CX Arrivals lounge

[simongr]

Hi all

I have an impending long transit in HKG arriving at 5AM :shock. I was planning to duck out and get another immigration stamp to maintain my HKIAFV card status and was wondering a couple of things:

a) Will a 30 min transition between stamps cause questions going back through immigration?

b) Is the arrivals lounge past immigration? The CX website says:

The Arrival is located past the arrivals hall, at the centre passage connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, right below the Airport Express station.

As my next flight is 2PM to DEL (via BKK but on the same flight number sadly ) I am half thinking about a trip to the city for some shopping...

Cheers

Simon


EDIT

The other question is whether I should split the flight into two separate flight numbers for the extra SCs.... Does mean a downgrade to a 773 old old J seat for part of the journey...

 

[moa999]

Yes, past Immi.

Rather than going up the rise to the Airport Express head down the escalators/ stairs.

From memory you pass a PP lounge on your left, then The Arrival is on your right.

Smallish but nice lounge. Decent a la carte menu when I went there after it opened.

Note. Only available if you arrive on CX
Also. No alcohol in lounge

 

[Evan]

My stamps for HKG have no time, only a date.
I have done it before with no questions.
(As i have also done just to catch the train across between terminals in LHR)

 

[serfty]

I've used the Plaza Premium 'arrivals' lounge this year - arrived on QF29 so could not employ the CX one gratis as an emerald.

HKD150 for a shower before heading - well worth it. (I chose not to spend HKD200 for 2 hours including food, internet etc.)

 

[meloz]

Yes, past Immi.

Note. Only available if you arrive on CX
Also. No alcohol in lounge

Also, only available to the WP travelling and not their none status partner. T'was a hard decision.

Meloz

 

[Mal]

a) Will a 30 min transition between stamps cause questions going back through immigration?

Nah, I don't think Hong Kong cares. If asked, you wanted to stretch your legs and get some fresh air.

 

[simongr]

Also, only available to the WP travelling and not their none status partner. T'was a hard decision.

Meloz

Wowsers that is pretty touch of them. Thankfully (on some levels) I will travelling alone on this trip ...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi all

I have an impending long transit in HKG arriving at 5AM :shock. I was planning to duck out and get another immigration stamp to maintain my HKIAFV card status and was wondering a couple of things:

a) Will a 30 min transition between stamps cause questions going back through immigration?

b) Is the arrivals lounge past immigration? The CX website says:

The Arrival is located past the arrivals hall, at the centre passage connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, right below the Airport Express station.

As my next flight is 2PM to DEL (via BKK but on the same flight number sadly ) I am half thinking about a trip to the city for some shopping...

Cheers

Simon


EDIT

The other question is whether I should split the flight into two separate flight numbers for the extra SCs.... Does mean a downgrade to a 773 old old J seat for part of the journey...

30 min time stamp is no problem - I have done it before.

However they do have fairly good catering from an a la carte menu in the arrivals lounge and last time I was there it took quite some time for it to come (perhaps it was being freshly made?) - so that will take some time.

I have also done the early morning trip into Hong Kong to meet friends for breakfast. But that was at 7.30am. The thing that struck me was that it was all very quiet at that time of the morning. Most of the shops are closed until 10.

There is a special round-trip airport express fare of HKD100 to the island or HKD90 to Kowloon.

For me now I just take the opportunity to have a bath in the cabanas and have a rest with the english papers afterwards. Plus a glass of champagne. Seems to make the time go.

Finally the splitting of the flights. Not sure what you mean about a 'downgrade' to a 773 with old regional seats? The flight to Delhi is operated by a 330, but that will be in the regional configuration as well -and both aircraft models could have either the new or the old regional J product (there are 8 aircraft with the new seats - CX has now stopped installing them because they are so uncomfortable).

The only HKG-BKK service with the new lie flats in biz class is the service late afternoon operated by the 77A or the 74A (I think its the 3.50pm departure ex HKG to BKK).

So the toss up then is how late you'd leave HKG for the initial BKK sector, and whether the QF/BA First lounge is open when you are in BKK.

It has been discussed here but the opening hours of the QF First lounge in BKK (all the other CX lounges are nothing special) are 1330 until 1730 then 2000 onwards.

 

[simongr]

Ok - I misinterpreted the seat maps and assumed the 330 with a 2-2-2 config was the old new J not regional...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Ok - I misinterpreted the seat maps and assumed the 330 with a 2-2-2 config was the old new J not regional...

Nope -sorry

It's regional 45' pitch. The best you can hope for is 'old' regional instead of the new regional.

I travelled to BKK on the first sector of the DEL flight and you get an indian meal choice - but otherwise service is shortened to accommodate the 2 flying time. So if you've got time and going to get extra SCs then I'd go for the earlier flight to BKK and use the QF/BA First lounge.

 

[NM]

With a Hong Kong Airport Frequent Visitor card you can register for their electronic processing service. Just look (or ask) for the registration booth just after immigration. Take a few mins and they place a bar-code on the back of your passport, take your photo and finger prints (left and right pointer fingers). Then you can use the e-gate when exiting Hong Kong and avoid any questions from immigration staff - not that you are likely to have any.

The electronic processing is available to all APEC and Frequent Visitor card holders and free to register.

 

[simongr]

I will try and remember to use the electronic system - I thought you had to register for it and never got round to it.

 

[Mal]

With a Hong Kong Airport Frequent Visitor card you can register for their electronic processing service. Just look (or ask) for the registration booth just after immigration.

It's actually in line with the immigration booth - and is "before immigration". Exact location is listed on the HK Airport website. I used it for the first time in July, and had all sorts of dramas because the sticker printed, but got jammed in the machine. So I was 'locked' in the booth while the immigration officer tried to work out what had happened. It didn't help that I hadn't used the service before inbound so he couldn't really tell if I was authorised. Eventually I was let out, and told to wait in a corner while they reprinted out the sticker in the office somehow.

 

[Ric]

I will try and remember to use the electronic system - I thought you had to register for it and never got round to it.

You DO need to register!

 

[simongr]

Hmm - given I will be able to access the CX lounge at BKK until 13:00 and then the QF lounge I think a switch to the earlier flight might on the go...

I will still use The Arrival and get the passport stamp and have some time to register for the electronic version.

 

[NM]

It's actually in line with the immigration booth - and is "before immigration". Exact location is listed on the HK Airport website.

There may well be a booth before immigration. But I can confirm there is also one just after the immigration desks. As I completed immigration processing using my APEC card, I was asked if I would like to register for the electronic processing and ushered to a booth just to the left of the APEC line immigration desk through which I had just been processed.

 

[Mal]

There may well be a booth before immigration. But I can confirm there is also one just after the immigration desks.

Yeah, you're right - sorry about that. I didn't think they had post immi enrollment booths... perhaps they are new.

Here's a map:
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department

There are enrollment booths before immigration, and after. If you enroll before immigration it can take up to 15 mins before the machines will recognise you (apparently).

They've also expanded the scheme to include some frequent flyer's:

With effect from 7 September 2009, the self-service immigration clearance facilities have been extended to visitors holding Frequent Flyer Programme Membership Card issued by airlines which have joined this arrangement. Please enquire with your airline.