Sydney Airport Domestic Terminal 2

Pulling up to Terminal 2 for our flight from Sydney to Melbourne was super easy. This terminal felt small and intimate, which it probably is in comparison to the rest of this airport.

Security is a breeze to go through, as they don't check ID's and don't ding you for large format liquids. Yes, you can walk through here with a big full water bottle. You also don't have to take off any clothing or shoes.

Getting to our gate afterwards was super easy, with a lot of signage along the way. Our gate was pretty small, with not much seating. It was also fairly chaotic because the airline was trying to measure all bags and the layout just wasn't working out.

Flying back into this airport from Melbourne was easy as well. We had 2 hours to get to our international flight at SYD and I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't a big ball of anxiety the whole time because I read a lot about how the terminals aren't connected and it would be an hour and a half long walk, a taxi/Uber ride away, a paid train or a free shuttle bus that only runs every 30 min.

There was nothing to worry about though because we exited the terminal, found the bus immediately and were at the international terminal within 15 min. We weren't late and even had time to shop around before our flight boarded.

Terminal 2 is busy, but simple to navigate. The seats are comfortable and if you get here early (we are here an hour before boarding today), you shouldn't have any trouble finding a comfy spot.

The workers here are incredibly nice, something I have come to appreciate more since I have metal hips and always set off the alarms through security. I've never had a bad experience with the extra "up close and personal" attention I have come to expect on airport security screenings. Makes a big difference to be treated humanely and, sadly, I have occasionally experienced the exact opposite.

This airport was kind of confusing. We were in the int'l terminal for all of twenty minutes on a connecting flight from Queenstown that had a layover here for 2.5 hours. Good thing we built in layover time as we didn't realize the intl terminal is about 20 minutes away from the domestic terminal by bus! Fortunately they had to wait for all of the passengers who had to grab checked luggage so I had time to run to the restroom, buy a SIM card and install it, and be ready to navigate Australia as we pulled away from the terminal.

I will say the int'l terminal has everything you need in the exit hall - that was quite nice. Once we got to the domestic terminal it was a mad dash to our flight and I was relieved I had gotten the SIM card for my phone at the int'l terminal as they didn't have a lot of businesses setup in the domestic departures hall.

Who needs identification?! I didn't get my ID checked once while travelling through here. Flying with an obscene amount of booze? No worries, mate! These guys aren't like the TSA back in the States. They've got a pretty laid back attitude towards giving grief to passengers. It's easy to pick out the American tourist who automatically starts taking off clothes and shoes and belts to pass through security. No worries, mate! Keep those shoes on! Pew!
The airport itself is a long hallway, devoid of electrical outlets to plug gadgets into. Passengers seemed to be in an endless hunt for outlets as they circled occupied electrical outlets like vultures, waiting to get their share of the juice. In the terminal, there are a few shops to get food and drinks, but most of the drinks were sold from vending machines.
The airport was under construction when I went, so a lot of the areas were off limits. The place was rather clean, and the terminal was well marked labeled. Restrooms were clean.
There wasn't much to do here, other than visit high priced restaurants. They need something to divert some time here.
It's easy to access this place, as it has its own subway stop!

International travelers moving about domestically while visiting OZ:

no need to take off your shoes!
can take liquids thru security!
there's a short list of things to pull out and put in separate bins!
no one checks your boarding pass til your gate!
ID optional / when requested!

(when traveling back home/Internationally from Terminal 1? chuck your water and buy the overpriced offerings in the airport like back home - surprisingly, the [giant] Duty Free shop had halfway decent price on water)

Terminal 2 at Sydney Airport is one of the two domestic terminals. Airlines flying out of Terminal 2 consists of all domestic airlines (FlyPelican, Jetstar, REX, Tigerair, Virgin Australia) except for Qantas and QantasLink which flies out of the other domestic terminal, Terminal 3.

On my trip to Australia, I booked a side trip to Hobart on Tasmania and flew out of this terminal as my flight was on Virgin Australia which is the biggest airline in this terminal. The gates for all VA flights are sectioned off from the other carriers.

Compared with the International Terminal, things seemed a lot less hectic in Terminal 2. Check-in at VA was a breeze. The security screening process also was quick and easy. Having traveled internationally, this process tends to vary by country. The process in Australia is similar to the one in the US to remove jackets, liquids and tablets. Though you do not need to remove your shoes.

The food and drink offerings airside in Terminal 2 are better than what you will find at the International Terminal which is full of mostly duty free shops. The is an airside food court here with a nice mix of eateries. There is Mad Mex and McDonald's here if you prefer a fast food fix. For Asian food, sushi and Vietnamese is available. Though the majority of eateries are of the cafe variety selling some pricey $12 sandwiches which is par for the course at this airport. Further down the terminal from the food court, there is even a Krispy Kreme stand here if you are looking for some doughnuts.

The waiting area at the terminal for my VA flight was nice and comfortable. There is free airport Wi-Fi and there is an area to charge your phones. Though you will need a power converter if your phone is not Australian.

Overall, I am a fan of Terminal 2 at Sydney Airport. While the airport food is a bit more expensive, I like that there are so many good options airside. And I really like the low key vibe of this terminal which put me in a relaxed mood before my flight out.

Better than the domestic airport in america. It's so clean and people working at the airport are so nice. Pretty big for a domestic airport. This is going to be a stop before international one from the train so don't get off at the wrong flight

ydney Airport is just like any airport. The thing that I want to do a review on is the domestic and international terminal that you would need to catch a shuttle bus in between.
We've just travel aboard and got back to Australia. The horror that we see in Sydney airport was there is no paper towel in the bathroom for you to wipe your hands after you are done washing it. They only have blow dryer for your hands. The shock for the system is that it felt like a 3rd world country bathroom, the floors are wet and dirty as the amount of people walking in and out stepping on the water and it went everywhere. I was not impressed. Some of the cubicle was full of tissue papers on the floor. Disappointed that Sydney airport is in such a state.
I doubt I would transfer in Sydney airport next time.

During the 20 minutes waiting for our driver to pick us up from the domestic quick pickup area, we encountered 3 near collisions, 5 inappropriate stoppages as people dashed to their pickups while the driver held up traffic, and a car which nearly took out the curb side bollard during the lane merge at the entrance. The 'Kerb side manager' was clearly overwhelmed by all the directing he had to perform. I don't blame the driver's -they're also under time pressure of just 10 minutes before being charged.
Furthermore, while witnessing all this chaos at the entrance, not one parking bay was occupied towards the exit.
When our driver, who correctly parked at the side bay pulled out to exit, we had another two near misses from other drivers pulling alongside, or passing through.
And this was on a Monday night at 11PM.

Please reconsider the logistics of the domestic pickup area. The current design is confusing to the drivers, illogical in the distribution of cars and parking bays, and people are at risk as it is very, very dangerous.

Please, Sydney Airport, do not treat your customers as second class citizens. The current iteration of the quick pickup area at the domestic terminal clearly needs to be looked at, for the sake of our safety. It is much better at T1, but only after numerous complaints and design changes. Please don't neglect this area as well.

Oh, the food options and lounge areas in T2 are quite good, actually, so that's where the second star comes from. But the perils of domestic pickup that is essentislly a disaster waiting to happen, is simply unacceptable.