Sometimes you end up spending a lot more time at the airport than you might have intended.
Remember, passengers are entitled to compensation if their flight is delayed or cancelled due to reasons within an airline’s control.
But if you find yourself in a situation where all there is to do is wait around at the airport, it can be good to know exactly what’s around you.
Here’s a survival guide to New Zealand’s four main airports.
READ MORE:
* How early should you get to the airport before an international flight?
* Airport and flight delays and lost luggage: How to survive the travel chaos
* What to pack in your carry-on luggage amid the travel chaos
Getting there: Auckland Airport is located about 20km south of the city centre.
The AirportLink bus operates between the airport, Manukau Bus Station, and Puhinui Station. You’ll need a HOP card, which can be purchased from convenience stores at the airport.
You can also take the route 38 bus service to get to Onehunga, again using a HOP card.
The SkyDrive Airport Express coach service takes you from the airport to SkyCity in central Auckland. Tickets can be purchased online in advance, or onboard from the driver (card only). It costs $16 one way, and takes about 40 minutes.
The domestic and international terminals are in different locations. A free inter-terminal bus operates every 15 minutes, between 5am and 11pm daily, with the ride taking about 10 minutes. The walkway between the terminals is currently closed.
Food & drink: In the domestic terminal, most options are before security – you’ve got fast-food giants McDonald’s and Subway, as well as local favourites Best Ugly Bagels and Orleans Chicken & Waffles. There’s also sushi, doughnuts, and juice, as well as a couple of cafes.
After security, there’s a coffee shop and a convenience store.
In the international terminal, there are options before and after security. Before you go through, there’s a McDonald’s, Pita Pit, and Tank Juice, as well as an artisan bakery and cafe.
After security, there’s yet another McDonald’s and Best Ugly Bagels, Hayama Sushi, Aroha Cafe and Bar, and Vantage Bar.
Be warned that after 8pm, you have far fewer options – check the website to see what’s open.
Shopping: There’s not too much in domestic – a couple of convenience stores, a Sunglass Hut and menswear store 3 Wise Men.
At the international terminal, you’ll find the official All Blacks Store before security, and a convenience store. After security, there’s The Loop Duty Free, a souvenir store, convenience store, and a handful of designer stores including Adidas, Fossil, Hugo Boss, Icebreaker, MAC Cosmetics and Michael Kors.
Both terminals have The Mall, where you can order online and pick up your purchase from the collection point.
Wi-fi: You get free unlimited wi-fi across both terminals.
Showers: There are free showers in both the international and domestic terminals.
Baggage storage: Secure Travel offers luggage storage services at the international terminal, and self-serve luggage lockers at the domestic terminal, located on the ground floor of Carpark R. The lockers are operational 24/7.
Families: Parent rooms can be found throughout the airport, both before and after security. These have a feeding chair, microwave, bathroom and baby changing facilities.
Lounge: In the international terminal, there’s also the Strata Lounge, where you can pay to access the food and drinks, shower facilities, children’s play area, and private relaxation rooms. This is currently only open to airlines, but will reopen to the public on August 1.
Sleeping: The international terminal is open 24 hours a day, while the domestic terminal is open from 4.30am to 11pm.
The Novotel Auckland Airport is located right next to the international terminal, and the ibis budget Auckland Airport is a short walk away.
There are more hotel options in the area, many of which offer free shuttles to and from the airport.
Location: Wellington Airport is located 8km from the CBD.
The Airport Express bus takes you between the airport and Wellington Railway Station, with stops along the way. You can pay onboard with a Snapper card, cash or contactless debit or credit card. It currently costs $3.75 one-way when using a Snapper, or $4.50 for other payment methods. The journey between the railway station and airport takes about half an hour.
Food & drink: Once you’ve checked in to your flight, you’ll find the vast majority of your dining options in the main mezzanine area – you’ll want to make the most of these before you go through security (for both domestic and international flights), because there’s very little on the other side.
Lots of local eateries are represented here – among them are Best Ugly Bagels, Gorilla Burger, TJ Katsu, and coffee shop classic Mojo. You can enjoy a craft beer from Fortune Favours or United Brew Works, or get a specialty coffee (or hot chocolate) from Three Quarter Society. There’s even a Ben & Jerrys scoop shop, to satisfy your pre-flight ice cream cravings.
In the international departures lounge, there’s a Mojo and Subway, and in domestic, there’s a post-security coffee kiosk.
Shopping: Pick up locally made products and artwork prints from the Te Papa Store. There’s also a few outposts of popular clothing stores – Witchery, Icebreaker, Trenery and 3 Wise Men. The Relay convenience store can be found in both the main mezzanine and at international departures, along with a Lotte Duty Free store.
Wi-fi: Free wi-fi is available.
Showers: There are free showers available in the Level 1 toilets.
Baggage storage: Storage lockers are located on Level 1 of the multi-level car park by the motorbike parking area. These can be rented by the half or full day, starting from $5 for a small size and $10 for checked-in luggage size.
There is also an oversized baggage storage – to access this, head to baggage belt 1 on level 0, where there is a phone on the wall you can use to call the operations team. This service starts from $20 for a half day.
Families: A parent room is located on Level 1 in the main terminal, with nappy disposal, a changing table, and seating for feeding.
Sleeping: The airport is open from 3am to 1.30am. There is a hotel directly connected to the hotel – Rydges Wellington Airport, where you can get great views of the planes taking off.
Location: Christchurch Airport is located about 12km from the city centre.
You can get between the airport and the city centre and other suburbs using one of the three regular Metro Bus services that take you straight to the airport – route 3, route 29 or route 125. You can pay onboard using a Metrocard, or cash.
Food & drink: In the main food court on level 1 there’s a Burger King, Wishbone, Tank Juice, Underground Coffee and Number Eight cafe and bar.
At international departures there’s Alps Bar & Pizza, and at domestic departures there’s Icons cafe and a pop-up bar from local brewing legends Cassels.
Just a few minutes’ walk from the terminal is Spitfire Square, a retail precinct with more dining options, including BurgerFuel, Little India, and The Coffee Club.
Shopping: A few shops can be found in the level 1 food court, including the official All Blacks Store, Sunglass Hut and Global Culture.
At international departures there’s Aelia Duty Free, the TikiTour souvenir shop, and a Whittaker’s store.
There are also convenience stores across the domestic and international terminals. And at Spitfire Square, there’s a supermarket and pharmacy for last-minute essentials.
Wi-fi: Free unlimited wi-fi is available.
Showers: Showers are available at check-in, international departures and international arrivals.
Families: There are 13 parent rooms throughout the terminal, equipped with changing tables and other facilities.
Sleeping: The terminal opens at 3am and closes after the final scheduled flight. The closest hotel is Novotel, located outside international arrivals. Sudima Airport Hotel and Jucy Snooze are a short walk from the terminal.
Location: Queenstown Airport is located 8km from the town centre, in Frankton.
You can use the Orbus public bus service to get to and from the airport – the number 1 bus has a stop right outside the airport. If you have a Bee Card, this will cost $1, and if you’re paying by cash, it will cost $5 (thanks to the current half-price public transport fares).
Food & drink: Before security, there’s the Airspresso cafe and bar, Patagonia Chocolates (an outpost of the popular cafe in town) and Hikari Sushi. There’s another Airspresso in the international departures lounge, and a smaller pop-up in the domestic departures area.
Shopping: There’s the Remarkable Sweet Shop, gift shop Kapa, Global Culture, a sportswear shop, and a Paper Plus. In international departures, there’s Aelia Duty Free.
Wi-fi: You get 2GB free wi-fi per 24 hours.
Showers: There are no showers but the Queenstown Events Centre, which does offer shower facilities, is a 15-minute walk from the terminal.
Baggage storage: Storage lockers that can be booked for a 12-hour period are located outside the terminal near the departures and check-in area. There are a range of sizes, starting from $7 for a small locker to $20 for a jumbo locker.
If no lockers are available or you need more room, you can visit the Airport Information Desk and they will store your items for a fee.
Families: A parent room is located beside international arrivals, with facilities including change tables, microwaves and toys. There is another parent room after security in the international gate lounge.
Sleeping: The terminal is open from 5.30am to 10pm. There are several hotels nearby, including the Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park Hotel, and the Sudima Queenstown Five Mile.
© 2022 Stuff Limited