Rhonda Bracey: At Random

I must take my hat off to Australian Customs and Immigration. Compared to the hour-long lines for immigration in the US and Hong Kong, Perth was a piece of cake. They had sufficient staff on who were ready and waiting for us as we came through the doors. I went straight to the counter (no waiting in line at all) and was through in about 15-30 seconds. In contrast, Hong Kong immigration had many unstaffed booths, which contributed greatly to the long wait times. From memory, the US had all booths staffed – it was just the sheer number of arrivals in LAX at the same time that caused the wait.

The wait for bags was a little longer – maybe about 10 minutes? – then the three quick checks by customs and quarantine took about 2 mins and I was through. After that, it was about a 15-20 minute wait for the motel shuttle bus.

Admittedly ours was the only flight that had come in to Perth International Airport at that late hour, so maybe immigration and customs at other times is a trial. But for our flight, it was quick, easy, and painless.