Auckland International Airport

Der Airport in Auckland.
Ich war dort um nach Queenstown weiter zu reisen. Ähnlich wie am Flughafen in Perth WA ist der Flughafen recht klein und noch im Aufbau. Alles was man braucht gibt es schon, nur bin ich mit dem Angebot nicht gab zufrieden. Zuviel Fast-​Food!
Aber auch hier sind alle Menschen sehr sehr freundlich!

What can you say about an Airport? This one was clean, well organized, no funky smells. Easy to navigate, lots of local businesses represented. Kind of dominated by Air New Zealand, as one might expect, its all about them. As far as Airports go this one was A-​Okay.

This is home base for me. It certainly has nothing on Changi, Pudong, LAX or Heathrow in terms of sheer size. But it is clean and functional. It isn’t as busy as any of the above either.
Showers are free of charge to transit travellers. They are located through the lobby to the airline VIP lounges. Just keep following the corridor to the left. This is great for travellers transiting from Perth and then connecting to Air New Zealand’s Houston or Buenos Aires long haul flights. Not the same as the short stay hotels or shower and meal facilities of Changi, but very welcome all the same.
If you are an Air New Zealand Koru Club member, be sure to check in well in advance to get to the lounge. Once there have a glass of their Dulcet sparkling wine. It is made especially for Air New Zealand and is only available in the Koru Lounges or up in the Air New Zealand planes. Made by Villa Maria, it really is a great drop.
WiFi: The first 30minutes of the «Airport Hotspot» is free. You will need to register to gain access, much like any other free WiFi service. Further WiFi can be purchased using the login details you used to get 30 minutes free.
Check in for international flights through the U.S. is recommended a minimum of two hours before your flight departs. This means you actually need to have cleared check in two hours before your flights estimated time of departure. (ETD)
Through to other locations such as Asia and the pacific, final check in completion time is 90 minutes prior to ETD.
It pays to have prepared to have checked in well in advance of the final check in to avoid delays.
Once checked in, clear customs and get airside. The duty free shopping area is fairly extensive. Prices aren’t actually that great. A 400g Toblerone chocolate bar is $ 14 NZD at duty free but I’ve seen the same Toblerone bars at Countdown on special for $ 5 NZD.
If you’re flying to Narita, buy there. If you’re flying to Singapore, buy in NZ. Flying to the U.S.A, buy there. Unless of course you are buying NZ wine for friends and family. Buy at an off licence and pack it in your check in luggage.
Airside there is a Burger King, sushi bar and numerous Cafes offering all manner of food. But remember that a huge meal with a large soda is prone to give you gas… and once you’re up in high altitude, gas expands. It’s Boyle’s law.

The BEST customs ever. Well… compared to Hawaii. We needed to get our bags checked because we had food with us from Hawaii. I was already dreading the fact that we just landed and now our bags have to be searched. However, I guess I was overacting because the customs officer that was looking through my bags was very nice. She even showed interest in the food I brought over, like spam. It was a lesson well learned, though. Now I know not to bring food with cooked egg, fish, or spam. Better yet, just don’t get off the plane with food in your bag, even if you purchased it at your departing airport.

Impressed with my recent experience flying out on New Year’s Day. I expected that flying out on a public holiday would mean less staff and that those there might be a little bit stressed but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The three staff members I had contact with (Air NZ bag drop, Customs & Aelia Duty Free) could not have been more helpful and kind. It’s also exciting to see more boutiques opening up featuring international brands. Gates are well signposted with plenty of seating. If only there was an internal connection to the domestic terminal, I’d rank Auckland right up there with some of the best airports I’ve visited.

Auckland is the main airport in New Zealand, located on the North Island. Chances are if you’re coming from ANYWHERE in the world, this is where you’ll fly in and out of. Both the domestic and international terminals are pretty easy to navigate and there’s a helping of convenience, shops and restaurants to keep you occupied while you wait for your flight. Security isn’t too bad either — relatively quick depending on the time of your flight. Retrieving your bag however was a bit of a cluster when we arrived; my bag was on an entirely different carousel than thought which of course caused panic; the staff we found was less than helpful but I found my bag thankfully.

All airports in New Zealand are clean, and this one is no exception. Though it serves as the main port of entry to New Zealand, the airport is pretty concise and easy to navigate. There’s not much to eat outside of security, but the options they do have are solid. There are also plenty of Kiwi souvenir shops to keep you occupied. Once you’re through the gate area, there are several more shops and places to eat as well. Everything is modern and up-​to-​date and for all the times I’ve traveled, there has never been much of a line for security or check-​in (thanks to the endless amounts of self-​check in kiosks!). The walk from the domestic terminal is about 10 minutes, though there is a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes should you require transportation. Though I don’t spend too much time passing through Auckland International, I’m never disappointed when I’m there.

Nice clean airport. There has been a lot of work over the last few years. Now with even more duty free with prices that make no difference from what you can get at say Dan Murphy.
The décor is really nice, light and airy.

Not a bad airport. But the seriously limited places to charge your devices near the international gates force me to give the low review. In this day and age charging points make or break and airport.

I am shocked by the other reviews of this airport. I travel a lot and this is by far the worst airport I have ever been in!
Small, crowded, dirty and outdated… I could go on and on but the worst part of this airport by far was the customer service. I try to be understanding, and had it just been one employee at one location within the airport that was rude and ridiculous I could have looked past that. We all have our bad days. However, every employee that I encountered in this airport, from the girls working at the airline counter, to the security staff, to the horrible horrible woman that was weighing peoples luggage, every person I encountered was either in a very bad mood or just a miserable person.
I arrived 2 hours before my flight was to leave and spent over 45 minutes waiting in line just to check in. That is not an exaggeration, and I have already made a separate complaint with Virgin Australia. Again, it would have been one thing if they didn’t have enough employees and were crowded by patrons, but the truth is that there were plenty of workers and they only had a few lines open for the crowded flight while others stood around chatting at lines where no one was checking in. A few people in line who were clearly upset by this, including me, asked the oblivious staff to please move over and start assisting the people that were waiting. Although they responded that they were just about to do that, I never actually witnessed any of them open a line to help those of us who were waiting. I will never fly Virgin Australia again.
The worst part was still yet to come. At the counter when we checked in they weighed our bags and the weight was slightly over the allowance (.2 kg to be exact) but the girl at the desk said just to pull a few items out and stick them in our pockets and it would be no big deal. She couldn’t have been more wrong. The woman who was weighing peoples bags has to be one of the most horrible people I have ever met in my entire existence. She was rude. She was yelling at people. She was being derogatory towards large families of the people. When I tried to explain to her that I had spoken to the girl downstairs she refused to look at me or listen and kept yelling the same line over and over. I literally called her the Luggage Nazi for the remainder of our trip. I have never seen such a horrible person who hates their job so much. Instead of argue with this woman, I asked if we could just pay to check our luggage since we were now running late because the line had been so ridiculously long. She told me repeatedly to go back downstairs and start over and refused to actually listen to the questions I was asking her. It was by far the worst experience I’ve had at an airport and I’ve been patted down multiple times.
Security wasn’t much better and they put an extra early boarding time on the tickets to rush people to get to the gate so that they could sit and wait which I thought was ridiculous and deceptive on the part of the airline. I am glad the experience was over and I doubt I will be returning to Auckland.

After a few experiences at AKL, I’ve deemed it… okay. It’s nothing great, but it’s definitely fine.
The domestic terminal, set apart from the international terminal, is small but efficient. Not much in terms of food or drink, and can become cramped, BUT the good thing is that you don’t need to be there too long.
The international terminal is pretty efficient for its size, with friendly staff, quick security and immigration (both entry and exit). There is 30 minutes of free WiFi. Not a ton of food and drink options inside security, so get your food before immigration/​security if you’re hungry.
There is a bus between terminals from what I hear, but I have only made the 10 minute walk which is easy, nice, and enjoyable going to or coming from a 12+ hour flight.

If anyone described me as ‘perfectly serviceable’ I’d be flattered. I think. Wait, would I? Maybe that’s a ‘meh, nice, but plenty of people are nice’ kind of nowhere compliment. I don’t know. Man this review is off to a tepid start.
Anyway, AKL is perfectly serviceable in a Woohoo, I’m in New Zealand! kind of way. Because who doesn’t like NZ? Nobody in their right mind, not since Lord of the Rings and that awesome Air NZ safety video Peter Jackson did. Maybe I just haven’t spent enough time here, which should actually count towards how efficient it is as a terminal is I guess.
The one thing I didn’t expect was a $ 96 cab ride into the middle of the city, when the guides around the airport suggested $ 60 was more accurate. Maybe I got had. Anyway. I don’t suppose that’s the airports fault, is it?

A modern, if kinda of boring, international terminal. We had gotten their many hours early on a domestic flight, so had to hang out with luggage for some hours before we could even check in, and the food choices aren’t so great — Subway is about it for vegan.
Through check in isn’t that much better, but there is a bar, but not a whole lot better in terms of food choices. Again, we had to wait quite some time. Most disappointing is the WiFi — they give you 30 minutes before demanding money. I mean, 30 minutes? C’mon — isn’t this supposed to be an international class airport. Perhaps it’s retribution for removal of the leaving tax (used to be $ 20 to leave), but it’s very disappointing.
Wellington airport is better. If nothing else, it says «Welcome to Middle Earth». What other airport can say that?

This airport has a very large amount of seating but not a lot of things to do to pass the time before a flight. Travelers are treated to 30 minutes of free WiFi, water, and duty free but beyond that, there isn’t much going on in this place. The food court before you enter the terminal has a lot of fast food. The security agents were very friendly and talkative which is always great. Overall, this airport is bare bones. They get you in and get you out on your flight without much to do in between. Prepare yourself for a boring experience.

Average airport that has all the things an airport usually has. They keep the airport clean though. It has the usual expensive food. It’s a busy airport but check in was painless. The staff is friendly and always willing to help. I’d gladly fly into auckland again.

Plenty of choices for coffee and things to do for waiting up the plane. decent airport. Head to the Koru loundge if you can

This a nice modern airport with plenty of space. There are some good stores for last minute gifts. There are reasonable food options.

A well organized, clean airport.
I didn’t spend too much time in the Auckland airport but I was able to get what I needed quickly and easily. Stores are plentiful, food is everywhere, and it’s easy to figure out where you are going from the signs. I wish the wifi lasted longer (only thirty minutes I believe), but at least they give you a little bit for free.

Here is what I like most about Auckland International Airport. There is a free filtered water dispenser. Passing through the immigration and custom checkpoint felt very expedited as there was a passport reading kiosk. The staff at the airport was generally friendly.
Here is what I think Auckland can do to take its airport to the next level. I felt the operation could be further enhanced in that the attendant outside handling the airport shuttle could have been a bit more understanding that the free WiFi could last for shorter than 30 minutes and there might not be enough time to figure out the shuttle system then mail it to another counter to get a print out. We showed our online ticket to our shuttle driver.
If bringing hiking boots, be prepared to answer some questions though.
Overall, I felt the security staff really do their best to make tourists feel welcome and at the same time they do keep a watchful eye over passenger baggage going through inspection.

I kinda loved it. Es muy pequeño este aeropuerto, sin dudas. Pero la modernidad y lo cómodo de todo vale la pena.
Ubicado al lado de la costa (amo estos aeropuertos en ciudades balneareas o en pequeñas islas) tenés acceso a algunas shops interesantes, zona de asientos y bares muy cómodos, wifi gratis y muchas opciones para comer y tomar a precio carísimo, como todo aeropuerto.
Mis favoritas son las tiendas de las cosas de los All Blacks y el bar de Heineken (nada original ni Kiwi, obvio, pero es lindo).
Estuve 2 veces haciendo escala este último mes y la verdad que me resultó lindo, cómodo y funcional. Las cosas que un aeropuerto debe ser.

Very clean, modern, and compact airport. Going through security for an international flight was very easy, even though there were some heightened measures after a convicted pedophile and murderer escaped to Chile a few days prior. (He was caught and deported from Brazil, so no worries.)
There are very few gates, so you will not get a gate assignment for some time. Instead, the gate number is «Relax.» You can relax with a flat white or even the very decent airport sushi. There are some duty free shops, from which we got a dark chocolate bar with kiwi bits (the fruit in the chocolate, the bird on the wrapper).

I only stopped at Auckland International for a transiting flight to Melbourne and again back home to San Francisco. In the short amount of time I was there, I really enjoyed browsing the duty free shops. Employees were very friendly and welcoming at the shops, as well as at the airport information booths.
Going through security was a breeze, quick and easy, and shoes weren’t required to be removed. The only downside to Auckland International was the free WiFi being limited to 30 minutes. After that, you’ll need to pay. But overall, the airport was very clean, modern, and easy to navigate.
If you have time to spare, hang out under the Pou Manawa (Maori name for «the tree»), which is situated in the middle of the retail center at the departure terminals. It’s a beautifully designed artistic structure, where there’s images of stars, fish, flowers, etc., projected onto the large fabric screen and presented 360 degrees around the trunk. You could just stare at it all day (or, at least until your flight).

Die größte Stadt Neuseelands hat knapp 1 ½ Millionen Einwohner und ihr Flughafen ist entsprechend nicht besonders groß. Das hat den Vorteil kurzer Wege und schneller Abfertigungszeiten.
Fast alle Hotels der Stadt unterhalten Shuttle-​Services dort hin, da der Flughafen ca. 45 Minuten Autofahrt vom Zetrum entfernt liegt. Außerdem fährt der öffentliche Bus.
Ansonsten hat der Flughafen alles, was man erwartet.
Achtung, liebe Europäer: außerhalb der lizensierten Restaurants und Bars ist das Trinken von Alkohol verboten!

Es ist vermutlich von meinen Backpacker-​Emotionen überzogen, aber so ganz objektiv lässt sich hier vermutlich ohnehin nichts beurteilen. 5 Sterne für diesen doch eigentlich ganz normalen aber definitiv qualitativ hochwertigen Flughafen. 5 Sterne, weil er das Tor in dieses wundervolle Land ist. Danke, Flughafen Auckland, dass ich dort landen durfte. Und danke, dass der Service dort so freundlich und hervorragend war, weil mein Gepäck in London verloren gegangen war.

Welcome in New-​Zealand,
Tout est charmant, joli, propre mais attention, pas de blague avec l’import de nourriture fraîche, d’animaux, ou de plantes Il faut tout déclarer et tout jeter sinon vous encourez une peine de 400 $NZ ~210EUR (ça fait chère la pomme oubliée au fond du sac).
Ils né plaisantent pas avec leur bio-​diversité.
Ils ont même lavé mes chaussures de rando qui étaient boueuses. Bien entendu, j’avais déclaré à l’avance que j’en avais 2 paires dans mon sac.
So: Be careful and if not, return to go!

Ist zwar schon ein bißchen her, daß ich hier war, aber es war ein sehr angenehmer, sehr übersichtlicher Flughafen.
Das Umsteigen vom internationalen Terminal zum nationalen kann man mit einem Shuttlebus erledigen oder auch zu Fuß (was nach 24 Stunden Flug durchaus eine gute Alternative ist). Wie es inzwischen mit dem Gepäck ist, weiß ich nicht, damals war es problemlos durchgechekt worden nach Christchurch.
Insgesamt ein guter, überraschend kleiner, Flughafen.