Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on the new changes coming to Auckland Airport

New reports indicate changes are coming to Auckland Airport- giving travellers the chance to get a new experience.

Buses and rideshare services will go back to parking on the road nearest to the main terminal, while private vehicles will use the main transport hub - cutting down on traffic problems.

New developments are set to come to the airport, with new gates set to make the commute between the domestic and international terminals easier.

BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b Travel with Wendy Wootours. Where the world
is yours for now.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Megan Singleton is with me now to talk travel. Good morning,
Good morning, travelers heading through Auckland Airport are going to
be very excited with the segment today because there's been
a lot of issues and there's a lot of work
going on out there, and there's been a lot of
hold ups, but it looks like it's all development is
moving forward. Tell us what to expect.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, well, it's a long game. But I was at
a lunch last week where we heard from the commercial
manager of Auckland Airport, so I gleaned a few bits
and pieces out to share with your listeners today, because
if anyone's been to Auklandy Airport since they've opened the
new transport harbor, you've probably been caught up in traffic
going out to the lights at the flagpole, which he

(01:00):
hadn't even noticed, hasn't been flying a flag for years.
Actually asked him that that's not in his wheelhouse. But
hopefully someone thing will go, oh yes, why isn't that
flagpole flying a flag AnyWho. So what's going to happen
there is that the ride shares and taxis and buses
will go back to using the road nearest the terminal
doors and it'll just be private vehicle drop off and

(01:23):
pack ups will be using the main transport hub. I
don't think that really solves all of the problems, but
is going to solve quite a few because it will
take those taxis out of the way. Now. He did
talk about the development between the domestic terminal and the
international terminal and explained that the prop planes so they
service our regional airports like Hawks Bay and stuff, Palmerston,

(01:46):
North TAPO, they will stay in the what is the
old domestic terminal and there will be a new wing
of gates built over it to the international because what's
happening at the moment is travelers from the South Island
prefer if they go into Europe or something, prefer to
hop through Sydney and Auckland because they literally have to

(02:08):
walk the green line or get themselves from domestic to
international and they have to allow the airlines have to
allow at least a two hour two and a half
hour window for that to physically occur, So that's going
to be amazing. You'll get off in the same terminal,
you'll walk across to your gate, and you'll fly out
through the you'll go through the regular customs and fly

(02:28):
out to the international.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
But that's great, Megan. I mean, I know that you
travel like I do to regional centers around the country
quite a bit. And I know it was Christmas, but
over Christmas the regional end of the Auckland domestic Airport
there was standing room only. It was chaos.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yes, it was chaos. So that's going to be just
US regionals, right so now, yeah, yeah, that was the
cap that could still well be chaos. The other thing
is that did you know that the main international runway
or the runway I think it's for all planes, is concrete.
It was built over fifty years ago. It is going
to need replacing in the next five years. So to
do that they have to actually build a temporary runway,

(03:07):
which they're going to do on the current taxiway, which
at the moment is full of dog legs, and they
have to straighten that and reseal that and get that
sorted to become like a temporary runway to replace the
concrete runway. They've got a lot of things on the
go over there, but I just thought it, look, it's
really interesting. Things are happening, it will get easier and oh,
another really exciting piece of news. He said that they

(03:30):
fully expect direct services between Auckland and India in the
next eighteen to twenty four months.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
So that thank you so much, Megan. I appreciate that.
Long game is what I take from that, folks, is
a long game, but things are moving forward, which is
all good.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen
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