Article: The Fate of "Second" Airports Far from the City Centre

The owners and major operators out of Kingsford Smith have a lot of political sway, which will make things more difficult for WSI. Putting that aside, I guess it comes down to the economics of airport users:
Business travellers: clearly Kingsford Smith has a lock on this group
Freight: WSI benefits here
Domestic Local: 50-50 on this
Domestic Incoming tourists: Kingsford Smith clear advantage
Domestic Connections: Advantage to whichever airport has more connecting flights
International Incoming Tourists: Kingsford Smith clear advantage
International Outgoing Tourists: Maybe WSI, but only if a good selection of RTN tickets to fly into Kingsford Smith and connecting out of WSI
Low cost carriers: WSI?

Seems like a mountain of challenges for WSI, mainly because Sydney is such a major tourist attraction itself, rather than simply a gateway to Australia.
 
Kangaroos highly unlikely!
Sportsball teams aside … :)

I live in Windsor and to drive to Kingsford Smith is 1 hour its 49 mins to WSI, Public transport is 1h33m to KS 1h49m to WSI. KS i have to change at Central, WSI I have to change at Blacktown and then bus from St Marys. Hopefully they will link up to the Metro at Tullawong and provide more options.
From memory it’s about $25 each-way for tolls to get to SYD; what’s that part like for WSI?
 
Montreal Mirabel was a make-work project feeding substantial federal funds into the province to keep Quebeckers happy (and hopefully separatists at bay). It was the international airport, which meant that connecting to a domestic flight involved an interminable bus trip from there to Dorval (over an hour, as I recall it). In the end it was deemed too impractical, and Mirabel was turned into a freight-only facility.
 
Elevate your business spending to first-class rewards! Sign up today with code AFF10 and process over $10,000 in business expenses within your first 30 days to unlock 10,000 Bonus PayRewards Points.
Join 30,000+ savvy business owners who:

✅ Pay suppliers who don’t accept Amex
✅ Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
✅ Earn & transfer PayRewards Points to 10+ airline & hotel partners

Start earning today!
- Pay suppliers who don’t take Amex
- Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
- Earn & Transfer PayRewards Points to 8+ top airline & hotel partners

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top