MEL reportedly best airport in Australia

[RooFlyer]

What's so funny about Tasmania

That 'Hobart airport' and 'best airport' would ever appear close to each other in any context.

 

[jb747]

If you had to try and justify why MEL is Australia's best airport, how would you do it? Serious answers only...

‘Cos the runway is a nice shade of black.

Having not been there much in recent years, a visit the other day had me wondering if it (or any other major Australian) airport has any positive feature at all. Awful place.

 

[Daver6]

There's no surprise that SIN has consistently taken out the award, year in, year out. I believe it is one of the few, if not maybe only, airport in the world which has been designed for humans to enjoy being at the airport.

Even if a bit kitsch in places, the aesthetics of the airport speaks to creating an enjoyable rather than utilitarian environment. Clear signage, accessible, effective movement between even the farthest gates, plenty of shops, food retail and other facilities, often at fairly reasonable prices, friendly and curteous customer service. Plus of course effective transport to and from the city centre.

I don't consider airline lounges in any of these assessments. I know Skytrax has separate awards for lounges, but I don't know if the survey feedback about lounges affects the airport rankings.

Probably the biggest bugbears about SIN are security at the gate for T1, T2 and T3 (some might argue this is an advantage); and the disconnectedness and transfers to/from T4.

Anyway, DOH beats them out this year... or the Qatari government has dropped a lot of money into Skytrax. Admittedly DOH does look quite elegant and sophisticated, but I'm not certain people would want to spend lots of time there. Then again, what would I know - my only experiences in DOH have been 95% in the lounges.

While DOH is certainly big, shiny and impressive, I don't think it's actually that amazing. During peak times the place is ridiculously busy. Moving around is annoying being so crowded. Sure DOH as some nice lounges, but as @anat0l said, lounges excluded SIN is way more pax friendly.

 

[bcworld]

If you had to try and justify why MEL is Australia's best airport, how would you do it? Serious answers only...

The only thing I can say is for international I have not had a bad departure experience since the lifting of the travel ban. Typically, from check in to duty free shop has been 5 mins or less for me...every time...without using the priority lane. That's all...arriving is an entirely different trauma.

 

[Franky]

Only downside is the Singapore MRT. It could use a major upgrade. I felt I was stepping back in time right after stepping onto the Changi Airport MRT escalator into Singapore MRT territory.

It has always gotten us to where we wanted to go pretty cheaply and with good connections...

 

[jase05]

I refuse to acknowledge any rating where CDG makes the top 200 let alone top 10. Absolute garbage airport that should be burnt to the ground and rebuilt from scratch

 

[Eastwick20]

I've got to say, as a regular Skybus user I think it's pretty good.

Every 15 minutes so it's pretty much a walk up and go service and a quick 20 - 25 Minute journey.
It's outrageously expensive but the train, if/when built wouldn't be any cheaper you can guarantee it and I doubt it would be any faster.

There are good arguments for an airport train service but apart from the prestige of having one, would it add a huge amount of value over what's currently being offered? I'm not so sure.

 

[tdimdad]

There's no surprise that SIN has consistently taken out the award, year in, year out. I believe it is one of the few, if not maybe only, airport in the world which has been designed for humans to enjoy being at the airport.

SIN and HKG are actually nice places for an airport. I mean, the ambiance, walkability and ways to spend time (outside of lounges) is good. When it comes to how to spend your time, SIN really wins it for me. The little gardens are a nice addition, you could go for a little swim (this was a big hit with the kids), and you have Jewel right next door.

I also like the gate security. It means that you don't need to be in the terminal a lot earlier because you'll be at the gate soon after (and I presume your flight will wait until everyone's processed through the security, even if the queue took longer than expected).

Finding the MRT needs a bit of navigation but the signposting is reasonable. Where I struggle always is finding the Grab stand when it's upstairs in Jewel.

 

[Scarlett]

If you go to the full top 100 list, Skytrax, as usual, throws up some 'oddities'.. CDG #6, LHR 21, AMS 23 ... ADL .... 65 .
But DOH I understand

https://www.worldairportawards.com/worlds-top-100-airports-2024/

Been to 60 of them. Hobart not listed amongst them

52 for me.
I think @RooFlyer is on to something here, it’s not about the relative order of the list, which is highly subjective (and likely corrupted…), but rather how many of that 100 you’ve been able to get out to or through!
The absence of CBR also diminishes it.

 

[Rich]

52 for me.
I think @RooFlyer is on to something here, it’s not about the relative order of the list, which is highly subjective (and likely corrupted…), but rather how many of that 100 you’ve been able to get out to or through!
The absence of CBR also diminishes it.

I don’t consider myself that well travelled. Certainly not a frequent flyer. So a bit surprised I've been to 23.

 

[SYD]

Interestingly, the reader poll linked to the SMH article earlier (and I assume The Age also) asking about best Oz airport had MEL currently in front. Coming 2nd was “No of the above”

 

[andye]

33 for me. 35 by this time next month

 

[DC3]

Fancy HBA not making the list

 

[fly2earth]

Fake news. AKL number 1 in Australia. Amazing Kiwis have outdone us and they have nothing (populationwise) this is very insulting

 

[MARTINE]

My favorite hands down is SIN for everything - quiet/organised/clean/well laid out and helpful staff

Most enjoyable - PSA in Tuscany which has actual grass and was there during some Tuscan jazz festival and the bands played there with passengers chilling on the grass.

MEL is my local. I took my first flight in 1970 and functional space has not improved much since. However having domestic/international co-located is a plus.

 

[RooFlyer]

While DOH is certainly big, shiny and impressive, I don't think it's actually that amazing. During peak times the place is ridiculously busy. Moving around is annoying being so crowded. Sure DOH as some nice lounges, but as @anat0l said, lounges excluded SIN is way more pax friendly.

Have to agree. Besides being incredibly busy DOH is very poorly signed; I've given examples in my TRs. Its very efficient for transfers though - I've landed, gone through transit security and put my backside on my next flight in 25 minutes.

SIN is like a comfy pair of slippers - DOH like patent leather shoes.

I refuse to acknowledge any rating where CDG makes the top 200 let alone top 10. Absolute garbage airport that should be burnt to the ground and rebuilt from scratch

AMS Schiphol the same. Burn, baby, burn!

 

[SYD]

I refuse to acknowledge any rating where CDG makes the top 200 let alone top 10. Absolute garbage airport that should be burnt to the ground and rebuilt from scratch

Have you ever been to ORY? When you thought things can’t get worse than CDG, there’s Orly (and high up on the list!). Maybe they’ve secretly thrown money at during covid to get ready for the Olympics?

I‘m surprised no one’s made a similar remark about LGA? But apparently it has transformed from ugly duckling to graceful swan?

 

[RooFlyer]

I‘m surprised no one’s made a similar remark about LGA? But apparently it has transformed from ugly duckling to graceful swan?

In 80 logged flights in and out of London, I've only ever used LHR (and have the scars to prove it). Tried to diversify last year, but had urgent change of plans and it was LHR again.

 

[anat0l]

‘Cos the runway is a nice shade of black.

Having not been there much in recent years, a visit the other day had me wondering if it (or any other major Australian) airport has any positive feature at all. Awful place.

I like the look of BNE International. The use of glass makes for an appealing terminal. The way they've done up the central part of the terminal is a nice place to wait (viz. when you've no lounge access).

Minuses for BNE I include poor accessibility to the farthest gates (those areas off the central part look incredibly boring and incongruent compated to the central part). I suspect it's also rather crowded, perhaps especially in the morning, since naturally the boffins designed BNE I when there was much less traffic than present, and the place is problematic to expand (hence new master plan).

Admittedly, with the renovations, SYD T1 has been trying incredibly hard to be better. I think inside it is better than average; the waiting areas in the central hubs are pretty nice, and a rather nice range of shops. SYD is the only terminal in Australia I'm aware of where you can actually see the exit of the Duty Free store so you can walk straight there, right from the exit of security screening. But it also suffers from lack of accessibility to far gates (actually easy to get to them, but not necessarily to come back), dubiously effective outgoing procedures (can feel daunting when it's packed with people), lack of clear signage and support.

 

[SYD]

In 80 logged flights in and out of London, I've only ever used LHR (and have the scars to prove it). Tried to diversify last year, but had urgent change of plans and it was LHR again.

LGA is La Guardia, New York. Closest to Manhattan but was a hellscape from inception but has had some serious TLC.

In a Queens Miracle, New York LaGuardia Airport Goes From Loser to Winner

Throughout a troubled 2022, the pandemic exposed many fragilities in a troubled U.S. airline industry, but it also enabled a widely recognized miracle in

airlineweekly.skift.com