For those who are planning to travel to the PI and have a long connection/layover, this thread is to help make your trip a bit easier & more enjoyable. Should you see any error then point them out.
I will focus on Cathay Pacific, HKIA and Tsim Sha Tsui as these are the ones I am more familiar with & have been on/to on multiple occasions.
Other posters can give info on other airport (s), aircraft (s) & cities in the region.
There are many airlines that will take you to the PI from North America:
All Nippon Airways (via Japan).
Asiana (via South Korea).
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong)
China Airlines (via Taiwan).
Continential (via Guam/Koror).
Delta (via Detroit/Nagoya-Centrair/Tokyo-Narita).
Eva Air (via taiwan).
Hawaiian Airlines (via Honololu)
Japan Airlines (via Japan).
Korean Airlines (via South Korea)
Philippines Airlines (direct flight).
Singapore Airlines (varies according to departure city).
*American Airlines passengers mostly feed into Oneworld alliance member Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines.
My choice of airline is Cathay Pacific (CX).
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/homepageCX fly out of the following 6 North American Cities (4 USA & 2 Canadian):
New York: 4 daily flights with one connecting via Vancouver. NYC (along with London) are their top non-Asian route.
San Francisco: 2 daily flights.
Los Angeles: 2 daily flights & 1 which operates 3 times a week.
Chicago: 1 daily flight.
Vancouver: 2 daily flights with one being the connecting from NYC
Toronto: 2 flight daily.
Cathay Pacific
DO NOT fly out of any other North American City but you can connect from an Alliance partner or codeshare.
Most flights are either on a 77D or 77A . SF mostly use a 74A aircraft while Vancouver do mix of all 3 long haul aircraft.
Connecting from HK to Manila there are 5 daily flights & 2 which operate twice a week to Manila – 37 weekly flights (2nd after Taipei). You should have no problem getting from HK to MNL if your flight should be late.
Service onboard CX is excellent.
The meals are good & free.
Their entertainment service good – as it will be a long haul flight you will have AVOD.
Warning: if you try their first class service – you will get spoiled.
Free Luggage allowance:
Economy - 2 checked luggage (50lbs each) & one carry-on (15lbs).
Business class – Two 70lbs bags & one 22lbs carry-on
First class – Two 70lbs bags & one 33lbs carry-on.
Marco Polo Club Premier members (Diamond & Gold only) – 3 checked bags within the weight limit of the class you are traveling in. You also get priority luggage handling (if requested).
Now on your next visit to Asia - travel on an Asian airline.
Should you have a few hours to spare, I would recommend that you go into the city. If not then spend some time in one of the lounges.
There are airline lounges, free lounges & pay-in lounges.
There are 5 lounges (4 departures & 1 arrival) that CX operates at HKIA.
The departure lounges are called The Wing, The Pier, The Cabin and The G16 Lounge. They are airside and are only accessible by passengers who have an onward boarding pass and who have cleared security and passport control.
You gain access to the lounges by one of the following ways:
*First or Business Class travelling on Oneworld operated flights.
*Oneworld sapphire and emerald members departing Hong Kong on an Oneworld ticketed and operated flight.
*Marco Polo Diamond members not traveling on a Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flight - get access to the business lounges.
*Get invited as a guess of someone who has access to one of the lounges and you both enter together.
The arrival lounge is called The Arrival.
Only First Class, Gold tier and above Marco Polo Club members and Oneworld Emerald passengers arriving off a Cathay Pacific or Dragonair can use the arrival lounge.
There are other airline lounges you can access if traveling on that airline or are a member from that airline alliance (and their rules applies).
As for the pay-in lounges, there are:
The Travelers' Lounges.
The Plaza Shower & Relaxation lounge.
There is the Premium Plaza Lounge (open 24 hours).
You can get a shower or relax before entering the city or continuing on your journey.
Here is the link to the above paid lounge – click the Price to see what the charges are.
http://www.plaza-ppl.com/index.php/locations/hongkongThere is also the United Red Carpet Club (United Airlines). Cost about $50 for a day’s pass ($35 on their site).
Free lounges:
There are the Miniature gardens and resting lounges in the departures level near Gate 21, 26, 34, 41 and 61.
For the kids & parents there is a children play area & 4 children TV lounges – all on the departure level.
There are also nursing rooms.
For you smokers, there is a smoking lounge – the only place you can smoke in the airport.
Navigating the HK airport is painlessly easy and you should have no problem with connections. HKIA is also one of the most efficient airports in the world. There will also be Customer service reps there to assist you should you need the help.
Here is a guide to the airport:
http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/passenger/If you want to do some shopping without going into the city then head to SkyCity.
It is a business & entertainment complex located inside Terminal 2 (T2). Terminal 2 is not really a terminal as there are no departure or arrival gates - there is only a check-in and processing for departing passengers.
Inside SkyCity is SkyPlaza - a shopping complex with plenty of shops & restaurants. There is a 3D theatre with what they call 4D Extreme Screen (the largest 4D screen in Asia & it is awesome). At T2 is also AsiaWorld-Expo, a Marriott Hotel as well as many other attractions.
Note: the shops & restaurants in T2 are more expensive than those in T1.
There is a baggage storage area in T2 as well as in T1.
http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/passenger/arrival/t1/baggage/left-baggage.htmlShould you want to go to the city, take a taxi or use the Airport Express.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/homepage/cust_index.htmlBe aware that there is a HK airport tax of 120 HKD if you are not departing within the same day. That applies if you passed through arrival immigration control (aka left the airport).
I have done the Tsuen Wan Line into Kowloon.
If you are going into the city for a extended period of time it would be useful to buy an Octopus card.
http://www.octopus.com.hk/home/en/index.htmlYou can use it for mass transit payments as well as payments in vending machines, stores & restaurants. About 95% of HK population 16-65 uses the card.
I am more familiar with Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) so I will talk about it.
There are plenty of hotel in the TST, there is also the Salisbury YMCA. Don’t let the name fool you. That YMCA is a very good place and it is better than many hotels in the USA plus it gives you a great view of the HK harbor.
Shopping – TST is one of the main shopping areas in HK. Think of midtown Manhattan & you will get an idea.
Restaurants – You can’t go wrong.
There is also Chungking Mansion (it was featured in the movie Chungking Express). It is a major tourist destination. That place is a melting pot & gathering place for people from South Asia, The Middle East, Europe, Africa, The Americas as well as people from other parts of the world.
For those of you into HK Cinema, Golden Harvest is headquartered in TST and they have 2 cinemas in Harbour City. Harbour City is a huge shopping mall located right next to the Star Ferry pier.
http://www.harbourcity.com.hk/home?The Star Ferry is the same ferry that William Holden met Nancy Kwan (Suzie Wong) on in the movie “The World of Suzie Wong”. The TST pier (next to Harbour City) is the place where William Holden got off the Ferry. Take a ride (if time permits) on the Star Ferry to view Victoria Harbour.
About 5 minutes walk down from Harbour City is “The Avenue of the Stars”. The HK version of Hollywood’s walk of fame.
To get to it, you will walk down a passageway behind The HK Cultural Center & the HK Museum of Arts. Or if coming from the other side you walk up TST East Promenade.The famous clock tower is right next to the Cultural Center & the Ferry.
There is a Wholala Musical Performance every Saturday between 7-10pm. On my first trip to the Avenue I went very early (7am) and had the place to myself (it does get crowded during the day). I also went during the overnight to see the lights (which are nice).
http://www.avenueofstars.com.hk/eng/home.aspIf you are there at night, enjoy the Symphony of Lights. You will get a great view from the Avenue of the Stars or the pier.
http://www.tourism.gov.hk/symphony/Should you need to use a computer (Forgot yours?), there is an Internet café/gaming store on Salisbury Road next to McDonald’s before you get to the ferry/Harbour City.
If you have more time to spend, take the Peak Tram up to the Peak and then walk around to see all of the different views from the top or visit the Giant Buddha or some other attractions.
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/outlying-giant-buddha.htmlThere are many, many more places visit & things to do in HK (too many to list here). Here are some links for you:
http://hk.asia-city.com/ http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/most-popular.htmlhttp://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/ Now let's hear about the other connecting destination in Asia.
