Australian Airlines

Cairns lies between mountains, mangroves and the Coral Sea, it is the gateway to Tropical North Queensland, home of the Great Barrier Reef and of endless Tropical Rainforests. It is the sixth busiest airport in Australia. The airport is located 7 kilometres (4 miles) north of the Cairns central business district in the suburb of Aeroglen.

Cairns Airport is Australia’s leading regional airport, providing air links to a range of domestic and international locations.

Wifi is available throughout the airport

Getting into Town

Free taxi telephones are located in the arrival halls and the taxi ranks of both the International and Domestic Terminals. Black & White Taxi ranks are located immediately outside the International and Domestic Terminals.

The taxi fare to Cairns CBD ranges from $15 – $20 depending on destination point. Metered fares apply in the Black & White Taxi service area (Ellis Beach to Edmonton).

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Red Spot and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

There is an information centre in the International Terminal.

There are no hotels on the airport site.

As the airport is so close to Cairns accomodation in town is a good option.

Airport Disabled Facilities

Each terminal has drop-off/pick-up areas for people with a disability marked at the kerbside.

Parking for people with a disability is also available within the car parks.

Car Parking

As you’d expect parking is plentiful, both long and short stay

Who are Cathay Pacific ?

Where do Cathay Pacific fly to in Australia ?

The major international destination airports for UK departures are Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns airports.

Flying through the award winning Hong Kong International Airport offers the opportunity for a great stop over.

How good are Cathay Pacific ?

What else should I know about Cathay Pacific ?

Brisbane Airport, in South East Queensland, has three terminals to serve international, domestic and cargo flights.

There are direct connections to 26 international and 35 domestic destinations. Brisbane Airport is ony 20 minutes from town and has 24-hour operations – no curfew.

Getting into Town

Road and rail transfers are both available. Taxis, trains and buses run 24 hours, the services are efficient and the costs reasonable. You can book online before you fly or when you arrive.

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Red Spot and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

You’ll find the  Visitors Information Centre on level 2 of the International Terminal, and at the passenger information desks on the ground floor of the Domestic Terminal. (tel: +61 (0)7 3406 3190)

The Airport Hacienda Hotel (tel: +61 (0)7 3268 5011),Airport Motel (tel: +61 (0)7 3868 2399), Brisbane Riviera Hotel (tel: +61 (0)7 3862 1800) and Motel Formula One (tel: +61 (0)7 3868 3457) are all available in the airport site

As Brisbane is only 20 minutes away we would recommend staying in town.

Airport Disabled Facilities

There is ramped and lift access to all floors, wheelchair-accessible toilets, and shops and dining areas designed for disabled people in the International Terminal. Disabled car parking spaces and wheelchair set-downs area available too.

Car Parking

Long- and short-term car parking is available at the airport. Valet parking is also available.

Adelaide Airport is the prime gateway to South Australia. It provides close to seven million passengers annually with efficient, comfortable services.

Adelaide Airport Limited ’seeks to combine South Australia’s Mediterranean lifestyle and cosmopolitan image with its well-earned reputation for smart, efficient and hi-tech business facilities’. These guys are trying hard and they want the world to know!

Getting into Town

Road transfers are your only option. Taxis and buses run 24 hours, the services are efficient and the costs reasonable. You can book online before you fly or when you arrive, journey time is around 15 minutes.

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Red Spot and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

The information desk is close to Arrivals  (tel: +61 (0)8 8154 9490).

The Adelaide Airport Motel (tel: +61 (0)8 8234 4000) and the Aviator’s Lodge (tel: +61 (0)8 8356 8388) are located on the airport site.

As Adelaide is only 15 minutes away by taxi we would recommend staying in town.

Airport Disabled Facilities

All facilities at the airport are designed for persons with disabilities where necessary.

There are lifts, ramps and designated toilets. Disabled parking is provided next to the entrance to the terminal building. TDD telephones are available for hearing-impaired travellers.

Car Parking

Long- and short-term car parking is available at the airport. Valet parking is also available.

Perth is Australia’s fourth largest  passenger carrier serving international and domestic flights.

Originally an RAF base which was converted from a golf course in 1942, Qantas started to operate internal flights in 1944. The airport changed its name from Guildford to Perth in 1952 a year before it opened to international flights.

Wifi is available throughout the airport

Getting into Town

Road transfers are your only option. Taxis and buses run 24 hours, the services are efficient and the costs reasonable. You can book online before you fly or when you arrive.

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Red Spot and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

There is a self-help information centre on the ground floor of the International Terminal.

Volunteer customer-service officers are also available daily to provide information and answer enquiries. They are recognisable by their distinctive gold jackets.

There are no hotels on the airport site.

The Comfort Inn Bel Eyre (tel: +61 (0)8 9277 2733) is about a mile from the airport.

Information on accommodation is available from the self-help information centre. It has a direct telephone link to a hotel booking centre.

Airport Disabled Facilities

There is very little published information about disabled facilities at Perth Airport. If you are at all unsure about your needs being met we would recommend that you contact your airline or the airport prior to travel.

Car Parking

As you’d expect parking is plentiful, both long and short stay

Unsurprisingly Sydney ( Kingsford Smith ) is Australia’s largest airport serving 40 airlines with more than 30 million passengers passing through each year. Terminal One (T1) serves international flights, T2 is domestic, and the mighty T3 is reserved for the flying kangaroo, Qantas.

Wifi is available throughout the airport

Getting into Town

Road and rail transfers are both available. Taxis, trains and buses run 24 hours, the services are efficient and the costs reasonable. You can book online before you fly or when you arrive.

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Red Spot and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

The Airport Sydney International Inn (tel: +61 (02) 9556 1555), Holiday Inn Sydney Airport (tel: +61 (02) 9330 0600), Ibis Hotel Sydney Airport (tel: +61 (02) 8339 8500) and Stamford Sydney Airport Hotel (tel: +61 (02) 9317 2200), are all on site.

The Tourism New South Wales Travel Centre can help arrange accommodation in Sydney.

Airport Disabled Facilities

Sydney caters well for for disabled passengers with facilities including showers, toilets, ramps and lowered telephones, text telephones, telephones fitted with induction loops, and drinking fountains.

Disabled parking spaces are located at the front of the T1 International Terminal, for valid badge holders.

Car Parking

As you’d expect parking is plentiful, both long and short stay

Melbourne Airport is Australia’s second busiest airport serving around twenty five million passengers a year. It is clearly a busy airport but it does manage to maintain the feel of much more intimate airport… it’s a Melbourne thing we think!

Wifi is available throughout the airport

Getting into Town

The two choices for your transfer in to town are car and bus. Taxis and buses run 24 hours, the services are efficient and the costs reasonable.

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty all have desks inside the terminal.

Airport Disabled Facilities

Disabled, wheelchair accessible toilets, moving walkways and lifts are provided throughout the airport. Wheelchairs are available on request either via your airline or by contacting the Travellers Information Desk (tel: +61 (0)3 9297 1805).

There is a text telephone on the ground floor of the International Terminal, in the Arrivals area.

Disabled parking is also widely available.

Car Parking

As you’d expect parking is plentiful, both long and short stay

Who are Emirates Airlines?

If you didn’t know any better you’d be forgiven for thinking that Emirates are a sports wear manufacturer as you see their sponsorship across the globe on some of the best sports people and teams.

But they’re actually the eighth largest airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried, and fifth-largest in the world in terms of scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown, carrying over 20 million passengers a year.

It’s fleet is all wide bodied and very new, it ordered over 130 planes in 2007 alone.

Where do Emirates fly to in Australia?

The major international destination airports for UK departures are Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The fabulous thing about Emirates are the Departure Airports. In the UK choose from Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and London, so great news wherever you live saving time and money without compromising the quality of the carrier. For this reason we would always check Emirates.

How good are Emirates?

Oh they’re good. They came 5th in the Skytrax World Airline of the year awards 2009 ( having been in the top 10 since 2005 ) as well as winning the Best In-flight Entertainment Award. So they look after you and you won’t get bored, sounds like an excellent combination.

Economy is excellent with good legroom and catering. If your funds stretch then First Class passengers on Australian Flights have a full suite, complete with closing doors to ensure privacy, a mini-bar, a coat rack and a 23 in (58 cm) LCD screen. Business Class is also market leading with all of the facilities you’d expect.

Emirates don’t often play hard on price but they do have regular offers including upgrades and peripheral deals. They’re also a good choice for a stopover in Dubai.

What else should I know about Emirates?

Emirates spend 2.7% of their budget on advertising and sponsorship, a massive amount of money that sees them supportthe West Australian Symphony Orchestra as well as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra . Football sees involvement with Arsenal F.C. and their 60,000 seater Emirates Stadium, AC Milan, Olympiacos CFP, Hamburger SV and Paris Saint-Germain. They will sponsor the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and they’re a major sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup. In Cricket, they sponsor Cricket Australia, Lord’s Taverners, and Pro Arch Tournament.For the horse racing fans Emirates sponsor the Dubai World Cup, Melbourne Cup, Champion Stakes, Newmarket, Yorkshire Cup, York, and The Singapore Derby and to cap it off Emirates sponsor 12 golf events…. quite a portfolio!

Who are British Airways?

British Airways (BA) are now termed as the ‘flag carrier’ airline of the UK, whatever that means? They’re the world’s favourite airline’ and deep down we all secretly quite like BA.

Last year they carried 33,161,000 passengers all over the world on their 235 planes, landing at over 300 destinations on every inhabited continent.

When flying to Australia you will depart Heathrow Terminal Five once Europe’s largest building site and now a fully functioning masterpiece of baggage efficiency!

Where do BA fly to in Australia?

The major international destination airports for Heathrow departures are Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The BA website is helpful when booking flights to the smaller Oz destinations and the inclusive prices are also worth a look.

How good are BA?

British Airways are undeniably good in a very, very British way. If you’re a Brit BA offer you the opportunity to feel like you’re home as soon as you get on the plane… a far flung corner of an economy cabin that is forever Britain!

BA are known for sardine tactics in the economy cabin holding as they do the dubious accolade of being the first airline to squeeze ten abreast on a commercial jet ( that was designed to have 9 abreast ).

Club World is British excellence as is First Class with full length flat beds and ubiquitous service. If you can afford the extra expense Business and First Class really do give you a day back on this sort of long haul journey, there’s nothing like arriving fresh!

We’ve never found BA at the top for price anywhere, but that’s not what they’re about is it?

What else should I know about British Airways?

BA plan to be the first airline to fly non stop to Perth Australia in 2010 when their newest Airbus comes online.

In 1997 then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher showed her displeasure at the new BA designs by covering one of the new tailfins on a model plane with a handkerchief. She declared, “We fly the British flag, not these awful things.”

Concorde, the world’s most beautiful plane now sits proudly beside the runway at London Heathrow with the ‘proper’ BA livery intact – look out for it on take off and landing.