Sydney Airport Passenger Reviews and Sydney Airport Customer opinions

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Having arrived from London, we were treated to chaos in the customs area. Having been in London for 3 years I was shocked but the lack of forethought that had gone into the redesign of the area. Signs did not give accurate indications of where to stand, particularly when there were crowds, doors opens into queues, the microchip scanning only works 50 percent of the time and seemed to have been designed by someone who assumed only 4 or 5 people would be using the service at one time. Staff couldn't care less that the scanning area was ineffective and that people were wandering around looking for assistance when the automatic machine wouldn't allow them to pass through. After queuing for the auto machines, I was told the queue for assistance I then had to join wouldn't take long. Having seen the people in the standard queue who exited the plane with me leave the customs area, I then had to stay for another 15 minutes. When I got to the front of the queue there was no apology or explanation for the delay or malfunction of the equipment, in fact the woman was chatting to the other woman next to her about her weekend. Se was rude and when I didn't utter a word when my passport was handed back she commented to her friend that I wasn't very happy in a sarcastic tone. Out in the baggage collection the same issue with snaking queues and lack of movement was evident. The entire design seemed to be based on creating collisions with no forethought to the fact that people had to push huge trolleys throw queues of people with huge trolleys. Unsurprisingly, the woman directing us to aisles for baggage checks was equally obnoxious. There seemed to be no supervision of the staff, who couldn't have cared less about providing any sort of service. ve no customer service aptitude to employ.

I used SYD last month for flights to and from the U.S. As a departure airport, Sydney International is an airport of contrasts. For example, the nice leather lounges with the recharging stations and the high ceiling in the central space feels just great. However, as you near your gate, the ceiling becomes really low, and you will find many people just standing around because the seating is far from adequate given the number of passengers. The free wifi has a fairly strong signal throughout the terminal. As an arrival airport, the new SmartGate system definitely speeds up the immigration part of the process. After that, it all becomes a bit more interesting. The problem seems to be that there is not enough floor space between the end of the baggage claim carousels and the customs area. When a couple of jumbos are on the ground, there are long lines wrapped all along the backside of the baggage claim area. To combat the confusion, I looked for the least busy carousel, and then picked a customs line close to it. That strategy paid off though it took some creative weaving around other passengers and walking the long way around nearly all of the carousels to make it happen. It was all worth it in the end. I was on my Route 400 bus outside an hour and fifteen minutes after my plane's arrival. The bottom line: Sydney is one busy airport that services a large percentage of Australia's 20 million people. Be prepared to wait and go with the flow. What the airport may lack in affordable parking, it more than makes up for in its CityRail train station downstairs and even handier bus stops upstairs.

Arrived in Sydney in SQ231 on the 20th of April. I was very disappointed with the customer service. There was no smile or welcome. Sydney Airport is not customer friendly. The management need to look at Singapore Airport and learn from them. I was very disappointed when I arrived at the no declaration exit. The customs officer there had no respect for passengers. She looked at the people in the queue and said "You know there is another lane open, you guys can use that" in a very frustrated voice. Simply using "please" would have made a huge difference. I feel so sad to see this happen in front of my eyes. And this is the gateway to this beautiful country. Tourism needs support, not a hammering by people who evidently don't care for Australia at all.

I have only one gripe about Sydney International Terminal, why is there no smoking room? I do not envy any passengers having to transit through this airport after a long haul flight (or transfer to a domestic one). It seems every other airport in the world (maybe with the exception of Heathrow) is capable of having a dedicated area for this purpose inside the terminal. Why can't Sydney and other Australian airports? No wonder the front of the airport looks like a giant ashtray!

I used to think this airport was among the worst I had experienced but things seem to have definitely improved over the years! On the way in I was able to use SmartGate and my luggage was off nearly first so the time between me stepping off the plane and being in the arrivals hall was an unprecedented, extraordinary 9 minutes! On the way back out though the SmartGate facility was not available and I had to stand in quite a long queue. I was delayed nearly 3 hours so I had plenty of time to look around. Found the food options plentiful and was happy with quality (a bit pricey perhaps) and I really liked the Observation Deck, although it needs a bit of an update with the TV screens and a few more seats would be good. Impressed with the bathrooms I used - best I have ever come across.

Much has been said about Sydney Airport. To their credit, travel through Sydney Airport is never an unpleasant experience. It may not be the size of HKG, KLIA, and may seem squeezed on occasions. But the immigration staff and people running the port are generally polite and helpful. Everything is in its place and everything works. Late night departures are better, as the airport has a light feel. Sydney airport goes through periodic refurbishment's, and everything looks and feels fresh and new. It is an expensive airport.

I use Sydney on a regular basis and I like the airport but it does have its drawbacks. I have to mention the staff, Check in and passport staff have always been friendly and helpful, however, that cant be said for the security staff who always are surly and unhelpful. International departures can get crowded and its not helped by a needless shopping area. There's far too many of them and they are all of the expensive variety including the food outlets. Once checked in you head for security and line up via a maze of lanes that are roped off. Fine when its busy but when its quiet why they don't provide a more direct route to the desks is beyond me. Once through security you head through yet more expensive shops to the gates. Your departure gate will dictate how much walking you have to do. If you need food or drinks be prepared because it is expensive. International arrivals is much the same but in reverse. You head through a shopping complex to reach passport control via another roped off maze and then onto the baggage hall. I've always been lucky and got my bags swiftly. Arrivals hall is always busy and its not helped by, more shops! Depending on your destination will dictate what happens next. Buses / taxis etc are within easy reach, and the hall is underneath International departures. If you have arrived off an International flight and want domestic its not so easy, as the domestic terminals are the other side of the airport. These can be reached in a variety of ways and this is where Sydney lets itself down (other than the shops!). There is a train that you pay for that takes two minutes, but you have to walk the length of the terminal and down a set of escalators because of where the arrival exit has been placed. You can also get a bus, which are often crowded. The third option is a taxi. Whatever option you choose try and give yourself plenty of time, it gets very busy at peak times. I should also mention that the approaches to the airport, like the rest of Sydney can get very busy so also leave yourself plenty of time. In summary I like Sydney but there's far to many shops and arrivals, especially if you need to transfer, could definitely be improved. Walking the length of the terminal to get to the bus / train is not ideal - maybe they designed it that way to get you to walk past the shops!

It's a hopeless airport indeed. The queue in the customs area was long and horrible. When I arrived I felt that I wanted to get myself out of there as soon as possible. Of course, I have to mention that the parking fee was ridiculously high. It is the most expensive airports for parking.

Agree with J Osborne. Basics of modern travel have bypassed Sydney somewhat. Not a great first impression of Australia's gateway Airport. Instead of debating and discussing, Sydney should build a large, modern and spacious second Airport forthwith. There is enough traffic to make the present Airport seem cramped and squeezed at peak hours. Arrivals, immigration and customs area wear a very depressing look for a sunny, bright and bubbly town. Don't bring food into Australia and if you do, then do declare it. Also bring along prescriptions and Physicians letter for medicines. Don't bring wooden, leather or soiled objects. When in doubt, declare. Airport shopping is expensive. Sydney Airport unlike some third world Airports has no nasty surprises. But it doesn't wow either. On the upside the Airport is clean and tidy like most things in Australia, and there are quiet zones upstairs in the Airline office area. The Airport is refurbished periodically, so it avoids looking run down. Its neat, tidy, reasonably well organized and a bit boring. There are similar airports in the western world. Then again its not too bad either.

Do not compare with Changi, KLIA or Dubai. No automated transfer here. No multilingual customer service staff, not spacious. Just works fine.

We arrived at Sydney airport on our way home to Brisbane after travelling to the UK. After experiencing Changi (Singapore) Heathrow Terminal 5 (London) and Narita (Tokyo) airports, Sydney felt like a cattle shed. Baggage carousels, immigration, quarantine etc are crowded into an area that is far too small to handle the passenger volume, and is dirty, confusing and noisy. We had to "queue" (there was no queuing system, just a huge surging mob) for so long that we missed our connection to our domestic flight to Brisbane. Eventually the mob was funnelled up cattle races - yes, metres long narrow tracks bordered by iron railings - staff communicating by grunts, frowns and finger pointing. Another dirty room furnished with linoleum and hard plastic seats where 200 people waited for one 50 seater bus to the domestic terminal. The bus had to dodge baggage carts, refuelling trucks - and planes before delivering us to an obscure back door at the domestic terminal. As we had not long before experienced the modern automated transit systems of the airports mentioned above which whisk passengers from one terminal to another silently and efficiently, Sydney's transit system seemed so bad that we got the giggles and couldn't stop.

A superb airport with everything you could possibly want - reasonable queues, extremely friendly staff, quick baggage claim (particularly after a long haul flight) and plenty of facilities and as I recall, coffee at much the same price as high street shops! Domestic terminal is great too, allowing friends and relatives to accompany passengers right to the boarding gates, as I also noticed in other Australian airports that I travelled through. One thing to be wary of however is congestion on approach to the airport during the morning rush-hour. We took a taxi to the international terminal at 8 am and were stuck in a tailback of around 3/4 mile, while the meter shot up rapidly! The driver told us that these hours are the busiest for drop offs, so do allow yourself plenty of time if travelling then.

Sydney airport is appalling. More emphasis on retail than on customer service and customer comfort. At least we have been lucky and have been able to go through the express lane for the last few times through. The distance between immigration and the Air NZ gates is long enough without having to negotiate shops, cafes, crowded passageways, lack of signage, etc. It is far too crowded a terminal to think it can be a shopping mall as well.

Both terminals run by Sydney Airport Corporation (this excludes the Qantas terminal) are dirty, disorganised and incredibly noisy. The eating options are barely passable - thankfully most domestic travel is so short you don't need to eat anything. At international, with the exception of one or two outlets, the options and quality are pitiful. The airport's food offer makes airline food seem the appealing option. The shopping is the same offer as every suburban shopping centre and is largely irrelevant to travellers needs and interests. I have not had major issues with Customs or the other government agencies working in the airport which were not essentially the result of poor/inadequate facilities. There is room for improvement in service levels and general pleasantness - but that seems to be an issue worldwide. Sydney Airport is a patchwork of buildings and facilities which scream systematic under investment. The terminals appear to struggle to meet today's traveller numbers and needs - I cannot see this changing in the future which suggests at some point in the near future Sydney will not have a functional airport at all. Sydney Airport is not befitting of a major city and is nothing short of embarrassing for Sydney and Australia.

I can understand how it can be difficult to work out if this is an airport or a shopping centre and how this can lead to the negative reviews on here. It was surprising to arrive at the airport and find the baggage carousel directly behind the immigration line and the exit gates immediately behind the baggage carousel. Usually these are 3 distinctly separate areas at most airports. All 3 areas felt like it took up 10% of the airport space and the other 90% was taken up by non airport necessities (i.e. shopping stores). Baggage took a very long time to reach the belt and my flight was the only one there at the time, and it is not difficult to know why this was the case! Not enough room for waiting areas. Sydney airport would improve significantly if it was turned into an airport with a few shops to keep the traveller occupied rather than a shopping centre with airplanes.

Departing from Sydney international is certainly not a calming experience. Yes there will always be crowds and queues and major airports. But somehow Sydney makes you feel like your in an extremely noisy shopping mall complete with awful music blasting out of speakers which seem to be everywhere. Security and customs move you through fairly quickly but once you are airside it's just more noise, more like a shopping mall and nowhere really to relax before the flight. I, as I suspect many others do, couldn't wait to get on the plane and boarded with a headache.

Sydney Domestic Airport: Use the domestic airport regularly between Canberra and Sydney. The flight itself is usually 25-35 minutes airport to airport, all being well. However whilst I travel most weeks I have yet to arrive at Sydney on time. Generally you can double the short trip time due to the congestion. Whether arriving or leaving, you are guarantees a wait on the tarmac. Its going to get far worse before any politician gets brave enough to make the decision. Even the appalling train or coach service between Canberra and Sydney is becoming appealing.

Arrived from Adelaide after a relatively quick flight. Had been to Sydney Airport many times before but we were still unfamiliar finding our way around. Despite this it was inevitably quite easy to navigate, with large facilities available without being on par with the likes of Singapore, and enough there to easily keep you entertained whilst you wait for any connecting flights. We've had mixed feelings with Sydney Airport in the past, though this was a particularly smooth and unspectacular visit.

YVR-SYD-MEL. Arrived in Sydney from Vancouver. Very tired after a 15 hour direct flight. They have very strict quarantine rules/practices. Through immigration in about 30 minutes (although I had to walk fast to make sure I got up to the front of the line since I had a connection to Melbourne leaving in an hour). Baggage took the entire hour I had to make my connection. I could only see 3 baggage belts around and they dumped 3 different flights on the same belt I was waiting on. Seems another flight that came in 10 minutes later than mine had their bags being offloaded first. Missed my connection and had to walk to the Qantas domestic connection. From there, they put you on a bus to transfer to the domestic terminal. The bus can only take so many people and runs every 4-5 minutes. So its a push and pull to get on the bus. On the return leg, the international departure area was congested. No room to sit anywhere. Had to buy a sandwich to sit at one of the cafe's at the gates to use their bar stools.

Our trip of a lifetime started on 26-Sep and included two weeks in New Zealand followed by two weeks in Australia. We departed very early in the morning on 26-Oct from Cairns airport on a Jetstar flight to Sydney where we connected to a Qantas flight to Dallas/Fort Worth. Arriving in Sydney airport, we knew we had to find our way to T1, the international terminal. It was difficult to find signs directing us to the international terminal but managed to see ones that indicated there was a train. Carrying our luggage we followed these signs and found ourselves at a train station where we saw we had to have a ticket to board. Imagine our confusion and dismay when we arrived there to find queues of people waiting to purchase tickets. Never have I been confronted by such a difficult, confusing, and unfriendly method to find conveyance from one terminal to another in an airport. With assistance from a train agent in the area we were able to purchase tickets and wrestle our bags through the gates and get to T1. The sad thing is that we departed Australia with negative feelings based on this experience.

Touched down from Singapore just before 1230, straight through immigration with Australian e-passport. On to Customs as food to declare, all ok and on to railway station and was waiting train into town before 1300. The only downside is it costs $15 to get into town from the airport which is extortionate considering its only a few stops.

Over the years Sydney International Terminal has improved out of sight. These days it's clean, pretty efficient, good shopping, good eating, friendly staff and despite the long walk to the southern end of the terminal, its pretty comfortable too. Its no Singapore or Hong Kong, but it compares more than favourably with many major western airports.

I have flown through Sydney Domestic more times than I can count, and Sydney International on 3 separate occasions. From an airport perspective, I found the queues to be very good. Security was fast, facilities are good. Thankfully I generally have a very good experience with the airlines too, but it's important to not confuse Airline issues with the airport itself.

Immigration and customs into Sydney has improved but it remains a patchwork of busy terminals. I see signs of continued improvements. T3 is delightful. Connectivity between terminals is not seamless.

Very easy to use airport. Always quick transitions - usually through customs / immigration in less than half an hour. Only thing is having to walk through duty free shops i.e. navigating through aisles to get from point a to b.

Immigration was quickly done with pleasant officer. Baggage took a little while to arrive onto the belt and we were directed into the green channel after scrutiny of our customs declaration. All completed in about 40 minutes from disembarking the plane.

Went to Sydney two weeks ago. The arrival was OK in the morning at around 9, it took me around 20 minutes to pass customs. Australia has a rather strict quarantine check, but I have claimed and told one officer what I've brought and she granted me to enter through the green pass gate! But my return flight was at around 10 pm and I can't believe that the queue was much longer than I previously expected and people were moving really slow! Until then I realized how small and inefficient the airport was during such busy mid-night peak hours! Eventually I was at the security check point after 25 minutes the staff were just indifferent! When I entered the departure area, I had found that some shops were about to close! Since no WIFI is available, there is really not much you can do at such time. Sydney airport might be a world-class airport by the number of passengers it served, but it certainly not a top-quality airport as far as infrastructure is concerned!

I went to Korea Seoul for my holiday from 25-6 to 4-7. The departing immigration had a short queue since the school holidays hadn't begun. I was pleased with the airports cleanliness, their duty free shops were acceptable. However on then arrival in Sydney after my vacation, I was extremely frustrated with the immigration. Due to the delay of our flight from Seoul, the plane arrived about 1 hour late. I don't know why, but the queue was extremely long. The line went over the 'zig zag' and went deep into the duty free shops. It was almost an hour long which was disappointing in an airport which usually took only 5 minutes. I was even more disappointed to see that the queue (which I was in) was for 'other passports' had only 3 employees. I was even more disappointed when the queue for the Australian and New Zealand passports had 5 employees and their queue was much shorter! It only took them 10 minutes to immigrate. I also witnessed the employees who were having a break just sat there as they talked amongst theirselves. They were shocked when they saw the queue, but took no action.

I was disappointed to find that the free transfer from intl to T2 had been discontinued. It's the only airport I've been in where they charge you to go from one terminal to the next. Any other airport I've been in, and that's many, it was free. All over the US, Canada, Singapore, London. I really resent having to pay $5.50 AUD and having to haul my luggage aboard a bus.

I travel into Sydney international more than a few times yearly. Our AQIS needs improving. The queue is usually long and confusing. The staff appear uptight and not welcoming. I feel like I must done something wrong and they are trying to catch me. I understand and support that we have to protect our border. It will be better if they see this as a partnership rather than taking 'them' and 'us' attitude. It is sad to travel the world where other countries make you feel welcomed but get opposite reception coming home.

Small and fairly ordinary Airport. Queuing times are not too long. Well advised to arrive 3 hrs prior to departure for check-in. Small, neat and manageable airport. AQIS staff a little stiff.

I flew in from YVR. Very short line at immigration. While I was looking to get in a line for customs, I was approached by a lady and she asks several questions and very polite. She who stamped my forms and I was able to walk straight out. I flew to Cairns the following week, domestically. Nice, clean and plenty of shops with a very nice food court. Procedures were the same. Return, the international terminal and concourse very clean with plenty of shopping. Nice Duty Free selection. Airport itself very nice.

LAX-SYD. Stepped off aircraft at 07.00 and was through customs, baggage claim and immigration and then onto Qantas domestic transfer in 25 minutes. Was worried because had an 80 mins connection time, but had plenty time to chill out in Qantas lounge before domestic flight.

The time bags take to come out is absolutely appalling. We have been travelling all around the world in the last few months and every airport is so much faster than Sydney. I arrived in Sydney last night from New Zealand and it took about an hour to board in Auckland because everyone was taking on such big bags, it became obvious why when bags took about forty minutes to come out. It is hopeless. Union workforces in Australia are inefficient and frustrating.

I flew in from Melbourne, and the terminal did seem quite small and old, but nice and clean and easy to navigate. Bags took a while to come out, but I wasn't in a rush so wasn't a problem - might of just been the airline.

Flew SYD-MEL, check-in was fairly quick and after baggage drop went to the gate. There wasn't much food, but there was hi speed free Internet which made up for it.

I use Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport almost 2-3 times a year and the domestic airport 1-2 times a year. Domestic airport is okay but requires updated and improved facilities. International airport really needs to learn to speed up the baggage and customs process. The lines are always ridiculous and getting through the baggage check is just unbearable at most times. Inefficiency and unprofessional are two words I would associate with the staff at this airport.

YVR-SYD-MEL. Had 1 hrs 50 mins to make my domestic transfer. Got to Sydney 30 mins early, but being an early morning flight (6 am), figured it may be slow. Navigating through customs and immigration was easy, the lines were ridiculous. Went through immigration fairly quickly but took 2 hrs to collect my bags. Apparently, they combined 3 flights to have baggage on the same carousel. After collecting bags, had to go through quarantine, however the lines were horribly long and I missed my connecting flight. A mad dash to the Qantas transfer desk which is off at the end of the terminal, wait for the bus to transfer to domestic terminal. All in all, SYD fell short of my expectations (and i wasn't expecting much).

Sydney is ok as a domestic airport and for international departures, but it is pretty bad as an arrivals airport. Enormous queues and truly awful if you have to connect through here on domestic to international or vice versa. Even allowing 3 hours for a connection is frequently not enough. It is embarrassing for Australia that this is the airport most international visitors first encounter.

Come into the international airport 10 times a year. Always lines to go through customs. If you are on 4,5 or 6 carousel good luck. Lines are not marked and get in where ever you can. No one to help, just a complete shambles. Takes me over 1 .5 hours from landing to car. All caused by customs. While waiting look to see how clean the place is and it amazes me it gets dirtier every time. Wake up Australia.

Recently used for a trip to South East Asia. Departure was on a morning flight and check-in went smoothly. Minimal queuing at Immigration control and security. Space available at gates for passenger boarding is limited but otherwise terminal facilities are reasonable. On return the Immigration processing was quick and bags arrived in 20 minutes but the queue for customs inspection was a disgrace. The whole process just seemed to be badly managed. Arriving passengers who were unfamiliar with the Australian Customs process were confused and very few staff were on hand to help.