Airport squeeze: working to avoid the crush

Long queues in the customs hall of Auckland Airport on October 29. Photo / @kiwitravelbug@AKL_

Auckland Airport and agencies are working to avoid a repeat of problems last summer when clogged roads meant passengers and airline crew sometimes missed flights.

Last month, the arrival of three A380 aircraft at the same time during the weekend also caused chaos in the arrivals area, angering passengers who described the airport as "third world".

Air New Zealand is warning passengers to prepare for delays in getting to and through the airport, and advising that they should consider travel insurance for domestic flights because of the risk of not making it to their destination.

The airport company is in the midst of a big building programme which will help meet growing airline capacity over the decades ahead, but in the meantime it is introducing new measures such as improved traffic flow on its own land around the domestic terminal and has already expanded space for passport control and security screening.

Limo drivers who go to the airport frequently say traffic is flowing more smoothly but there is bad congestion around the Verissimo Drive roundabout, where roadworks are underway which authorities say will ease the problem when completed.

The airport expects January 6 to be its busiest day for international passengers, with 40,000 people moving through it.

Air New Zealand says the busiest domestic flying days are expected to be Thursday December 21 through to Christmas Eve, with passenger numbers peaking on Friday, December 22.

Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood says he believes this summer will be better for travellers.

"I think it's going to be better than last year. We've had new capacity come on around security screening areas, new toilets and dwell areas, a new gate, and new hard stands. Secondly, we're not expecting as much [airline] growth as we saw last year," he says.

Agencies are also taking special measures over summer:

Getting there and back:

The Transport Agency runs state highways and joined Auckland Transport (AT) and the airport company in a special taskforce set up last summer after bad congestion in December.

Moves already implemented include changes to lane configurations on several key roads around the airport to improve traffic flows, says a spokesperson.

More than $140m of improvements and upgrades to State Highway 20A, Kirkbride Rd and The Landing will be completed by the middle of next year and further improvements to SH20B are also being planned to improve capacity along the southeastern access to the airport.

Other medium term work includes new bus lanes heading towards the airport on SH20A and work to deliver a future mass transit route from the city centre to the airport, the spokesperson says.

"Roads and highways in and around the airport will be busy heading into another holiday period and some delays will be inevitable, so we encourage travellers to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and to plan ahead."

There will be more traffic lights controlling the flow of vehicles into the airport area and a dedicated team based at the Transport Operation Centre will be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to monitor traffic. AT says there will be more 380 Airporter buses from December 10.

They will increase to running every 15-20 minutes rather than every half-hour.

The Airporter 380 operates between Manukau, Papatoetoe, Auckland Airport, Mangere and Onehunga.

Aviation Security

Staff numbers will be boosted at all of New Zealand's major airports, including Auckland.

A spokesman says it will have the highest-ever number of officers available, and use students to help at the screening points.

Overall, there will be almost 100 new full-timers in the current financial year to help manage the growth in passenger numbers. There will also be five new explosive detector dog teams.

Aviation Security warns that despite these additional staff, passengers need to check airline timetables carefully before heading off to the airport, and also make sure there are no "security surprises" in any of the Christmas presents being carried on board the aircraft.

"A cheeseboard complete with knife just won't make it onto the aircraft," the spokesman says.

Orbit World Travel managing director Brendan Drury says getting through security is the biggest frustration he hears from his clients.

''It hasn't been too much of an issue so far, and while November is busy, we expect it will get busier in the New Year."

Screening for bugs

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says there will be 26 extra frontline officers working at the border this summer.

They will be in place at the airport on December 11.

Craig Hughes, MPI passenger manager, North, says MPI is also making layout changes which will help to speed up arrival times for passengers eligible to use the Green Lane system this summer by introducing additional entrances.

Green Lane allows New Zealand and Australian passport holders to bypass X-ray screening if they are identified as having low biosecurity risk and have nothing to declare.

"We are also trialling a new biosecurity X-ray machine targeting hand baggage carried by international air passengers at Auckland Airport this summer. This new machine has the potential to improve biosecurity and passenger flow at the airport," he says.

MPI biosecurity staff have already started directing selected passengers to the new unit during peak arrival times in the morning and evening.