{"id":917193,"date":"2026-10-05T17:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T17:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917193\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T17:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T17:08:10","slug":"travellers-panic-about-long-walk-at-melbourne-airport-in-major-change-to-pick-up-drop-off-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917193\/","title":{"rendered":"Travellers panic about \u2018long walk\u2019 at Melbourne Airport in major change to pick-up, drop-off process"},"content":{"rendered":"

The biggest change since 1970 is coming to Melbourne Airport on Tuesday and an instructional video meant to help travellers transition to the new pick-up system<\/a> has been met with fierce backlash.<\/p>\n

Melbourne Airport posted a mock video on Sunday showing the journey Qantas, Virgin Australia and all international arrivals will need to walk to get picked up by family or friends.<\/p>\n

Instead of getting picked up kerbside, travellers will now have to cross the pedestrian crossings, enter the \u2018T123 Transport Hub\u2019, take the lifts or escalators to level 2, then turn left out the lifts before turning right and continuing to walk to the undercover pick-up area. When their ride arrives, they will then need to walk to the correct zone.<\/p>\n

The walk is about 175 to 365 metres depending on exactly where someone is coming from and going. (Watch in the video player above).<\/p>\n

Obsessed with travel? Download our new app<\/a> and never miss a headline<\/p>\n

The change is intended to ease traffic congestion and make room for a major expansion of the international terminal.<\/p>\n

However, the instructional videos on Facebook and Instagram were flooded with hundreds of comments complaining about the distance, with many sharing concerns for elderly and mobility-impaired travellers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood grief \u2013 are you supplying transport? What about those who can\u2019t walk a million miles?\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is dreadful. Especially for people with mobility impairment or with young kids and loads of luggage,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter not have a toddler\/young child in hand or have any mobility issues. That\u2019s a LONG and confusing walk with either of those,\u201d added a third critic.<\/p>\n

\u201cOMG! I\u2019ll need a Uber to get me from the drop off to the terminal! This is insane!\u201d one person said sarcastically.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenuinely thought this was satire,\u201d someone else claimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet them to pick you up from Sydney airport and drive back to Melbourne, it\u2019ll be quicker!\u201d another joked.<\/p>\n

Melbourne Airport replied to individual concerns, ensuring passengers there was a complimentary accessibility service<\/a> with buggies and wheelchairs that could be pre-booked or arranged on the day by calling 0492 868 960.<\/p>\n

From Tuesday, the service will be available from 3am to 1am, and as the airport assured one concerned Facebook user: \u201cwe\u2019ve bought a lot of buggies\u201d.<\/p>\n

The airport told news.com.au three new buggies were dedicated to this new journey, as well as powered wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

One comment attracting hundreds of likes in support highlighted the instructional video had \u201cnot a disabled person in sight, no wheel chairs, mobility frames, elderly travellers, crutches\u201d, to which the airport agreed \u201cthis is an oversight\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should have had a more diverse group of travellers in the video,\u201d Melbourne Airport said.<\/p>\n

Those asking where the travelators were, were told moving walkways would be considered in the next phase of the international terminal expansion.<\/p>\n

Preliminary works will begin soon and when built, the terminal will be closer to the new pick-up and drop-off zones.<\/p>\n

Other Melburnians took the opportunity to express ongoing frustration at the fact the second busiest airport in Australia is still not accessible by train, contributing to the traffic congestion that required a new pick-up and drop-off system to be established.<\/p>\n

Cars will be able to spend only five minutes in the pick-up and drop-off zones for free, so it is recommended drivers use the airport\u2019s wait zone on Mercer Drive near the Tullamarine Freeway for free up to 60 minutes until the traveller is ready in the new pick-up area.<\/p>\n

Uber, taxi and SkyBus zones have not moved. Pick-up and drop-off zones for terminal four (used by Jetstar) remain separate.<\/p>\n

Maps and guides are available on the airport\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read related topics:Melbourne<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The biggest change since 1970 is coming to Melbourne Airport on Tuesday and an instructional video meant to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[485039,485013,485004,381466,369785,409344,33873,393889,468381,10942,485007,485021,477802,376730,392047,422736,485053,485035,485046,484996,485026,484991,485033,25253,485009,485036,484992,485037,485017,64,63,484995,99,16386,485052,48974,484998,485045,485001,99321,484989,485025,346633,485029,8852,484993,25229,485041,485051,34589,485018,10413,20609,251473,175561,485012,647,66789,485002,485047,485008,485000,85795,485011,485014,37473,485015,454718,455202,36575,1861,277757,485027,484994,36439,19029,485010,24237,378066,8825,22410,4497,485023,485022,218823,485032,485044,456808,301062,379398,485038,485034,484990,485030,485043,433558,485042,485019,485050,485005,386821,380430,485054,485003,485048,399647,393770,484999,485055,485006,485040,485020,376738,382336,484997,485016,485031,274178,106857,16861,3792,57949,485028,28333,12807,485049,7137,485024],"class_list":["post-917193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-t123-transport-hub","tag-s-massive-change","tag-s-wait-zone","tag-s-website","tag-369785","tag-1am","tag-33873","tag-3am","tag-56-years","tag-60-minutes","tag-a-headlinethe-change","tag-a-long-and-confusing-walk","tag-a-long-walk","tag-a-lot","tag-a-major-expansion","tag-a-million-miles","tag-a-mock-video","tag-a-more-diverse-group","tag-a-new-pick-up-and-drop-off-system","tag-a-third-critic","tag-a-toddler-young-child","tag-a-uber","tag-about-175-to-365-metres","tag-airport","tag-all-international-arrivals","tag-an-instructional-video","tag-an-oversight","tag-another-joked-melbourne-airport","tag-any-mobility-issues","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-buggies","tag-business","tag-comments","tag-crutches","tag-drivers","tag-drop-off-process","tag-elderly-and-mobility-impaired-travellers","tag-elderly-travellers","tag-facebook-and-instagram","tag-facebook-user","tag-family-or-friends-instead","tag-fierce-backlash","tag-good-grief","tag-hand","tag-how-many-extra-steps","tag-hundreds","tag-individual-concerns","tag-its-biggest-change","tag-jetstar","tag-kerbside","tag-level","tag-likes","tag-luggage","tag-major-change","tag-many-sharing-concerns","tag-melbourne","tag-melbourne-airport","tag-melbourne-airport-said-those","tag-mercer-drive","tag-mobility-frames","tag-mobility-impairment","tag-moving","tag-no-wheel-chairs","tag-not-a-disabled-person","tag-one-person","tag-ongoing-frustration","tag-only-five-minutes","tag-our-new-app","tag-passengers","tag-people","tag-pick-up","tag-pick-up-and-drop-off-zones","tag-powered-wheelchairs-one-comment","tag-room","tag-satire","tag-separate-maps-and-guides","tag-sight","tag-someone-else","tag-sunday","tag-support","tag-sydney-airport","tag-taxi-and-skybus-zones","tag-terminal-four","tag-the-airport","tag-the-biggest-change","tag-the-correct-zone-the-walk","tag-the-distance","tag-the-drop","tag-the-fact","tag-the-instructional-video","tag-the-instructional-videos","tag-the-international-terminal-expansion-preliminary-works","tag-the-international-terminal-however","tag-the-journey-qantas","tag-the-lifts","tag-the-lifts-or-escalators","tag-the-new-pick-up-and-drop-off-zones-other-melburnians","tag-the-new-pick-up-area-uber","tag-the-new-pick-up-system","tag-the-next-phase","tag-the-opportunity","tag-the-pedestrian-crossings","tag-the-pick-up-and-drop-off-zones","tag-the-second-busiest-airport","tag-the-service","tag-the-terminal","tag-the-traffic-congestion","tag-the-travelators","tag-the-traveller","tag-the-tullamarine-freeway","tag-the-undercover-pick-up-area","tag-the-video","tag-the-video-player","tag-their-ride","tag-this-new-journey","tag-three-new-buggies","tag-traffic-congestion","tag-train","tag-transport","tag-travel","tag-travellers","tag-travellers-transition","tag-tuesday","tag-virgin-australia","tag-walkways","tag-watch","tag-young-kids-and-loads"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=917193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","emb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