Brisbane Airport

As Brisbane is my home town and I travel extensively for business (mainly domestic) I use the airport a lot. The domestic terminal although a well designed building can be stretched for capacity at peak times. QANTAS check in although automated still lacks enough staff at peak times with the queue winding out the doors. Security checks are very quick and thorough with polite staff. A travelator on the Qantas pier like on the Virgin one is a must. Baggage collection is fairly quick (unlike Melbourne). The International terminal is again stretched at peak times both departing and arriving. Again QANTAS check in is inadequate where even Club check in takes far to long. Security is again fast and efficient but Customs both inbound and outbound seem to be stretched to the limit of their capabilities even with all counters and personel working. Transport to and from BNE is it's biggest downfall. Very farsighted in developing a rail link but let down by poor frequency the Airtrain even though very heavily marketed is not an attractive option for frequent travellers. I have used the service many times and it is fast reliable comfortable and not too expensive when compared to comparable services in other countries. The only problem is that it ceases operation far to early in the evening for when I'm returning. If you don't make it easy for people to use it they won't! The consequence is the traffic snarls which occur every evening with people waiting for passengers to arrive. Again the airport should consider a "stay in your car" parking area short of the terminals for such use.

Both domestic and international airports are reasonable in my view for most aspects of travel. Checking in when travelling interstate on business is very fast with the modern machines. The real problem is the airtrain - it is becoming non-existent. The last train is at 19:30 and it seems that the service has been downgraded to about half-hourly even around 6pm the time I last went out to the airport 2 weeks ago. There are flights coming in way past this time and the service needs to be every 15 minutes to have any hope of being used. And it is too expensive. In general the transport situation at Brisbane airport is a complete disaster. Due to the limited usability of the train most people are still in the mode of being picked up or dropped by family members to avoid the huge taxi fares especially from the west side (I did it recently - $55). The traffic out there is out of control. This is a joke - no other modern city I have been to in recent years in Australia western Europe and even the US has such poor transport options from its major airport. Sydney Berlin Atlanta Amsterdam Heathrow Paris Lyon Seville Hong Kong Singapore Narita and many others all have excellent public transport to the airport. What is wrong with Brisbane?

It is very spacious clean and tidy and accomodates crowds very well in the check-in area and departure gates. Airside Shopping has improved significantly since it opened in 1995. On the down side queues for customs and immigration on arrival can be long and Customs and AQIS staff just don't seem to understand that they also have an ambassadorial role to play. However these problems are hardly unique to Brisbane. I have had far longer lines (and far worse treatment) in Sydney and Melbourne. Ever tried arriving at T4 at LAX in peak time??? In summary - Brisbane International is a clean and spacious airport and particularly well suited to the frequent business traveller. It also caters well for families with large amounts of baggage. Customs and immigration could use a bit of an attitude change - but what airport is perfect in that regard?

Used Qantas domestic terminal for arrival and departure in March. Arrival was good but why are there no moving walkways in the Qantas pier? They are in the Virgin pier and have been since the days of Ansett! Also signage airside to indicate way to baggage claim is not clear. Departure excellent using new Qantas self check in. Staff friendly and assisted when had minor problem -apparently I wasn't touching screen hard enough! Security strict but very polite. Ran explosive material detector over our twin stroller!. Two new food courts airside good.

As a new resident in Queensland I have not used the international terminal from Brisbane before- what a disappointment. The facilities upon leaving are not what you expect of an international airport - no decent restaurant or bar area. The seating is almost non existent except at the departure gates. The shopping is woeful. The current airport seems to have totally outgrown the obvious traffic of international travellers and needs to be upgraded. Upon arrival its just as bad with the number of immigration desks catering for everyone. I arrived early in the morning when the number of arrivals is heaviest and the lines were huge for both Australian and non Australian passport holders. Its not a good first impression of Australia for those newcomers and makes me wish to still be travelling through Sydney.

I have travelled through Brisbane Airport many times including domestic flights and international flights. Although the last domestic flight arriving in Brisbane is around midnight there are no shops open to cater to have a bite for the visitors and family who are waiting to receive their loved ones. Also in the international terminal there are flights leaving around midnight but none of the shops are open during that time. For eg. there is Singapore Airlines departing almost near midnight but there wouldn't be anything open after the passenger has checked in and if he wishes to grab a bite before he leaves. Also the Airtrain facility stops at 1930hrs(which is the last train to the city). After that you need to find your own means of transport or catch a cab (which could cost you a fortune if you are staying in the western suburbs). Since they have flights departing till midnight they could have trains running till then if not frequent but at least in frequency of an hour or so.

Over the years I have frequently travelled from Brisbane to NZ many times. My main concern is the lack of customs staff at the customs counters in the arrivals hall at Brisbane International Airport. On many occasions I have waited two hours to get through to the customs counters. Perhaps customs need to employ more staff to decrease the waiting time for passengers and increase the efficiency of a relatively new airport that promoted a quicker service to passengers when it first opened.