Brisbane Airport, Brisbane

With Brisbanes traffic getting a little more crazy and congested each day and with the frequent crashes/problems on the Gateway motorway I would definitely recommend the Airtrain to either the domestic or international airport. I travelled from Roma St Station in the City to the Domestic terminal in under 25mins and it cost me less than $14. You can have as many bags as you can handle (there seemed to be more bags than people at some stages). You walk easily into the terminal from the airport station. A great idea.

Many people have already commented on the Airtrans line that connects you into the city and allows services to the coasts.

However, the last train is 8pm. After that, taxis can be expensive alternatives, costing ~$40 AUD to the city.

The other option is the Coachtrans shuttle bus. There is a desk in the arrival hall of the both the domestic and international terminals at the airport where you can purchase your transfer ticket, but like most things in QLD, the desk closes early (about 9pm)

Do not worry just yet, because the last transfer leaves at 11:55pm. The service desk will be closed for these late pickups so you must have already pre-booked and paid online by credit card first.

$12 one way to the city, or $22 return to the city.
Check the web page for costs to Gold Coast, cruise terminal, etc.

3 more images

As with quite a few Australian airports, Brisbane has separate international and domestic terminals. These are separated by a distance of about 1km and movement between the two is by a rail service called the “skytrain” (ie the train travels on elevated tracks).

From both terminals, a lift and escalators connects via walkways to the train platforms – though you might care to note that the lifts are somewhat inadequate when flights arrive and many passengers with bags wish to travel. If you have and can show a Qantas international boarding pass, I understand that the train trip is provided free: if, like us, your international trip is not with Qantas, the fare is $4A for the trip, which seems rather pricey for one km! The alternative would be a taxi, but as I gather that costs about $10, you probably are better off staying with the trains, which run at about an eight minute frequency. Of course, if Brisbane is your destination, the train can take you to the central city – or further on to the Gold Coast.

Main photo: The “skytrain”
Second photo: The escalators to “skytrain” level
Third photo: From the walkway, looking toward the platform
Fourth photo: The distant international terminal (the grey building behind the white/red building, to the right of the light pole).

This is the way to travel if you do not wish to hire a car. I picked up a brochure at Brisbabe airport and here are the details:
Brisbane CBD Adult Au$12 one way, return $22. Child $6 & $11, most important Family is $30 one way, $55 return, ( 2A +2C ).

20 minute travel time, 5 stations dropoff downtown, Brunswick St, Central, Roma St, South Brisbane, Southbank, 4 trains per hour during peak, discounts available online, luggage lockers are available at city stations.

Gold Coast Stations Adult $23 to Nerang, to other stations prices vary. 2 trains per hour. Direct service to Gold Coast Stations.

Take the easy way and book online before you leave home.

There is a really cheap shuttle service run by COACHTRANS Australia.
They will take you door to door from airport to your hotel in the Brisbane CBD for AUS$11
or $18 return
The journey takes about 30 minutes.

The same journey will cost you about AUS$30 each way in a taxi.

I used Coachtrans' airport transfer service to get from Brisbane airport to my accommodation in the Spring Hills area of the city during my visit to Brisbane in April 2006.

These minibuses drop each passenger off right outside their chosen accommodation, so there's no need to worry about finding the right place. Each minibus can hold circa 12 passengers and luggage is carried in a separate cart that is towed behind the minibus.

Minibuses run from the airport to Brisbane approximately every 30 minutes and the journey time is about 25-30 minutes depending on the number of drop-offs and the location of your accommodation.

As at April 2006, the cost of a one-way transfer from the airport to Brisbane was 11 AUD, although, when returning to the airport at the end of my stay I booked this service through my hotel and was charged 15 AUD (I assume the 4 AUD difference was the hotel's commission). By contrast, the Brisbane Air Train would have cost me 12 AUD to Brisbane central station and then I'd have had to pay for a taxi from there to Spring Hills - so this transfer was excellent value for money for me.

Tickets are purchased from a kiosk outside the arrivals hall, next to where the minibuses depart from.

The company also operates minibuses from the airport to the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Tickets are bought from the same kiosk as the Brisbane transfer tickets and the minibuses depart (less frequently) from the same point:

Skytrans = airport to Brisbane: Tel (07) 3238 4799

Airporter = airport to Gold Coast: Tel (07) 3238 4700

Saw this little green fellow at the airport recently - a collection box asking for any spare cash for frog research. Made me think about the similar receptacles in airports in Asia - asking for money for the needy PEOPLE causes. He is rather cute though!

Brisbane airport 's domestic terminal is a relatively small one - but is also fairly modern and has shopping and a range of restaurants and coffee stops. Check in is now made much more efficent by getting your own boarding passes from a range of standing computer terminals in the area before the counters. Simply put in your personal and/or flight details, and out comes a boarding pass.

Needless to say, one of the major carriers is Qantas - our famour flying kangaroo.

However, there are budget airlines aplenty available from Brisbane - Virgin and Jetstar.