Auckland Airport

I found Auckland a very nice airport to go through. Although one thing I find amusing is the two duty free stores that are side by side as you approach passport control with employees hired to come out of the store and literally grab you to go into their duty free shop. I have never seen anything quite like it outside of Asia. There was a bit of a walk between aircraft and customs but it is an enjoyable walk with some New Zealand artwork on the walls. The arrival and departure halls can be very crowded. Transfer to domestic terminal was simple and only took a few minutes.

I travelled through AKL over last two weeks on a family visit. The airport was not big but everything seemed organized: clear signs well-maintained queues for immigration security check-in a decent range of shops where I was really interested to buy (NZ-made foodstuffs) etc. A drawback was that immigration queue was always long. Having travelled to AKL for 4 times I knew this so I always walked as fast as I could to get ahead of other PAX in order to reduce waiting time.

Compared to others I have been to this place is a pleasure to visit. Staff are friendly and helpful lots of shops and food options and not overpriced. Signage excellent and is logically laid out. Generally clean modern and good facilities plenty of toilets. Queues for customs and immigration short and fast. Plenty of seating at the gates

Auckland airport is very easy with plenty of shops and catering outlets. Checkin staff pleasant and informative.

I have used AKL eight times this year for various trips and each time has been a breeze. Short queues generally the trip from plane to curbside has been completed in under 30 minutes. I am aware of bag screening requirements. However if I were from overseas I am sure I would benefit from more prominent signage in the in the arrivals area where you have to have all your luggage screened by MAF to check for unauthorised plant material or food. I noticed on my last trip in that some passengers appeared to be unaware of the requirement and had to be corralled back to get their bags checked. The land side departure area is undergoing some refurbishment at the moment and as a result space is a bit tight. But once through immigration it is all good. Plenty of reasonably priced duty free options. Good lounges if you have access. Air NZ one has just been done up and is very nice indeed. For smokers there is even an outdoor smoking area.

It is a 5-10 minute walk from the International to the Domestic terminal very pleasant after a long haul. I use AKL once every 3 months flying in from LAX and only once in a year have I had to wait at passport control or the x-ray. AKL is one of the easiest fastest airports to get through. In June I was off the plane and outside the terminal building in 20 minutes.

I truly enjoyed this airport. Security and transit area nice. Everywhere I went anyone I asked help from went above and beyond. I had trouble with an International Phone Card I bought at one of the kiosks. The clerk took the time to close the kiosk and come and help me. The shopping was amazing and staff again nice and polite.

Inbound into Auckland arrived at 5.45am I had one of the most pleasant trips through immigration. Straight through passport control bag already on the conveyor belt and I didn't have to queue up for quarantine. Outbound just as good - such a pleasant experience.

One thing I like about Auckland is its size it is small so I don’t need to walk that long to get in and out of the airport. Once you arrive you will find the largest duty free shop in New Zealand which is about the size of a minimart. You will then find an irritate immigration queue. I spent almost two hours at the immigration queue and extra 45 minutes waiting for my bag to be x-rayed at MAF biosecurity checkpoint. There are few washrooms at the airport and old and sometimes dirty. I have to wait in line in order to use the toilet facilities at the departure gate. The airport information screen is not very useful; the gate number will not appear until 15 minutes before boarding while the plane is already at the gate. Once you pass though the passport control and security there is only restaurant in there Burger King. If you are planning to visit Auckland I suggest that you buy some food in the city before you go to the airport.

Just about any international flight is going to be a long one and people will be disgorging from their 747's and A340s sleep deprived and disoriented. Thanks to some brilliant flight planning a bunch of flights arrive at the same time - around 4:30 am and then the fun begins. There are two different queues one for people making international connections and one for people making domestic connections. But there are no signs. (well no signs at the BACK of line so you walk up front to figure out what queue to get into then head all the way back to take your place). At least two ANZ 747 flights arrive simultaneously (SFO & LAX). But they only have 2passport officers on duty. So you stand. and stand. And stand. Until about 6:00 am when clearly the next shift starts. And suddenly the line starts to move. Well you figure after giving them an hour and half to unload bags yours should be on the belt right? Wrong. I thing the baggage handlers have the same shifts as the passport guys. Unless ANZ loses your bag. Then you have to wait again for customs. And wait and wait. And wait so long that you dont have time to wait in the next long line to check in your bags at the transfer desk. "No worries" they say with that wonderful laid-back Kiwi attitude. You can just check them in at the domestic terminal desk. Just head out to sidewalk and follow the blue line. Did they mention that there was a bus? Or that it is a long long walk? No. Of course not. I've been in third world airports that were more efficient.