Changi airside transits T4 to T2 can take well over an hour!

[Austman]

The usually quick and easy airside gate to gate transits at Singapore’s Changi Airport are not so quick if you want to transit T4 to T1, T2 or T3.

It’s particularly bad for T4 to T2. It can take well over an hour, gate to gate!

The reasons are several, but mainly that it’s a bus transfer from T4 and that the bus does not service T2 at all.

The Changi terminal map and bus times explain it:




The bus does a loop, T4 -> T1 -> T3 -> T4. If going T4 to T2, the recommended route, for most times of the day, is to take the bus to T3 and then get the airside train to T2.

But the travel times add up! It can take 10 minutes to get from your T4 gate to the T4 airside transit bus lounge. You might then have to wait 10 minutes or more for the next bus.

Then it’s a staggering 18 minutes bus ride from T4 to T1 and a further 6 minutes to T3. So that’s 44 minutes so far. It’s then about 5 minutes to the T3 -> T2 airside train stop and about 8 minutes more to T2 if you just miss a train. That’s now about 57 minutes. Then you have to get to your T2 departure gate which can be up to 15 minutes walk from the train stop.

I did a T4 to T2 airside transit the other day. I walked as quickly as I could and I only had to wait 3 minutes for the next bus in T4.

It took me just over one hour, gate to gate! And my T2 gate was quite near the T2 airside train stop.

Not great, Changi…

 

[AIRwin]

It may even be less hassle flying Scoot from T1 to KUL then flying back on 3K to T4?

 

[Austman]

It may even be less hassle flying Scoot from T1 to KUL then flying back on 3K to T4?

JQ to 3K and vice versa is all in T4 at least. It still takes a while because T4 has centralised security that you must go through.

When I’ve done it, it took over 20 minutes gate to gate.

 

[kpc]

A couple of years ago I flew AK Kul to Sin....i didn't realise I would end up in T4...I was planning to catch the MRT into town but then found out I had to catch a bus to T2/T3 to get the MRT. I though F... it, and took a Grab instead.

I now avoId anything to do with Sin T4 esp. transits!

 

[Austman]

My airside transit was JQi to MH.

That was JQ7 MEL-SIN which arrived at T4 gate G20 to MH610 SIN-KUL which departed from T2 gate F54.

The scheduled arrival and departure times allowed a 3 hours 15 minutes transit time. But JQ7 arrived 1 hour 15 minutes late.

I made it to T2 one hour before MH610’s scheduled departure.

 

[Austman]

I niw avoId anything to do with Sin T4 esp. transits!

That would include CX, which now uses T4.

 

[AIRwin]

My airside transit was JQi to MH.

That was JQ7 MEL-SIN which arrived at T4 gate G20 to MH610 SIN-KUL which departed from T2 gate F54.

The scheduled arrival and departure times allowed a 3 hours 15 minutes transit time. But JQ7 arrived 1 hour 15 minutes late.

I made it to T2 one hour before MH610’s scheduled departure.

No time for F lounge?

 

[Austman]

No time for F lounge?

JQ7’s late arrival (1 hour 15 minutes late) together with the long T4 to T1 (QF F lounge) airside transit time (and even longer to T2) nixed that plan.

 

[clifford]

I'm planning to do T4-T1-T4 on Wednesday. Flying into SIN on JQ7, visiting the T1 lounges, and departing to HKG on CX714 at 01:45. Hopefully I will have plenty of time to do this, but who knows?

Of course, I could just stay in T4, but where's the fun in that?

 

[Archipelago]

A good lesson to always check which terminal(s) your transits use at Changi.
T4 is clearly separated by the T1-2-3 behemoth - and that means more time if you need to move to or from T4. This has always been the case.

 

[SYD]

A good lesson to always check which terminal(s) your transits use at Changi.
T4 is clearly separated by the T1-2-3 behemoth - and that means more time if you need to move to or from T4. This has always been the case.

Except JQ/3K ops from there are relatively new and booking Oz / Asia via SIN on QF/JQ to/from 3K soldiered on without a lot of fanfare (well, apart from AFF!)

The consensus early on was forget visiting a QF lounge during transit.

On the upside, the QF J lounge is probably less busy now without the JQ/3K PAX?

 

[Archipelago]

Except JQ/3K ops from there are relatively new and booking Oz / Asia via SIN on QF/JQ to/from 3K soldiered on without a lot of fanfare (well, apart from AFF!)

The consensus early on was forget visiting a QF lounge during transit.

On the upside, the QF J lounge is probably less busy now without the JQ/3K PAX?

well noted - I meant that the transfer time between T4 and everywhere else has always been long - hence the reminder to check every time for a Changi transit - given there are changes to which terminals airlines use (ie JQ/3K)

Grateful I haven't had to do one of these - but I am in the same boat as others on the lounge use. If I DID have to do a transit with T4 and one of the other terminals - I'd be looking for a minimum 4-5 hours so I could max out the lounge time elsewhere

Off topic - but if anyone is staying airside and wants to have a look at Jewel. The Changi Airport Skytrain passes right through the middle of Jewel when passing between T3-T2 or T2-T3

 

[SYD]

Off topic - but if anyone is staying airside and wants to have a look at Jewel. The Changi Airport Skytrain passes right through the middle of Jewel when passing between T3-T2 or T2-T3

and here’s a picture!

 

[AIRwin]

And another (taken at the same time?)

The elephant in the room:

 

[Archipelago]

That would include CX, which now uses T4.

CX moved operations back to T4 in September 2022, after the temporary move to T1 in April 2020 during the first Covid wave of flight reductions. (Cathay had been operating out of T4 since 2014(?))

Good to see they did re-open their T4 lounge though last Feb (2023)

 

[AIRwin]

Cathay had been operating out of T4 since 2014(?)

October 2017:

Changi T4

Hi all. I'm flying SIN to ICN with Cathay in October and I'm very excited at the possibility of utilising the new terminal. Despite some online research I can't seem to find when CX is shifting their operations of the new terminal (and their new lounge most importantly). I'm wondering if...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Archipelago]

October 2017:

Changi T4

Hi all. I'm flying SIN to ICN with Cathay in October and I'm very excited at the possibility of utilising the new terminal. Despite some online research I can't seem to find when CX is shifting their operations of the new terminal (and their new lounge most importantly). I'm wondering if...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Thanks - couldn't remember the actual year of T4 ops - hence the (??)

 

[Austman]

The Changi Airport Skytrain passes right through the middle of Jewel when passing between T3-T2 or T2-T3

But that’s not the T3 - T2 train that pax going from/to T4 would generally use.

 

[Archipelago]

But that’s not the T3 - T2 train that pax going from/to T4 would generally use.

True, but if you have time to kill airside, take the bus from T4 to T3 and then make the trip through Jewel on the airside Skytrain
Saves having to clear immigration
Just giving a time killing option for others - which unfortunately you didn't have on your transit

 

[Archipelago]

and here’s a picture!
View attachment 410191

and here's your picture from the other angle

Right let's get back on topic