Kylie Hayden is happy to report that her experience as one of the first people in the world to use Western Sydney International Airport as a passenger was positive.

The thing is, she wasn’t a real passenger.

The Emu Plains retiree and her husband were part of a trial run at the airport, testing the new airport’s systems ahead of the first passenger flights in October.

Alongside a group of volunteers, they were handed fake passenger cards, checked in to their fake flights and had to collect fake luggage as part of the dummy run.

“They wanted to test their staff and the flow of people through security, the terminals, and the luggage systems,” she said.

“I was on a flight from Singapore and arriving as a British citizen, and they had pre-populated all the cards,” she said. “We were also given cards detailing the baggage we had to collect.”

WSI has been running trials of their passenger experience on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the program due to run until mid-October.

At the end of each day, the group provides feedback. And Hayden was impressed.

“I loved the layout, it’s just a really beautifully built airport, from the timber panelling in the ceilings to the view of the mountains,” she said. “Everything just flowed, it was a very calming airport.”

But it wasn’t perfect. She said the airport needed more flight information boards and was worried about potential heat issues.

“There definitely weren’t enough boards showing departures and arrivals,” she said. “And the heat. There’s a lot of window and glass that faces west, and even on the winter day we went, it felt warm.”

Michael James was another volunteer, and he raised concerns about signage and seating.

“It was just a little lack of signage to direct you off the plane, and it is a long walk,” he said. “We found the signage wasn’t clear for your direction. There are no travelators on the international arrival side, which was a bit of a downside.

“My other concern was lack of seating on the arrivals area and lack of seating around the baggage carousel. It is also a small airport, maybe more like a regional airport.”

Much like Hayden, James had a long day acting like a passenger, and also found the airport aesthetically pleasing, calling it “airy”.

“It was nice and airy, open,” he said. “It’s all new, so it all looks fresh. It was pleasant. Like there was nothing that you’d think, ‘Oh, that’s awful.’”

WSI chief operating officer Matt Duffy said the trials were helping to “enhance our opening day experience.”

“It’s a unique and positive opportunity we’re able to leverage as Australia’s first major international greenfield airport in more than 50 years,” Duffy said.

“We’re grateful for the enthusiasm and support from the hundreds of ‘trial passengers’ who’ll be taking part in this program.”