Cairns Airport

While International Airport is very small and easy to walk from one end to the other the gate number signage as you go into the departures lounge is poor. Also there are not enough screens screens showing boarding and departure times and the relevant gate numbers.

A nice and comfortable little airport but were relatively frustrated by the staff. Myself and partner flew in to spend a 10 days in Port Douglas/Cairns area and could not remember the exact address of hotel - Air NZ hostess recommended we just write hotel name. Big mistake. Were questioned by police as well as customs officials bags scanned extra 3 times searched and looted through. Apparently they thought we were going to overstay in the country but the customs staff were extremely rude and definately ruined the start of the holiday. Both Air NZ and Qantas ground staff were very helpful though which improved the experience slightly!

Departed from Cairns to London Heathrow via Tokyo for a family holiday. We were very impressed by the facilities offered at the airport especially in the departures lounge. Our only criticism would be that the departures lounge for international flights is locked until about 90mins before departure which meant that we had to hang around for 3 hours with little to do after arriving at the international terminal after a domestic flight. Otherwise a very welcoming airport which is bright and well designed.

An airport that serves only 6 International Air carriers (I think) - it is breezily functional. Cool and modern the Australian airports tend to resemble each other - with little character to differentiate from each other. The Cairns Airport does look a little too big for its purpose. Check- in was fast and efficient though as there was minimal queue if any at all. Everything was done with little fuss and was much appreciated. Airport is only about 15-20 minutes away from the City Centre/Esplanade via Airport Shuttle Bus.

I recently used the Cairns International Airport as my gateway into/out of Australia. It is a small airport with big value. There are only two terminals at the Cairns airport both of which can be comfortably walked end-to-end in 2 minutes. But there are no large crowds long line-ups. Customs clearance was fast and efficient (4 inspections questionings). There is a covered walkway between terminals which could be oppressively hot on a summer day but was quite enjoyable at 1 AM after flying for 20 hours. The domestic terminal is very quite at that time of night. They provide cushioned benches which could be cleaner but were welcome for a 5 hr layover.