An Australian tourist has reported a problem at Denpasar Airport in Bali that could cause travellers to miss their flights home.
In a recent TikTok video by model Dasha Daley following a two-and-a-half-week trip to Bali, she said leaving the airport was a “nightmare” with people queuing for two hours to get through immigration.
“People are missing their flights… and there’s literally nothing that can be done about it,” the Perth resident said, holding up her phone to show the gathered crowd.
Earlier this year, the Indonesian resort island introduced e-passport scanners that significantly sped up the immigration process for new arrivals.
However, when it comes to departure, the old system is still used, which can lead to long delays.
In a separate video, Ms Daley said that to avoid queues upon arrival, there are still a couple of things tourists should do.
‘When you go to Bali, make sure you get a visa online and pay the tourist tax (in advance) because there is a huge queue for immigration when you land.’
For those who have already done so, the process is reduced to less than a minute by simply scanning your passport at the gates and walking away.
Dasha Daley (pictured), a woman from Perth, said she was in trouble after leaving Denpasar Airport in Bali after a short holiday.
He said there was a large crowd waiting to go through immigration, many of whom were worried about missing their flights (pictured)
E-Gates are available for electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA) holders and those from ASEAN countries with e-passports.
There is also a newly introduced tourist tax of 15 Australian dollars to help the government pay for utilities and the maintenance of the island’s tourist sites.
The gates, which connect to international immigration databases, were installed to ease the burden as around 18,000 tourists arrive at the airport every day (up to 36,000 a day in peak season).
Denpasar Airport has installed electronic gates for arrivals to speed up the process, but they are not available for those leaving the island on holiday to other countries.
Ms Daley said she spoke to other travellers as they waited to leave Denpasar airport and many were “super upset” about being late for their flight.
She said she barely made it onto her Jetstar plane but encountered another problem during the flight when cabin crew controversially denied her free water.
“When you buy a bottle of water at the gate and they take it away from you when you board because it’s not allowed,” he said.
“But then they also refuse to serve free water when you have Balinese disease. It should be illegal.”
Ms Daley said she had bought the bottle of water after passing through the first security check, but it was confiscated a second before boarding the flight.
She said she asked flight attendants for water twice during the flight but was denied service both times, despite suffering from an upset stomach.
Denpasar International Airport is understood to require all travellers to dispose of liquid containers larger than 100ml before boarding their flight.