The study from travel insurance comparison site iSelect looked at the cost of parking, number of car parking spaces, distance from the city, cost of public transport and taxi, along with the size of the airport and number of daily customers.
Melbourne was named Australia’s least convenient airport for its high cost of transport and its long distance from the city.
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 airport is also more than 20km from the CBD and not having a train option can add to the heavy traffic and crowds.
Townsville and Canberra tied in first place for the best airports in Australia for the small size and cheaper parking and transport cost.
They both had cheaper weekly costs for parking at $178 and $190. Canberra airport had the cheapest transport costs to get to the airport, being only 7.4km from the CBD, a taxi would cost $28 and the local bus $5.15 with contactless payment.
Townsville has a shuttle bus service that can take you between hotels and ferry terminals for just $10 or $15 for two people, or a taxi to the CBD would be around $20 depending on traffic conditions.
Sydney was placed second to last, with the highest average weekly parking cost at $343 and the most daily passengers.
The Gold Coast and Brisbane airports both scored low on the convenience index, tying in third last place.
Brisbane had the highest public transport and taxi costs with an average of $48 from the City. The Gold Coast airport performed poorly because it’s the furthest distance from the coast.
“There’s already so much to think about when planning a holiday – passports, packing, airport transfers and what time to get to the airport,” said Adrian Bennett, General Manager – General Insurance.
“That’s why we recommend sorting your travel insurance early too.”
| Rank | Airport | Airport Convenience Index score |
| 1 | Townsville | 7.57 |
| 2 | Canberra | 7.57 |
| 3 | Cairns | 6.71 |
| 4 | Darwin | 6.57 |
| 5 | Adelaide | 5.43 |
| 6 | Perth | 4.57 |
| 7 | Hobart | 4.00 |
| 8 | Brisbane | 3.00 |
| 9 | Gold Coast | 3.00 |
| 10 | Sydney | 2.43 |
| 11 | Melbourne | 1.86 |
To read the full report, click here
https://www.iselect.com.au/travel-insurance/
