The best airports in Australia for parking and convenience

Nothing kills the holiday vibe faster than the chaos of getting to the airport on time, the long drives, pricey parking or costly transport, and the never-ending walk to the gate.  

To help Aussies start their next trip on the right foot, travel insurance comparison site iSelect has put together an index for airport convenience, ranking Australia’s major airports on the average cost of airport parking, transport and taxi costs, distance from the city’s central business district, number of daily passengers and their queuing time score. 

Top airports for convenience: Townsville & Canberra take the crown

Townsville and Canberra airports both came in joint first in the convenience index, mainly thanks to their smaller-sized terminals, making it a short walk to your gate. They both had cheaper weekly costs for airport parking at $178 and $190 respectively. Canberra airport had the most affordable transport costs to get to the airport, and being only 7.4km from the CBD, a taxi would roughly cost $28. However, there is an option to take a local bus for $5.15, with contactless payment available.  

Townsville offers a shuttle bus service that can transport you from the airport to your hotel or ferry terminals for just $10 or $15 for two people. Alternatively, a taxi to the CBD would cost roughly $20 depending on traffic conditions. Both Townsville and Canberra airport scored a respectable four stars out of five for queuing times, as ranked by travelers.  

Cairns airport placed third in our convenience index, followed by Darwin in fourth. Both are the smallest airport terminals in size, with a likely short walk to the gate. However, both scored a moderate three stars in the queue score, potentially due to their size which could lead to congestion at the gate.  

Darwin airport had the cheapest weekly parking at $163. However, if you wanted to take a taxi from the CBD, you could expect to pay between $30 to $35. However, if you wanted to take a public bus, they’re currently free in the Greater Darwin region.  : 

Melbourne airport ranks worst for convenience

Melbourne airport came in last place for airport convenience according to the index. It had the second-highest average cost for a week of parking at $291, in addition to the second-highest average cost for transport. The SkyBus from Southern Cross station costs $24.60 one way, and a taxi would cost between $55-$70. Melbourne airport is more than 20km from the CBD and not having a train option can add to the heavy traffic and crowds. Taking each of these factors into account, it seems fair to say that Melbourne airport could be a stressful start to a holiday.  

Sydney airport follows Melbourne, coming second last in our convenience index. Sydney had the highest average weekly parking cost at $343. It also had the most daily passengers out of all Australian airports, and with 99 destinations, it can be a busy airport, causing congestion and contributing to a low queue score of 2 stars. 

The Gold Coast and Brisbane airports both also scored low on our convenience index, tying in third last place. Brisbane had the highest transport costs with an average of $48 from the CBD. The two options are the AirTrain, which costs $18.96, if bought online, or a taxi to Brisbane city would cost anywhere between $67 and $82. The Gold Coast performed poorly because it’s the furthest distance from the airport; it would be over 25km to Broadbeach where the local bus would arrive.