Eugeniusz Bodo

Top notch NZ lounge and smoking deck! What is not to love about this airport?

USAoz

maybe you like walking in the rain. Airports should have international at one end & domestic at other end. SFO works well. They should demolish the mess & start again, but they won't, so the solution could be to link terminals by a covered walkway, preferably fully enclosed (& heated for winter) with travellators, so you don't have to walk.

NZbutterfly

For those that don't enjoy the walk there is a bus to transfer terminals. Same process used as in Oz major ports - barring Melbourne.

I don't remember the last time I took this because I prefer the walk.

codyc1515

That's great and all, but if your connection is 60~ minutes and you need to check a bag, good luck waiting 15~ minutes for the next bus.

This is the same airport that doesn't even have enough gates for international arrivals such that you have to take a bus between the plane and the gate. Pathetic.

NZbutterfly

In order to make travelling seamless it requires a bit of homework which includes knowing what's available at the airport on the other side, especially if you're connecting. It's easy enough to allow a bit of extra time especially if connecting to main trunk routes. There's flexitime and all that.

re: not enough gates - Auckland airport is not alone here. There's a number of other airports in the world with remote gate international arrivals. I have a bit of a "meh" feeling about it but I personally don't feel it fits into the "pathetic" category. Remote gates do allow you to get up close and personal with the aircraft which is pretty cool if you're into that

ajnz

This is only true for SFO T3 to International G. International A is separated by a security boundary, and T2/T1 are also separated.

SFO is not an example of a good airport. Neither is AKL - last couple of arrival/departures have been on bus gates, which prompted a significant amount of surprise from premium cabin pax.

Top of climb

New Zealanders are a little spoiled when it comes to bus gates. There are plenty of major airports around the world where you sometimes get a remote stand and have to be bussed - ZRH, FRA, LHR and (albeit more rarely) even at some Asian airports like HKG. I agree that AKL has been caught short and the gate 17/18 extension to Pier B probably should have started a year ago, but in and of itself there is no reason why one when travelling should be "surprised" at a bus gate. Where AKL does fall down is how it handles the bussing - lack of flat floor buses suitable for an airside environment (though I'm told that a new tender is being issued this year), one of the arrivals bus lounge being halfway down Pier A rather than right by the passport control/transfer security point like at any other airport, and just generally an awful internal layout that has come about because the airport authorities over the years have randomly bolted on bits and pieces and installed internal segregation without really thinking about how the wayfinding experience should have come together cohesively. John Goulter, the previous CEO, has a lot to answer for in this regard but hey, he built more duty free shops so it's all OK in the end.

The latest press release last week from AKL showing the next 10 (?) year masterplan shows a new domestic pier being built - looks like it will extend parallel to Pier A where the front of the stand 81/82 area is, extending out to what is currently remote stand 74. That should alleviate a lot of the current annoyances with the int/dom set up.

edmm

That's all very well, but in Auckland the connections can be quite "tight" connecting from "provincial" flights, particularly when there are a relatively small number of TT flights with J. The 0900 SYD flight and the 0845 MEL flight are quite a push (even with no luggage) to get to if your provincial flight is delayed at all. Most days if you don't take that one you have to wait until 4pm. Similarly return flights can be very difficult to time for connections, particularly from MEL.

As for all the positive comments about the AKL international lounge, yes it's nice, but that is irrelevant when it is often so overcrowded that it is hard to find a seat.

Otherwise departing from AKL is usually pretty smooth, through very quickly. Arriving is a different story.

sbiddle

You've obviously never looked at the plans for AKL over the next few years. Domestic is moving to the current terminal once expansion occurs post 2020.

As for walking in the rain 75% of the walkway is covered and you do have the option of a bus. In my last 50 or so times I've walked it in recent years I've had light rain once.

I actually really enjoy the 7 mins exercise after sitting on a plane for 12 hours!

Blackcloud

I would not get too excited about AKL Master Plan in the next few years. It seems every 5 years that bring out the plan and yet hardly execute said plan in that time period. It is fluff for the public, yes it will eventually be built but not within the timeframe they state. I have not flown out of AKL for years but I would not rate it as a top 10 airport around the world, which explains why it scores so low in the public experience rating.

NZbutterfly

Guess it depends on how often you have tight connections and your personal level of risk and consequences. I'd fly the night before if it was such a hassle or there were severe consequences. Quite a few regional flights arrive before/at 0730am which used to include mine and I made it comfortably to the TT flights. Not much lounge time if flying to MEL but I'm comfortable I can walk to international probably faster than my bags are transported, plus planes will wait a bit before they go rummaging for your bags in the cargo to offload and even that can take a bit of time i.e. no need to run.

It might just be that you're part of the group e.g. 0745 arrivals and beyond that are stuck between a rock and a hard place where you can make the flight but it's a rush.

I have missed 2 flights since moving to Auckland and made alternative plans for catching flights as a result.

jawnbc

The real question is: how did YVR *not* make the top 10?

sbiddle

You only need to look at who did the "survey" to understand that. It's like sites that rate airlines....

Kiwi Flyer

Not always an option. When departing AKL on early-mid am flight there is often only one domestic connecting flight possible same day, and that may have just 60 minutes (scheduled). Due to high risk of misconnecting I often fly up to AKL the night before, which immediately puts routes via AKL at a disadvantage compared to via SYD.

Remote gates add to connection times but these are not really reflected in MCTs or airline schedules. Then having the bus gate a long way from immigration (compared with other airports which at least have the bus gate next to immigration) just adds salt to the wound.

Also, AKL is hardly a big airport with severe space constraints. The only reason it needs bus gates is a lack of willingness to invest in the growth. (Witness the regular updates to the AKL master plan that defer improvements that were previously planned by several years.)

FlyKiwi

I am based in AKL so the run to the Domestic terminal is not an issue for me personally but I can certainly see why that would cause ill feeling not to mention confusion for visitors to NZ (and hardly world-class). Not to mention when arriving from 30 degrees plus to AKL in winter who is carrying a coat?
The Air NZ lounge is great and departure on ANZ is fine.
Since I have an APEC card departure on other carriers is also fine, arrival is not.
I do however think that the airline staff queue on arrival at AKL should also be available to APEC card holders. Swift customs processing is available in most Asian airports, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan but NOT AKL. I am much more interested in fast track after my 11-12 hr flight arriving than on departure........ WT* are they thinking??