OPINION: Trying to get through Sydney airport

AS A frequent flyer I noticed the increase in airport security and its impact almost immediately.

Huge queues at Sydney Airports T2 Domestic Terminal as passengers are subjected to increased security, Sydney, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2017. Airline passengers are experiencing long delays at Australian airports as security is beefed up following a number of terror raids over the weekend. Picture: DEAN LEWINS

AS A frequent flyer I noticed the increase in airport security and its impact almost immediately as I stepped into Sydney's domestic terminal yesterday.

Bag drop queues for some airlines snaking all the way to the doors, online check-in stations swarming with people and worst of all the lines to get through security trailing behind all the bag drop stations.

The vibe of Sydney's domestic terminal was not like I have ever seen before, with most patrons confused about the cause of all the mayhem.

Lucky for me I didn't have a bag to check so my waiting time was cut in half compared to others, with my only obstacle for getting to my flight on time being the security screenings.

What agitated travellers the most was the persistence of the bag checks, with majority of people having the contents of their bags removed and rescanned numerous times, which was ultimately the cause of such a long queue.

My bags were amongst some of the lucky ones pulled apart in front of their owners looking for specific items that has shown up in the screening.

Staff proceeded to empty the entire contents of my handbag and carry-on to find the 'mysterious' object that had them confused, which turned out to be a decorative key chain on my clutch.

Once cleared the staff proceeded to hand me my belongings in multiple stacks and piles which I then had to repack.

Whilst this was happening my travel companion was swabbed for random detection testing, which the staff members explained was happening "a lot more than usual".

Whilst I respect the procedures in which security and police have to take to ensure all our safety, I felt particularly frustrated with the length of time and manner in which my bags were searched, and I was not the only one.

I felt the general consensus of people at Sydney's Domestic Airport were completely unaware of why there were so many delays keeping them from their gates and scheduled flights.

The Federal Government has since made various public statements urging travellers today to give themselves ample time to get through check-in and security, two hours domestic and three hours for international.

Based on my personal experience I would say this time allowance should be the absolute minimum, as reports from today's patrons have stated longer waiting times than I would have experienced yesterday.