Sydney Airport

Customer Reviews

4 star Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 428 reviews
4/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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10/10

"incredible customer service"

(Australia)

Not Verified | My day started off very well leaving Uluṟu on my break from work heading to the Gold Coast. My initial flight out of Uluṟu went superb. My day was briefly ruined when I realised I had missed my connecting flight to Gold Coast at gate 4. My day looked very dark afterwards. That’s until Nicole Harrington and Sharna Boston came to the rescue and secured my spot on the next flight out (to Brisbane) If it wasn’t for these heroic and legendary ladies, I’m not sure that I would’ve been able to get through my day. A massive THANK YOU to these wonderful women and their incredible customer service for making my experience at Sydney Airport as GREAT as it was! Not all heroes wear capes.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
1/10

“the worst airport we've been through”

(Australia)

Not Verified | We returned to Tassie from Singapore (on QF2) via Sydney Terminal 1. We worked about 14 years at an international airport. We do not travel much, though over decades we've been at the following international airports: YCC Canada, LAX USA, DFW USA, HNL USA, NRT Japan, LHR UK, BKK Thailand, Changi Singapore, DXB Dubai, AUH Abu Dhabi, &, BNE, MEL, PER, Australia. Sydney T1 is by far the worst airport we've been through! Yes, Sydney is busy, though this was bedlam soon after leaving the plane. Some moron put Smart Gates in the corridor that feeds pax into the airport - this rapidly creates a bottleneck. One lonely/diminutive staff member was trying to marshal pax, however she was standing beyond the crush, largely unseen & unheard. Pax were going into the duty-free ‘arcade', then coming back against the flow, believing they'd missed passport control. There were no border force staff in the vicinity so when a machine failed, a pax (who had experienced this chaos) had to go & find a border force officer (who voiced he was annoyed after 2 years in the place). Many of the pax trying to use the smart gates were not familiar with them, &, with no help this was very confused & slow. Having to pass through the duty free ‘arcade’, rather than having the choice to bypass this area, the crowd found they were in another passport control area. This area had more allegedly smart gates, &, finally some human staff. Then it got worse. The baggage reclaim area was a mass confusion. QANTAS provided the wrong baggage belt number, the crowd was going every which way to find the correct belt amongst all the pax from other flights. After getting bags all these people had spontaneously formed a very long queue which snaked around the baggage reclaim area. There were very few Border Force, Airline or Airport staff apparently not doing anything in this area. This very long queue consisted of elderly people, confused non-English speaking people & various others – all very tired as these were overnight flights. Eventually the one very long queue broke up into two long green & red exits queues. The couple in front, either misdirected or confused, had gone down the wrong exit. This held up the queue, the couple were bewildered when told they had to complete incoming pax cards again (& check whether they had bypassed passport control). We got to the front of the red exit queue, knowing what we were declaring was okay. We were then able to leave this chaos after conversation with a border force officer. Then we had to check our bags in for the domestic leg, another long slow-moving queue in an understaffed QANTAS area. As we got to the front of the queue the baggage belt failed & check-in stopped. Twenty minutes later, it was decided to use the oversized baggage belt. We had arrived in with plenty of time, now we were being told our bags might not get onto our next flight. All around us people who were missing their connections. We eventually headed to T3 on a shuttle. My partner headed to toilets where she found that 4 of 7 taps were out of order, hence a queue of people inside the toilets attempting to wash their hands. I finally had a chance to sit down - on a broken seat. After Singapore this experience was third world. Sydney Airport's website has the words: " A little love goes a long way. Vote Sydney Airport #1 in the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards…" not likely.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

inappropriate and insensitive"

(Australia)

Trip Verified | Came through domestic security as usual, my husband has a metal rod in his knee from knee op so we are use to the security screens beeping, he walks with a disability (the security staff could see he had difficulty walking). Hubby walked through the screens and a male security staff pulled him aside and had an aggressive manner towards him, we advised security that he has metal rod, however staff continued to speak in an unprofessional and rude manner. Hubby followed airport processes and remained quiet, doubt as he was told. When staff finished their search (didn't find anything) I approached male security staff and said that my hubby has a disability and next time can he please not be so rude with folk who have disabilities, staff member argued with me and told me to "shut my mouth" in front of security staff and passengers. Absolutely inappropriate and insensitive to passengers who have disabilities.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"Very poor service"

(Australia)

Not Verified | Drove to the Domestic Terminal to pick up my wife who had arrived back from Coolangatta. Signage for drivers looking to park close to Terminal 3 was completely hopeless. My wife was unable to locate any directions to the pickup area. Very poor service.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"airport just gets worse every year"

(Australia)

Not Verified | What a dreadful mess the domestic airport is. Inside the airport its run down, grotty, and rather filthy all around. Outside the airport its even worse. Building works seem to have been going on non stop for 10+ years, with barriers left up long after work has been completed. People are funnelled down pathways that lead nowhere. Walking paths leading you right in front of traffic. Staff are rude. But worse is the simply lack of signage and confusing roads and directions. Tonight I was picking up passengers, going to Arrivals, and police were chasing off anyone picking people up? So where are you supposed to pick people up from? Doing the usual loop around, and get funnelled into one of the parking stations, where you can't get the boom gates open. Lived in Sydney for 50 years, and this airport just gets worse every year. How is it you can have an airport where you can't drop off or pick up passengers from???
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
no
2/10

"zero planning from the airport"

(Australia)

Trip Verified | Arrival at the airport from initial passport screening which caused endless blockages due to placement in narrow focal points, and lack of availability through to using limited baggage carousels which resulted in significant delays to retrieving baggage whilst empty carousels weren’t used at all. To finally the endless queue to exit through customs. It appears everyday is like a first time operation with staff having next to no idea what could or should be happening and what appears to be zero planning from the airport itself to reduce the mess that it seems to always be.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"such an awful airport"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | What a shame that a beautiful world-class city like Sydney has such an awful airport. The toilets are absolutely filthy, as are the food court tables. The floors in the food court are a disgrace and the upholstered chairs at my departure gate appear to be pretty tatty and poorly maintained. Unfortunately I have many hours to spend here due to a less-than-ideal connection. There isn’t even anywhere comfortable to sit. The choice of foods is poor. And the shopping is extremely limited - only luxury brands. None of the nice Australian high street stores like there are in other Australian airport terminals. I am a regular visitor to Australia but I will not transit here again.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
no
2/10

"airport has really deteriorated"

(Australia)

Trip Verified | This airport has really deteriorated. I fly frequently for business and I experience severe delays in baggage pick up. The overall state of the airport is also a bit run down versus other international airports. Flight delays are almost guaranteed in my experience to the point where I no longer bother showing up early for international flights. Be warned and bring lots of patience when struggling through this fallen airport. It ain’t what it used to be.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"A severely mismanaged airport"

(New Zealand)

Trip Verified | While I wouldn't normally bother reviewing an airport, in this instance when SYD has repeatedly had such a negative impact on my family's travels, I have no qualms providing this feedback. I know full well it won't change anything, but may prove cathartic as I'm still properly mad at our experience/s through this poorly run operation. Where to start? 26th Oct 2023 - Our flight from CHC arrives and those transiting through are met by a closed international transit area. No airport staff around to provide any information or guidance to an A380 load of passengers. We all ended up waiting until the flight crew & captain disembarked to ask them (lets just acknowledge right here that this has nothing to do with the airline.) What followed next was just ridiculous - my fellow passengers and I walked what seemed like five kilometers through the airport to what we assumed was another transit and security area. This was actually the one we were meant to be processed through, but for whatever reason, they hadn't opened the 'front' doors to allow everyone to transit through straight off the gate. While our inbound flight arrived on time, we were delayed departing because of several 'lost' passengers or those or simply couldn't physically make it back to the gate on time. We couldn't understand a) why the transit processing area wasn't open for our arrival/why there was no airport staff on hand to usher those transiting or b) why on Earth we needed to walk all that distance around the airport. The only answer I keep arriving at is so everyone is forced to go through Duty Free. That's it. No other reason comes to mind. In any case, once finally back at the same gate, several transiting passengers, who took exception to that ordeal, are letting their experience be heard to gate staff (all of whom are frazzled just trying to do their job and get boarding underway while a loud alarm is going off incessantly besides the gate.) In situations like this, I tend to study the faces/body language of those in uniform. Their faces painted enough of a picture to suggest that no-one feels like they're in control; that there simply isn't adequate resources to competently run the operation. Whether this lack of resourcing is due to high churn/culture, incompetent executive decision-making or simply 'reputation' - that no-one wants a frontline job at SYD - remains a mystery I don't care to unravel. At this point, it dawned on me that I may have to relive this nightmare all over again in a month's time. 1st Dec 2023 we disembark after the 15 hour DXB-SYD leg and I breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of an open international transit area (the same one that was closed on the 26th Oct.) There's just one small problem - several flights have arrived at the same time and there's only one security line open. One of the four available lines is operating at a crawling pace. Once it's evident there's a very real chance we're going to delay departure, panic sets in. All around, passengers begin chatting and it becomes clear over the tannoy that another flight to Singapore at Gate 59 is already boarding ahead of our flight to Christchurch at Gate 61. Just as queued passengers to Singapore begin pleading their way to the front of the line, a second unit of security officers arrive and open another line. By this time, another flight had emptied and the line had stretched around the corner, beyond all sight. A severely mismanaged airport that needs a total overhaul.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"make disabled people’s lives a bit more rubbis"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Our disabled daughter joined us at the end of our Australian holiday and had a dreadful time exiting her aircraft as they expected her (and other disabled passengers) to walk down a set of stairs then board a bus to the terminal. She (and they) couldn’t so they sat on the plane for an hour and forty minutes until Sydney Airport staff could be bothered to re-attach the air-bridge. Utterly appalling. Then the woman pushing her chair moaned and swore uncalled the time until they got to the taxi rank. Which, I’m sure you’ll agree, was unnecessary and upsetting. On our departure (we were all on the same flight) she had booked assistance again but the lady at the info desk told her she wouldn’t call them and my daughter would have to stand and queue like everyone else. She can’t. So we did and she hobbled over to the desk when we reached it. But what if we hadn’t been there? Civilised airports have a special assistance desk in the concourse where disabled people can rock up and be sorted but not Sydney. Why not? Disabled people don’t choose to be disabled. They have a rubbish life and people that they meet can choose to make it a little less rubbish or a bit more rubbish. Sydney International Airport have decided to make disabled people’s lives a bit more rubbish.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no