Brisbane Airport to the City Centre: Airtrain, Taxi or Rideshare

Airtrain from either terminal

Airtrain has its own station at each Brisbane Airport terminal, so you do not need to change terminals to catch it. At the International Terminal, take the travelator or lift to Level 3 and follow the signs. At the Domestic Terminal, walk out the front of the building and cross the Skywalk to the station.

Trains run every 15 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes off peak, and the airport says the trip to the city takes about 20 minutes. The line runs through Eagle Junction, Wooloowin, Albion and Bowen Hills before reaching Fortitude Valley, Central, Roma Street and South Brisbane — the stations Airtrain prices as "Brisbane City".

First and last departures are the part people get caught by. Airtrain's own frequency and hours table gives these times.

This table shows when Airtrain starts and stops in each direction.

Weekends and public holidays run at 30-minute intervals all day, not 15.

What Airtrain actually costs

Airtrain is a privately operated service, and its fare sits well above anything else on the Queensland network. Brisbane Airport's transport options page lists tickets between Brisbane Airport and Brisbane City stations at AUD 23.30 for adults, and free for children aged 14 and under. To any other station in the South East Queensland network it is AUD 23.80 for adults and AUD 0.50 for children.

Several discounts change the maths, and they sit on Airtrain's side of the fence rather than Translink's.

• Group fare: two or more adults travelling together to a city station pay AUD 17 each, so two adults are AUD 34 and four adults are AUD 68.
• Kids free: children 14 and under travel free to city stations when accompanied by an adult, which makes two adults plus two children AUD 34 in total.
• Online booking: Airtrain advertises 15% off tickets bought in advance on its site. The discounts do not stack.
• Senior and concession fares: Airtrain applies a concession fare only if you hold the relevant Translink card, which visitors generally will not.

Why 50 cent fares stop here

Queensland's 50 cent flat fare is real, permanent and generous — and it does not cover the train you are standing next to. The Queensland Government made the flat fare permanent in an announcement dated 30 November 2024, and Translink now describes all fares on Translink services across Queensland as a flat 50 cents per journey regardless of distance or payment method.

Translink's 50 cent fares page lists the covered services as all Queensland Rail City train services excluding Airtrain, plus buses, Brisbane City and Southern Moreton Bay Island ferries, trams and on-demand services. Its South East Queensland fares page repeats the point: you can pay with a go card to or from the Domestic or International Airport stations, but special Airtrain fares apply.

The practical consequence is that a go card buys you nothing at the airport. Airtrain's fare calculator returns the same adult fare for a go card tap as for a paper ticket, so the only way to pay less is Airtrain's own online discount or the group fare. Contactless Visa and Mastercard taps work at the airport gates too, at the same price.

Once you are past the airport stations, the 50 cent fare takes over normally for onward buses, ferries and suburban trains.

Taxi, rideshare and the airport fee

Taxis run 24 hours from sheltered ranks outside both terminals: centrally in front of the Domestic Terminal, and on the Level 2 Arrivals Road at the International Terminal. Brisbane Airport estimates AUD 67 to 82 one way to Brisbane City, and roughly a 20-minute drive outside peak periods.

Rideshare pickup is separate from the taxi rank at both terminals. At the International Terminal, exit Level 2 at the end of the building behind The Coffee Club and follow the signs down the ramp. At the Domestic Terminal, the rideshare zone sits on the central road between the taxi rank and passenger pickup, either side of the Skywalk, two pedestrian crossings from the exit.

When a taxi beats four tickets

A taxi becomes competitive at four adults, and not before. Four adults on Airtrain's group fare come to AUD 68, against a taxi estimate of AUD 67 to 82 plus the AUD 4.86 airport fee and any tolls — so the taxi is roughly level at the low end and worse at the high end, but it takes your luggage door to door.

At full price the picture changes sharply. Four adults paying AUD 23.30 each is AUD 93.20, comfortably more than the taxi estimate, so a group that has not booked online or asked for the group fare at the ticket window is overpaying.

Below four adults, Airtrain is clearly cheaper: one adult AUD 23.30, two adults AUD 34, and a family with children under 15 also AUD 34. The break-even is people, not distance — a rideshare charges the same whether you are one passenger or four.

Two other things push toward the road. If your accommodation is not within a short walk of Fortitude Valley, Central, Roma Street or South Brisbane, you will pay for a second leg or drag bags further than you expected. And if you are carrying more than one large case per person, the rank is the calmer choice.

Arriving after the last train

Airtrain does not run overnight, so a flight landing after about 10pm leaves you with road transport only. The last departure from the airport is 10:04pm every day, and the first is 5:04am on weekdays or 6:04am on weekends and public holidays.

Taxis operate 24/7 from both ranks, and Brisbane Airport says kerbside officers are on hand during peak times. Rideshare apps work at the same hours, subject to driver availability. A door-to-door shuttle, Con-x-ion, also operates from both terminals with a sales kiosk at each, which suits arrivals staying outside the CBD.

Moving between the two terminals

The Domestic and International terminals are separate buildings and you cannot walk between them. Brisbane Airport's terminal transfers page lists a complimentary transfer bus running every 10 minutes from 4:00am to 1:30am, taking approximately 5 minutes.

Pick it up at the orange-marked stops at the Qantas and Virgin ends of the Domestic Terminal, or at the Level 4 bus stop at the International Terminal.

Airtrain also sells a terminal-to-terminal transfer for AUD 5.00, also about 5 minutes, booked with Airtrain staff on arrival. It is worth paying only if you are already at the station platform or the bus is outside its operating hours — otherwise the free bus does the same job.

Before you leave the arrivals hall

Decide on the platform, not in the queue. If you are one to three adults, or any adult with children under 15, buy the Airtrain ticket — online in advance if you still have signal on the aircraft, otherwise at the station window, where you should say how many adults are travelling together so the AUD 17 group rate is applied.

If you are four adults, if you are landing after 10pm, or if you are staying away from the four city stations, walk to the taxi or rideshare zone and accept the AUD 4.86 fee. Do not buy a go card purely to ride Airtrain; it costs a minimum of AUD 35 to set up an adult card and saves you nothing on this trip.

Fares and timetables change. Check the current numbers on Airtrain's fare calculator and Brisbane Airport's transport page before you commit to a plan built around them.