Denpasar Bali Airport

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.

Avoid this airport at all costs if you can. Transit through this airport should also be avoided unless you want to stand around for hours with very limited seating and very limited facilities. You have been warned!

What a disgrace. We arrived at the new terminal and it has none of the charm and grace of the island. The VOA process is fast but the immigration queue was the worst of any airport I have ever seen (and I have visited some bad airports) it took us about 2 hours to get through. Over half the immigration counters were not staffed and there appeared to be no supervision. There is apparently an express service that allows people to jump the queue I have never seen such a thing.

We touched down at 1530 and there was another international flight that had just landed. Visa on Arrival process is very quick there are 12 agents serving and so it doesn't take long at all. However it does mean that anybody on the plane who doesn't need a VOA gets to join the immigration queue ahead. We arrived at the queue and were faced with around 400 people ahead of us. I estimated the waiting time to be around 60 mins minimum. There were 8 immigration agents working but a little slowly. I asked a separate agent who was directing passengers for 'Express Service' and bargained him down to USD 45 for the three of us. Took 5 mins to clear immigration (he took us to a separate queue counter) and pick up our bags. No hassle out of the airport in 15 minutes. Just remember if you don't want a particular service be polite and firm. They all respect that - no umms uhs buts etc. Get straight to the point and don't waiver. Otherwise in Bali as they say everything can be 'arranged'. PS - This was my first trip with our young son who was a bit hungry and ill and I needed to exit the airport quickly.

The newly constructed airport terminal at Bali is a disgrace. There is minimal seating so persons are forced to resort to the floor. The disembarkation arrangements are pure farce. I arrive on Garuda ex Tokyo in the evening. It was raining heavily as the movable walkways do not seem to be operational passengers had to walk across the tarmac there were 8 umbrellas available for a full A330-300. Designers have used polished stone in outside areas not a good idea in the tropics. Travelators are not installed at floor level but rather require a ramp up and down. The queues to get into the airport are just as bad as with the old airport.

Arrived from Singapore with Qatar Airways and into the new terminal. Seemed to be the only flight around so was quickly through the VOA and immigration but despite the lack of other flights baggage took an eternity to arrive. Departure was an absolute joke. Huge queues to even get into the terminal and the first security check. Then check in. Then another queue for a further security check then departure tax and a final queue for immigration. Limited staff on departure tax and immigration. Then the biggest frustration is that there's almost nothing in the way of facilities or restaurants available. The so called business class lounge was very poor. Quite clearly the airport just isn't finished yet. Why they didn't wait I just don't know. Overall a poor experience and worse than the old airport if I'm honest.

With the opening of the new terminal I was interested too see if there was an improvement on the old terminal. Sad to say no brand new building but the with no improvement in customer service. On departure we where herded through to the old terminal which looked like it had been stripped of anything useful. Stifling hot with 3 flights crowded into the same area. When I arrived back I was disheartened to see approx 400 people in front of me waiting for a visa. There seemed to be more people asking you for express service (fee) than manning the immigration desks. Along with the hundreds of others spent a few hours queuing to get in. Then there was the question "where's my luggage" so of course you walk from belt to belt to find your luggage. Welcome to the land of smiles.

Arrived and departed from new International Airport. We arrived on 7 October during APEC and were required to catch a bus to walk 10 metres as we didn't exit via air-bridge which was surprising as we flew Garuda. Quick transition through immigration but it took over 40 minutes for the bags to arrive. We were the only flight arriving during this period. Another scan was required and took another 30 minutes. Very disorganised. For departure from Bali the Airport is in utter chaos! If the airport isn't finished don't open it as the old terminal worked just fine. Confusing setup currently with security before check in departure tax counter another security check and then finally immigration. This is where the buck stops! Nothing completed! No food options and my guess is the airport is only 50% completed. Absolute disgrace to call this place a airport. Hang your head in shame! Keep the old terminal open until the new one is finished. Probably the worst airport in the world at present.

Flew from Brisbane AU. It was still organized chaos. Arrived in Bali at 2.30pm which was one of their busiest times and were delayed in the air for an hour. Transferred to the terminal by bus. Buying the Visa on Arrival (US25 each) went fairly quickly but the wait to get through Immigration took much longer. Airport is quite humid and hot with no air-conditioning. There was a delay in getting our luggage took an hour and no signage so confusion as to which conveyer belt was ours. Immigration staff were ok and friendly to our son. Lots of touts trying to take your bags etc but just watch your bags and give a firm no. The pick up area was crazy but we found our pre-paid taxi fairly quickly. Leaving Bali there is a quite a long walk from drop off to the entrance and luggage touts are everywhere. We couldn't find any carts nearby so I gave in and paid a tout 30000 Rph ($3) to carry our bags (for 5 people) to the entrance. Had to wait a while to get past the first security checkpoint which was a pain and a bit stressful. Arrived a little early for check-in (9pm) and had to wait 15 minutes. We then paid our exit fee (150000 Rph / $15) and got through Immigration after about an hour. warm. Airside I had thought we could enter the best of 3 lounges (Premier Lounge) but was told by as we were not affiliated with their partner airlines. So we went to the cheaper one on the other side (Marigold Lounge) but it was only 150000 Rph ($15). Facilities were ok seats reasonably comfortable food choice was a bit limited (rice noodles sandwiches cakes and pastries and coffee free beer but what do you expect - its only $15). Lighting was a bit dark for me. Large flat screen TV to keep you entertained. Free WIFI. Toilets / showers are located at the back outside the lounge and were basic. We spent about 1-2 hours there. Staff were friendly. We had to go through a final security check just before the gates. Limited seating at the boarding gate so we stood around for about 30-40 mins before getting onto our flight. So our experience at Bali Airport wasn't too bad overall just need to be aware of the chaotic environment.

Arrived at Bali late afternoon with Malaysia Airlines. Had arranged VIP service so arrival experience was great. Walk straight through the immigration. However if you are not arriving at the peak hours save your money. The queue wasn't too bad at all. I was also surprised how fast they deliver luggage to the belt. The meeting points for pick up was chaotic. I have never seen an airport so busy. Even if you stay at a 5* hotel you might have difficulty in locating your driver. Traffic leaving the airport was bad but that was part of the Bali experience – chaotic order. Leaving the airport was a bit easier. Took a midday flight and it wasn't the peak period at DPS. Before proceed to the check in area we were asked to show our ticket. I was bit amused since nowadays who would have a paper ticket? Luckily they just wanted to confirm that I was actually a passenger so my iphone calendar with flight number confirmed that. Luggage drop was easy no queue and was handled by a very friendly lady. The departure hall was larger than I expected with a lot of shops. Most of them overpriced but that’s the same in all airports in the world. Terminal building is very dark and not interesting so I went straight to the lounge.