‘No earlier’: Surprising advice amid Easter rush at Melbourne, Sydney airports

Major airports across Australia are gearing up for a busy Easter and while a lot of travellers may think they should get to the airport extra early amid the holiday rush, Melbourne Airport is warning passengers against it. More than 2.1m people are expected to pass through Melbourne Airport between April 5 and 25 to 30% more than last year and almost the same as before the Covid pandemic in 2019. Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos said Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are shaping up to be the busiest travel days during the holiday period and warned there may be queues during peak times despite their preparations. However, that doesn’t mean passengers are advised to get to the airport extra early. “Travellers should plan to arrive 1-2 hours before a domestic flight and 2-3 hours before an international flight – but not earlier than that, as some airlines don’t open check-in and will be managing large passenger volumes, so we want to avoid passengers waiting unnecessarily,” he said. Another 2.4m people are expected to pass through Sydney Airport between April 3 and 23, and the airport has updated its guidance for domestic travellers to also ensure they do not arrive too early.<br/>