Brisbane Airport

Nice enough except for the fact that almost all the passport control desks coming and going are unmanned: what is the point of that early in the morning when five international overnight flights arrive as they always do at pretty much the same time ? Ludicrous queues as far as the eye can see but what a fine array of unmanned control desks. Just as undermanned (though the concentration of flights is less so it is not so bad) leaving. Really rather unimpressive.

Brisbane international airport departure terminal was a pleasure to use. Check-in was smooth and unlike T3 at Heathrow you could easily see where to go. Lovely shopping area and Qantas business class lounge was fantastic. Coming in was just as good an experience - friendly staff in the quarantine section helped me throughout without much delay.

It has been 6 years since the last time I was at Brisbane Airport and they still seem to be doing the same redevelopment! Signage is not good at the moment and somewhat confusing as to location of the coaches/buses from the domestic terminal. The domestic terminal is decent enough but staff could be a little more helpful. The transfer bus from domestic to international could be a little more frequent for those on tighter connections. The international terminal is a fairly typical modern airport terminal.

Once again typical Brisbane experience always OK leaving but coming back expect long lines at customs then waiting for bags then even longer lines for bag searches. Duty free is no longer Duty free at Australian airports. Overall experience is bad.

The airport is clean and easy to use both international and domestic and has basically what you need to get you on or off your flight without to much hassle.

Very disappointed by airport staff especially security in departures. Brisbane is a clean friendly city and unfortunately the airport does not show this is any way. After travelling Portland-San Francisco-LAX-BNE and faced with a 13 hour transit I was stuck at the airport. With advice to clear customs I was gladly directed to facilities by information staff. As there is nothing landslide I decided to go airside and find somewhere to relax. I came down the elevators and was abruptly pulled aside to weigh my bag. This women was intimidating and rude by all accounts ripped the bag out of my hand and pushed me towards the lifts and told to check it in. I was unable to explain I was carrying medication which was exempt. After explaining I had medication that had been cleared along with the relevant paperwork I was told I was a liar. Also no Gluten free options for food and nowhere for travelers with long transits to go. Brisbane deserves some staff training and a little bit of the Brisbane culture!

On arrival from LAX flight lining up for customs was a bit of a shambles - there needs to be more visible staff questioning and directing people to the appropriate lines. Customs staff were friendly however and the process took about 45 mins to get through. There were 4 international flights arriving at the same time so the wait was fine. At the Virgin/Qantas ground floor domestic transfer desks - the baggage travelator had stopped and we had to take all our bags with us on either the T bus (operated by Qantas) or TAXI to the domestic terminal. This was not the airlines fault but Brisbane Airport's. Toilet facilities in domestic airport near food court were outdated - sinks and seats clean but floor tiles grubby. International offers lots of shops - prices similar to other INT terminals and is bright and light.

We flew in and out of Brisbane Domestic Airport this week. Arrivals was fine but I think it is a ridiculous scam to charge $4.00 to use a trolley. (I have never seen this in any airports I have travelled in.) Coming back the terminal temperature was very hot which I guess is to make people thirsty and need the food outlets to pay for drinks. Toilets were clean and tidy and there was plenty of space and seating.

For domestic flights this airport is fine but everything falls apart if you need to connect from domestic-international or international-domestic. I don't understand why they built the international terminal so far from domestic. You have to wait for the T-bus. Some passengers get a free ride and others get charged $5. I had a 1 hour 45 minute connection from domestic to international and my checked luggage didn't make it to the international flight. On return there were three incoming international flights and only 4 immigration desks open for non- Australians (the majority of passengers). There are plenty of desks but most were closed. Having waited for 30 minutes to get through immigration the luggage still hadn't arrived. It took me another 20 minutes to get through customs and I didn't even have my bags searched! Qantas have the dumbest system going. Even though your bags are checked through to your final destination and you have a boarding pass you have to check in again at the domestic transfer desk. If you don't get there an hour departure you won't make your flight. It's chaotic. I spoke to an agent and was allowed to jump the queue but it just doesn't make sense. If you have a tight connection take a taxi to the domestic terminal where you can check your bags 30 minutes before departure.

Clean airport heaps of seating airside but shopping is rubbish. Never had a problem leaving BNE just coming back is always a horrible experience waiting for ever for bags then a shambolic assembly while security insist on searching all bags and not xraying them. Almost 2 hours from exiting plane to walking out of the airport.