Six tips for travelling this summer

20 Dec 2016

With a busy summer season ahead, we’ve put together our six top travel tips to help visitors prepare for their trips and make their journeys through the airport as stress-free and easy as possible. 

1. Plan ahead, consider transport options

• The carpark will be very busy over the Christmas-New Year period so consider whether someone can drop you off or catch/share a shuttle, bus or taxi. Check out some options here.
• Overflow parking will be available during the Christmas-New Year period for peak times.

2. Allow extra travel time to and from the airport, especially for domestic flights

• The roads will be busy, particularly between 26 December and 4 January, so make sure you’re at the airport in time to catch your flight.
• Traffic cams for Queenstown can be found here.
• The New Zealand Transport Agency has created a webpage (www.nzta.govt.nz/summerjourneys) to help people find out what delays may be present in the areas they are heading to in December and January. This information is available through an interactive online map www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic.
• Download this helpful guide to see when highways will be at their busiest. 

3. Check the Queenstown Airport website before you leave

• Track flights via the real time flight information displayed on the airport website.
• An orange alert will appear on the website homepage if there is a public service message e.g. weather-related disruptions to multiple flights, carparks nearing capacity
• These messages will also be posted on Queenstown Airport’s Twitter account @NZQN
• Find out what facilities and services are available at the airport www.queenstownairport.co.nz/travelling/airport-guide 

4. Have your documentation ready for presentation

• Speed up your check-in and international processing time by having your documents and completed forms at the ready.  If you have anything to declare, make sure it’s easily accessible.

5. Be prepared for aviation screening

• To help make the aviation screening process quick and smooth, have your electronic devices out, check there’s nothing in your pockets and that all your toiletries are under 100ml (the size of the container/bottle, not the amount that remains in the container/bottle).

6. We have free WiFi so download entertainment before your flight and then sit back and relax