We flew through Melbourne three times on our latest trip to Down Under. International arrivals required a little bit of a hike to get to immigration. We were able to use the egate to enter so no more passport stamp. We grabbed our luggage and proceeded through customs. That was the much longer and slower line. Definitely better to declare conservatively (per announcement on our flight) and explain all Yes answers to the agent. To connect to our domestic leg to Hobart we followed the signs to T3 and did the self serve baggage drop like everyone else. Security was next and water was allowed to be carried through. To connect to our international flight to Queenstown in T2 we had to queue to check bags and get our boarding pass since they had to verify our NZETA and return flight. Security screening was quick but a little slower at the egate customs as people fumbled around for their passport (required first step). Some people had to be rerouted to the in person agent when flagged by the egate. After all this, at least there was a good selection of restaurants and shops in each terminal we visited. Prices were roughly just a couple AUD higher than outside the airport so it felt reasonable. Overall good signage and well connected terminals. read more

Our recent MEL experience included 2 domestic flights, one coming in from Hobart on Virgin Australia, and the other flying up to Alice Springs on Quantas. The highlight of these experiences was running into members of Allegaeon at baggage claim. They are an American death metal band from Fort Collins, on tour here I guess. I'm not into that type of music, but one of my step-sons has made some cool art related to that genre. I can't speak for the International side of MEL, but I found Domestic to be "Easy Out/Easy In", even though this is a busy place. It also helps when your tour guide is facilitating baggage check-in and transportation. Security was on our own, but by this time, Gayle and I knew the Australian Rules (everything out of your pocket, plus belt). Signage was good, so there were no problems finding baggage claim or our gate. read more

Construction created a significant trek from our international arrival to the screening and customs areas. Otherwise, I found the airport well-conceived, rather quiet overall, and pleasantly efficient. Lines were acceptable at the photo-activated passport checkpoint, and customs was relatively painless. Tip: there's somewhat threatening signage regarding bringing nuts and fruits into the country, but don't throw your prepackaged trail mix away. Just declare it. They asked about it but didn't care in the least when we explained what it was, and didn't even examine it. They're after the "fresh" stuff. read more

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I was flying domestic on this trip, and loved how easy and fast it was to get through security and to the gates, and once there, I was impressed with the selection of stores, restaurants and bars. The gates are all easy to get to, and there are many seats around, not just in the gate areas. I would be happy to fly in and out of here in the future! read more

Melbourne is an old airport that is showing its age. You cannot even access it by rail. It's a strange layout that feels dark and old. I would expect more from this beautiful city. read more

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Quality/Quantity - Easy in and out. I really like the pin # for Ubers; it makes it so much more convenient and friendly. Not sure if this is just an airport thing, because when we got off the cruise ship and ordered an Uber, it was through their "normal" system. This is not the "safety" pin #. This is the pin # system where you order a Uber, pick ANY Uber in the waiting area, and then give the # to them so they can take you for the pre negotiated price. It also saves so much time and hassle to NOT have to look for your specific Uber! See pictures. Atmosphere - Good size airport. Decent food and drink options, I only took a few pictures. Of course, my favorite place was the brewery, Taphouse. There are approximately 50 choices in the 4 terminals. Scales throughout to confirm your overweight luggage, lol. We were penalized $65AUD for each bag at Jet Star. Free wifi, I did not use it. Lounges available - N/A for me. Parking lot - Again, N/A for me, we use ride share. Service - Self service. Quick and easy screening. So easy, that I felt there was none. Price - Cost of the flight. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1970. I see that you are a hub for 4 major airlines - Jetstar, Qantas, Rex Airlines and Virgin Australia. read more

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I knew from planning my trip that MEL was fairly far away from the CBD but I was shocked at just how far away it was. It wasn't an issue though because we were able to Uber and we came in and left at odd times so there wasn't really big traffic or anything to fight. Coming in, we took JetStar from Sydney and man oh man that was a long walk from the gate to the exit of the airport. There is a lot of signage so you won't get lost or anything and it's mostly a straight shot so there shouldn't be an issue but it's a lot of walking. I was surprised because I heard "small airport" and didn't anticipate a 15 min walk from gate to exit. When we did exit, finding the Uber pick-up zone was fairly easy, even if it was a bit chaotic. Leaving Melbourne, we took Virgin Australia (JetStar flight was cancelled) and this gate was so much closer to where we entered the airport. The security screening was quick and efficient and there was a lot of signage to get you going to the right location. We ate breakfast before flying and there are actually a lot of places to choose from at 5am. read more

Melbourne Airport - Virgin gates - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

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This airport is not well maintained. There are many out of service faucets, escalators, and walking elevators. They don't provide trolleys inside the boarding areas read more

Super clean restroom. Well organized with adequate hand soap in dispensers and working hand dryers. Cleanliness is the most important.

I connected once through this airport. It got the job done, and I didn't have the impression this was a particularly large airport and I recall a pretty basic airport. After a 16 hour flight, it is refreshing to get off and stretch the legs and other body parts. I really only added this review because it has one of my compositionally favorite airport photos. read more

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Airport is somewhat on the smaller side as they are mainly a transfer hub for the major cities like Sydney. I was at Gate 3. There are a few shops and two places to eat near the gate. Going through security was a breeze. Quick and simple. From what I experienced, they are well organized here and make sure people get to their gates on time. read more

Melbourne Airport is confusing to foreign travelers. Once we entered the customs area, there were many signs that weren't very consistent. For example, those who have electronic passports were told to go to another line that ended up being for people with just physical passports. I was in the wrong line and the customs agent didn't make a big deal of sending me back but did state I spent 20 extra minutes by going to the wrong station. He did agree with me of the confusing signs for foreign travelers, especially those who do not speak English. Once you exit into the main terminal, more confusion awaits if you are attempting to find a taxi. It took an extra 15 minutes to figure out that I must go to the domestic side of the airport and at the end of the terminal, there are signs for taxi service. Renting a car would have been alot easier than getting a cab. The good news, my cab driver was excellent, efficient, and got me downtown very quickly. read more

Melbourne Airport - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

When we arrived, it was painless as we used the SmartGates. Facial recognition technology and your ePassport is used to check your identity. We took the SkyBus from the airport to get to Melbourne's CBD- convenient. When we were departing, we walked down a hall with cute panda sculptures. We were also able to check out a lounge before our flight. read more

MEL was a fine airport - we flew in from Sydney and later picked up a rental car from here. It was reasonably clean and easy to navigate, and way finding was pretty good. I was surprised that you could not take a tram into the city given how excellent the tram was in general. The Skybus worked for us though. You never know, maybe you'll see some famous people as we did - the GWS Giants headed home from their finals match with the Tigers. (Looking a bit downcast too...) read more

Melbourne Airport - The Giants headed home after the football final - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

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Gets me where I want to go. Clean bathrooms. Some restaurants, if you want to get something to eat, well, if you call one small restaurant/store where you can get coffee and packaged sandwiches/salads & snacks. Maybe we were in just a smaller area of the airport, but I expected more from Melbourne Airport. read more

This airport is busy but very small. It is full of chinese tourists so english and chinese are main languages. Airport does NOT provide free wifi. You can pick up SIM cards right after you get out. I got 50 GB for 20 bucks. There are also small stalls for currency exchange and very small selection of food. It's about 30 mins away from the main downtown melbourne area. read more

Melbourne Airport - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

I don't know how I feel about having automated check in machines. I kind of like that human interaction. Especially if you have questions like we did as I paid online for one of my check-ins so I avoid paying the $90 at the agent. Pro tip use the scale to weigh your bags as some agents can be difficult with your luggage being a couple of pounds over the limit. Lots of clear signage so you know where you are going. Plenty of stores and places to eat at. The lounge is right in the middle of going in unlike other airports where you might have to go to another terminal for the lounge and the run to your terminal. Really good planning. read more

Domestic Terminal is cute and has everything you would need pre-flight. They have a nice range or restaurants and shops. They also have some nice lounge areas and have plenty of areas with chargers for phones/laptops. Some of the best eateries are: Boost Juice, Grill'd, and Think Asia. Probably because it's Australian, all of the staff are very friendly. The Qantas staff in particular are always great and the planes are comfy, great food, and offer great entertainment. read more

This airport needs more than like two plugs per gate in the international terminal. Pls upgrade.

Heavily automated and we experienced numerous machine grinches from the baggage check in to the immigration. However you need patience at any airport, so I'd say it is average frustration level and experience. At least this airport is modern, clean and spacious. There are working water stations at T2 (and T1as well), so that was good. read more

Very clean and organized airport. Efficient and friendly staff. I saw a few elderly customers that needed help walking to customs and getting baggage. Many airport staff immediately jumped to their feet and helped the elderly. This is very rare and hardly seen at different airports. Also they helped direct you to where customs is and what forms to fill out. Bathroom here are clean and there's a chart of when the cleaning cycles are. Pretty much checked quite frequently. Easy to get to airport and easy to get taxi and shuttles to your destination. Can't wait to come back to Australia soon! read more

MEL is A-OK! I flew in bound from HKG on Cathay Pacific. The immigration process was quite fast with short lines. I do like the option of Skybus that took me to CBD at a reasonable price. There is an Optus Store right at the arrival level! You can get your sim card right at the airport. I flew out bound from MEL to SYD on Qantas. Since it was a domestic flight, the check in process was fast: automatic self served! I did not even need to talk to anyone??!! Just like most of the domestic terminal post security area, there was too interesting there. But at least it has this slow and relax vibe. A much smaller and quieter airport compares to SYD. read more

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I'm loving the WiFi connection and how it is unlimited with no stalling in between! Contemporary airport with Skybus superbly convenient to get to and from airport. Bookstores and duty free with affordable airport, quality airport food. What more can one ask for while waiting for their flight to board passengers? read more

Being here means one thing.... I'm going home! But it also means I have had a great time visiting friends and family. I like the Melbourne airport generally. The range of good food is also increasing so encourages me to come earlier for a meal before the flight. Never keen on the bank up of people going through inspection. Bottlenecks the flow. But I could spend time wandering around with out getting board here. read more

In A Nutshell: -The Melbourne Airport is not only far from CBD, but felt small to support the city & surrounding area. -The pickup area is near the white MELBOURNE sign, close to Park Royal Hotel. -Getting in/out was simple. -If you have a tax refund GOOD LUCK bc that line is long! Overall, it's just an average airport & it needs more lounges. read more

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Best part about this airport besides it's airport code being MEL is landing during the daytime. If you have a window seat you can gaze out and look at the cattle grazing right next to the landing strip. That was a nice welcome. International flights to Custom kiosks were clearly marked and a very quick process. Baggage took forever as usual but shuttles and drivers are readily available. Leaving MEL was also a flawless process. Great experience. Mel M Yelp 18:40 read more

A shamble. Every step of the way. Not enough staff to direct. Incredibly long lines. Poor signage with instructions. Late flights. They also forgot to put up details of which carousel our baggage was at, so we were left just looking for it. I'd avoid transiting through here if working on a time limit read more

Clean!Accessibility to and from the city is fine. Washrooms were clean and not crazy roadmap and terminals to make it confusing is the best part. read more

A very busy international airport. I would agree that over the years Melbourne Airport has become more efficient so travelling from here has become less of a drama. Arriving in Melbourne has now become so easy with biometrics and in comparison to other airports I have flown into, certainly more advanced in this respect. For me it's quite out of the way and can be a hassle to get to, but travelling in and out from here isn't the worst experience. Staff are also quite friendly and helpful and if you're lucky you might just get featured on a filming of Border Patrol on Channel 7. Also if you can, buy your snacks before you get to the airport. Anything you need to buy from here will be heavily overpriced so stock up elsewhere before your flight. read more

Melbourne Airport - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

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I was flying from Sydney to Melbourne for a few days to visit family, and as soon as arrived at this airport one word came to mind, CLEAN! Usually with the amount of people traffic that flows through an airport, there's that the dingy and dirty feeling, but Tullamarine Airport is top notch in the cleanliness department. I remember seeing employees picking trash often. Seems like they've remodeled, the décor and furniture is modern, and at the same time very cozy. And nowadays finding an outlet is key at airports, but here, there's heaps to go around, even in the food court area, such a plus! I like how there's an array of food and shopping options compared to other airports I've been too, and actually, I almost missed my flight since I lost track of time hanging out in the food area. When I was flying out with Tiger Air, I noticed their gate spacing was a bit tight, made it a little confusing since the lines for another flight was also weaving into another gate, not until I asked an employee, she directed me to the right place, and I wasn't the only one. This airport is the main airport into Melbourne but the caveat is that there's no train or bus transportation at the airport itself to take you to the city, but there are car & shuttle transportation services available. I highly recommend the Skybus shuttle, especially if you're heading into the CBD, and it's affordable. read more

Checkin was pretty impressive as everything was automated. Still had to go to a ground staff as my passport was less than 6 months to go before it expires. Staff were very helpful. Trolleys however were pay per use which was competely different from most airports I have been in. Cafes and retail shops were abound - just dont expect spectacular coffee from the airport like what you could find in the city. read more

Melbourne Airport - Airports Near Me - Tullamarine, VIC

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There are some things that you should know about Melbourne's Airport in preparation for your travels. MEL isn't necessarily bad, but one thing may irk some backpackers or light travelers: - There are no boarding pass kiosks - If you are someone that doesn't want to rely on a virtual boarding pass, or if your airlines does not offer it, you'll be saddened to know that you have to wait in line with folks checking in luggage to get your pass. I may have been a little impatient, but in this day and age when a majority of large, modern airports provide printing kiosks for boarding passes, it was surprising to see that MEL has yet to adopt this process. Aside from that little hiccup, the airport functions like any other. There are a variety of shops and restaurants inside the terminals to help you burn time as you wait for your flight. Lounges are pretty bland aside from Qantas, which makes sense given they are the country's star carrier. Once you make it through the security gates, everything else will fall into place here at MEL. Safe travels! read more

Simply A-OK! Y'all know where I stand, since I'm super spoiled with Singapore's Changi Airport. But MEL ain't that bad. I found the interior a little dated, but nothing out of the ordinary. Arrival-wise, I like how there's an Optus store right outside baggage claim so you can get hooked up with a SIM card. $10 for 5 days' worth of 4G data and phone services? Hell yeah! The taxi queue is also run pretty efficiently so you can head out pretty quickly once your phone's been set up. Departure-wise, there's a ProtectABag luggage wrapping service at the check-in area, which was a life saver as I had to check in 4 camping chairs (long story short, I couldn't find cheap chairs in SG so I ended up getting them in Oz!) Going through security wasn't a problem; for non-Aussie citizens, don't forget to fill out your exit form! Once you're past security, there's a pretty big duty free store to go through. Outside duty free, the shopping is pretty typical; convenience stores, book stores, souvenir shops. There is free Wifi, but I didn't have any luck with it. Luckily, I was still able to bum off the wifi from the nearby Silverkris lounge even after I left. Nothing else to report - happy travels to and from MEL! read more

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As far as airports go, this one isn't that bad. The food court area is loaded with shops and all you fast food favorites. I particularly like the lounge are which has a nice selection of comfortable couches in front of several wide screen TVs, the perfect from which to enjoy your Happy Meal and some morning cartoons. On the whole, this is a nice spot for a short layover. read more

So it's finally time after 8 years of going through this airport 4 times a year, at least, to write a review. They now have free wifi! It is so slow though. There is no public transport to the airport except the $18 Skybus one way ticket in or out of southern cross station. If you are 3 or more just take a cab. Duty free at Melbourne airport isn't really a big win so for those of you looking to buy your things there don't bother. Alcohol and products will probably be cheaper elsewhere sadly. Another star lost here too. Now for whatever is left which isn't terrible. It's been under construction for ages but the domestic terminal 4 really has made a difference. Terminal 4 now boats a very large and fancy food court which caters to everyone looking for a quick bite before flying. For those travelling international well expect me to update this section very soon because I'm going through it soon for live updates. The parts of the airports which are actually wonderful is the cleanliness, the space, the light and the quality of finish though that's expected of the largest airport in Victoria. As always check in 24 hours prior and fly safe! read more

Stopped off in Melbourne en route from Adelaide to Sydney. First impression is that the airport (Domestic Area) is badly in need of an upgrade. The bathrooms pretty bad too. The Quantas business lounge was OK and there are also a few shops and snack areas. read more

Airport is ok, has a few things to improve... There is no train/metro to the city, though city link works quite well and can be booked online. The lounges are confusing, and the priority pass lounge has very strange hours. Shops are mediocre, mainly souvenirs. Bags take too long to come in and the belt info is poor. Hope to see improvements in my next visit! read more

A very new and nice airport on the inside. The outside, however, gets really really crowded, which makes it very difficult to drop people off. Additionally, most of the airline here offers free Wifi, which is an absolute +. Tip: Faster to check-in yourself. read more

This was a bafflingly poor airport and a terrible way to make a first impression. It's a substantial distance from the city, and public transit does not go directly to it, leading you to take either an expensive bus that has to drive through traffic, or some convoluted or more expensive alternative. There were very limited amenities; I couldn't find a water fountain and the wifi didn't work for me. There wasn't much help to be had, and it was much more crowded and a vastly inferior experience to the airports in Australia's other major cities. Don't get me wrong, Melbourne is nice, and you might as well fly there, but the airport sucks. read more

Tullamarine certainly has its really dated, boring section of the airport. Then there's the newer section inside.. the part of the maze that sports the new Apple store (just newly opened), the Body Shop, the Ugg spot, etc....that was kind of fun, as I had gotten there too early for my departure (this given the torturous fact that I had to stand in line for more than 40 minutes to get my boarding pass, in a queue loud enough to confuse one thinking he is at a bar!). Aesthetically, place screams, "REMODEL ME!" Remember that the inner lane when arriving prohibits any private vehicles. One must walk to the middle of the road and wait by that curbside for pick-ups. Or, better yet, cross the street entirely, and just wait for ride at the large hotel sign. There is even a parking lot, which makes things a lot easier. PS About 35 mins. NW of Melbourne's CBD. read more