Sydney Airport

✅ Trip Verified | We have done a lot of overseas travelling, and had one of our worst airport experiences today at Sydney airport. There were long queues for check-in (QANTAS) and for security, the security screening staff were downright rude (to be fair, I did express annoyance at having my nail scissors with their 1.5cm blade confiscated, but they basically told me "well don't come back to Sydney" if I didn't like the way they did things, which I didn't think was very professional), and the QANTAS business lounge must be one of the worst business lounges of any major city. It simply doesn't cope with the number of people wanting to use it, with seating unavailable (a number of people came in the door and simply had to leave straight away due to no seats being available), the standard of food was very average, and there was no coffee / hot water for tea because the machine was being cleaned and was left unattended (and therefore unusable) for half an hour.

✅ Trip Verified | Sydney Airport (International Terminal) is an embarrassment to Australia. Ridiculous queues at security and rude, incompetent and unhelpful staff. The reason for the delays the airport has experienced post-COVID reopening are the result of poor processes and incompetent staff. I departed Sydney on 27 June and was able to use the priority lane. If I had not, I would have missed my flight despite arriving well ahead of the required time. Sydney Airport and its staff (and contractors) treat passengers with contempt. As a demonstration of the shocking service on this particular morning, after waiting at least 20 minutes in the priority queue (which seemed to be delayed due to staff waiting for each passenger to go through with their hand luggage, before the next one could proceed), they finally opened up another aisle for the priority lane, and then proceeded to allow passengers further behind in the queue to use the new lane while passengers further ahead in the line continued to wait. A staff member was exceptionally rude to me just before I passed through security. There are no redeeming qualities at all of Sydney Airport's international terminal and I highly recommend avoiding it where possible. The shopping is limited and overpriced, the quality of the food outlets (if you are unfortunate to not be able to use the lounges) is utterly appalling, the parking is outrageously overpriced and it is an unreasonably long walk from the terminal to the passenger pick up area for arrivals, worse than any other airport I've used. The departures area and baggage claim area are also old and dirty and in a poor state of repair.

✅ Trip Verified |  My wife requested wheelchair as she could not walk by herself. On arrival Sydney airport, wheelchair was not available, I had to carry her for about 200 meters then she had to climb to a cart driving at a high speed and I could not follow. They dropped her at the entrance to Immigration booths without helping her to go any further. Unlike other airports we went through (Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang in Vietnam, Changi airport in Singapore) people pushing wheelchair through Immigration, collecting luggages and through Custom clearance straight to taxi. Just imagine someone with disabilities being abandoned in the airport without any help? It was really bad.

✅ Trip Verified |  Worlds worst international airport. Endless queues; absolute chaos before customs with a sole staff member intermittently screaming to direct pax where to go. Hopelessly and understaffed as usual. There was hope during covid when an expansion was announced, all they did was make the Duty Free shop bigger. Pretty much everyone tries their best to avoid transmitting via Sydney. It’s an embarrassment to Australia - it operates like a business that just opened this week.

✅ Trip Verified | I was very surprised to read negative reviews of Sydney. I am guessing I got lucky, but I had no problems on arrival or departure. In fact, I was thinking it was one of the best airports I'd visited. So, sympathies to anyone who has had problems at Sydney, but it's certainly not all bad.

Not Verified | I know others have raised this issue already over the years, but nothing seems to improve! The international arrivals area and Border Security screening process, (which I totally support), is a complete embarrassment! There was nearly a riot in the terminal this morning, with passengers from a number of airlines disembarking almost simultaneously, thousands of people trying to figure out the 'self serve ticket kiosk' process, with several machines out of order and virtually nothing by way of clear instructions about who or why disembarking passengers needed to use this process! Bloody outrageous! Any Sydney Airport staff to assist? Don't be ridiculous! That might hurt their profit margin! Baggage pick-up carousels entangled with queued passengers waiting for customs screening. Any Sydney Airport security staff to maintain order or direct passengers? Don't be ridiculous! That might hurt their profit margin! Best of all, there's a scapegoat for the chaos...Border Security! I don't know why there are so few officers completing the checks, but really, it is an appallingly inadequate process. Los Angeles know how to run customs at an international airport! A host of police officers undertaking screening, which is thorough, quick and even occasionally polite. Problem is, they've got us, the travelling public, over a barrel in Sydney, if that's where you want to go! Let's hope the Western Sydney airport, once open for business, sets a higher standard for international and domestic travellers experience.

Not Verified | Be careful if you have replacements, they haul you out ask you to spread arms and legs then run a beeper all over you. They clearly do not have the technology Melbourne airport has in place. It is quite embarrassing so be prepared.

✅ Trip Verified | Absolute shambles yesterday, Monday 24 April after arriving 3hrs and 15mins before our Qatar Airways flight from SYD to MAN via DOH. We arrived at 17:35hrs for our 19:50hrs departure and the queue for K desks 3 to 12 were already tailed back and around the bottom end of Departures. We waited 90 minutes before reaching the Check In desk and the queue was still on the opposite side! By the time we got through Security checks, we were already being told to go straight to the Boarding Gate 51 - and that was the first opportunity we had to grab a coffee before boarding. We had hoped to get something to eat, but that just wasn't an option due to the queues.

✅ Trip Verified | Transit from Qantas international to Qantas domestic is always an ordeal. But this time it was even worse. The check in at the transfer terminal was very crowded, the line started outside the building. Also only one security check was open and only a limited number of busses going to the domestic terminal. I almost missed my flight and could enjoy the lounge only to pick up a coffee.

Not Verified | 26 degrees is not hot in Australia but the airport air con is shocking felt like 32 in there. No charging stations for devices um are we in 2023? Nowhere near enough seating. Toilets disgustingly dirty. I go to Bali 2 or 3 times a year. Airport not hot and toilets so clean. Australia lift your standards. Disgusting and that's from an Australian resident.