I'll start with the caveat that I am the author of the new Bradt Travel Guide to Tunisia (1st Edition), so I have a vested interest in encouraging people to visit Tunisia!

Having said that, Tunis-Carthage International Airport is bad but not as bad as you have heard Waudiz. I lived in Tunisia for over three years, and was last in that airport this July, so have a fair amount of experience.

I agree with TravellingChris: you cannot expect a flawless operation. Some annoyances include: slow immigration processing if you land at the same time as another plane, lack of AC in some parts of the airport and slow check-in for flights. Particularly annoying is that if you travel hand-baggage only, security will not let you through the departures hall and into immigration without a printed boarding pass from one of the check-in desks (they won't accept boarding passes on your phone). So you are forced to queue up no matter what. Very frustrating.

I have never had issues with corruption with immigration or customs officials. They might be slow, but they are generally professional in their dealings with foreigners. Make sure you stick to the customs regulations, especially with regards to foreign currency, as they do spot checks. The official taxis in front of the airport are a bunch of rip-off artists (as they are in many countries). Instead, download a ride-hailing app like Bolt or Oto, and meet your taxi outside the airport perimeter on the roundabout at the entrance to the car park. Someone has even labelled the location on Google Maps as Bolt pickup! Much cheaper. 🤣 From the airport it's about 20 mins in a taxi to the beautiful seaside suburbs of La Marsa, Sidi Bou Said and Carthage (with its UNESCO World Heritage Site), or about 10-15 mins downtown, to the entrance to the Medina for example (which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Where I disagree with TravellingChris is on the current security situation in Tunisia. The Tunisian Revolution and the 2015 terrorist attacks were a long time ago. Tunisia in 2023 is safe for tourists, and there is loads of amazing stuff to do in the capital. I address this security question in a lot more detail in this YouTube video:

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I also saw those SV deals. Good luck Waudiz, and I hope you manage to get out of the airport and explore Tunis a bit!