Adelaide International Airport
| 4.5 out of 5.0 stars |
Adelaide’s gateway to international flying
The airport is located west of the city at about 6 kilometres from the city centre. When arriving by car or taxi you’ll be dropped off under the multi-storey car park. Public transport buses stop further up but are not far from Arrivals and Departures. The car park is approximately 100 metres from Terminal 1. Lifts at roadside take you to level 2 of the car park and to a walkway over the plaza to Departures. Alternatively you can walk across the open-air plaza to Arrivals and up an internal escalator to Level 2 Departures.
I fly several times a year with Singapore Airlines. Their check-in counters are to the right of those of QANTAS. They were to the left of the Virgin Australia counters but since my visit in mid-November 2017 they’ve been relocated (there permanently).
Check-in is usually quick and smooth. The contracted operators from Toll working for Singapore Airlines greet you with a smile and are very courteous. After dropping off the luggage at check-in comes the first security measures. Those that have status as frequent flyers have a priority lane that can help sometimes avoid the rush. Passengers need to go through a metal detector and bags x-rayed. There’s also the occasional scan for explosive residue.
Next a small wait until emigration opens, unless it’s already open for another international flight. Carry-on bags are scanned again and liquids need to be inspected in see-through plastic bags. A random passenger gets a body scan and then passport control, which can be done automatically with the e-gates or by seeing a Border Force officer. Done this you walk through the duty-free shop and onto the waiting area at the gate. Gate 18 is permanently designated for international flights, but Gates 16 and 20 can also be used.
The process is exactly the same if you fly the other international carriers out of Adelaide, which at the time of editing this article, were: Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air and Qatar Airways. Fiji Airways had terminated their flights to Nadi mid year (July 2019).
For more information on flight schedules, parking, events, etc., visit the Adelaide International Airport website.
Note: Since this article the International Departures and Arrivals have been expanded. Departures is now on Level 1, down one level and with more screening lanes. Arrivals also has an extra luggage carousel. Also a new common user lounge for international frequent flyers is now available immediately after screening and passport control. In this area close by was previously the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge. At some stage when I’m able to fly out of Adelaide again I’ll report on the changes and improvements.
Update: As of February 2023 the international airlines flying in and out of Adelaide were: Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. There are no firm dates for the return of Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Emirates and Malindo Air (now rebranded as Batik Air).
Second Update: Low-cost carrier Batik Air will start a three-times a week service to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July 2023. Cathay Pacific looks likely to return in November and Emirates is contemplating the first half of 2024. Vietjet has added flights to Adelaide via Perth to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Third Update: Emirates is returning in the second half of 2024 (October) while Cathay Pacific is contemplating January 2025.
| Cleanliness | 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 |
| Comfort | 4.0 out of 5.0 stars |
| Facilities | 4.5 out of 5.0 stars |
| Food | 4.5 out of 5.0 stars |
| Location | 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 |
| Security | 4.5 out of 5.0 stars |
| Service | 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 |
| Staff | 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 |
| Value | 3.5 out of 5.0 stars |
| WiFi | 4.5 out of 5.0 stars |
