Gold Coast Airport

A smiple, easy to get around airport with great eating options.
Interesting point, your friends that aren’t flying can still go through to the departure security and wait with you at the fate of your flight. Really nice :-)
On arrival, there’s all the usually shops and services you’d want and need from a domestic airport, so relax and enjoy your trip

Million dollar question, why is Gold Coast’s airport code OOL? Is GOL or GCO taken? (Answer: No.) Did someone important at IATA misread a G as an O and people just decided to roll with it? Is the the ‘o’ from coast and the ‘ol’ from gold? But then why is it the wrong way around?
Gold Coast Airport seems to defy many airport expectations. Though it seems to get the basics right, I found that two airport stalwarts seemed to be missing — queues and efficient food vendors. Maybe I was lucky but the queues for check-​in, security, and food were short to non-​existent. Fantastic. But sadly it’s the presence of negatives rather than their absence which stick out in most people’s minds.
Call me a spoilt Sydney brat who expects everything to happen now, but surely airport food vendors should be the Usain Bolts of the fast food world. Efficiency means money when you have a high turnover of customers who are rushing for planes. And usually they are. But sadly both times I bought food at Gold Coast Airport the servers took my order and money, turned around to put together my order before promptly turning around and asking «wait, what did you order again?»
I only traveled domestically at OOL but it looks like international travellers are the really lucky ones — they get to go through security to access the domestic terminal and then from there they go though security again to get through to the international terminal.
Hashtag first world problems?

Small, easy to get around — busy at Christmas, even on Christmas day when we were there. God knows why. Easy exit and fuel station closeby (not on site, but close enough) if you need to refill the hire car. Couldn’t say what the parking was like — we are used to the Sydney airport so it must be better than that.

Its an airport. It services flights. Nothing to rave about. At times where one plane landed as another was boarding, the gates were far too busy but otherwise, a nice enough place.

Taxi to broadbeach (jupiters casino) is $ 52. Its better to buy a goexplore card for $ 10 a day and can take public transport around the city (translink, bus…) not monorail– thats $ 4 extra. Goexplore card include airport too. Great deal!!!

It’s an above average non capital city airport. No complaints. Easy to navigate around. I wouldn’t be hanging out for the shopping but there is plenty to eat and drink while you wait.

There is a café and bar in the departures check-​in area of the airport — near the Qantas reception.
It’s easier to chill out here as they have TVs and a pool table and comfy lounge areas for you to relax in whilst you wait! It’s much better and more comfy than waiting inside the airport where the food court area is.

Small, lots of food, quick lines. Multiple wifi networks but none seem to function well. Looks like there’s a qantas and a Virgin lounge at least. Big windows that you can watch arrivals and departures from.
Much more food options than I was expecting! But as stated in other reviews — no power. And no real wifi.

Quaint lil airport– that means it is easy to get in and get out. The rental car space is just out front — makes it easier than to having to catch a shuttle to the garage. The security check point was reasonable, if not easy to get through. The terminals were close to each other and convenient.

Laura N sums it up well. Duty Free has nothing here on the premium the few power outlets do. WiFi is fast and no notable 30min limit — it makes any waiting in an otherwise glorified shed speed by.
Airports are generally fairly stock standard and while OOL doesn’t have the bells and whistles of a main hub, it does it’s job.
There’s not much in the way of food other than your standard airport food and shopping so arm yourself with a good book or two while you wait for your flight.
If you’re travelling from Brisbane it’s quite easy to take the train and then transfer to a bus or hire a car to drive down. For the saving in airfare to, for example, Japan, it’s worth it!

For a small airport, OOL is pretty good (& I’ve been in a few). There’s plenty of food options (salads, red rooster, noodle box, maccas amongst others) and tables at the gates so you can comfortably enjoy said food. Security is normally pretty easy to get through, but when needed the priority line doesn’t do much!
There’s a few different bus & car hire companies, and the local bus from surfers /​Broadbeach is really easy for around 7 bucks.
I’ve got Virgin lounge access, so I’m not sure about the power point & wifi situation.
Fun (or not so fun) Fact: being a small airport, all flights board & disembark via outdoor stairs (some back & front)

A great introduction to the Gold Coast! Like all of Australia, this place has incredibly friendly employees.
Though a smaller airport, it is located in the more metro area of Gold Coast, roughly 25 miles south of Surfer’s Paradise.
The cabs are always available and quick. Make sure you get to the correct terminal.
Jetstar and other local commuters are here. Tip: make sure you weigh and do the dimensions correctly for your baggage… they are very stingy about how much and how big your stuff is… you always have to pay more.
The best bet is to take a shuttle, usually $ 25 one way, and they drop you off wherever for a flat rate. A cab could run $ 40-​$ 60!
There’s a great coffee place by the baggage claim, which is where shuttles meet you for pick up.
Great airport!

Gold Coast Airport, aka Coolangatta Airport, is far from Brisbane and there is no convenient direct transportation. Your options are: take an expensive private bus that will probably get you there 12 hours before your flight, take a $ 200 taxi, or take a combination of bus/​bus/​train/​bus that will take about 2.5 hours to get you 100 km. We ended up renting a car, which cost about $ 55 for 24hrs — but this only works if you have someone to drive it back to Brisbane for you. I think you can probably rent a car one-​way but it will be more expensive.
Gold Coast Airport itself is small, dingy, and has very few food options in the non-​secure area (although anyone, even non-​passengers, can go through the first security checkpoint, after which there are many more restaurants). Many of the stores are closed before the late flights leave. The bathrooms are not very clean, in my opinion. You also have to walk out onto the tarmac to get to your plane, which I don’t really care about, but some people may object to this.
HOWEVER: the cheap flights to Asia from this airport can’t be beat. If you want to go to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or anywhere else connecting from there, and are looking to save some cash it might be worth the hassle to fly out of Gold Coast.

One of the nicest smaller airports I’ve been in. Awesome hinterland and ocean views as you’re landing, and it’s really interesting that some of the runways span over both Queensland and New South Wales. Great food court including Hungry Jack’s, Red Rooster, and Sumo Salad outlets. The Ale House is a great place to unwind and get tanked after a long flight. Note that you can pre-​order duty-​free goods up to your individual allowance at
and pick them up as you’re arriving, as you walk right through the duty-​free store upon arrival at the international gates.
The layout has been a bit confusing over the past couple of years with all of the construction and updates, but has really improved with their completion.
TIPS:
Investigate the routes and timetables of the Surfside bus lines
before investing a lot of money in a cab to get to your destination. There are several stops inside and outside the airport. If you don’t have a lot of luggage to deal with, it’s literally quicker to walk out of the airport to the Gold Coast Highway and get to one of the stops there, which will avoid having to pay for a transfer.
Also, the food court, and most news agencies, shops, and restaurants are on the inside of the gates, with practically nothing outside, so keep this in mind if you’re on an arrival, where you’ll have to go through security and re-​enter the gates to visit these places. There are a couple of gas stations/​convenient stores within walking distance outside the airport, which is usually a faster option.

Guess how many power points are in this airport? Answer = 5
Guess how many working power points are in this airport? Answer = 3
I had a few hours to kill in this pint sized airport, and to my extreme pleasure, the airport wifi was both very fast and very free. Once I settled into my makeshift work station with my made-​to-​order noodles and freshly squeezed juice at hand, only then did I notice the inevitable — I’d soon run out of power and probably have to Hunger Games my way over all the other people wanting that sweet, sweet juice. Luckily it was far less dramatic, and as long as I was willing to relinquish myself to the far off, dingy corners of OOL I could have all the uninterrupted power supply I needed.
You measure distances in steps in this place, and there’s definitely a benefit to being steps away from the gate, steps away from the rental cars and steps away from the food. OOL is a-​okay with me.

Small airport with very little choice of food. I also dislike always having to walk on the runway to the plane. That being said its always clean with a pretty view of the hinterlands and there are plenty of rental car businesses and it is close to lots of dining and shopping. Just eat before you get there