flyaxa

We are flying KA to Hanoi and I believe most of those flights depart gates 500-510. With what frequency do the shuttles run? Looking to maximize lounge time in the main terminal. Thanks!

QRC3288

Every few minutes. I'd aim to be at the shuttle bus depot no later than 30 mins prior to departure time. Sometimes you get stuck waiting to cross the tarmac due to a plane pushing back from gate 15, 16, 20 or 22.

garykung

Offically, there is a bus going to the North Satellite Concourse every 3 minutes.

In reality, 5 minutes.

Also - the travel time depends on the tarmac activities.

flyaxa

Perfect, thanks GK and QRC!

gobears293

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one.

Same connecting flight as the OP. I'll be coming from SFO in First; long layover before the KA flight to Hanoi and want to maximize time in the lounges.

Was thinking lunch and a foot massage in the The Pier, then move to The Wing for a cabana, shower and the champagne bar.

How long/far is the walk from The Wing to that shuttle bus depot taking me to the North Satellite Concourse?

I've been looking for trip reports on YouTube to actually see the route/distance. Thanks!

LchChester

5-10 minutes depending on your walking speed

QRC3288

Haha use the AIRPORT MAP! It is 5-10 mins from the Wing F (add 1-2 minutes for J) as the other guy mentioned, with your walking speed the variable.

blogs and youtube, admittedly, have far better user interface and colorful pics than us here. But if you're digging for data, just plug around this forum. The blogs really don't have anything on this forum for info about CX.

Sadly, FT info is...difficult to navigate. But if you have 30-60 minutes and a beer handy, just pull up to this forum. I can't really read the blogs when they write about CX, the amount of incorrect info and implied (erroneous) assumptions is just too significant. Guys in here are flying multiple times per week on CX/KA. And since HKG is just a sole hub (vs the US airlines which have multiple), regulars become extremely familiar with the airport, in ways I didn't experience even as a former US-based frequent flier.

But the blog pictures and the reassuring commentary do have a kind of can't-stop-consuming-it travel porn quality.

brunos

WOW. There is no way I can do it in less than 10 min. And I am a pretty fast walker. But I don't walk down the escalators.

QRC3288

the guy is going from The Wing F (not Pier) to the bus depot. 10 min is a conservative estimate! With a very brisk walk you can do it in 5, although you must use the escalators.

You pop out the front entrance to Wing F, push straight through the food concourse, catch the central escalators down to departures, then continue straight half a flight to the tarmac level, 180 degree turn and walk forward, veer left towards 511-513, boom! If it's a busy food time (lunch or dinner mainly), skip the food concourse path and use the escalators closer to the Wing F entrance down to departures (you then walk departures level via duty free to the main escalators). It's *slightly* farther total distance but saves time if the food concourse if crammed. And yea elevators are definitely a no-go for speed!

garykung

There is a easier way (and surprisingly kind of semi-secret).

After exiting the Wing, go to the area nearby the Qantas Lounge. There is an elevator that you can go direct to the L4. Once you exit the elevator, turn right and there you are the shuttle.

QRC3288

Thank you!!

gobears293

Yeah I looked at the airport map... it is extremely detailed and highly annotated, but maybe has too much. Hard to determine walking distances and times. Personal experiences are always better.

I like the "blogs" and FT for the detailed info, reviews and pictures. But I have found YouTube valuable for "walking tours". It's always nice to gauge what the walk actually looks like, especially in an unfamiliar airport.

Agree with your comment about the depth of info from CX/KA regulars here on FT. Only a quick search last night turned up an incredible amount to supplement what I've already read from other sources.

gobears293

This is a GREAT tip. Thank you!

QRC3288

Yes, the official airport map also sucks.... unfortunately. Best intentions yet they blew it. I recommend going to google, searching for HKIA Map or HKG Map, and then clicking the "images" button so it only searches images. You will find some handy images there better than the official catastrophe.

But anyway, brunos minor disagreement with me aside (he is quite a regular well respected poster, so I don't take his remarks lightly! But I suspect he MAY think you're going from Pier not Wing), I feel really good you can easily get from Wing F to the bus terminus in sub 10 minutes. The bus wait time is usually only a few minutes, and the drive 3-5 mins. Just be aware the bus duration can vary due to taxiing aircraft and be longer than that in bad scenarios. Then you have a 1-2 min walk getting off the bus to your gate (the satellite terminal is very small). In general I'd leave Wing F 15-25 mins before you want to arrive at your satellite gate to play it most safe, depending on your walking speed and aggressiveness. 15 is leaving something up to chance since you can't dictate waiting time / drive time.

flyaxa

OP here. Just did it a few weeks back. Little over 5 minutes at a brisk pace.