Melbourne Airport

For international departure : Smooth and not so long queue for TRS (tourist refund scheme). 1. Go to custom booth at arrival hall next to baggage storage, get ready all ur receipts and items to be check randomly 2. Get receipts stamped by custom after they randomly check your items. (Do not remove price tags from your items) 3. Check in ur flight n drop luggages 4. Go into departure hall pass security and immigration 5. Look for TRS booth and get ur tax refund either in cash or deposited into ur credit card here. Smooth security check and passport E-gate procedure… all done within 10mins or less. For internal arrival: First time arrived from Sydney and plagued by luggage delay. Unfortunate day that delay our schedule, so can’t comment on the normal speed. Took sometime to find the pick up point for Didi ride, look for RideShare pickup, it’s different from Uber. And not sure why need to join queue for Uber if we book Uber from our mobile apps.

24 hour airport. This airport is better than the Sydney one 😂. Food courts all over and fast check in and security. Food I believe is much better and also has a Lego store for last minute gifts.

Nice airport but something is strange about the immigration and customs. Twice I showed up early, first time 4 hours before my flight, second time 3 & 1/2 hours, immigration would not allow me to enter the airport on a flight leaving internationally. Said I was too early and to come back earliest 3 hours before the flight. Not sure if this is common. At SYD it was not an issue. Nor is this an issue at any other international airports that I have been to.

We returned through Melbourne Airport Tonight and it was a pleasure to see the tremendous improvements that have been carried out there The Domestic departure and arrival are still undergoing modifications with new shops and enhancement of the older shops. But the biggest delight wd the new Virgin gate lounge area which now has a shop or shops in each lounge making it easier to purchase something edible as opposed to starving or missing the flight. Toilets and charge stations at almost every point and specific disabled toilets. Lots more water points and an incredible ambience. It was a delight. Photos attached show the incredible transformation.

Melbourne Airport Terminal 4 is the main hub for low-cost carriers, and it’s designed to be efficient and modern. ✈️ The terminal is bright, clean, and easy to navigate, with plenty of self-service check-in kiosks and bag drop points that make the process fast. Security is usually smooth, though it can get busy at peak times. There are enough cafés, fast food outlets, and shops to grab a meal or coffee while waiting, and seating areas are decent. While it doesn’t feel as premium as the other terminals, T4 does its job well — simple, functional, and convenient for budget travel.

I’ve only been through Melbourne Airport once, but the experience was smooth and well‑organized. The terminals are bright and easy to navigate, with plenty of self‑service check‑in kiosks and clear signage that helps keep the flow moving. Even during busy periods, the airport feels manageable, and staff support at the kiosks and bag‑drop areas makes the process straightforward. I appreciated how clean and modern the spaces were, especially in the departure areas where recent upgrades have made the environment more comfortable for travellers. Access to the airport is also convenient — SkyBus connections into the city are frequent and reliable, which adds to the overall ease of travel. A solid, efficient airport. For a first visit, it left a positive impression.

It was a busy nite at the airport. We had to do own checked in and printed the boarding pass using the machine. Luckily there was a lovely and very helpful staff (didn't get her name 😢) who helped us print the luggage tags when there was a glitch in the system. Bags drop in at the MAS counter took some time. Shantelle, who was at the counter was so friendly and helpful. Thnx dear. Ure awesome. 🌹💕

Serves its purpose but could be improved •I was able to access it easily via Skybus •organized lanes and check in counters •several seating options •water refilling stations available •limited charging areas •clean bathrooms with complete facility for hand sanitation

Quality/Quantity - Easy in and out. I really like the pin # for Ubers; it makes it so much more convenient and friendly. Not sure if this is just an airport thing, because when we got off the cruise ship and ordered an Uber, it was through their "normal" system. This is not the "safety" pin #. This is the pin # system where you order a Uber, pick ANY Uber in the waiting area, and then give the # to them so they can take you for the pre negotiated price. It also saves so much time and hassle to NOT have to look for your specific Uber! See pictures. Atmosphere - Good size airport. Decent food and drink options, I only took a few pictures. Of course, my favorite place was the brewery, Taphouse. There are approximately 50 choices in the 4 terminals. Scales throughout to confirm your overweight luggage, lol. We were penalized $65AUD for each bag at Jet Star. Free wifi, I did not use it. Lounges available - N/A for me. Parking lot - Again, N/A for me, we use ride share. Service - Self service. Quick and easy screening. So easy, that I felt there was none. Price - Cost of the flight. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1970. I see that you are a hub for 4 major airlines - Jetstar, Qantas, Rex Airlines and Virgin Australia.

I knew from planning my trip that MEL was fairly far away from the CBD but I was shocked at just how far away it was. It wasn't an issue though because we were able to Uber and we came in and left at odd times so there wasn't really big traffic or anything to fight. Coming in, we took JetStar from Sydney and man oh man that was a long walk from the gate to the exit of the airport. There is a lot of signage so you won't get lost or anything and it's mostly a straight shot so there shouldn't be an issue but it's a lot of walking. I was surprised because I heard "small airport" and didn't anticipate a 15 min walk from gate to exit. When we did exit, finding the Uber pick-up zone was fairly easy, even if it was a bit chaotic. Leaving Melbourne, we took Virgin Australia (JetStar flight was cancelled) and this gate was so much closer to where we entered the airport. The security screening was quick and efficient and there was a lot of signage to get you going to the right location. We ate breakfast before flying and there are actually a lot of places to choose from at 5am.

This airport is not well maintained. There are many out of service faucets, escalators, and walking elevators. They don't provide trolleys inside the boarding areas

I connected once through this airport. It got the job done, and I didn't have the impression this was a particularly large airport and I recall a pretty basic airport. After a 16 hour flight, it is refreshing to get off and stretch the legs and other body parts. I really only added this review because it has one of my compositionally favorite airport photos.

When we arrived, it was painless as we used the SmartGates. Facial recognition technology and your ePassport is used to check your identity. We took the SkyBus from the airport to get to Melbourne's CBD- convenient. When we were departing, we walked down a hall with cute panda sculptures. We were also able to check out a lounge before our flight.

Airport is somewhat on the smaller side as they are mainly a transfer hub for the major cities like Sydney. I was at Gate 3. There are a few shops and two places to eat near the gate. Going through security was a breeze. Quick and simple. From what I experienced, they are well organized here and make sure people get to their gates on time.

Gets me where I want to go. Clean bathrooms. Some restaurants, if you want to get something to eat, well, if you call one small restaurant/store where you can get coffee and packaged sandwiches/salads & snacks. Maybe we were in just a smaller area of the airport, but I expected more from Melbourne Airport.

This airport needs more than like two plugs per gate in the international terminal. Pls upgrade.

A shamble. Every step of the way. Not enough staff to direct. Incredibly long lines. Poor signage with instructions. Late flights. They also forgot to put up details of which carousel our baggage was at, so we were left just looking for it. I'd avoid transiting through here if working on a time limit

MEL was a fine airport - we flew in from Sydney and later picked up a rental car from here. It was reasonably clean and easy to navigate, and way finding was pretty good. I was surprised that you could not take a tram into the city given how excellent the tram was in general. The Skybus worked for us though. You never know, maybe you'll see some famous people as we did - the GWS Giants headed home from their finals match with the Tigers. (Looking a bit downcast too...)

I don't know how I feel about having automated check in machines. I kind of like that human interaction. Especially if you have questions like we did as I paid online for one of my check-ins so I avoid paying the $90 at the agent. Pro tip use the scale to weigh your bags as some agents can be difficult with your luggage being a couple of pounds over the limit. Lots of clear signage so you know where you are going. Plenty of stores and places to eat at. The lounge is right in the middle of going in unlike other airports where you might have to go to another terminal for the lounge and the run to your terminal. Really good planning.

This airport is busy but very small. It is full of chinese tourists so english and chinese are main languages. Airport does NOT provide free wifi. You can pick up SIM cards right after you get out. I got 50 GB for 20 bucks. There are also small stalls for currency exchange and very small selection of food. It's about 30 mins away from the main downtown melbourne area.

Domestic Terminal is cute and has everything you would need pre-flight. They have a nice range or restaurants and shops. They also have some nice lounge areas and have plenty of areas with chargers for phones/laptops. Some of the best eateries are: Boost Juice, Grill'd, and Think Asia. Probably because it's Australian, all of the staff are very friendly. The Qantas staff in particular are always great and the planes are comfy, great food, and offer great entertainment.

I was departing to Singapore on 28 December. I had approached the counter staff where it says customer service. The Woman there was so damn rude. Totally ignored me whilst I was infront of her and was engaging in conversations with various staff. The amazing part was that the people who were talking to her 1 by 1 were also ignoring me, instead of attending me. The best part was that they were engaging in private conversations. I said excuse me and she rudely told me to wait. After 5 minutes, she acknowledges me and was rude when I told her my mum needs to eat coz she's diabetic. She was like if you chose to go then your mum can walk all the way to the plane. What kind of person says that? No empathy? If you wish to employ such staff in an international airport, please sack them as they lack empathy and have no proper training to be customer service staff. Just go home and engage in private conversations. Makes travellers look down on Melbourne with such staff. Disappointing and disgusting. Melbourne airport feedback keeps closing the case without even reading the feedback. Within minutes.

Heavily automated and we experienced numerous machine grinches from the baggage check in to the immigration. However you need patience at any airport, so I'd say it is average frustration level and experience. At least this airport is modern, clean and spacious. There are working water stations at T2 (and T1as well), so that was good.

I was flying from Sydney to Melbourne for a few days to visit family, and as soon as arrived at this airport one word came to mind, CLEAN! Usually with the amount of people traffic that flows through an airport, there's that the dingy and dirty feeling, but Tullamarine Airport is top notch in the cleanliness department. I remember seeing employees picking trash often. Seems like they've remodeled, the décor and furniture is modern, and at the same time very cozy. And nowadays finding an outlet is key at airports, but here, there's heaps to go around, even in the food court area, such a plus! I like how there's an array of food and shopping options compared to other airports I've been too, and actually, I almost missed my flight since I lost track of time hanging out in the food area. When I was flying out with Tiger Air, I noticed their gate spacing was a bit tight, made it a little confusing since the lines for another flight was also weaving into another gate, not until I asked an employee, she directed me to the right place, and I wasn't the only one. This airport is the main airport into Melbourne but the caveat is that there's no train or bus transportation at the airport itself to take you to the city, but there are car & shuttle transportation services available. I highly recommend the Skybus shuttle, especially if you're heading into the CBD, and it's affordable.

Very clean and organized airport. Efficient and friendly staff. I saw a few elderly customers that needed help walking to customs and getting baggage. Many airport staff immediately jumped to their feet and helped the elderly. This is very rare and hardly seen at different airports. Also they helped direct you to where customs is and what forms to fill out. Bathroom here are clean and there's a chart of when the cleaning cycles are. Pretty much checked quite frequently. Easy to get to airport and easy to get taxi and shuttles to your destination. Can't wait to come back to Australia soon!

MEL is A-OK! I flew in bound from HKG on Cathay Pacific. The immigration process was quite fast with short lines. I do like the option of Skybus that took me to CBD at a reasonable price. There is an Optus Store right at the arrival level! You can get your sim card right at the airport. I flew out bound from MEL to SYD on Qantas. Since it was a domestic flight, the check in process was fast: automatic self served! I did not even need to talk to anyone??!! Just like most of the domestic terminal post security area, there was too interesting there. But at least it has this slow and relax vibe. A much smaller and quieter airport compares to SYD.

I'm loving the WiFi connection and how it is unlimited with no stalling in between! Contemporary airport with Skybus superbly convenient to get to and from airport. Bookstores and duty free with affordable airport, quality airport food. What more can one ask for while waiting for their flight to board passengers?

In A Nutshell: -The Melbourne Airport is not only far from CBD, but felt small to support the city & surrounding area. -The pickup area is near the white MELBOURNE sign, close to Park Royal Hotel. -Getting in/out was simple. -If you have a tax refund GOOD LUCK bc that line is long! Overall, it's just an average airport & it needs more lounges.

Best part about this airport besides it's airport code being MEL is landing during the daytime. If you have a window seat you can gaze out and look at the cattle grazing right next to the landing strip. That was a nice welcome. International flights to Custom kiosks were clearly marked and a very quick process. Baggage took forever as usual but shuttles and drivers are readily available. Leaving MEL was also a flawless process. Great experience. Mel M Yelp 18:40

Clean!Accessibility to and from the city is fine. Washrooms were clean and not crazy roadmap and terminals to make it confusing is the best part.

A very busy international airport. I would agree that over the years Melbourne Airport has become more efficient so travelling from here has become less of a drama. Arriving in Melbourne has now become so easy with biometrics and in comparison to other airports I have flown into, certainly more advanced in this respect. For me it's quite out of the way and can be a hassle to get to, but travelling in and out from here isn't the worst experience. Staff are also quite friendly and helpful and if you're lucky you might just get featured on a filming of Border Patrol on Channel 7. Also if you can, buy your snacks before you get to the airport. Anything you need to buy from here will be heavily overpriced so stock up elsewhere before your flight.

Checkin was pretty impressive as everything was automated. Still had to go to a ground staff as my passport was less than 6 months to go before it expires. Staff were very helpful. Trolleys however were pay per use which was competely different from most airports I have been in. Cafes and retail shops were abound - just dont expect spectacular coffee from the airport like what you could find in the city.

Melbourne airport. There or roadworks on the freeway in that will improve the traffic flow on the way in and out of the airport. It's still a bit confusing when driving. I usually use an airport parking service where they drop you at your terminal. The airport still has come construction under way and is quite busy. It is well laid out and includes a international thermal also. A rail link to the city would improve it considerably. Over all not a bad airport.

There are some things that you should know about Melbourne's Airport in preparation for your travels. MEL isn't necessarily bad, but one thing may irk some backpackers or light travelers: - There are no boarding pass kiosks - If you are someone that doesn't want to rely on a virtual boarding pass, or if your airlines does not offer it, you'll be saddened to know that you have to wait in line with folks checking in luggage to get your pass. I may have been a little impatient, but in this day and age when a majority of large, modern airports provide printing kiosks for boarding passes, it was surprising to see that MEL has yet to adopt this process. Aside from that little hiccup, the airport functions like any other. There are a variety of shops and restaurants inside the terminals to help you burn time as you wait for your flight. Lounges are pretty bland aside from Qantas, which makes sense given they are the country's star carrier. Once you make it through the security gates, everything else will fall into place here at MEL. Safe travels!

Stopped off in Melbourne en route from Adelaide to Sydney. First impression is that the airport (Domestic Area) is badly in need of an upgrade. The bathrooms pretty bad too. The Quantas business lounge was OK and there are also a few shops and snack areas.

This was a bafflingly poor airport and a terrible way to make a first impression. It's a substantial distance from the city, and public transit does not go directly to it, leading you to take either an expensive bus that has to drive through traffic, or some convoluted or more expensive alternative. There were very limited amenities; I couldn't find a water fountain and the wifi didn't work for me. There wasn't much help to be had, and it was much more crowded and a vastly inferior experience to the airports in Australia's other major cities. Don't get me wrong, Melbourne is nice, and you might as well fly there, but the airport sucks.

Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Cleanliness: 4/5 Decor & Style: 3/5 The process from Melbourne to Sydney was efficient and speedy. No long lines that morning, and no holdups. If things go smoothly at an airport I am happy. Nearby gate restaurants were adequate and bathrooms were clean enough. Somewhat small airport for a very large city though.

Being here means one thing.... I'm going home! But it also means I have had a great time visiting friends and family. I like the Melbourne airport generally. The range of good food is also increasing so encourages me to come earlier for a meal before the flight. Never keen on the bank up of people going through inspection. Bottlenecks the flow. But I could spend time wandering around with out getting board here.

OMG so chaotic during the morning rush hours at the international terminal. If you had large purchases in Australia and want to do the Tax Refund Scheme afford yourself an extra 30+ minutes of time. We allotted 2 hours time at the airport before our flight departed, but with the lines, security and the tax refund scheme, we just made it to our gate as the plane was half way boarded. The Tax Refund scheme takes a while so if you have the opportunity to fill out the forms online before you arrive, that will save you some time. The line moves slowly so just consider that. The day of our departure was especially crowded. There were hordes of tourists from a large Asian country, I won't say which one. Some of whom had no qualms of cutting the queues in front of you. I have no shame. I yelled at some of them or made sarcastic comments like, "Yes, please do cut in front me!". After you call them out, some of them get startled. After I yelled at one lady, a man on the side of me let me go in front of him. Though I had told him it wasn't him that was the problem, it was the other lady. Melbourne, please expand your airport and its services, and make this hellish experience more bearable.

Well my stateside yelpers I've decided to take my adventures abroad again. Can I say I was super happy to see yelp in Oz?! So after a long journey we arrived I have to say the airport was really nice it certainly reminded me of European airports in its style and how efficient they were. For travelers from the US if you have a newer passport with on of those electronic chips inside you can go through an express line and scan your passport and then go to a secondary line and get your photo taken. Then it's off to collect your bags and go through customs. Fairly simple and straightforward. Also there places to eat and shop as well if you want to buy some duty free items before going through customs. And there are some food options just as you exit customs.

Airport is ok, has a few things to improve... There is no train/metro to the city, though city link works quite well and can be booked online. The lounges are confusing, and the priority pass lounge has very strange hours. Shops are mediocre, mainly souvenirs. Bags take too long to come in and the belt info is poor. Hope to see improvements in my next visit!

So it's finally time after 8 years of going through this airport 4 times a year, at least, to write a review. They now have free wifi! It is so slow though. There is no public transport to the airport except the $18 Skybus one way ticket in or out of southern cross station. If you are 3 or more just take a cab. Duty free at Melbourne airport isn't really a big win so for those of you looking to buy your things there don't bother. Alcohol and products will probably be cheaper elsewhere sadly. Another star lost here too. Now for whatever is left which isn't terrible. It's been under construction for ages but the domestic terminal 4 really has made a difference. Terminal 4 now boats a very large and fancy food court which caters to everyone looking for a quick bite before flying. For those travelling international well expect me to update this section very soon because I'm going through it soon for live updates. The parts of the airports which are actually wonderful is the cleanliness, the space, the light and the quality of finish though that's expected of the largest airport in Victoria. As always check in 24 hours prior and fly safe!

A very standard airport generally speaking. I arrived at a domestic terminal with Qantas and departed a couple of days later from an international terminal with Etihad. Usual range of duty free offerings as well as WHSmith and some fast food. Immigration counters to exit Australia are a bit of a joke. The automated gates don't work well at all. Over half the people who went through (including myself) had to rejoin another queue afterwards for someone to tell me my passport just needs to be rescanned, and to join a third queue to get this done! I ended up showing my passport to 4 immigration officers in total. MEL get your machines working or just use a regular desk.

Another plain, sterile, and un-updated looking airport. On the plus side, there's plenty of space inside the arrivals terminals, and many random shops - Gloria Jean's, L'occitane, And Beyond, Villa & Hut Kaffe, Amcal etc.

As far as airports go, this one isn't that bad. The food court area is loaded with shops and all you fast food favorites. I particularly like the lounge are which has a nice selection of comfortable couches in front of several wide screen TVs, the perfect from which to enjoy your Happy Meal and some morning cartoons. On the whole, this is a nice spot for a short layover.

Not sure what to think, really. This airport has all of the conveniences of a standard, large airport. Shopping. Dining. Coffee. Wifi. You name it. But what it also has is a memory of a trip that began beautifully but ended in misery. I'll never be able to think of Melbourne and its surroundings without thinking of the inescapable feeling of promise and joy, followed by despair and anxiety. 3 stars.

Melbourne airport is undergoing a makeover still one of the better airports with domestic and international all in one! A shame no rail to the city but the airport bus is ok and reasonable! Range of stores in terminal are adequate I would like to see better signs on approach re waiting for arrival short term parking where you then scoop your guest a cheaper option than paying regular airport parking costs.

Simply A-OK! Y'all know where I stand, since I'm super spoiled with Singapore's Changi Airport. But MEL ain't that bad. I found the interior a little dated, but nothing out of the ordinary. Arrival-wise, I like how there's an Optus store right outside baggage claim so you can get hooked up with a SIM card. $10 for 5 days' worth of 4G data and phone services? Hell yeah! The taxi queue is also run pretty efficiently so you can head out pretty quickly once your phone's been set up. Departure-wise, there's a ProtectABag luggage wrapping service at the check-in area, which was a life saver as I had to check in 4 camping chairs (long story short, I couldn't find cheap chairs in SG so I ended up getting them in Oz!) Going through security wasn't a problem; for non-Aussie citizens, don't forget to fill out your exit form! Once you're past security, there's a pretty big duty free store to go through. Outside duty free, the shopping is pretty typical; convenience stores, book stores, souvenir shops. There is free Wifi, but I didn't have any luck with it. Luckily, I was still able to bum off the wifi from the nearby Silverkris lounge even after I left. Nothing else to report - happy travels to and from MEL!

Oh Melbourne Airport... we meet again. When last we met in 2011, I believed improvements were needed. It seems you've done some remodeling and modifications, including increasing the size of the skybus departure area- an impressive improvement in terms of increasing route options. I don't think the airport has managed to keep up with the seeming rapid increase of passengers. While there are now signs indicating where newly arrived patrons should go to catch public transportation, the layout is quite confusing. In order of significance and closest position to baggage claim, we have skybus, five minute walk to taxis, Uber/ride share, and lastly- furthest away and in a center island, we have ride pick-up. I was approached by a lost international woman looking for the area her ride could pick her up. I directed her to the available signage- there wasn't much- and it seems she would've had to walk quite a ways for her ride. When being driven to the airport, it was pointed out to me that there is a lack of signage- soooo confusing. The signs near international departures appears too close to the areas to be helpful- evidenced by dangerous and last-minute lane changes- and lacks specific information liKe AIRLINE. I didn't know which terminal to drive to. The check-in area is okay. The international departure area requires improvements- in terms of streamlining. There should be distinct lines for preliminary check of boarding pass. People meandered and loitered in confusion. While securIty tries to manage the crowds by having a person to indicate direction for each line to go through, the process is slow. Melbourne airport could benefit from increase in signage and streamlining systems to get passengers through in most efficient and secure manner.

Well organised and friendly staff. Virgin lounge is 9/10 Irish pub O'Malleys is a top spot for food and drink Easy to get Uber, taxi and car parking

Tullamarine certainly has its really dated, boring section of the airport. Then there's the newer section inside.. the part of the maze that sports the new Apple store (just newly opened), the Body Shop, the Ugg spot, etc....that was kind of fun, as I had gotten there too early for my departure (this given the torturous fact that I had to stand in line for more than 40 minutes to get my boarding pass, in a queue loud enough to confuse one thinking he is at a bar!). Aesthetically, place screams, "REMODEL ME!" Remember that the inner lane when arriving prohibits any private vehicles. One must walk to the middle of the road and wait by that curbside for pick-ups. Or, better yet, cross the street entirely, and just wait for ride at the large hotel sign. There is even a parking lot, which makes things a lot easier. PS About 35 mins. NW of Melbourne's CBD.

This may be a biased review (as I am a Melbournian), but I find Melbourne airport to be a simple and effective airport. The airport is 1 long two-story building. The top level is your departures, and your lower level is for arrivals. The middle of the building is for international flights, the left side is Virgins domestic area, and the right side is Qantas's domestic area. I find this airport to be pretty simple to navigate through, there are clear signs throughout the main area, and the only possible time you might not know where to go is if you are flying with a smaller company- as they may only have 2 check in booths (making it harder to find). The main area of Melbourne airport offers a large food court style area (with real cafes and therefor real food!), a pub, restaurants/cafes, newsagents and shops. Aside from your typical duty free shops, chocolate/souvenir shops and luggage shops, there are brands such as sportsgirl, witchery, tie rack, sunglass hut, diva and much more. I like Melbourne airport, everything is set out well-the whole place is easy to navigate through. The only downside would be the cost of parking, but if you don't want to pay it- you can always use the pick up/drop off zones.

I flew from this location to LAX through the United Airline. When I was trying to get my boarding passes, I felt like I was treated as a criminal. A lady stopped everyone and asked a series of questions: how long was your stay, the purpose of your stay, what do you do for a living, how long have you been doing that? What do you have in your bag? Did anyone give you anything in your bag? Etc.......Seriously? After the entire ideal was over with, they blocked off the seating area until an hour before the boarding time. Once again, the same lady stopped everyone and asked those questions again. I was so annoyed with her I didn't even want to go to the restroom until I boarded the plane (Yes, if you go to the restroom she would ask you questions again). Other than that, the airport itself is confusing and easy to get lost. Food court did serve good food though.

The irpirt is getting extended.. the goos thing is there are more shops to spend your money on. Also another plus, domestic and international are connected so you don't need to worry about transport. The lounges situation are interesting for Virgin flights.. Depending on where you're flying to you go to either Etihad or Singapore Airlines. Check first because the non Virgin ground staff might ask you to go back to the domestic terminal! That is an option if your flight arrives too early.. they don't open till 0730. I don't have this problem with qa Unfortunately, the boarding process for the international segments boarding (to LAX) is so messed up.. Qantas or Virgin without fail is link a stampede.. there is no order. They try but people do not seem to understand instructions and just crowd around the entrance so you can't really move unless you're aggressive. Amenities wise, at least there are water fountains! Limited plugs for charging which seems to be the standard problem at airports.

I think over time the Melbourne airport has become a lot more efficient. After coming back from the US (visited airport at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles), I think we Australian does it so much better! There is a bit of a queue at the kiosk but it moved pretty quickly and before I knew it, I was at the carousel getting my luggage and I was out of there from us being landed in less than 1 hour. Best thing, the trolleys are free = $0. The airports in the USA cost me USD$5 for a trolley I would used for about 10-30 minutes. Leaving the country, everything was automated (computerised as well) and didn't take me very long to go through immigration. I think we all should learn to appreciate how advanced us Australian are. Very impressed!

Surprisingly, this airport was not that spectacular, though I was pretty excited when I arrived in Melbourne for the first time. I have been here twice at their domestic terminal for Qantas flights to Sydney. The queues looked fairly long but surprisingly very efficient to get through and took me almost 15 minutes to go from the ticket counter, through security and to the gate. The interior was very bland, especially at the gates, and suddenly, I did not feel like I was in an airport in Australia, it almost felt like I was in a large boring airport in the States. The waiting area looked like it was still in the 1980s. One cool thing is that they offer flights to cities like Hong Kong and Los Angeles, and I would be keen on flying to this airport from an overseas destination. The airport is fairly distant from the centre of Melbourne and it seems that public transportation is very limited. It takes about 20 minutes from the Southern Cross train station if you use the Skybus service. A bus ticket is not cheap, it's almost $20 but it's better than taking a taxi. Despite this, I would take Melbourne Airport over Avalon Airport if I am flying to Melbourne because of the location. I actually drove from Melbourne to the Geelong area, and it took almost an hour for me to drive by the Avalon Airport exit on the Princes Freeway. Overall, this airport was fairly mediocre, but definitely better than most of the airports I have been to in the States. If I really need to escape from a terrible winter in Melbourne and fly to better places with better weather, this might be the airport for me to turn to.

The problem with Melbourne's Tullamarine airport is exacerbated in its latest terminal, number 4. It must have looked so straight-forward on paper - make it spacious, open, accessible. Stick the entrance close to where people park and make it obvious where people need to go to get them through it as efficiently as possible. That's also where it falls down. Airport planners are often guilty of overlooking the fact that people aren't cattle to be herded into their mobile, floating troughs. They're humans who experience things. The best airports in the world recognise that fact and try to create, to the extent possible, areas with character, warmth and charm. Somewhere you wouldn't shudder to realise you'll be in a five hour transit. Terminal 4 is a bleak place, perhaps reflective of two of Australia's bleaker airlines it hosts. Our experience was rushed, confused and faulty. Staff were ill-prepared and slow to act. By the time we'd checked in luggage, we were short of time and had to rush. Perhaps it was for that reason we felt our departure gate could have warranted a sponsored walk. Seriously. It's effing ages to the planes. Just when you think you've made it, another corner opens up to a walkway that would make Usain Bolt pause for preparation. That said, it's new. The kinks will be worked out in time and it will find its rhythm. Maybe they'll throw in a plant or two. One can but hope. I should add that my previous experiences of this airport - in other terminals - have been more favourable. It's still a little clinical, but more compact and with a greater variety of mildly interesting, overpriced tat. Standard.