Haven't been to Sydney for almost a year now. Sydney International Airport Duty Free is pretty big…read more They are super brilliant to have it strategically placed prior to clearing Immigration as well as after being screened by Security prior to boarding your flight spread across the departure gates. From what I hear and I believe it's true, SYD has a noise curfew for planes taking off and landing so I don't think that Heinemann Tax & Duty Free operates 24 hours a day. One of my Industry perks is that I'm able to get an airport discount at the Duty Free Shops, not only customers don't have to pay taxes, it's also more convenient to shop here rather than buying online or from the department stores. They have everything from Luxury Goods, Health and Beauty Products, Fragrances, Liquor, almost everything you can find in a Fine Department Store. The best part is that the USD is much stronger than the AUD, so purchasing from here is another added bonus. It's highly likely that I'll be buying from them in the future and will probably be spending more!

Not a bad duty-free shopping range. Encompassing beauty and fragrance through to alcohol and a…read moresmall gourmet food section. The alcohol and beauty section are the real standouts with whole sections dedicated to brands such as; Bobbi Brown, Urban Decay, Benefit, Kiehls, Giorgio Armani and MAC. They've also recently started stocking some affordable Korean beauty brands, which is great to see. There are plenty of cashier counters and no lines - hurrah.

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

Far more organized than some of the other airports I've been to. The lines move quickly and there…read moreare plenty of shops for souvinirs and snacking.

So here I am, super excited to spray on some Vera Wang perfume only to have a store assistant try…read moreto hand me over a prada sample, feeling accosted I went to try spray the new Marc Jacobs and suddenly a flock of assistants pound on me like I'm shop lifting for wanting to smell nice.... Not an ounce of floral goodness made it onto my skin because wherever I went I was surrounded by non stop questions, options and looks...and all I felt like screaming (though never would) were three simple words LEAVE ME ALONE! I want to browse through Duty Free, put on some La Mer moisturizer ($200 + a bottle) and not feel like I'm doing something really evil for wanting to sample a product. I want to be left alone when someone says to me "can I help you" and I say "no thanks, I'm browsing".. This didn't feel like customer service it felt more like customer harassment. I didn't need to be followed through the store like I was a terrorist, I wanted to play with the pretty make-up and try the lastest perfumes. Here's the thing - before you think I maybe looked like some homeless person who fell out of my cardboard box and walked around the store perhaps evoking some feelings of concern, let me assure you I looked like I walked out from a Ralph Lauren catalogue.... Thanks Duty Free for reminding me I can get better bargains and less judgement by shopping online!

Tax free booze (gotta make use of that allowance!) and sampling of booze before noon in the…read moredeparture side (helps adjust to your new timezone!). And its in a very convenient place either after you leave passport control on the departures side, or before you enter passport control on the arrivals side. I only wished they didn't slug you with a surcharge for cards.

If you're looking for new skin treatments (mostly imported ones), you might want to visit…read moreCherry@Sydney. They have an interesting selection of beauty products from Cleansing Milk to Super smoother cream that will revitalize you and make you look and feel younger. Their products are mostly from Thailand. Although there may be a bit of a language barrier when it comes to the product descriptions, the product names are usually self-explanatory and easy to use. They also have some vitamins in stock like Omega 3, Gingko, and Lecithin to name a few. Not for the everyday person but something you beauty product lovers should visit. You might find something worth your while.

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.

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!

The lounge is spacious and the more people that came in the more room there seems to be…read more Food quality was amazing and the staff attending to passengers were very friendly and lively. One gentlemen which I did not get his name helped me and my mom with smiles and happiness all around. Lively experience in general and would definitely recommend it

So this was supposed to be a Business class lounge. I'll start with the ups. This large had PLENTY…read moreof seating and was pretty spacious. Chairs were comfy enough as well. The down sides. I could barely find charging ports and the ones that I did find were very loose. I came just as they were transitioning meals so they were cleaning up the previous meal service and were bringing out a whole new set of fresh food. When I finally came up after they swapped all the food out, it turned out to be one of the most lacking lounge buffets I had ever seen. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this is an airport lounge. I understand that this isn't a full-fledged restaurant. But for a business class level lounge, I just expected a better offering aside from quinoa, salad and veggies. No alcohol either?? Even the lowest level of lounges have some kind of alcohol offerings whether paid or free. I'm being especially harsh because this is, in theory, supposed to be a more exclusive higher level lounge and they just didn't hit the mark. Side note whatever protein they put in their mid salad (tuna?), it was so dry chalky. I left QUICK to the Amex Centurion lounge. PS: even the Fiji Airport Priority lounge had better offerings than this lounge. Substantial food, coffee bar and alcohol (albeit on the smaller side)

I think this must be a very busy airport with some very high income clientele because they had a…read morelarge selection of very expensive luxury brand stores and kiosk everywhere in the main hall. As for lounges, I'm a bit split. I will say that because of the way there terminals are laid out. I think I can appreciate how their lounges are at centralized. One side of the airport has one set of lounges and the other side has their own. Anyways, my issues with the lounges at least the Qantas business lounge and the Amex Centurion lounge was that both were lacking. Where I'm split is, is that really their fault or the fault with those who run the lounge. On that same note, the lounges are part of the airport so it has to be a part of the rating. This is something that I probably shouldn't take issue with but as someone fairly new to international travel I had been looking forward to for a long time. This was also at Auckland Airport in New Zealand by the way, they do smart passport border control whatever they call it these days. You scan your passport, get scanned by a camera and you move through the gate. Efficient? Very. Disappointing? Well for me yes because I had been looking forward to passport stamps.

I fly to SYD airport about once a year, and every year I go through SYD I noticed something change…read more Recently for passports that's valid for SmartGates, they made a formal line to line up to use the kiosks when you arrive at customs. I also noticed there's an entirely new x-ray machines at security out of the international terminal. Getting an Uber is fairly easy. From the international airport, just follow the signs out to the parking structure and it'll guide you to where to the Uber will pull up. There's a train that can take you to the city center in about 15 minutes. You just need to tap your physical credit card, or Apply Pay, or Android Pay to get through the turnstiles. No need for an Opal Card. From a foreigner prospective, if you are going from a international flight to Sydney to connect to a domestic Australian city, it is a hassle. You must collect you luggage when you land at the international terminal, go through customs, take a shuttle or train to the domestic terminal, and re-check your bag at the domestic terminal. If you can avoid any connections via SYD to another AU city, that would be best. Overall, it's an easy airport.