Denpasar Bali Airport

New airport looks similar to the old one just a bit bigger. Arrival was fine (after some past horrendous experiences we always opt for the express service). The real horror story was departure. Massive queues total chaos. I was timing how long it took them to check in each passenger and no joke the average time was 20 minutes! For each passenger! Flight departed 3 hours late. Flight crew were apologetic saying they were ready to go on time but the incompetents at check in couldn't do their job. Disgrace. Funny thing is departure was ok at the old terminal.

We are frequent visitors to Bali and the new terminal is a delight in comparison to the old for arrivals. The service is pretty much the same (slow) and the baggage collection is a worry (especially when 3 planes luggage all unloaded on to 1 carousel. After our first trip we learnt about VIP express - for me its worth the additional $25USD. Departing is a nightmare lined up like cattle to enter terminal once you get in the door there is limited seating. Our last trip had 4 planes leaving within 10 minutes of each other to Brisb Melb Perth all flights checked in a same time through 3 counters people everywhere - total chaos. The departure tax counter poorly signed. Once actually through the formalities things don't get any better minimal seating limited food and beverages available untidy PA garbled. All in all they have a way to go before it is world class.

Worst check-in experience ever. 45 minutes standing sweating in a line leading into the terminal to get bags scanned. Finally into air conditioned terminal but total chaos at Jetstar counter. Four flights leaving no direction to queues and another 1.5 hour wait. Only one person checking in the Perth flight. About 40 mins before the flight is due to leave someone finally comes out and asks if anyone is traveling to Perth. Yes says I us and the other 100 people standing in the line behind me. At last through to the next queue and a 20 minute wait in another line to pay departure tax before joining the next line to get through customs. My wife would have gone to the toilet but the flight was already being called and there was yes you guessed it another long queue to the ladies extending out into the waiting lounge. But there was time for one last pointless bag check and body check before we went through the boarding gate. The person in front of us was complaining that the experience was so bad he would never visit Bali again. This airport is a national embarrassment. After sitting on the plane for 20 minutes the pilot announced that the ground crew had disappeared he couldn't raise anyone and we weren't going anywhere. Turned out the baggage conveyer belt had broken down and the bags were being moved manually. Total fiasco.

We departed Denpasar on first day of new facility. The hotel transport delivered us to the wrong area. When we got to the departure gate the staff directed us to the right area. We were uncertain how to get there and enquired at the Garuda desk. They were very friendly and arranged for us to be taken to the correct gate by buggy for which we were very grateful. The new departure area was large cool clean and I loved the clock. The staff were being abused especially as there was no duty free shopping by some of the travellers and I found it very embarrassing as it was their first day in the facility. All the staff were doing their best.

Bali tourism is bound to suffer as a result of the operational fiasco in the new airport. It took my family over 1.5 hours to get through security customs etc and to the departure gate. There are separate security screening points for males and females so I was separated from my sons - is this a religious thing? The queues were ridiculous with less than half the staff required at the checkpoints making the waiting endless. When we got to the departure gate there were people sitting on the floor and around 100 seats cordoned off - the staff had no reason for this. If travel time to and from Bali is going to continue taking hours longer than necessary tourists will start to go elsewhere.

We arrived in the New Airport in September and it was chaos. Not enough staff and it took 2 hrs to get through immigration. Just back from another trip in Dec/Jan 2014 and this time in the Arrival and Departure Lounge chaos. Arriving a worker was haggling for money and he would get you straight through. We didn't accept but 2 hrs later wished I had slipped him a few dollars to take me through. Saw about 10 people being escorted through by this guy. Will be looking for him next time. No staff again. Departing we got there 3.5 hrs earlier because we wanted to look around the new airport and have a relaxing meal/drink if possible but no. We got to the gate 35 mins before boarding and no meal yet. My husband is diabetic so that was a problem but got some snacks quickly before we boarded. To book in there was a huge throng of people all en masse and as you got closer to the booking in of baggage the masses parted and tried to choose the correct lane for their particular flight. People were arriving and just going to the front of the queue and we witnessed a couple of fierce arguments from frazzled travellers. Then even if they were in the right queue they were crossing over to the first vacant line. Bedlam. Again only one staff for each planeload. The plane was delayed 45 mins due to travellers still trying to get processed. Very poor organisation.

We flew into Bali on 26 December. We didn't have any real problems with VOA Immigration and Baggage collection. No doubt we were the only flight in at that time. On the way out of Bali - 2nd January it was another story. The first security screening was grossly inadequate. The queues were massive and as there appeared to be only 2 x-ray points it took forever. I pity the poor tourists in front of us who waited for approx. 45 minutes in the queue to be told they were in the international departures area not domestic. No signage of course. Once through the first security screening it was another long wait to check in. Purchase of the departure tax was quick but the next queue through immigration was very long and slow. There were more people collecting the departure tax than there were checking at immigration! The fact that we are now forced to walk through an enormous duty free "hall" is annoying. Whilst it appears most airports are doing this it would be nice to bypass them. There are no restaurants just a couple of cafes with a couple of tables each and a couple of "hot dog stands". There is little seating and plenty of people were sitting on the floor. You can't go to your departure gate to sit down because you don't know which one you are allocated to until it is announced. Once at the departure gate the duty free purchases were wheeled in on a flat bed trolley!!! We had to get on buses to board the plane. The first two buses delivered passengers and then didn't reappear with new passengers for an hour. The airport is not finished is not staffed sufficiently or correctly and the services are non existent. The whole airport experience was horrific. Next time I go to Bali I will pay someone to express us in and out.

Waited 1.5 hours to get into the airport through security screening. Moving walkway had no emergency stop and passengers were injured as there was no room at the top to step off. No staff managing people. Food outlets very poor. No seating available and not enough seating throughout the airport. Hundreds of passenger sitting on the floor. Business lounge disgusting. Dirty floor and chairs. Little food. No utensils. No glasses. Few drinks in the fridges yet few people in the lounge. Not possible to get luggage from car-park to departures as ditches and high kerbs prevent you get luggage across the roads. Poor signage and no staff managing the queues. Quality of finishes in a new airport the worst I have seen in a long time. No wonder tourist numbers are dropping off in Bali. Unacceptable airport and its new.

I travel a lot for business and pleasure and have got used to the peculiarities of airports in countries with little experience of how to run one. However Bali seems to have gone into reverse. The old airport was cramped and a bit lacking in facilities but at least it wasn't hard to navigate. The new airport has clearly been opened long before it was ready but even that cannot make up for the staggering and embarrassing disaster that they now have in place. The other posts have covered most of the points (no food no seats nothing working etc) so I won't labour them again but just to say that I have been though airports in third world African countries that were better. The only bright spot was the Balinese themselves who are unfailing polite and smiley. However this was such a bad experience it would be a factor in deciding whether I visit Bali or one of the many other destinations in the region next time.

Airport upgrading still ongoing. If you arrive during mid-day the chances are you will have eight back-to-back flights with 2000 passengers arriving between 11.30 to 1.00 pm in DPS. We paid for VIP Arrival Service which means we were whisked away passed the extremely long queue at immigration to the luggage collection point. Yes the luggage took some time to arrive but the immigration queue was much worse. The airport lacks seating facilities the Premium Lounge was a make-shift sitting area bordered by temporary partitions and there was no facility for kids. Truly an airport that tests your patience.