MELBOURNE AIRPORT review : 19 June 2008 : by N Salmon

Customer Rating : 2/5

I'm a Melburnian and my recent trip through our airport was the second time I've felt let down. With four international flights arriving at once you'd expect a few queues but those in charge are clearly oblivious to the term 'customer service'. I'd just come through the much-maligned Heathrow and it was a far better experience. The line through quarantine was enormous and slow moving with no blue-shirted staff to hand to offer assistance. One passenger near me was trying in vain to connect to a domestic flight and another guy was hassled by the previously invisible staff for jumping the barrier to take his little boy to the toilet on the far side of the baggage hall. It took 95 minutes from gate to taxi rank and all international arrivals have just endured at least an eight hour flight. Can't be a great first impression for visitors.

MELBOURNE AIRPORT review : 7 May 2008 : by Edmund Carew

Customer Rating : 3/5

Ian Baker's comments about Australian quarantine are understandable. Yes, the queues for the 'red' lane (something to declare) move too slowly sometimes. However while I sometimes get mildly annoyed at having to declare processed foods like chocolate, the fact remains that Australia as the only island continent is free of many diseases found in Europe, Asia and the US so quarantine is strict as a result. Could the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service and Australian Customs improve their processing times? Yes, but sometimes there may simply not be enough 'lanes' at the airport in question. This is poor when one considers the massive amounts Australia's airports rake in from travellers and rentals, and the Australian departure tax which is not cheap by world standards.

Melbourne Airport review by Nick Fortuna

15 March 2008   Customer Rating :

Used MEL domestic and international on four occasions - Fri/Sat/Sun. The domestic airport works well enough, though on arrival, the relevant baggage reclaim could do with better signposting. Handy that the domestic international terminals are under the same roof, making transfers between the two much more comfortable - Sydney take note! Plenty of shops, pleasant ambience, and during the times I used the airport, not too busy. Announcements at the gate were hardly audible. One downside: the QANTAS international first class lounge upstairs could use with much better air conditioning. During the hot afternoon I was there, I saw three portable units rattling away in the supposedly rarified atmosphere of an international-standard lounge.

Melbourne Airport review by G Wilson

14 March 2008   Customer Rating :

Domestic terminal (Virgin Blue & Rex) Check-in for VB fine, but Rex not signposted. Asked staff & was helped, no problem. Signage for Rex was waist-high beside check in desk! Perhaps they dont want to be found. Long walk to Rex gate & not much to see or do - but it gets the job done.

Melbourne Airport review by Ian Baker

12 March 2008   Customer Rating :

Arrived evening Sunday 2 March from Bangkok. Long wait for luggage. Then extremely slow queue for baggage to go through Quarantine. Maybe 90 minutes from getting off the plane to being able to leave the airport. Why do all passengers have to go through Quarantine with their baggage? It does not happen elsewhere. If the facility is inadequate - as the slowness illustrates - the authority should select persons to go to Quarantine who are considered 'risky' and let others leave at once.

Melbourne Airport review by S Dobson

21 February 2008   Customer Rating :

Arrived Melbourne international just after the morning rush at 10am. About 2 other flights being processed and queue for immigration long, although flowed smoothly. Didnt help with having inwards duty free where it was. Bags not far behind but arrival hall chaotic. Queue for red exit snaked back through the baggage carousels and took nearly 1.5 hours to be seen by Quarantine. Overheard a few altercations between other pax re queue jumping and more than a few comments about the delays and crowded conditions. International arrivals needs more space and staff to cope with peak periods, especially when the A380 starts services. Staff tried their best to help get people moving but seemed to be overwhelmed with it all. Like all airports peak periods are busy but Melbourne seemed to be bursting at the seams - if you have a choice avoid arriving in the morning.

Melbourne Airport review by J Ralley

14 November 2007   Customer Rating :

When we flew out July 2007 they were still randomly weighing hand luggage before going through passport control. Travelling with a 10 month and 2.5 year old we tried to minimise our bags down to 2 but that meant our carry-on suitcase weighed about 11kg. Luckily we stood our ground and just kept saying that it was for 4 people and in the end they let us through - obviously put it in the "too hard" basket. But just be aware. Good airport otherwise. Not too much to do so don't get there too early but otherwise clean and easy to get around.

Melbourne Airport review by M Duval

18 September 2007   Customer Rating :

Used it a lot 2 years ago. Getting through customs/bagage claim can take a bit long sometimes compared to European or asian airports. Not too big, so no long walks to gates, not too small to get bored at either. Friendly laid back staff - one downside, with many Australian airports it's sometimes annoying having to walk through a duty free shop to get to customs. As is often the case, a lot of duty free shops are directly located in the path you have to walk through when leaving the gates and walking towards customs and baggage claim.

Melbourne Airport review by T Huppatz

2 August 2007   Customer Rating :

We fly frequently in and out of Melbourne. I think it depends on how many planes are taking off or landing at the same time on how long it takes to get thru customs or collecting luggage. Generally we have to queue about 1/2 an hour for luggage. It is a modern, clean airport with lots of cafes, restaurants and shops. Good signage and easy to get around.

Melbourne Airport review by Alasdair Brooks

19 July 2007   Customer Rating :

I flew out of Melbourne on United to LAX in mid-June 2007, and didn't face the second weigh-in airside, nor did I see any sign of anyone else being weighed airside. I'm not saying the two previous postings are wrong, but it would seem that - as of mid-2007 - this wasn't being applied consistently. And is airside in Melbourne's international terminal the only place in Australia with Irn Bru vending machines? What an odd experience it was to see Scotland's favourite soft drink on sale in dedicated vending machines in Melbourne.

Melbourne Airport review by Edmund Carew

31 December 2006   Customer Rating : n/a

T Kelly (27/12) is correct about the second 'weigh-in' immediately upon entering airside, but I've found if you are travelling as an individual and enter the area straight after a family or others, you can escape your hand luggage being weighed. Given the amount of duty free some passengers buy later prior to boarding, this weighing seems superflous and petty bureaucracy at its worst.

Melbourne Airport review by T Kelly

27 December 2006

Decent enough medium-sized airport, but beware: MEL (International) enforces luggage weight restrictions to the letter. Not satisfied with just the regular weigh-in of both checked and hand luggage at check-in, your hand luggage is weighed again upon entering passport control. Depending on staff on the day, exceeding the limit by a mere couple of hundred grams could have you on your knees in front of everyone removing contents from your bag until they satisfy said staff member. Not the happiest way to leave the country. The second weigh-in at passport control was new to me, as I had never encountered this at other Australian international airports. Always long lines at immigration. When leaving Australia, after passport control, Duty Free is inescapable..... you have to walk through it to reach the departure lounge. Shameless. Departure area makes you feel a little "hemmed in": after the inescapable duty free, there is a long corridor similar to the Virgin Blue terminal, with shops on either side. Towards the end, the space becomes round with seating areas, cafe, newsagents, etc. This area feels very crowded when several flights are departing at around the same time. Overall, a decent enough international airport, but staff attitude could often be improved, and if departing from MEL, do watch your luggage weight to avoid public humiliation!!

Melbourne Airport review by Mike Langran

21 June 2006

Arrived from SIN and what a delight! No queues at immigration or customs. Bags came off quickly thanks to priority tags. Loved the Commonwealth Games arrival carpet - decked out for the 100m! Really pleasant arrival and on our way in next to no time. Staff pleasant and friendly.

Melbourne Airport review by Peter Snow

20 April 2006

My wife and I travelled outward through Tullamarine on Saturday 15 April. Check-in for Air NZ was a breeze, admittedly with Koru Club membership, and Immigration and Security with no queues at all. New Air NZ Lounge looks excellent but spoilt by children screaming most of the time (not crying but playing). Certainly not an oasis! Used the shuttle bus from downtown, and most impressed. Pickup near hotel right on time, and only 20 minutes to airport from Southern Cross Terminus - cannot do much better than that in a cab at three times the price.

Melbourne Airport review by A Kattula

12 April 2006

Had not been through international terminal since 1994! Terminal is a credit to Melbourne with fast check in and efficient immigration outbound. Admittedly it was 6am on a Saturday! Plenty of shops and clean facilities airside. Prices in shops seemed quite reasonable. Return through Qantas domestic terminal was again efficient but a long walk from gate to baggage claim. Travellators would be appreciated by many. Taxi supervisor arranged for maxi cab due party of 4 with large baggage without any delay. Overall a fantastic airport to use!

Melbourne Airport review by Jeffrey Leong

27 March 2006

I was surprised that Mark Stoneham had been told to get rid of his chocolates upon arrival in Australia from London. I had some chocolates in my pocket which I had only realised I had on me upon arrival (in Sydney, not Melbourne). I asked one of the customs officers whether I should throw them away or not. She indicated that it was alright to bring them in as they were only chocolates. Different officers, different standards, with one more understanding than the other perhaps? As for checking in, I do not know about international flights but for domestic flights at Tullamarine Airport for me was very quick indeed. What surprised me about the airport was how relatively expensive it was to take the bus service from Tullamarine to downtown Melbourne - AUD15 one way. Compared to neighbouring Sydney, it cost only AUD15 for a return ticket. on the minibus service from the airport door-to-door to a hotel in downtown Sydney.

Melbourne Airport review by Mark Stoneham

9 February 2006

On the whole it is a stress-free experience. It is light and airy and very clean. plenty of shops and good duty free. Also plenty of comfortable seating - however, every time I have left from Tulla, the queues at immigration / passport control have been horrendous. Allow plenty of time to go through and get to your gate. The very first time I left Tulla I almost missed my flight home! Also, check in queues can be trying and slow, though this could depend on your airline. This February I was flying up to Singapore with BA on the first leg of my homeward journey to London. They were checking in more than one flight at our desk and as a result, I began to woder if I'd reach the check in desk before my scheduled departure time. I explained my predicament to two officials who told me to be patient and were not at all worried on my behalf. The third kindly took me to another desk where I checked in immediately - then went to join the aforementioned immigration queue! My final comment - the first time I arrived in Melbourne, I was unaware of the laws regarding bringing foodstuffs into the country - in my case chocolate. The very first Australian official I met told me in his own inimitable fashion that I was breaking the law and to 'Get rid of it!' Welcome to Australia!

Melbourne Airport review by P de Figueiredo

6 February 2006

As a Melburnian myself, I could be biased when writing about my hometown airport. Being small, Tulla is relatively easy to make your way through and is also quite well laid out. However, authorities need to consider expansion as the International terminal is at choking point at times, especially when a number of flights arrive at similar times. With international departures, it's good that the shops after customs are open even at odd hours so that passengers departing after midnight can still access the amenities. It's a shame that this isn't the case before customs as one cannot enjoy a coffee with their relatives before departing on these flights. It's an inconvenience that one has to pay for luggage trolleys at the domestic terminals, but I suppose that's the case at all Australian airports nowadays. The Virgin Blue terminal certainly takes its time with luggage. Tulla is far away from the bulk of Melbourne's population in the east and southeast, and without some non-road-transport link can be an ordeal to get to. It's a shame that the government does not see fit to build an airport rail link that could link up with other suburban rail services.

Melbourne Airport review by Edmund Carew

14 November 2005

Ben Dowing's comments (2/11/05) were largely correct, but the Metlink bus from near Flinders Street Station (Oliver Lane) only runs once a week (on Sundays at 1315!) Otherwise, catch a train to Essendon or Broadmeadows stations, but check with www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au as the bus services do not run at all hours and can be relatively infrequent. Skybus is faster and operates far more frequently from the corner of Spencer and Lonsdale Sts, Melbourne but at A$13 single and A$24 return, it is the most expensive airport - city shuttle service for an Australian capital city, and dearer than the airport - city trains in Sydney and Brisbane that Melbourne currently lacks.

Melbourne Airport review by Ben Downing

2 November 2005

Getting to Tulla by public transport. By Train : catch a City - Broadmeadows train to Essendon Railway Station or catch any train to Flinders Street Railway Station and catch a bus directly to the Melbourne Airport. By Tram : Catch a 59 Airport West - City (Flinders Street / Elizabeth Street) to Airport West, then catch a bus. By Bus : For all tourists and passengers travelling to and from Melbourne Airport, three buses are available for direct travel: 478 Moonee Ponds - Melbourne Airport. 479 Moonee Ponds - Sunbury (via Melbourne Airport). 500 Broadmeadows - Sunbury (Victoria University) (via Melbourne International Airport). Alternatively, SkyBus provides bus services from Spencer Street Station to the Melbourne Airport.

Melbourne Airport review by Alasdair Brooks

21 October 2005

Just a comment on what Andrew Wright wrote below. It is in fact possible to catch public transport to Melbourne Airport (at least during daylight hours). It's just a little awkward as you'll typically need to combine a bus ride with a tram or train trip. Nonetheless, it can be done for as little as five Australian dollars if you're prepared for the minor hassle.

Melbourne Airport review by Christian Farias

29 August 2005

Travel frequently from US to Melbourne, and usually also use for domestic travel for other business/pleasure. I appreciate both international and domestic under one roof/one terminal - and just don't understand why other Aussie cities have split operations! In this regard, MEL is the easiest to use Down Under. The domestic QF terminal great, an the business class lounge spacious and comfortable. On the other hand, I find QF international lounge much below par - in space, design and services. Doesn't help aesthetically that it's in the basement, as are all the international airline lounges. Virgin Blue domestic is "on par", neither remarkable nor lacking in any way, just average. The international terminal could use better duty free - it's minimal - and they need to improve the space allocated to the airline lounges. But, in general, easy to use - which is what really matters to me, and especilly compared to the other Aussie airports (and I have been through them all) - if otherwise rather standard (with exception of the QF domestic lounge, which is very good by my standards). I haven't had any problems with passport/immigration, but maybe I've been lucky, and it doesn't hurt that the US flight is an early arrival and I'm in the group off the plane first. Of course, it's also a pleasure just o be arriving in Melbourne, which has grown on me and now my favorite city in Australia by far. 

Melbourne Airport review by Andrew Wright

9 June 2005

I was very impressed by the colour and cleanliness of Melbourne's International airport. Rather than wall to wall commercial advertising - something I have observed at Sydney airport and a number overseas - there were posters and artworks portraying Melbourne as a vibrant and cultured city. It immediately put me in a good mood for exploring the city further. I can't comment on luggage or immigration, as I was a domestic passenger (flight went overseas on the next leg), except to say that the luggage collection area seemed a bit dark. It's a pity that you can't use Melbourne's excellent public transport network to get to the airport and are forced to take the straight-to-the- city coach service.

Melbourne Airport review by Kenneth Cheng

29 May 2005

Used Melbourne Tullamarine International Terminal for 2 times already. Airport was quite clean. Lines at the check-in points were terribly long. Extremely friendly and helpful check-in officers made up for the wait. Duty free shops sold stuff like nougats, chocolates, perfumes and more. The number of duty-free shops were adequate but their duty-free stores are definitely not comparable with the one's at Singapore Changi Airport. Overall, Melbourne is just an okay airport with a- little-more-than-basic necessities for an international airport.

Melbourne Airport review by David Postle

23 May 2005

I use Melbourne Airport quite frequently on international connections (I fly 10- 15 long haul international flights per year Europe-Aust-Europe) and have found it to be generally user friendly. Customs are no better or worse compared to most countries I fly, although one's own demeanour can be a factor in the mix. In respect of Erica Lewis' comments (31-8-04), extrapolating her views on an airport to Australia as a whole is condescending. 

Melbourne Airport review by Andrew Willow

23 April 2005

Melbourne Tullamarine is a reasonable airport on most fronts but does suffer in luggage delays, ineffecient immigration processes and poor design of pedestrian walk ways from the short term car park. The Check-in counter system for both International and domestic flights works well compared to other major airports but as most international flights are long haul these can be quite long. The International terminal does need a smokers room and possibly more retail outlets with food and beverage. What happened to the express immigration cards that really sped up the process for australian passport holders and therefore reducing congestion on early arrivals. I agree the customs and immigration staff are rude and offer no empathy for non english speaking visitors. This may be due to their lack of travel experience and/ or acceptance of different cultures. Car parking is stupidly expensive and should be subsidised possibly from retail rents etc. The Jet Star check in for smaller domestic destinations was a joke. The staff were incompetent and it was interesting to see the lack of any security checks as to your identity. They asked me my name and thats it? Other carriers ask you to produce a valid ID. I also found Jet Star to be just as incompetent for the rest of the journey. The next few months at Tullamarine will be interesting as they widen the run way and aprons for the arrival of the A380. Hopefully this will see further improvements to the terminal and other problematic areas. On the good side there has been a remarkable improvement in International passenger numbers something like +14%, considering the effects of SARS and other world events this shows Melbourne is improving the appeal to international visitors!

Melbourne Airport review by Paddy Ward

12 April 2005

Hit and miss with MEL. Arrived on April 3 and no problems. When I arrived again to return to New Zealand - well it was somewhat appalling. Check-in was fine but immigration/passport control was diabolical - and I mean diabolical. I was mortified to see a huge queue snaking out to near the entry doors. I overheard customs officials making racist remarks to themselves and laughing about it and previous comments about racism rang true. Very glad to get out of there this time round.

Melbourne Airport review by Antonius Gunawan

6 April 2005

Arrived from SIN yesterday morning on SQ flight around 9 AM. The airport was okay (been using this airport for almost 3 years), but the strange things was only two immigration counter was open for non-Australian passports. While, they open almost 5 counters for Australian passport holders. I believe in most flights, it would be more visitors rather than residents. But luckily, the flight was not so full and spent almost 45 min queuing in immigrations. Try not to come with flight that clash with other 4 jumbo plane, otherwise you'll have to tell people who will pick you up to come 2 hours after scheduled arrival time.

Melbourne Airport review by Alasdair Brooks

7 March 2005

I live in Melbourne and use the airport for both domestic and international flights. I only moved to Melbourne 3 1/2 years ago after previously living in the UK, USA, Belgium and Iceland, so I have some experience of airports around the world. I find the domestic terminals - both Virgin and Qantas - to be perfectly acceptable by international standards, though the Qantas gates closer to the main terminal have better facilities than those further away. So you're better off in that regard flying to a mainland SE capital rather than, say, Hobart. I've never flown on Jet Star so can offer no comments there. Having international and domestic in the same building (there's only really one terminal, despite references to 'International terminal', 'Qantas terminal' and 'Virgin Blue terminal') is certainly convenient, but realistically the international terminal isn't perfect. Duty free and eating options airside are limited. As far as arriving in Melbourne... until recently I always used to find an excuse to declare something as the 'something to declare' queue was _always_ faster than the 'nothing to declare' queue. Everyone going through green had their bags x- rayed, while going through red often found you quickly questioned and efficiently allowed through without the bag even being opened. While I wouldn't advocate breaking the law (ahem), I understand that some travellers would take advantage of this weird loophole to sneak in otherwise problematic foodstuffs. However, upon arriving in Melbourne from HKG this January, travellers were being waived through the green line without being x-rayed, and the red line was divided into several _long_ sub queues, with the option of x-rays available for every sub-queue (though we _still_ weren't x-rayed - not that we had any reason to worry about being x-rayed, I hasten to add). I don't know if this is a new policy, or a temporary measure, but it's worth keeping in mind. I find complaints about immigration when arriving in Melbourne to be misplaced; I've always made it through fairly quickly, even when arriving in the morning SE Asia arrival rush. Certainly Melbourne is vastly preferable in this regard to Heathrow, Sydney, or most US East Coast or SE asian airports. I find travel links to the city to be affordable and convenient; Melbourne simply doesn't have the volume of traffic to warrant a train link, but the 24 hour Skybus service to the city drops you off at the main city train station for both suburban and country trains in only c.20 minutes (rush hour traffic can slow the bus down), while taxi prices are highly competitive compared to most major cities. It's also only a short walk between short term parking and the terminal. It's true that the international arrivals area looks like it hasn't been redecorated since the 60s, but it's not as if that's a part of the airport I'd hang around in any city. Given that the only destinations travellers are likely to transit to are other Australian cities (let's face it, you don't fly into Melbourne to transit to another international destination), it doesn't need to compare to Singapore or Hong Kong. Realistically, the lack of traffic volume compared to other cities of comparable size means that Melbourne airport offers entirely reasonable services. It does what it's designed to do perfectly adequately.

Melbourne Airport review by Phil Ohman

15 February 2005

I agree with Eric Stipic. I arrived from HKG last week with 1.5 hours between QF flights and was faced with over an hour to even reach immigration. Then 5 or 6 jumbo's worth of passengers had to get through customs. Not an experience I enjoyed, and I'll not deliberately transit MEL again.

Melbourne Airport review by Hans Lampl

15 February 2005

Avoid stopovers in Melbourne if you are a smoker. There is no smoking lounge at all and as a transit passenger you don't have access to the outside areas of the airport as well.

Melbourne Airport review by Bradley Montag

30 January 2005

I flew jetstar to MCY on 18/1 returning 25/1. Check in was very smooth and staff very friendly. Although after check in it can be unclear where to go afterwards as there was very little signage, but still managed to find it. The Qantas terminal as well as all the others are very clean and once passed check-in, very easy to find your gate. Security was very quick to check through. Returning on the other hand was a bit of a mess when Jetstar had 3 flights on 1 carousel when there were 5 free carousels in the terminal. I still believe MEL is one of the best airports in Australia. It's no Changi but it has potential.

Melbourne Airport review by Erik Stipic

9 January 2005

Arrivals at Melbourne Airport is a real disgrace-especially when 5 or 6 flights arrive within 10 mins of each other in the early mornings. The queues for immigration are long and disorganized but the real joke is the inept attempt by quarantine officials shouting out instructions to arriving passengers who have little or no understanding of the Australian version of English on what they must do to clear customs and completion of the forms.We witnessed in amazement as a group of Asian nationals were reprimanded for not understanding English as they were not able to complete their arrival card correctly. What a sad indictment of Australia's multi cultural approach to visitors-it was embarrassing to say the least. Why aren't more multi lingual staff employed to handle certain shifts to ease the process? Maybe there aren't enough graduates now in Asian or other foreign languages since the federal government has cut funding to LOTE programs. Not a very welcoming place for visitors or returning residents. Lets hope that the airport upgrades its services and attitudes before the next Commonwealth Games.

Melbourne Airport review by L De Le

3 November 2004

With regards to Erica Lewis and Erik Rainer’s comments, I certainly agree that the Immigration for arrivals at MEL does need some serious overhaul to overcome the problems that is currently being experienced. There are immigration arrival cards in about seven different languages so you would have hoped that the applicant would have filled them out correctly. Also the Airports overseas does have capabilities to process those cards prior to landing at MEL however there is no excuse for bad treatment to the newly arrivals. The second point is the quarantine is that there are still many people that bring in foods stuff into Australia when they shouldn’t have and they have declared that in the immigration arrival cards. This brings a difficult situation to both the arrivals and the quarantine officers when it comes to cultural and language barriers. There are a few suggestions that you should do if you come to Australia the next time. Firstly take details of the names and details of any officer that appears to be hindering your arrival to Australia. There are feedback forms and do use them at all conveniences as should there be more complaints, the Australian tourism authority will certainly want to correct that. The bulk of the Immigration and Quarantine issues are in the mornings when there are several airplanes that lands so take a flight that lands in the afternoon or evening. By that you can go through quarantine and immigration with minimal fuss. After that, “Welcome to Australia”

Melbourne Airport review by R Rivers

1 November 2004

Since it was privatised Melbourne airport has become more interested in finding profit centres (your pocket) for minimal service. Not surprising as it is all but a monopoly business, and so a wonderful cash cow for its new owners. One aside - the queuing for taxis outside is a joke. The taxi controllers have no idea what they are doing as they order taxis to come forward thereby cutting off occupied taxis trying to leave and thus slowing everything up (not nice in the sharp winds of winter) much easier to have customers moving up even before the taxis arrive -but then the taxi controllers would require a few minutes of training, which seems too much for the airport.