Massive queues grow at airports as holiday-makers head off for the Easter long weekend

Passengers heading out of Sydney Airport are facing huge delays as thousands of holidaymakers jet off for the Easter Weekend.

Passengers heading out of Sydney Airport being warned they will face huge delays as thousands of holidaymakers jet off for the Easter Weekend.

Travellers said they were queueing for an hour as they waited to check in although the pace quickened once they reached security.

Thursday marks the last day before the four-day Easter weekend and the start of the school holidays.

Pictures taken from inside the airport showed hundreds of travellers excited to jet off on holidays.

Crowds descended on Sydney Airport during the morning. Picture: Today

Early birds hitting the skies at Sydney Airport. Picture: Today

Travellers are advised to arrive between 90 minutes and two hours early to leave plenty of time to find a carpark and ensure you board your flight on time.

Roads become typically gridlocked by Thursday afternoon and into the evening on capital city exit routes.

The traffic is likely to bank up again on Friday morning and Easter Monday.

Here’s how to hack the traffic in every state.

NSW

Travellers arriving at Sydney Airport were facing long queues and big delays as early as 7am, way ahead of the typical peak period.

People booked on early flights in attempt to beat the Friday afternoon rush couldn’t bypass the massive queues that had banked up at both domestic and international terminals.

Queues over the Easter long weekend in 2022 were hectic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

The airport is expecting about 120,000 travellers each day for Thursday and Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

Some international travellers shared their frustration on social media at hour long queues despite arriving three and a half hours early for their flight.

“Virgin Australia international check at Sydney International Airport is really bad!,” one person tweeted.

“We have been in queue for over an hour.”

@VirginAustralia your international check at Sydney International Airport is really bad!
Got here 3.5 hours before flight and now people in queue are being pushed passed us to get to their flight. We have been in queue for over an hour

— Dick Denyer (@rdenyer) April 5, 2023

Sydney Airport staff are expecting 120,000 travellers to walk through its doors in each of the next two days.

International passengers have also doubled compared to the holiday period last year.

Drivers heading out of Sydney can expect to face delays at a few choke points on major exit routes.

Travellers at Sydney airport are reporting long queues from 7am on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

• M1 Pacific Motorway

• Great Western Highway

• Hume Motorway

• Princes Highway

• Hume, Princes, Kings, Great Western and Pacific highways in the regions

Some people have reported waiting up to an hour in queues before 7am. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

If making plans to travel on any of these roads during the peak exit times, drivers are advised to leave extra travel time and prepare for delays.

Where you can, avoid travelling at peak times on Thursday afternoon and evening, Friday morning and Monday afternoon.

School holidays officially start on Monday which could have some impact on easing traffic as families extend their travels plans beyond the long weekend.

Queensland

Meanwhile at Brisbane Airport, almost 70,000 travellers will pass through the terminal on Thursday.

Drivers heading away from Brisbane should expect to see delays out of exit routes.

• Gateway and Bruce Highway towards the Sunshine Coast
• Pacific Motorway towards the Gold Coast

Across the state, Queenslanders' should factor in extra delays due to major roadworks on some of the state’s arterial roads.

Victoria

A total of 2 million are expected between now and the Anzac Day public holiday at Melbourne Airport as it confronts the busiest period since the last Christmas before the pandemic.

“That is about 95 per cent of numbers we would have expected pre-COVID so we are close to getting back to normal and fair to say we’ll be busy but we are ready for it,” Melbourne Airport head of communications Andrew Lund told Today.

Melbourne airport is bracing for 2 million people between now and Anzac Day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

Last Easter travellers hit the airport in droves after two years of pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

“If you‘re travelling on some of the busier days, particularly Thursdays and Fridays, there is a good chance you will experience some queuing but we’re aiming to keep the queues moving quickly.”

Drivers need to prepare to hit traffic on Melbourne’s main exit routes:

• West Gate Freeway

• Princes Freeway

• Western Freeway

• Maroondah Highway

• Monash Freeway

Glenferrie Road, Malvern closes between Dandenong Road and Evandale Road during the school holidays, as we complete important bridge strengthening and tram track renewal works. Buses will replace Route 16 trams in the area. Learn more at https://t.co/RK7a9ijQwp#victrafficpic.twitter.com/gNtKo1IzI7

— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) April 5, 2023

Western Australia

Holiday-makers heading away from the western capital should brace for the worst traffic on the following main roads:

• Mitchell Freeway, West Perth

• Great Eastern Highway

• Great Northern Highway