Gayle and I flew home from the Sydney International Terminal on United to LAX. This International…read moreAirport has the things you expect: multiple check-in-halls, security and immigration lines, duty free, lots of other shops, and the excitement of foreign travel. Yet, the old girl feels a little tired and certainly doesn't have the oomph that Gayle and I have experienced with Istanbul or Singapore. If and when we come back to Australia, it won't be through this airport. Why? The new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) is currently in its final testing and operational readiness phase, with passenger services scheduled to begin in October 2026.

Before traveling to Australia as foreign visitors with eligible passports, we applied for an…read moreelectronic tourist visa through the Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) about 4 months before we departed from Honolulu. We were granted an electronic visa for tourism within 72 hours of our application and excitedly awaited our upcoming travel this March. We were a bit apprehensive about finding our way through Sydney's International Terminal, but were quickly relieved by clear directional signs and quick, easy electronic passport screening. We were impressed with the modern, sleek yet friendly-looking facility, the multiple new electronic security kiosks designed to handle the large number of incoming visitors and returning residents, and the local artwork displays. I must say it took us around 15 minutes from the arrival gate to baggage claim, then to check in and pass through immigration, as we didn't have anything to declare. Once we exited immigration, we met with our driver, who was proudly showing a company placard with our names boldly printed. This was by far the best and most efficient arrival procedures and processing into a foreign country that we have ever encountered. We'd happily return.

First time traveling to Sydney and found this airport easy to navigate. Ample food options and…read moreshops for snacks or local souvenirs before security. Bathrooms were clean and big. Going through security was a bit of a headache though. Just seemed inefficient. I watched as an Asian airlines flight crew took forever to get their bags on the belt to get scanned. It was like a Benny Hill episode. Took off one star for that. As amusing as it was, I feel like it held everyone up. The belt is constantly moving so if you don't move in unison with the people next to you, the person behind you can push their bag to the main belt to be scanned and it could block your bag from going though and you're stuck waiting.

This airport can seem complicated, but once you've been there a few times, you know it like the…read moreback of your hand and move around easily. My recent trip to Australia and New Zealand brought me to this airport 4x. Plus I had to file a claim about damaged luggage that brought me to an office of the bottom level of the airport. Truly though, paying attention to the well labeled signs will get anyone where they need to go. And there are a lot of check in counters but it's easy to find out which counter suits you. Security is thorough and efficient so usually before I know it, I'm at my gate with some snack I bought at one of the plentiful eateries or convenience stores along the way. Oh, plus there's a train conveniently attached to the airport. Good deal.

Flying from LAX to Sydney was a little more complicated than Gayle and I expected. We first landed…read moreat the International Terminal, then we had to retrieve our luggage, take a bus over to the Domestic Terminal, and then recheck in at Jet Star for our onward flight to Hobart. As we were on a single ticket, we were hoping that our bags would be checked all the way through, as our tags indicated. On top of that, there was a huge line for screen-based check in and drop off at Jet Star, exacerbated by construction at the Arrivals Hall. Maybe we should have booked Quantas leaving out of Domestic Terminal 3? After all that, Security was a breeze and the air side was quite nice. As far as I could tell, JetStar boarding was all Group 1 as we and fellow passengers jostled for position. But it all went relatively quickly and soon we were on our way to Hobart.

Wow this is far from the other terminal! They have a shuttle bus that takes international…read morepassengers to the front door step of this terminal. All the staff seem pretty kind. Mixed reviews for tourists/travelers not everyone is nice on that front. Overall clean and tsa made sense that it flowed decently well for a holiday season!

Having flown over 2 million miles and been to over 200 airports. Rating the terminal and not the…read moreairline. - Parking is a bit of a walk and expensive. Traffic has improved but can be gridlock at times. - its odd when you enter the terminal from parking you enter at baggage claim and the need to to walk to the end of the terminal and all the way back to enter through security. - The only terminal I've entered and they weighed my carryon before security - security was quick, no need to remove anything from my bag! - A range of shops in the terminal offering a great selection of items. - Qantas has 3 lounges, I've used the Qantas Club and Business Lounge. Both offer decent food options and room - Uber pickup is very convenient directly outside baggage claim. - Bathrooms are decent, clean and modern. Compared to other airports, Can I give it 3.5? I'll round up to 4 as a few areas have improved recently.

Quanta's service counter was super helpful after an eventful morning that left me having to…read morereschedule my flight. The gate attendants were less so... overall a Very average experience, I had expected somewhat better for this airline. I find the boarding process very strange with group 4 and 5 boarding before group 3. I do however like the offerings of the terminal (food/shopping) and the bathrooms were clean.

if you still have room in your carry on there are loads of shopping options along the way to your…read moregate. Hope you like to walk, because it will be quite a hike. It is quite modern , bright and fairly easy to find your way. What is lacking are rest rooms, charging stations and more food options.

Over the years I have reviewed this airport and all the same issues still exist…read more Charging stations.... Where are they near the gates The PA system is so muffled that you have to strain to hear it I appreciate the airports proximity to the city and how easy it is to reach city centre

This business do Airport Pickup/Drop off, Sydney Tours, Group Party, & Hens/Bucks Nights. This…read morereview is for Airport Pickup and Drop Off. Awesome! This locally Vietnamese owned family company is very professional. They speak perfect English & Vietnamese. My Husband, my sister, my mom, & I arrived from the USA & it's our first time in Australia. The family hosting us lives in Seven Hills, about 45 minutes away without traffic, & they don't have vans big enough to accommodate four of us and our 8 luggages. We don't want the family to borrow 3 or 4 cars to come to the airport to pick us up, so we insisted our friend called the shuttle to pick us up at the airport. They called Galang Shuttle. We're sucked with custom & were more than an hour late & they waited for us with no complaints. Hai was our driver & he even parked the bus & went inside the airport to look for us. The bus itself was very clean, in new condition, and very comfortable. Hai was very friendly and give us lots of good tips on what to do and where to go while we're in Australia. We're so happy with Galang Shuttle, after he dropped us off, we make & paid in full in advance for 3 more pick up/drop off for our flight to & from Melbourne and our last flight out to New Zealand. Their price is very reasonable and when we book & pay in advance, they even give us discount!! Can you say AWESOME!! We used them a total of 4 times and we're happy with their prompt services every single time. Tell them your flight and they will advise you the time they needed to come pick you up. They always arrived & waited for us before the appointed time. They always happy, professional, and help load our luggages. In fact, the family hosting us says they will use them from now on for any guest coming in town so they don't have to go thru the trouble of borrowing cars to pickup from the airport. I would recommend Galang Shuttle in a heartbeat to anyone. Thanks for providing us such wonderful services and given us awesome-worry free experiences while we're in Australia. Keep up the good work. check them out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Galang-Shuttle/368936919845317

Circular Quay Ferry Terminal is a must-visit spot for anyone coming to Sydney. The views are…read moreincredible -- the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and the water all in one place make it hard to beat. It can get busy, but it's well organized and easy to get around, even if you're visiting for the first time. great trip to the zoo. One tip: during extreme hot weather, avoid sitting in direct sunlight, shade can be limited and it gets hot fast. Grab a shaded spot or keep moving to stay comfortable. We sat int he back of the boat both ways and got plenty of great pics. Great views, great energy, and a classic Sydney experience for visitors.

There were many wharfs where we tapped our credit card and got onto the ferry. We tapped our card…read moreagain once we disembarked. Each ferry trip was $1 Australian or about.60 American. The terminal was well lit, well marked and very safe.

I flew in from Los Angeles, and boy are my arms tired!…read more Delta gets you where you wanna be, I guess. I flew the long, long, long flight across the Pacific. Jeeze, what a long flight. Delta made it fast. I wasn't happy that the in-flight entertainment system was all glitchy, and reset several times throughout the flight, making watching a movie inconvenient, and erasing my high score at Texas Hold Em. The flight attendants acted like wardens throughout the flight, carefully monitoring alcohol consumption and barking orders. The lavatories were in fairly rotten condition throughout the flight. They really seemed understaffed. I arrived on-time, and my luggage was eventually produced. I guess I'd fly them again. The flight was rather cramped and completely full. They sure seem to be cutting back on legroom recently. Uggg.

They were pretty good for a flight to/from Australia in 2014. No complaints. I recall thinking it…read morewas pretty much equivalent to qantas