Comparison of Airport Public Transport services in Australia and New Zealand

[somebody]

Airport	Service	Meets Flights**	Cost	Base Frequency	Airport patronage	Airport hours
BNE	Airtrain	93% - runs 5:27am-8pm	$15	30 minutes	19 million	24 hour
	CoachTrans	runs 5:40am-0:20am	$16	50 minutes
Gold Coast	702 bus to Southport	4:50am - 10:22pm	Translink	30 minutes	5 million	6am-11pm
	761 bus to Robina	6:55am - 7:07pm	Translink	30 minutes
	761 bus to Tweed Heads	5:07am - 8:55pm until 7:55pm Sat/Sun	Translink	30 minutes
Sunshine Coast	SunAir - to southern suburbs Henry's Airporter - northern suburbs 622 bus	Most All 6:53am-5:53pm	$13-$25 $27-$32 Translink	meets (most) flights meets flights 60 minutes	0.9 million	10am-8pm
SYD	Airport Train	All	$15	15 minutes + extras	33 million	6am-11pm
MEL	Skybus	All	$16	10 minutes	28 million	24 hour
PER	Connect (bus)	All international Doesn't meet first domestic flights	$18 International $15 Domestic	50 minutes	10 million	24 hour
	37 bus to Domestic Terminal	7:10am - 10:50pm less on weekends	$3.80	30 minutes. Worse on weekends and evenings
ADL	Jetbus	All	$4.70	15 minutes mostly	7 million	6am-11pm
CBR	A1 Airliner	9:05am - 4:32pm	$9	5 per day	3 million	6am-11pm
HBA	Hobart Airporter (bus)	All	$12.50	meets flights	1.9 million	6am-11pm
Avalon	Unnamed bus	All	$20	meets flights	1.4 million	6am-11pm
Newcastle	130/131 bus	5:05am-9:50pm Mon-Fri 8:50am-5:38pm WE/Hols	$3.30	18 per day Mon-Fri 6 per day WE/Hols	1.1 million	6am-11pm
Auckland	Airbus Express (bus)	All	$NZ16	15 minutes 30 minutes 8pm-7am	13 million	24 hour
Christchurch	10 & 29 Red buses	7:05am-1:05am Starts 8:35am Sundays	$NZ7.50	30 minutes combined	6 million	24 hour
Wellington	91 Airport Flyer (bus)	6:15am-9:30pm	$NZ4.50	15 minutes	5 million	6am-12:30am
Queenstown	Connectabus	All	$NZ6	15 minutes	0.8 million	daylight hours

** Note that times in this column do not include check in times, baggage collection times, customs or walking time.

Darwin and Cairns appear to have a shuttle meeting most or all flights.

EDIT: Added CBR.
EDIT: Added MCY.
EDIT: Updated MCY, added NTL/AVV

Disclaimer: The above is based mostly on the best info I can find.  I haven't used all the listed services.

[somebody]

What I find interesting is how superior the Hobart and Queenstown services are to the Brisbane and Gold Coast ones.

If only Perth was better!  Then we could say that SEQ has the worst major airport land transport services in Oceania.

[ButFli]

If only Perth was better!  Then we could say that SEQ has the worst major airport land transport services in Oceania.

That quote says it all, really. May as well make a press release announcing that RailBOT wants Brisbane to have Oceania's worst public transport. Makes us all look really credible.

[somebody]

If only Perth was better!  Then we could say that SEQ has the worst major airport land transport services in Oceania.

That quote says it all, really. May as well make a press release announcing that RailBOT wants Brisbane to have Oceania's worst public transport. Makes us all look really credible.

Are you having a go at me here?  Much easier to get it hammered in the media if we can say it is the worst.

[cartoonbirdhaus]

May as well make a press release announcing that RailBOT wants Brisbane to have Oceania's worst public transport. Makes us all look really credible.

Well, Canberra's going to be a thorn in the side there. 5 services a day, no later than the 4 o'clock hour? Buses from Maleny to Landsborough are more frequent!

By the way, BNE is also served by Coachtrans, meeting every flight.

[ButFli]

If only Perth was better!  Then we could say that SEQ has the worst major airport land transport services in Oceania.

That quote says it all, really. May as well make a press release announcing that RailBOT wants Brisbane to have Oceania's worst public transport. Makes us all look really credible.

Are you having a go at me here?  Much easier to get it hammered in the media if we can say it is the worst.

Just saying it like I see it. You were disappointed that Brisbane didn't have Oceania's worst public transport to the airport. You actively hoped that Brisbane would become the worst. I just pointed that out. Construe it how you like.

[somebody]

You actively hoped that Brisbane would become the worst. I just pointed that out. Construe it how you like.

I never hoped it would become the worst.  I did hope that everyone else was better.

By the way, BNE is also served by Coachtrans, meeting every flight.

They don't meet every flight.  Graveyard shift international flights are not met, as well as the first O/B domestic flights of the day.  The latter is a bigger problem in daylight saving.

How did I forget to add them?  I've added it now.  I'm not sure how they are still in business, but clearly some people must like the service.  It should be noted that Coachtrans take approx 40 minutes to reach the CBD against about 20 minutes for the Airtrain.

[Cam]

By the way, BNE is also served by Coachtrans, meeting every flight.

I wasn't aware of Coachtrans. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I usually use the Gold Coast Airport but will consider using them to get to the Brisbane Transit Centre for $16 if I catch a flight that arrives into BNE after the last Air Train service & I'm not being picked up by car. I can then transfer to the Ipswich Line at Roma Street.

The other option is a taxi to Toombul Station & change for an Ipswich service.

[somebody]

By the way, BNE is also served by Coachtrans, meeting every flight.

I wasn't aware of Coachtrans. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I usually use the Gold Coast Airport but will consider using them to get to the Brisbane Transit Centre for $16 if I catch a flight that arrives into BNE after the last Air Train service & I'm not being picked up by car. I can then transfer to the Ipswich Line at Roma Street.

The other option is a taxi to Toombul Station & change for an Ipswich service.

I'd have thought that a taxi to Toombul would probably be around $16 anyway, and you don't have to wait up to 50 minutes for it.

The Gold Coast airport doesn't have reasonable options to reach Brisbane after 7:07pm (other than 702/765/train), so that's even worse than Brisbane Airport if you aren't a Gold Coast local, the way I see it.

[SurfRail]

MCY has Route 622 as well.  I would also suggest including Avalon and Newcastle.

[Otto]

By the way, BNE is also served by Coachtrans, meeting every flight.

I wasn't aware of Coachtrans. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I usually use the Gold Coast Airport but will consider using them to get to the Brisbane Transit Centre for $16 if I catch a flight that arrives into BNE after the last Air Train service & I'm not being picked up by car. I can then transfer to the Ipswich Line at Roma Street.

The other option is a taxi to Toombul Station & change for an Ipswich service.

I'd have thought that a taxi to Toombul would probably be around $16 anyway, and you don't have to wait up to 50 minutes for it.

The Gold Coast airport doesn't have reasonable options to reach Brisbane after 7:07pm (other than 702/765/train), so that's even worse than Brisbane Airport if you aren't a Gold Coast local, the way I see it.

If you miss the 8pm Airtrain, then taking a Taxi to Toombul Station is $29.42... That's how much it cost me on July 7th .. I was standing at the baggage claim watching the minutes count down for the last Airtrain.. My Suitcases appeared at 8:05pm.. Grrrrrrrrrr

[Arnz]

MCY also has Route 622 (Maroochydore to Noosa via Airport, Coolum Beach and Peregian Springs) operating hourly between 6am and 7pm.

[somebody]

If you miss the 8pm Airtrain, then taking a Taxi to Toombul Station is $29.42... That's how much it cost me on July 7th .. I was standing at the baggage claim watching the minutes count down for the last Airtrain.. My Suitcases appeared at 8:05pm.. Grrrrrrrrrr

It used to cost me $30-$40 to catch a cab between the CBD and the Airport with no traffic.  Perhaps the meters have risen since then.

[p858snake]

If you miss the 8pm Airtrain, then taking a Taxi to Toombul Station is $29.42... That's how much it cost me on July 7th .. I was standing at the baggage claim watching the minutes count down for the last Airtrain.. My Suitcases appeared at 8:05pm.. Grrrrrrrrrr

It used to cost me $30-$40 to catch a cab between the CBD and the Airport with no traffic.  Perhaps the meters have risen since then.

Yeap they have... and they are rising again soon (and you will also be paying for the time your sitting in traffic as well)

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 3rd August 2011 page 1

Joke's on them

[AnonymouslyBad]

The Airtrain service is not too bad - especially when you consider that, apart from Sydney, every other airport on the list is stuck with buses. Even if they're higher frequency, they wouldn't carry anywhere near as many people, and certainly aren't seen as a serious option for getting to the airport.

We do need 15 minute frequency all day, mind you, but the biggest problem is the operating hours. Even running trains until 10pm or 11pm would be a huge improvement, and capture almost all flights because (even though the airport is technically open 24 hours) there are very few later than that.

I'm pretty sure I've read that the poor operating hours are because of a curfew imposed on Airtrain - due to noise concerns from residents along the line - and so it's largely out of their hands. I can't imagine them cutting services at 8pm sharp by choice, because there's by no means a lack of passengers at that hour. Evening flights are quite popular.

[ozbob]

I'm pretty sure I've read that the poor operating hours are because of a curfew imposed on Airtrain - due to noise concerns from residents along the line - and so it's largely out of their hands. I can't imagine them cutting services at 8pm sharp by choice, because there's by no means a lack of passengers at that hour. Evening flights are quite popular.

Not correct, there is nothing stopping running trains running around then clock, there is no curfew and never has been, all a big beatup. The noise excuse was clarified a couple of years ago now as false.  Airtrain fail to realise that by running trains up till at least 11pm they will drive a very significant pax gain overall.  It is a sad sad situation .... another example of 'world class public transport' that pervades south-east Queensland.

--> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4433.msg35781#msg35781

[somebody]

AnonymouslyBad is correct with regard to the bus services not carrying as many passengers as Airtrain.  OTOH, Skybus carries 1.x mil vs around 2 mil for Airtrain.  Seems clear that there is a rail attraction factor coming in to play.  Perhaps this is partly due to the Class A ROW.  When Skybus started to get bus priority it increased its patronage quite a bit.

[SurfRail]

AnonymouslyBad is correct with regard to the bus services not carrying as many passengers as Airtrain.  OTOH, Skybus carries 1.x mil vs around 2 mil for Airtrain.  Seems clear that there is a rail attraction factor coming in to play.  Perhaps this is partly due to the Class A ROW.  When Skybus started to get bus priority it increased its patronage quite a bit.

I wouldn't discount the fact those trains are mainly providing a single seat journey to the Gold Coast as well.