Auckland Airport

Not Verified | This is the most pathetically mismanaged airport I have encountered in a developed country. Longest time clearing customs and bio safety. Over 2 hours for me! The WiFi keeps disconnecting every 5 minutes and it is impossible to get any work done while. No one is at the help desk most of the time. No one is around to help passengers at the queues and direct them to the right places. I saw many people jumping lines at immigration something I have never seen before.

Not Verified | Worst airport post COVID that I’ve experienced. Really long queues - particularly immigration (both ways) security clearance (on departure) and bio security (on arrival). Awful and unhelpful staff, who are either rude and aggressive, or just stare at you blankly. The only success of the airport is matching the unbearable Auckland traffic.

✅ Trip Verified | Appalling - we arrived from Perth. To get your luggage you had to cross the queue of people trying to get to biosecurity which was the whole plane - made wor,se by another flight arriving shortly after ours. Then you queued to go through biosecurity - we queued for 2 hours our friends for 3 hours because they had scuba diving gear. It was dark dingy hot and airless and there were several booths with no person operating them. I am sorry but our time as travellers is not worth less than your time. We missed our connecting flight which fortunately Air New Zealand changed to a later flight 3 hours later.

Not Verified | Me and my two sons arrived back from 7 nights in Rarotonga. We landed at 9pm at Auckland international Airport. We went through passport screening without a problem, picked up our bags and the joined the massive queue at Bio security. It was an absolute nightmare. It was pandemonium. It was totally disorganized on the airport authorities part. We waited in line for over 1 hour to get through bio security and then had to get our bags scanned through the x-ray machine. You can't blame lack of staff because Auckland Airport has had over a year to get things sorted. It is absolutely 3rd world arriving at Auckland Airport.

Not Verified | I booked my flight last minute as my mother had a medical emergency and was in hospital. Yes I forgot many things, a pen included. I asked the security member at the front of the customs queue where I would be able to fill in my passenger card. He advised there are no pens but the customs officer can help me once I get through. I wait in the line for almost 30mins and once I get to the customs officer I advise her I was unable to fill out the form and she laughs and says no I cant help you, you need to fill out the form. She also makes a snarky comment and says "who doesn't travel without a pen". In a perfect world yes I would have been prepared for this trip but as it was so last minute, I am only human. Every other airport has stations to fill out incoming passenger cards, I am very disappointed in Auckland Airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Arriving 2 weeks ago the airport was a dump and staff were rude and not the NZ smiles I remember. Departing at 6 am and checking in at 3am. Seems not a single staff member wanted to be at work. Auckland airport is a mess.

✅ Trip Verified | I fly often for work. Every time flown in to Auckland theres always an excessive line at security. Very poor. Flights are booked 2hrs apart and still missing them. Start a line up for connecting passengers or employ for personnel

✅ Trip Verified | I’ve been flying out of this airport for over 20 years, and the experience I had today was the worst I’ve had at any airport. Usually, Auckland Airport Security for International Departures takes 5-15 minutes. I had allotted 45 minutes, just in case. Today, I went through Security 45 minutes before my flight was scheduled, and missed my flight due to a 40 minute wait in the Security line. Upon arrival, there were huge barricades and a massive line with no movement. It was clear that it would be a long wait, yet at no step along the process was there any sympathy for the fact that many people would miss their flights. After I missed my flight, I found out it was due to “new procedures” with Security where they close for 2 hours in the early morning and re-open at 4.30am. A huge amount of flights are scheduled for the 5.15am and 6.15am slot, and QANTAS representatives informed me that on every flight the last week, there have been people missing the flight due to these unprecedented lines. Are Auckland Airport trying to save on wages? Whatever is going on, there is no accountability from Security or the Airport as a whole. It is the lives and wallets of regular people that are taking the full force of the blow, not to mention the awful inconvenience to all Staff beyond the Security Checkpoint. I wish this wasn’t the Airport I have to deal with. Unfortunately, it is the only one in New Zealand, which they know, and exploit. The wifi doesn’t work, staff are HUGELY underpaid and overworked, and recently, they even let hundreds of people who were stranded at the Airport suffer the flooding without any help. I would give a zero out of 10 if I could. Only redeeming qualities are that some individuals who work there are angels, who too are inconvenienced and financially taken advantage of by the poor and lackluster upper Management. Parking prices are through the roof. Disorganization, chaos and business closures have left this place in a sorry state. But I’m sure the people up top are patting their backs for “cutting costs”.

Not Verified | Another shambles in customers. 4 queues that snake so the left hand lane goes twice as fast as the right hand one. Also, there are 6 agents and the randomly clear two of the 4 queues with 2 agents and the other 2 have one agent each. They schedule flight arrivals in groups so the crowds are horrific. I travel for business and today have decided to leave Auckland due to the airport. This is my 7th entry this year and I give up. It’s the worst airport I have ever been in.

✅ Trip Verified | Queues queues and more queues. I was travelling alone with my 3 kids, on arrival the lines were hideous, 2 hours to get through immigration and customs. There were no staff directing people and you couldn't even see the front of the line from the back. I have no idea what disabled or other priority people would do as there are no staff to help. When boarding domestically my 7 year old was forced through the body scanners for no apparent reason by a terse staff member. On departure again huge lines, 2 hours again to get through, only 4 out of 12 immigration counters open, 3 out of six security scanners open. Staff were rude, my children's bags went into the manual security check, my children were moving around, the officer shouted rudely at them. Then the person next to me started to talk to me, the officer shouted no talking, it will take longer because it's distracting him. Eventually he finished with the bag and just sat it in front of him, said nothing, I wasn't sure if I should approach him and take the bag or he would shout at me. Eventually took the bag and left. Then I was taken aside for drug swabbing of my bag. No idea why a father with 3 kids was targeted for all that, they seem paranoid. I have never experienced security staff so rude even in US airports. As a New Zealander living overseas, Auckland airport is disgrace to NZ, I dread going through it every time.