

I agree with the comments written by Erik Rainer. This airport has no concept of customer service/ customer support and the staff does not know how to effectively manage people - instead of diffusing situations that might erupt, I have frequently encountered staff yelling at and/or humiliating travelers, asking them if they know how to speak English, (Tullamarine airport seems to be the only place in the world where the "White Australia" Policy seems to be still in effect), saying that they have to do certain things because “those are the rules” - but rarely do they know how to explain the purpose of the rules (and some of the rules are very ridiculous... for example, it is illegal to take safety scissors – the kind you trim your moustache or eyebrows with – on the plane where they serve you a meal with a metal fork; if they are confiscating safety scissors for safety reasons, doesn't having metal forks on the plane make the rule redundant?) The staff is very poorly trained – they take their frustrations out on the travelers.... I travel a lot and I've been to many airports and even though I can say that LAX is the least organized airport because of the amount of traffic it gets (I always lose my luggage there), the Tullamarine airport, although it's easy to navigate and it's clean, can be one of the most unwelcome experiences for a traveler to a foreign country. I have a perfect solution for the problems in this airport – mechanize everything… if they do everything by machine, they don’t have to embarrass Australia until the visitors actually get through immigration. I think Australia is a beautiful country with a lot of potential but what keeps it where it is, is not it’s location from Europe or the USA, nor is it the very small population or the GDP or even the hole in the ozone that is over it, I think that Australian people need to be more open to things that are not Australian.

Melbourne Airport review by Joe W. Mwangi

30 June 2004

I am a regular user of Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport and consider the airport one of the best airports in the world of its size. For some unknown reason however I find the airport wanting in the area of exorbitant parking fees, trolley changes which are not even charged in the developing countries and most important the need for a well trained and client-focused multicultural immigration staff to reflect the diverse but cohesive Australian society we claim to be. This is a great airport but we can make it even better together.

Melbourne Airport review by Edmund Carew

9 June 2004

Actually, Matthew Bohun (24/5), Skybus had hoped to service Melbourne (Avalon) - 55kms from the city, but competitor Sunbus (Sita Coaches) won a Victorian Government tender instead. The fare is A$12 one way, but the buses arrive 90 minutes prior to Jetstar flight departures at Avalon, due to parent company Qantas' insistence. V/Line rail to Lara then a taxi is an alternative.

Melbourne Airport review by Matthew Bohun

18 May 2004

To update my earlier comments. Skybus now permits passengers to purchase tickets over the internet using Australian Bankcard, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Diners Club. You print out a ticket with a barcode which you then present for scanning. Now you don't need to have AUD when you arrive. Skybus still operates 24/7 and will service Jetstar flights at Avalon airport.

Melbourne Airport review by Z Por

22 April 2004

As a fairly regular user of the airport, I find that Tullamarine has a nice ambience and atmosphere, compared with airports in Asia such as KL (vast empty spaces with few people) and Pudong. However, parking prices are exorbitant, and the airport has that 60's feel as someone mentioned before. I fully agree with others on the inefficiency of the immigration and customs staff. Get your act together, Melbourne! Your mediocre airport simply is not good enough by today's standards and Tullamarine is sure to fall further behind when compared to its Asian neighbours if urgent refurbishment is not undertaken.

Melbourne Airport review by Michael Bauer

20 April 2004

F Sterpin says it is not a transit airport but with many Qantas flights coming through, particularly from New Zealand, the passengers would love not having to change buildings. Along with Emirates and Air New Zealand as well. How is it that Sydney, with not one or two but three terminals, is so popular? Put your hand up if you love catching the transit bus to the other building? I love transiting Melbourne, because you don't have to go anywhere! The website is updated every five minutes on flight arrivals and departures, the carpark is being extended yet again to provide thousands more car parks, the Skybus runs frequently to and from the city, there are many shops, restaurants, and now PJ O'Brien's to fill in your time, the Hilton Hotel is right there and you don't even have to step foot on the ground outside, a brand-new Qantas domestic terminal, and the bank-queue system is so much better than lining up at a counter only to find that the person in front of you hasn't filled in their card properly and you wait and wait and wait ... the bank queue system is much better - so with all of this, what more do you want in an airport?

Melbourne Airport review by F Sterpin

8 March 2004

Melbourne is not a transit airport, therefore does need to "compete" with anyone. It does not compete as a fuel and logistic hub such as Changi, Bangkok, HK or KL (aka ghost town). In general, you use Melbourne airport to go to Melbourne. All the amenities are there. If people class shops as amenities, may it have less amenities. The check in / arrivals split is very good. The fee for a trolley is a joke. Customs processing could be slicker, but then again, some passengers could actually learn to fill out the forms before they get to the counter, and maybe even correctly. From my experience Australian international travel is the cheapest I have come across, esp in Bus or first class, so it is hard to whine about the departure tax. It has enough transport, and will never have a train as it doesn't need one. Only Kai Tak was closer to the city.

Melbourne Airport review by Erik Rainer

26 February 2004

I must agree with recent comments about Melbourne Airport being user unfriendly. Since our last visit to Australia there has been little or no improvement in the quality of customer service. Departure form Melbourne was an absolute nightmare with a snake line trailing from the immigration counters out to the entry doors. The duty staff had little or no idea of crowd control or how to politely shuffle people to the next free counter. It was a disaster. Arrivals again was a disgrace with officious staff shouting at people to get into line for baggage x-ray and exit. There was no reflection of Australia's multi ethnicity and cross cultural understanding when one official rudely shouted to a foreign tourist/visitor "Don't you understand English? Line up!" What a welcome to Australia and what a lasting first impression. How sad it is for a beautiful place like Melbourne, let alone Australia.

Melbourne Airport review by Neil Harvey

12 February 2004

I must have seen a different Melbourne airport to some of the other contributors. The passport controllers I met were disinterested and spoke to people as if they were stupid and were no help when asked about filling in the exit visas. Yes I agree that check in areas are big and efficient but once through there you'd better hope your flight is on time 'cos there's nothing to do ! 1 tiny bar serving just cans or bottles with plastic cups and very wilted sandwiches and elderly looking pies. Duty free - ha  - the camcorder I bought mail order in the UK was £80 cheaper than the duty free shop here. And tough luck if you're a smoker. Once through passport control there's nowhere at all for a last nicotine hit before an eight hour flight. Even spotlessly clean Kuala Lumpur has a small room for smokers.

Melbourne Airport review by Norman Becker

8 February 2004

Melbourne airport has slipped in it's standards recently and is becoming more and more user and visitor unfriendly to the point where I think that the airport has lost touch with the fact that most air travellers today are not from the upper class or funded to excess by their employers. The car parks and retail facilities are very expensive and transportation into and out of the airport is expensive and offers few economically practical choices for the average traveller and visitor. Navigating on foot around the airport and car parks is a nightmare for pedestrians with footpaths and walkways continually being blocked off or poorly signposted due to construction works and crossing of major vehicular thoroughfares - a potentially dangerous situation for all airport users. Similar problems exist within the terminal which is cluttered by an excess of retailers on the airside windows and has few areas where passengers and visitors can relax without having to occupy these noisy and cluttered retail zones. There are no public areas outside of retail and sterile security zones for airside viewing (which is also impossible at night due to window glare) to watch aircraft and see relatives off. The recent indefinite closure of the public observation deck was also a sad blow to a Melbourne institution and the people who this airport serves. Any time spent at this airport is an expensive time.

Melbourne Airport review by Peter Briant

2 January 2004

I find Melbourne's International Airport to be very efficient, and so passenger friendly. With all the terminals connected to each other, there's no walking for miles or catching trains or buses (eg Sydney) to other terminals. The check-in counters for International passengers is very spacious and passenger friendly. Inside the International Terminal has all the duty free shopping we need, and the facilities for passengers are excellent . As for the arrival hall, this has improved out of sight, since the extensions were completed some time ago. The Hilton Hotel at the airport is a wonderful addition to the airport. Especially going by the fact, when you leave the hotel to catch your flight, you never have to go outside. You just walk straight across the bridges, that enable passengers and airport visitors to walk straight from the car park, to the airport terminals.

Melbourne Airport review by Michael Josem

19 December 2003

In response to Gregory Eckersley, arrival and departure is available on the following website, and is updated every five minutes. I always check before leaving to go to the airport to pick someone up:   Airport Info Link

Melbourne Airport review by Gregory Eckersley

15 December 2003

It would be very useful if the arrival and departure display panels were mirrored on a website. An estimate of the customs clearance times would also be very helpful. This would save a lot of waiting when picking up overseas visitors. I recently picked up business visitors - The flight was delayed more than an hour and it took more than 2 hours to clear customs. Not only a 3 hour wait , but complete uncertainty as to whether they had actually arrived. Even the information desk had no idea as to the like lt clearance delays. The airport facilities are generally very good, but the gothic customs system is almost unparalleled (except perhaps in the US and Japan). Seeing it is probably more important to check outgoing luggage for security reasons, it would be better to inspect outgoing luggage and forward the information to the customs authorities in the land of flight arrival. This would save time and money for customs, passengers and improve flight security.

Melbourne Airport review by Matthew Bohun

6 August 2003

Melbourne is one of the easier international airports to use in my experience. You can get there from the city using the Skybus which runs every 15 minutes and takes about 25 minutes, has plenty of room for luggage and costs AUD21 for a return ticket. Check in is reasonably efficient as is customs and immigration. The International Departures area is quite compact so it is not too far to walk. There is a booth for reclaiming GST and plenty of Duty Free shopping airside. On Arrival you can purchase up to 2 litres of alcohol to bring in duty free. Customs and Immigration can be slow in the morning when about six flights arrive at once, even if every immigration counter is staffed, it can take half an hour or more going through. If you are in transit to a third country you stay airside and don't go through immigration. Baggage can take a while to come through, but I find that to be the case everywhere. Once through customs and immigration there are usually plenty of taxis, the Skybus and the odd limo driver touting for hire (ask to see his/her airport ID before accepting a ride). Taxis and limos are the real plus about arriving at an Australian airport is - they all take major credit cards, albeit with a 10% surcharge. The Skybus is a cash only affair, but there are ATMs at the airport that accept all major credit cards as well as Maestro, Cirrus and Visa Plus. Changing foreign cash in Australia is a major ripoff with a steep fee and a lousy exchange rate - you are much better off using the ATM. If travelling from Europe or Asia via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur change your cash at those airports - no fee and a better exchange rate.

Melbourne Airport review by Erik Rainer

25 July 2003

Arrivals at MEL is a real shambles and sets such a bad impression for first time visitors to Australia. I appreciate that there are peak times at airports and in this case and early morning arrival from Asia-often 4 flights within minutes of each other, however this doesn't excuse the slap dash queuing sytem (bank style) which snakes all the way back through the arrivals walkway and the duty free shop! The hold ups are due to limited immigration counters being open so early in the morning and surly staff interrogating arriving passengers-of course stamping passports and checking visas is their job, but they should all take lessons from Immigration staff in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur where courtesy, a smile and friendliness are second nature. Unfortunately, Australian staff have lost this Australian feature which once made Australia so friendly. Having said this, baggage claim was reasonably fast as was the exit from the airport, but there still remains an old fashioned 60's feel to the airport which is in dire need of refurbishment to compete with other airports in the region.

Melbourne Airport review by M Devor

3 July 2003

Great Airport. Unlike the other airports in Australia, domestic and int'l terminals are interconnected, which I love. On site Hilton is beautiful, modern, and great for transit stays. Distance to the city is insane (another planet). Qantas lounges are also A1. The lounge in the int'l terminal has been redone and is quite impressive. So is their domestic lounge which is just gigantic. Hard to leave when boarding time comes. Cathay lounge isn't bad, but could be bigger. I had problems with the Cathay Pacific check-in, I am sure a generic check in service. She wasn't on the ball and made too many mistakes, thus delaying our checking in and moving on. Worse that it was First Class. You can't spend 30 minutes with each passenger or it delays the flight. The Airport has good shopping and restaurants, but they need more amenities in the int'l airside sector. As for the arrivals formalities, I have no great love for Australia customs and immigration. They are too strict and bureaucratic. That with the departure fees and I would hate to fly in and out of Australia on a regular basis. However, the overall staff at the airport are quite friendly. Just grin and bear it at customs and prepare to have your bags inspected, which is very seldom done (for me) anywhere else.

Melbourne Airport review by Jake Lancaster

25 June 2003

I would have to rate Melbourne airport as one of the worse in the world for baggage services and amenities. Its the only airport where I have to wait frequently for more than 30 minutes for my luggage, all the time and every time. Its also one of the few airports that do not provide a smoking lounge, I am a non smoker and I'm sick of going into the toilets to find people smoking in there as they have no where else to go. I agree with most of the negative comments about this airport.