Perth Airport Passenger Reviews and Perth Airport Traveller Reports

Airline Reviews

Airline Seat Reviews

Airport Reviews

The worst airport in the western world and is a disgrace. You go to level 2 to the departure lounge which is small and then board on the first floor. This airport needs to be completely rebuilt in another location as it also has severe cross winds at times on landing. Should be relocated to Pearce and left as a domestic airport.

I don't understand how this airport has been so bad for so long. Even before the current boom in passenger numbers it was a disappointment to have to fly through. I flew to Japan via Hong Kong early last year. It was meant to be a midnight departure, however, the plane had a flat tyre which could not be rectified immediately and the flight was cancelled until 1pm the next day. However, there was supposedly a change in immigration staff, which meant that (a) the incoming staff were not going to be rostered on until 2am, and (b) we were unable to leave the airport until we had been processed though immigration. Eventually we were able to leave the airport at 4.30am, because it also took airport staff ages to work out what to do with us. I understand that delays occur, but delays occur all the time and this airport doesn't seem to have any ability to plan, its as if each delay requires a new plan to (attempt to) deal with passengers. Every time I have flown through this airport there are not enough immigration staff and it takes unnecessarily long to clear immigration. I once went to pick up friends who had arrived back from the UK, and after waiting for 2 hours I left as I assumed that either they had missed their flight or we had missed each other in the greeting area and they had caught a taxi. Two other flights had arrived at the same time and immigration couldn't cope as usual, and it took them 3 hours to get out. The installation of a few electronic passport processing gate has dulled the arrival pain a little for locals, but this has simply reduced the queuing time for immigration to a slightly comparable time that Hong Kong or Singapore Airport takes to manually process thousands of arriving visitors. Regardless of the time saving that the e-gates has brought, you then need to wait for your bags in the woefully small baggage carousel area. By the time the baggage arrives on the carousel the other passengers being manually processed by immigration have caught up. Nothing positive to say about this badly planned, under invested airport.

Had a great experience when arriving into Australia. Plenty of trolleys (free airside) and a very smooth process through immigration. None of the horror stories from other travellers. Similarly smooth process for our internal flight a week later with Qantas.

Shambles of an international airport. The last time I flew back into Perth International there were constant apologies over the public address system for delays in immigration waiting time because a couple of flights had arrived at the same time. I don't know why they bothered apologising, because there is no excuse. The airport knows when flights are arriving and should schedule the appropriate number of staff, and the same problem has occurred each time I have flown back to Perth for the last 15 years - hardly a once off issue. Combine this with inadequate baggage carousels to handle the multiple number of flights arriving, and it really is an underwhelming experience flying back home. Departures are pretty average. Pretty tired and unimaginative waiting departure lounge area. The gates are from another era in aviation - you have to walk down stairs to get to the aircraft walkways, thankfully I am still able bodied otherwise it would make boarding the plane just another unenjoyable experience of using this airport. As a Perth resident I'm embarrassed.

Departure "lounge" was appalling. PA system didn't work, display screens weren't on, we changed gates 3 times - and told by someone pointing and gesturing that we all needed to move and hence the people already at the gate - also needed to move. Then when we did start boarding - we all had to climb down a couple of flights of stairs to reach the aircraft bridge - too bad for all those elderly passengers who would have used the escalators or lifts to get up to the departure "lounge". As born and bred Western Australians I was embarrassed. But then again the airport owners know what alternative do we have for international travel from WA - swim?

Perth domestic airport : the poor quality food and exorbitant prices is shameful. One would be advised to stay clear of these outlets. A small coffee and a greasy inedible toasted cheese sandwich costs close to $16. The staff were rude, unfriendly and long queues. The only reason they are in business is because there is no competition. If they are located out in the real world, no one would patronise them.

Try to arrive here in the early afternoon, it's the best time and should not take too long to clear immigration as there are only 2 or 3 flights arriving from Asia (Singapore and Bali). I found the immigration officers were helpful and worked quickly, custom clearance was simple too. Even if you had something to declare, it did not take long at all. Shame about the trolley cost money, if your luggage has wheels, and you don't have too many bags, you don't really need it. Can't comment on incoming or outgoing transportation as I have friends who pick me up and drop me off. All in all, an ok experience, just another average airport.

Arriving here is a terrible introduction to Australia! Antiquated procedures, long queues, jobsworths in passport and customs jobs. Frightful. The last straw for me was having to pay a non-refundable $4.00 for a trolley on departure.

As a Perth resident and regular user of the airport I feel quite embarrassed about the management of Perth Airport. The facilities are passable, the cleanliness is OK, but the queue experience has to be experienced to be believed. Much of the problem relates to the fact that airport facilities are federally governed. The customs and security queue length and sluggishness reflect this and passengers should expect to spend up to 2 hours or more to get in and out of the place. Even when the load is high there seems to be little interest in increasing staff to compensate. As a local I apologise for your experience at Perth airport.

Perth Intl Airport is a dysfunctional disgrace! Waiting times to collect baggage is a least 10 times slower than professionally run airports like Singapore's Changi. The Long term car park system is a pathetic farce, imagine traveling long hours with 3 bags and then boarding a shuttle bus through one door while departing passengers scramble out, and then getting to the drop off point and having to drag 3 heavy bags over a hundred meters to ones car because no trolleys are provided. Perhaps the most disgraceful thing about this badly run airport is if one has a serious issue that needs to be dealt with there is no one working outside the hours of 9am to 1pm to be of help. I strongly advise and warn travellers if they can to avoid Perth!

Domestic Terminal. Renovations and road works are slowing down an already over stretched airport. The taxi lines are ridiculously long here and to be avoided at all cost when you realise the prize for getting to the front of the line is a Perth Taxi driver. There are a number of deluxe chauffeured car companies in Perth which are a much better option than taxis and do not cost a great deal more.

When I used the long term car park, parking was fine its just the difficulty of trying to manoeuvre a suitcase and carry on luggage onto a shuttle bus when your a lady travelling on her own. Its very hard to do. Trying to lift the suitcase up on the bus by myself was a complete and utter nightmare. Only on my way back to the car park did I get some help from a caring passenger. Its appalling. Please bring back long term parking closer to the airport like before, that way I could have used a trolley to carry my belongings.

Perth International Airport is shocking. Lack of shops and duty free. Toilets are old in the arrival area. Customs act like Military Police. Staff are in-polite and prices are excessive. Still using stairway for departure!

I travel extensively and I am appalled at the lack of facilities, the incompetence of the staff and the slowness of customs clearance and passport control at the Perth International airport. The staff generally treat the travellers as subordinates and have little patience and tolerance with non-English speaking visitors. The airport is totally inadequate. I always dread coming home because of the wait and frustration that awaits me. Can't we learn something from other countries where they do it right?

I hate Perth Airport, especially the domestic one. Staff are generally unfriendly, especially the Skywest and the shops. The prices for everything are steep, but you get sub-standard quality. Everything closes at 5, so if your flight leaves after that, you're in a ghost town. When I last visited there was no instructions on trolleys on what coins the machine takes, so ended up trying everything (while carrying a tired, crying baby). Transport to Perth shocking, only taxis, expensive and queues! No announcements/notices that travel time to City is much longer because of the road works (ended up missing my return flight). Looks dated and is the most boring airport in the world! Stay away if you can. Perth people could learn to smile and be polite.

The shuttle bus is $18 from International and $15 from Domestic. A taxi will cost you about $50+ to the city. Remember that the city is 30-40 minutes away from the Airports. They are doing a lot of upgrades to the airports (apparently the Domestic/International will be in the same building). The transfer bus between the terminals is now free and run approx every 20 minutes during peak time (3am-1700ish).

Horrible airports, both Domestic and International. The exit hall and process to an outgoing International flight is pathetic. Crowded and procedure instructions are unclear. A whole plane load of people filling in forms meant there were queues on top of queues. We were travelling with a baby and no sign indicated that he needed a customs form so that was a hiccup. Toilets are all third world affairs especially in the Domestic terminal. Returning to catch the bus to Domestic was awful. Our flight was late but no one asked for passengers like us, catching other flights, to move to the head of the endless queues. Only 3 staff appeared to be handling an entire flight. The bus was held for us which was sweet of the staff member involved, but we couldn't sit (and no one was prepared to stand for my daughter and grandson). In a country that makes a huge drama out of safety - bike helmets etc - it seemed absurd to stand in a crowded bus holding a small child. The driver made no effort to ensure that one of us sat and held the child in comparative safety. The bus aisles were also full of heavy luggage which made standing even more dangerous. Yes we could have got off and missed our flight but we can't be the only passengers arriving in the middle of the night with a baby in tow who simply want to get home! The Domestic terminal was riddled with sour-faced staff, grubby baby change rooms and disgusting loos.

Perth Airport Domestic Terminal is a nightmare compared to any other that we have passed through and drastically needs modernising or re-building. The layout from arrival to baggage carousel is very tortuous and convoluted. The signs over the carousels do not always show all the flights and carousels accommodate more than one flight. Very frustrating for "Jetlagged" Passengers. The strap of a suitcase became caught in the conveyor belt at its entry point into the hall and it began to knock other bags on to the floor. Despite several urgent calls for assistance, three bags were dislodged, when a passenger leapt on to the belt and managed to free the blockage. There was no acknowledgement from any" Baggage Handlers". Arrivals passengers pass through the departing passengers lounges on the way to the carousels. Anything could be passed from one to the other! The staff are efficient and friendly but the Airport is a shambles and a security nightmare. A Rapid Transit system is needed to convey passengers to the City.

Very crowded at check in, very crowded at security, limited food outlets with very expensive prices. Service is terrible. The seating is uncomfortable. Boarding planes and getting in the air is slow. When flying back into Perth the flight is nearly always slowed down, generally there is no where to park the plane, so a bus is used. Luggage trolleys need to be paid for, waiting for a taxi is very slow with only 7 taxi bays for the whole of airport. I have travelled the world and Australia. Perth Airport is a terrible experience. Stay away if you can.

There are 5 gates at the international terminal (soon to be significantly more) and chances are, if you arrive during the busiest period late (00:00 through 03:00), then chances are you will be put onto a remote stand, adding delays because of a required bus journey. Immigration and customs is the biggest joke. It will either take you 30 mins or 3 hours. Unfortunately, the customs hall cannot cope with the number of pax it currently handles, and it is drastically overcrowded and understaffed. The shuttle to the domestic terminal is free to only for those holding South African Airways or Qantas tickets - about $7 each way otherwise. No train service to the airport - just a bus to the city.

Despite the money spent on it in recent years, cannot hide what is a flawed design it was when built on the cheap. All international passengers departing have to laboriously climb down drab and dismal stairs akin to fire escape stairs to get to the departure gates on the floor below is shocking. The queuing to get through the when departing is always long. The queuing times for arrival though have improved.

Flew into Perth from Manchester via Singapore? Manchester was once voted worlds best airport, and Singapore Changi is the best airport I have ever been through today. Perth International is an embarrassment to this wonderful city! It is 1hr 40mins from landing to finally meeting my family in arrivals. Could you please have a few more officers on duty to speed things along? Departures is a very depressing place, with very few facilities, this really is a sorry farewell to a great country!

The international terminal is old and rundown with low ceilings, very little room to even walk to the gate, slow customs and security areas and above all terrible parking. The only good thing is the Qantas Club which was clean and comfortable. If you happen to be there when there are lots of flights arriving and departing and manage to get to the windows there is a good view of the start of runway 21 and runway 24. Am eagerly awaiting the completion of the much need upgrade of the entire airport which looks very good.

Arrived from KUL early yesterday morning and the airport was in chaos. I have never seen such disorganisation. No thought put into an effective system of moving people and the airport was definitely under staffed. My wife's baggage came out 45 minutes after mine. I travel a fair bit and often to "developing countries" and I have to say Perth International Airport is the worst airport for arriving at.

Worst ever airport experience. Arrived just after midnight on 22 April from London via Singapore and took 1.5 hrs to get through passport control and baggage checks. Only two people on passport control. Another colleague in the line way behind me took 3 hours to do the same! Announcements stated that a few flights had landed at the same time and "we appreciate your patience". On checking this fact, it appears that 7 scheduled flights arrive regularly between 11.45pm and 12.15am and the airport just cannot cope. Unacceptable for a so-called international airport.

Appalling. We arrived on a flight from Singapore, which coincided with another plane or two arriving about midnight, and the place had ground to a standstill. Enormous queues stretched everywhere, non-Australians had no idea what was going on and lines of exhausted travellers were forced to wait for up to 2 hours just to get out of the place. My wife and I were embarrassed to be carrying Australian passports which implied that we usually tolerated this.

There is no point going to check-in 3 hours before your flight as there wont be anyone there to check you-in. We returned from Singapore at Midnight to find an absolute shambles at immigration. There would have been approx 2,000 people trying to get through. No instruction from staff, just lines and lines of people. It took almost 2 hours to get through.

Agonisingly slow to check in: how can it be that the bag drop for Internet check in can take an hour? Woefully undermanned throughout. Access to and from the city is an expensive joke. Friendly enough people, but the airport management should be ashamed of itself.

Departing Perth is just as painful as arriving. No airlines allow early check-in, maximum 3 hours is needed due to the fact that passport control is often heaving with people, it took me 45 minutes to get through the other night with no express lane for business class or frequent flyers. Often there are minimal officers on duty. The security lanes, both of them take forever and usually there are explosive tests and then another pat down! Then in to the lounge which has no stock, poor food and minimal drinks. Arrival in to Perth is just as bad as those comments below, even with the new fast track passports. Perth airport is a national disgrace.

Count me in along with the countless of other reviewers who have mentioned that if 2 or 3 planes land around the same time, the airport descends into a cluttered mess. Common for only 3 or 4 booths to be open despite having a queue. Customs officials react to this by sitting idly by in their little booths, indifferent to the madness and chaos before them. I was on a flight from Singapore, the queue to get out of the airport dragged on for more than an hour and a half. How many more bad reviews, and "Top 10 Worst Airports in the World" rankings does the West Australian government need before it opens its eyes and revamps and expands their one dismal international terminal?

Has to be one of the worst in the world! Facilities are old and deficient. Massive queues everywhere, queue for check-in, customs, immigration. It took me 2 hours to get through upon my arrival. Do what you can to avoid this airport!

Entering Australia through this airport is not a pleasant experience at all, especially after having travelled 20 hours or so to get there. Huge queues to get through immigration, an extremely long wait for baggage and finally, line after line of people trying to get out of the airport through customs and quarantine. Exiting was better but not at all impressed with the four dollar charge for the use of a trolley.

The worst airport in the World. 90 minutes to clear immigration and customs, because 2 planes landed within 30 minutes of each other. Heathrow handles over 1,000 flights a day, and clearing there never takes more than 15 minutes. Perth Airport should hang its head in shame. Couples with children and older people with sticks, are forced to wait 90 minutes without any refreshments or seating.

Perth Airport has to be the worst airport to fly into. If you are flying in from abroad you are almost certain to be greeted by long lines at immigration then a long wait for your bags before joining another long queue at Quarantine. The domestic terminal does not have enough gates so on the last 5 flights in 3 have been delayed because the plane is on the ground but could not dock. Terminal facilities in the domestic is backwards. The budget Virgin terminal has all the facilities and the Qantas has bare basic facilities.

The reception is a laughing stock, customs officers repeating the question - anything to declare even after having filled in your arrivals card, the lines of people when 2 planes have landed has to be seen. It took us 1hr 50mins to get through, then clever management makes us cross over from the terminal for our car pick up and now they want you to pay $4 for a trolley - what next.

Out of all airports we have travelled through Perth is the worst. A sad thing to say about our home airport. The lines in customs are ridiculous. They need to learn from Thailand how to run an efficient airport. Orderly queues and faster processing through customs. One guy who was also travelling with children had to go and approach AQS and demand an agent attend to our queue. I am ashamed to be Australian given that we are supposed be a first world country running a below par airport.

We arrived in the luggage retrieval area of Perth Airport to find passengers from the previous flight had been waiting for over half an hour for luggage. We travelled business class but still our luggage took over 15 minutes to be unloaded. We proceeded to join the queue which wound round until we found ourselves in a queue that was stationary for over 15 mins because staff were taking passengers from other queues. We had families with young children and elderly people in our queue that had travelled for 7.5 hrs! In all, it took us nearly an 1 hr 20 mins to clear the arrivals area. The upside for Perth airport? Well, my daughter who collected us put over ten dollars in the parking machine!

I've found processing in Perth on outward journeys not too bad. This is not the case with Domestic. The queuing is insane in the Qantas check-in and the service is the poorest I've seen. On the inward journey immigration for Australians is fast with the E-processing but that's where it stops. Baggage took 40 mins to arrive. Then the customs. We had nothing to declare yet had to line up with those who did and still had each bag searched thoroughly taking 1 hr 15 mins. In all Perth airports are a bit of an embarrassment.

I am disappointed to say that our international airport is the worst I have experienced and improvements do not seem to be coming quick enough. There are not enough immigration officers to stamp incoming passengers, leaving people waiting in line for unacceptable duration's of time. There does not seem to be any avenues for priority service for people travelling with young children. I understand that the eticket system would make things a lot quicker but majority of travellers still do not have this service on their passports. The quarantine line is unbelievable. I have found that you should add at least an extra 1 hour from the time you enter the immigration hall to getting out of the hotel to get through all the systems.

I can forgive the lack of duty free shopping and food options as I understand its not a very busy airport. I could even forgive the poor facilities and the cheap, low grade look, if it were not for the horrible staffing - luggage check-in, immigration officers, quarantine officers, parking and traffic controllers. Their unfriendliness is only matched by inefficiency and ineffectiveness of their systems.

Airport is a joke with outdated facilities and terrible layout. The international and domestic are at separate terminals (shared runway) however have no shuttle or train connections. The parking staff (drop-off/pick-up) are awful and cannot cope when multiple cars pull up at once. Completely below international standards, not recommended. Lounge facilities also small.

Very poor connection shuttle service between international and domestic. Service is trying to serve both city bound and terminal transfer passengers. As all bags are unloaded at international for customs clearance and have to be resubmitted at domestic. The need a terminal transfer bus only and not mixing with city bound passengers. These buses are not designed for ease of access to baggage. Chaotic really. International passengers should be able to recheck-in luggage for domestic travel at the international area and not have to lug it across town.

Customer Rating :  1/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  1/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  1/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  2/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  3/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  1/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating :  5/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Customer Rating : 2/5

Customer Rating : 1/5

Customer Rating : 1/5

Customer Rating : 2/5

Customer Rating : 2/5

Customer Rating : 2/5

Customer Rating : 2/5

Customer Rating : 1/5

Customer Rating : 3/5

Customer Rating : 3/5

 
Earlier comments have been archived (ie. prior to the date of last comment above).