One of Australia’s favourite spots for a city break has Australia’s ‘least convenient’ major airport, while a tropical gateway takes top spot.

The holiday is booked, bags packed and you’ve checked in online. But even the most organised of travellers can be undone by the airport. It’s a necessary evil to endure on the way to some of our favourite holiday destinations. Yet some airports are worse than others, as new research from travel insurance comparison service iSelect reveals.

The study ranked 11 major Australian airports based on important convenience factors including parking prices and availability, transport costs, distance from the city centre and passenger numbers.

From rising parking bills to increasingly busy terminals, here’s how the airports compare. Plus, how you can use this information to make the most of your next trip. 

Australia’s least convenient airport has been revealed 

Melbourne might be up there with the most popular spots for a city break, but its airport has landed a less enviable title. And it’s held the title for the second year running. Scoring 2.44 out of 10, it ranks as the least convenient of the 11 airports assessed.

Parking was the main sticking point for travellers. The study found an average weekly parking cost of $412, the highest in the index and a 42 per cent increase on the previous year. 

Melbourne’s airport is also 22.1 kilometres from the CBD. The research puts a taxi journey at $55 to $70 and the single-ticket price for its airport bus option at $25.90. Add more than 100,000 passengers a day, and that’s a lot of travellers to brush up against on any given day.

Brisbane follows in second-last place, scoring 3.11. The average travellers paid to catch public transport or a taxi came in at $48.03, the highest in the study, with weekly parking averages at $234.89, up seven per cent.

The Gold Coast completes the bottom three with a score of 3.67. Weekly parking averages $252.70 following a nine per cent rise, adding another expense to that sunshine escape.

Australia’s most convenient airports

Winning gold at the top of the list, Cairns offers a welcome combination: a short journey into town and costs that haven’t climbed since last year. 

The Great Barrier Reef gateway scores 7.78 out of 10 and sits just 5.7 kilometres from the city centre, the shortest distance in the index. Its average weekly parking bill is $176.67, while the average spent on public transport and taxi options is $20. Both figures are unchanged year on year.

Passenger numbers have also dipped one per cent to an estimated 12,745 a day.

Darwin claims second place with 7.11. The research highlights free public bus travel as one advantage, compared with an average taxi fare of $32.50 to the city. At around 5296 daily passengers, it also handles a fraction of the traffic passing through the biggest hubs.

Our humble capital, Canberra, takes third with 6.56. Its average transport cost of $14 is the lowest in the study, while weekly parking comes in just under $200.

These results offer an indication of convenience, rather than a guarantee of a seamless departure. Smaller passenger totals don’t necessarily translate into shorter queues on the day, so make sure you still arrive with plenty of time before boarding to avoid any mishaps.

How to avoid overpaying and overcrowding

If your airport parking bill feels steeper than it used to, the research offers some explanation. Eight of the 11 airports recorded annual increases, led by Melbourne’s 42 per cent jump.

Perth followed with a 16 per cent rise and Adelaide with 13 per cent. Sydney was the only airport to record a fall, down six per cent, although its $323 weekly average remained the second-highest.

Before you hop in the car, it’s always a smart move to compare a parking quote for your travel dates with the return cost of public transport, taxis or rideshare. For a group, calculate the total fare for everyone travelling. If driving still makes sense economically, compare advance-booking prices across different car parks and allow for any additional shuttle transfer costs if required.

An increase in airport passenger numbers is another reason to plan ahead. Melbourne’s rose three per cent and Darwin’s four per cent, while Cairns recorded a slight decline. Annual averages won’t tell you how busy security will be when you arrive, so follow your airline’s check-in guidance and bake in extra time for the journey, bag drop and screening.

A little extra planning doesn’t always guarantee a seamless journey, but it often means fewer nasty surprises on the day.