Perth Airport (PER) Flights & Flight Status

Perth Airport is a pleasant airport with just enough service to get you where you need to go with convenience, but not so much that it becomes hectic and crowded, especially on the international side. It’s close to the city and staff are friendly. I’ve also found that it has a particularly impressive selection of last-minute Australian gifts in the shops.

Terminal layout & finding your way around

Perth has five terminals. Four are for commercial flights. The fifth is a general aviation terminal used mainly for miners on “fly-in-fly-out” services, so won’t be applicable to the average commercial passenger.

It’s useful to think of the airport as two main sections: Terminals 1 and 2 on one side of the airfield, and Terminals 3 and 4 on the other.

Terminal 1 is the international gateway for every airline aside from Qantas. It’s a very nice terminal with a straightforward layout. The adjacent Terminal 2 is smaller and houses regional/domestic flights. There is a relatively short walkway between the two in the secure area for ease of movement.

Terminals 3 and 4 house Qantas domestic and international service. It’s very easy to move between them. They’re not as modern as the other terminals but they’re functional.

New Qantas terminal on the way

The upcoming Airport Central project will mean a serious upgrade for Qantas and Jetstar passengers when it opens in 2031. It’s part of a larger project for Qantas to expand significantly out of Perth. The project also comes with a new runway and airport hotel.

Transferring between terminals

There are some special considerations when transferring between terminals at Perth. How complicated your transfer is will be determined by what combination of airlines and flights you’re taking. Some are simple and some are much more involved.

Transfers between T1/T2 and T3/T4

These two blocks of terminals have no airside connection and require a roughly 15-minute drive to move between. There is a complimentary shuttle bus for Qantas passengers, but if you don’t hold a Qantas ticket for any point in the journey you’ll need to take a taxi or Uber. Then again, because T3/T4 are exclusively for Qantas, it’s unlikely you’d need to do this journey if you didn’t qualify for the free bus.

Clearing Australian immigration for transit passengers

If arriving on most international flights into Perth, you’ll need to clear immigration and customs here, exit to the non-secure area, then make your way back through security.

The exception to this is if you’re on one of Qantas’ ultra long-haul flights between Perth and Europe, and you’re beginning or ending the journey in Sydney or Melbourne. In those cases, all immigration and baggage collection will happen in Sydney/Melbourne.

Airlines & destinations

Unsurprisingly Qantas has a large presence at Perth with flights to a number of domestic and international destinations. Even more so lately as it is using Perth as the jumping off point for some of the longest flights in the world – to London, Paris and Rome (with connecting same-plane service from Australia’s east coast).

Emirates and Qatar Airways both send an A380 here. Air Mauritius flies between Perth and the island nation certain days of the week. And South African Airways as well as Qantas now fly direct to Johannesburg.

Asia is well-served including several flights a day to the nearby and popular island of Bali. But you can reach many Asian capitals nonstop as well including Hong Kong (Cathay), Singapore (Singapore Airlines) and Bangkok (Thai). Jetstar operates to various Asian cities in addition to Bali.

Domestically you’ll find service to the main Australian cities mostly via Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. You’ll also find service to dozens of lesser-known regional destinations around the west and northwest of Australia. Many of these are connected to mining activity around this part of the country, for which Perth is a hub.

Mining flights/FIFO

Some of those mining flights operate on an unusual basis known as Fly-In-Fly-Out, or FIFO. These are generally chartered aircraft carrying miners in for a shift at mining sites for a defined period of a few weeks. They live elsewhere, fly in to work for a period, then fly back out.

Security

Perth Airport has some advanced 3D scanners at security which allow for leaving all of one’s belongings in baggage, and which really help speed things up. I’ve never had to wait long at Perth security but of course it’s always possible things get busy and it takes some time.

The last time I passed through they still had a mix of both older and newer scanners, in which case if it’s possible to get into a queue with one of the new ones, it’s a good idea to do so. You can recognise them as they tend to be more futuristic-looking (sometimes spherical) and larger than previous generations.

Shopping & dining

You’ll find the usual range of shops and restaurants at all of Perth Airport’s terminals, though I would say Terminal 1 has the best selection overall including plenty of duty free, electronics, etc.

T1 is particularly notable for its quality (if a bit expensive) Australian gifts and souvenirs on offer. There are the usual gag gifts Australia is famous for but I’ve found lovely items such as tea towels adorned with aboriginal art which remain favourites in my home. Most airports aren’t good for much more than a fridge magnet, so Perth stands out in this respect.

PER is also home to quite a few good restaurants and bars, so if you find yourself with extra time before your flight, it’s easy to find a nice place for a bite. On the Qantas international side (T3) I particularly like Blackwood Beer & Wine which has nice local comfort food. Haymarket is a great option in T1. For good coffee in T1, head to Toby’s Estate.

Lounges

Perth Airport has a handful of lounges though not very many contract/pay-per-use lounges. Those are only the Aspire lounge in T1, which is also used by a few airlines for premium passengers, and Coffee Quarter in T4. T2 has no lounge offering, but Virgin Australia has a lounge in T1 for its domestic flights there.

Elsewhere in T1 there are dedicated Emirates, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines lounges. While Qantas has the best selection in Terminals 3/4 with a domestic business lounge, a Qantas Club and its latest and best, the International Lounge.

Getting to and from the airport

Perth CBD is a quick 20-minute (ish) trip away from the airport whether by car or public transport. As both options for getting into town are quite good it makes the decision relatively simple.

Taxi & Uber

The most straightforward option though also the more expensive is to take a quick taxi or Uber. Either way these are plentiful. I’ve found Uber works very well here and tends to be a little cheaper so I would always opt for this if going by car.

Train

There is also an airport train which takes just 25 minutes to the centre of Perth and is known as the Airport Line. During the day they depart every 12-15 minutes.

It’s efficient and affordable, though whether it’s the right choice or not depends to some extent on where in Perth you’re headed. At downtown Perth you can transfer to the rest of the Transperth system, so it’s likely this can at least get you close.

Bus

There are also city buses available to various destinations. I generally prefer to take a train over a bus, but it could be worth looking at the system map to see if a bus might be preferable for you.

Car hire

There are options for car hire from all the major companies plus some local firms spread between the two sides of the airport. That’s good news as it means you won’t have to get all the way across the airfield to pick up your car. Just make sure you’ve chosen the correct location for your arrival terminal.

What to do during a layover

If the weather is good (and it probably will be) and you have more than 6 hours or so between flights, it could be worth heading out to City Beach, a half hour or so by taxi from the airport. You’ll also find nice places for lunch there.

If the beach is not your thing you could head into Perth CBD, wander around and end up at Kings Park and Botanic Garden, a beautiful park with native flora (and maybe some fauna) and commanding views of the city.

Airport hotels

Perth Airport is a bit unique because of its lack of name-brand airport hotels, and none are directly connected to the terminals.

There are some nearby options along the Swan River, but unless I had a very short night stop, given the proximity of the city centre, I would just head into town for the night.