HKG - Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok

[Rejuvenated]

Another one of my home airport so here goes.

Short Description
The airport was built on an island composed primarily of reclaimed land located north of Lantau Island and west of the major commercial & financial district of the SAR. Still is my favorite airport in terms of infrastructure & passenger user friendly though as is the case with most other airports, there are areas where it can improve.

Terminals
Technically there are two terminals at HKIA: Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 that opened early last year. However, there really is only one terminal that has the full operation package and that is Terminal 1 (Y-Shaped) as all flights depart from Terminal 1. Terminal 2 basically handles check-in procedure for departing passengers for airlines such as AK, B7, EK, HX, PG, PR, RJ, SA, TG, UO, 3K, 8C, 9W. But when passengers get ready to board their flights at the gate, they will all be at Terminal 1 though departing passengers can clear immigration & security at either terminal. Passengers can also conveniently connect from Terminal 2 to 1 by the APM train. An aviation enthusiast will find the Aviation Discovery Centre to their liking if time permits and they decide to browse around Terminal 2.

Gates
As mentioned earlier, all gates for all flights are located at Terminal 1. There are a total of 56 gates of which 8 are bus gates. The bus gates, Gates 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13, are located one level below the main aerobridge boarding gate platform (level 6). And as they are called bus gates, you will be boarding a bus to your aircraft where you will climb the stairs to your plane at an open stand. Gates 1, 2, 3, 4, 21, and 23 are known as the CX preferred gates though they are not restricted to usage by CX flights only. For example SQ866/865 have been know to use those gates often as well.

Lounges
Here is the list of lounges operating at the airport. And yes there are also The Departure Traveler’s Lounge and the Premium Plaza Arrival Lounge where passengers can pay admission out of their own wallet for access. Click here for rates pertaining to the Traveler’s Lounge and here for rates pertaining to the Premium Plaza. Both of these “Paid Lounges” operate 24 hours daily.

Any Restaurant & Fast Food Worth Dining at?
Absolutely! My favorites are Maxim’s for Dim Sum located at Terminal 1 Level 8 pre-security and King’s Palace Congee also located at Terminal 1 but post-security at Level 7. Both are highly recommended though would be useless for those who do not enjoy Chinese cuisine.

Transit & Connection
Your luggage is checked through to your final destination but you are not in possession of your onward flight’s boarding pass. Do you need to clear immigration?
No. You can obtain your onward boarding pass at a transfer desk without clearing immigration. Here is the listing of where your airline transfer desk is located to get your BP. There are 3 transfer areas designated as E1 (near gates 15 & 22), E2 (near gates 1 & 21), and W1 (near gates 35 & 36) You will however need to clear security at any of the transfer points before you are allowed back into the departure levels.

Are there lockers to store your luggage should you decide to head into town and do not want to drag it with you?
Yes there are. See here for further details and rates.

[Rejuvenated]

Immigration
Do you need a visa to visit Hong Kong or transit through?
Many nationalities are granted visa free period to visit. The length of the visa period varies from one national to another. Here is the nationality listing on who needs or do not need visa or need a visa even for airside transit.

Who needs to fill out immigration cards?
All visitors are required to complete the immigration card. Exceptions are those who posses HK Permanent ID Card (such as myself), HK ID Card, HKSAR Passport, etc. just to name a few. Here is the full details for those that do not need to complete the cards.

Basically the immigration part is a tiny two sheet layer paper (one for arrival, the other for departure) that is very easy to complete. Unlike forms published by other countries, the HK immigration card does not print questions such as are you bringing food & plants or how long are you planning to say. The only time you may get asked these types of questions is if you get stopped at customs after collecting your baggage and even this is rather rare. Typically those that get stopped are those who are visibly seen as having large quantities of liquors and cigarettes for duty purposes or if they highly suspect you are brining illegal/counter band stuff.. However in general, most visitors do not encounter problems with customs when entering the SAR.

Some visitors may also qualify to obtain a HKIA Frequent Visitor Card which allows them to use a dedicated queue bearing the name of the card and in general will speed them through immigration quicker than the regular visitor queue. It takes on average approximately 6 weeks to get it once you apply and are approved according to some people I know who have gotten them.

Transportation to/from the Airport
The most common mode of transport for visitors is the Airport Express which gets you into town in less than 30 minutes. However this is not necessarily the cheapest. There is an alternative one can take in which the routing is almost similar to the AE but significantly cheaper and that is to take bus S1 to Tung Chung and then connect to the Tung Chung MTR line. This will cost you approximately $19 HKD each way to head to Kowloon Station or $24 HKD to head to Hong Kong Station. The journey of course will be somewhat longer than the AE considering you have to transit at Tung Chung and the MTR journey has more stops than the AE but really not by much longer and of course more importantly, it is significantly cheaper. Regardless whether you take the AE or the S1/Tung Chung Line combo, the journey will take to several stops where you can connect to other MTR lines or rail lines to the New Territories. Click here for the system map. Though if you are traveling heavily, it can be hectic if you need to transfer between lines once you are in-town during peak rush hours as you make your way through the thich crowds while dragging your belongings.

Buses, which is usually my preferred and most often way of commuting between the airport and my home in Hung Hom, can be a comfortable, direct, cheap mode to get to your destination. However unless you know which stop you will be getting off or you are familiar with certain surroundings that the bus route goes through, they are not as easy to go by compared to the AE/MTR. The major buses serving the airport will have announcements and signage indicating which is the next stop and they have luggage racks onboard as well to place your luggages (but only downstairs on the double decker). See here for a listing of buses serving the airport.

Taxi fares range from $100-$450 HKD depending on your final destination. For common areas of Central Kowloon and Northern HK Island the fare is between $200-$400 HKD. The most important thing to be aware of if you decide to choose taxi for the commute to Kowloon or HK Island is to board the “Red” cab (well this is the most common). Do not take the “blue” cab since they only roam and go to distances within Lantau Island nor the “green” cab as they only go to sites in the New Territories (exception is Disneyland). Basically the “Red” taxis can take you anywhere so when in doubt of which colour cab to take, take the “Red” one. Also in general, you do not need to tip the driver but this is all upon your own discretion.

Do you have enough time to head into town during your transit?
The answer to that depends on how long your layover is. Generally speaking I would not recommend going into town unless you have 6 hours or more. In general the quickest it will take you between 50-90 minutes from the moment you get off the plane to the time you are in the city after going through the normal immigration/baggage/customs/train journey and then you have to allow approximately 2.5 hours for your journey back to the airport and on to boarding your flight.

Anyways here are other suggestions on what to do depending how much time one has.
6 hours or greater: Besides heading into town, you can take S1 to Tung Chung which will cost you $3.5 HKD each way and take the 25 minute Ngong Ping cable car journey up. There you can walk over to Ngong Ping Village and the Tian Tan Buddha. You can even pre-book your admission online. Reason why I recommend this with as a 6 hour or greater layover is if there is some major malfunction or technical delay on the operation of the cable car as you prepare to go back down, you will be at high risk of missing your connecting flight if you are cutting it close with your layover time. Considering how operations on this attraction has not necessarily gone smoothly, one should play it more safely.

4-6 hours: Head over to the shopping malls to browse around. By taking the same routing towards Tung Chung as one would for Ngong Ping, there is the Citygate Outlet which is right there once you get off Bus S1. Or one can also head to over to Marinetime Square in Tsing Yi which is accessible by both the AE ($60 HKD each way or $110 HKD roundtrip) and the S1/Tung Chung Line combo ($16 HKD each way).

[jjpb3]

Thanks for the Airport Guide, Rejuvenated.

If I'm meeting someone flying a different airline whose flight arrives within an hour or two of mine, what is the easiest meeting point to use landside?

[zxcvbn]

IME HKG's landside is usually quite busy/messy during the day. My suggestion is to meet at a restaurant on the arrivals level, the departures level, or even terminal 2.

(or try "The Arrival" if arriving from CX F!)
Link http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_...lounge_arrival

[jhm]

Any Restaurant & Fast Food Worth Dining at?
Absolutely! My favorites are Maxim’s for Dim Sum located at Terminal 1 Level 8 pre-security and King’s Palace Congee also located at Terminal 1 but post-security at Level 7. Both are highly recommended though would be useless for those who do not enjoy Chinese cuisine.

I tried this Maxim's a few years ago - the food was quite good (this is HK after all! ) but pretty expensive (to be expected given the location).

I have this problem in December - I only have 2-3 hours transit time so presumably I'll have to stick with Maxim's. I've asked my friends to come for lunch at the airport - perhaps I should place a delivery order whilst they're at it ?

I assume there are just as good but cheaper dim sum places if one has the time (3-4 hours ?) to take the S1 bus to Tung Chung you mention ?

[Rejuvenated]

Yes I agree with zxcvbn that the arrival hall is often packed with crowds on a wide stretch. Just be sure if you decide to hook up with someone that both sides agree ahead of time upon a place to meet. I can suggest meeting up at Oliver's Super Sandwich at the arrival level or at Pacific Coffee at the departure levels near the check-in counters.

As for dim sum in Tung Chung well the selections are limited (Well there are only 3 shopping malls in the area and one them primarily caters to residents living in the estate adjacent to that mall). Holly 富東海鮮酒家 is okay not too bad but qualilty not as good Maxim's but again you get what you paid for and the price is cheaper compared to Maxim's. Holly is located at Fu Tung Shopping next to the Citygate. You can walk via an overpass connected from the MTR station to get across. Never tried Federal Palace inside the CityGate so can't comment there.

[zxcvbn]

I tried this Maxim's a few years ago - the food was quite good (this is HK after all! ) but pretty expensive (to be expected given the location).

I have this problem in December - I only have 2-3 hours transit time so presumably I'll have to stick with Maxim's. I've asked my friends to come for lunch at the airport - perhaps I should place a delivery order whilst they're at it ?

I assume there are just as good but cheaper dim sum places if one has the time (3-4 hours ?) to take the S1 bus to Tung Chung you mention ?

Queues at HKG arrival immigration gets quite long if one does not have an HKID.

[SQflyergirl]

Thanks very much! This is a great help

[scooby5]

Yes I agree with zxcvbn that the arrival hall is often packed with crowds on a wide stretch. Just be sure if you decide to hook up with someone that both sides agree ahead of time upon a place to meet. I can suggest meeting up at Oliver's Super Sandwich at the arrival level or at Pacific Coffee at the departure levels near the check-in counters.

Strangely, i always see the "Meeting Point" without a soul standing around it. Since it's in the middle between A and B its almost the quietest place in the whole building

jjpb3: if you are arriving first i might even suggest a snack or drink from the restaurant next to the Meeting Point.....i think it's an italian one(?). You'll be able to get a drink/snack and still see your friend arrive.

[jjpb3]

I really must pay more attention when I use HKG. I haven't noticed the landmarks y'all mentioned.

Thanks for all the advice. Duly noted.

[MAN Flyer]

Queues at HKG arrival immigration gets quite long if one does not have an HKID.

Is this still the case ?. I queued for an hour to get through earlier this year.

[StarG]

Thanks for posting the airport guides, Rejuvenated.

Is this still the case ?. I queued for an hour to get through earlier this year.

Seems like it is still pretty bad these days.
If you visit often enough, you might want to get a HKIA Frequent Visitor Card.

[KeithMEL]

Last time, I was lucky to arrive when it was quiet when i flew in from PVG on KA, around 4pm or so. There was hardly anyone in the queue as it seems like 90% of the flight were transit pax. Cleared immigration in a jiffy.

In July when I'd arrived at busier times, it'd take me about 30-45 mins on average to clear queues.

[9V-JKL]

I wonder if the queues are better at certain times of the day. Like 10:30pm in Aug where the immigration officers were waiting for me instead

[Rejuvenated]

We arrived earlier in the afternoon at around just past 2pm. While we queued at the resident's line, I took a peak look at the other side and the visitor's queue was stretched out.

Should add BTW that the APM that transports you during departure from the single digit gates/Gates 15-19 area to the far end gates where the terminal branches out into only goes one way (the APM going in the other direction is only accessible to arriving/transiting passengers). So once you're at that far end, you cannot go back to the gates near security/immigration by the underground train. You can pay for a buggy service for approximately $50 HKD to transport you faster should you decide not to walk back.