Originally Posted by
jagmeets
On the comments about HKG being a bad airport for transits- I disagree. It might not be the easiest to a first timer on a short connection, but once you have a hang of the optimal transit points/where to stand for the train(if needed, not much longer to just walk fast), it's pretty pretty fast.
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I do a 1hr-ish transit 5-15 times a year & have never had a problem, even when the gates for the arriving and departing aircraft were at opposite ends (and unless the arrival is more than say, 15mins late, manage a quick lounge visit/shower). There's usually someone waiting to escort via the most efficient path, if there are 40 or less minutes remaining, but have had to use their help just once over the years.
+1.
With respect to others' opinions on here, I find HKIA as good as it gets all things considered. Extremely, extremely reliable for predicting exactly how long it will take to each gate. I suppose it depends on what you use the airport for, how often you use it, and what you're after. I prefer the "vibe" of Changi T3 more than HKG, but for sheer reliability and punctuality HKG wins for me hands down.
I also like how on a transit I can predict very precisely exactly what is my "worst case scenario" for connection times. Same situation leaving Central for HKG. I know precisely what is the final Airport Express I need to take in order to make my flight on time. I cannot find this insane level of predictability at any other airport I use. It's very helpful for scheduling meetings and maximizing the hell out of your time pre-flight. And for transits, I never have the tweety birds in my head "will I make it will I make it?" if the flight is on time and I have a 50+ minute connection.
Originally Posted by
jjjohn
CX used to have ground staff helping transit when a tight connection happened (delay), so you would cut the q at security check.
Yea, sometimes they still do this. I don't really know the rhyme or reason as to when CX decides to have the person escort you all the way to your next gate. It happens fairly often, but definitely isn't a "lock" if your connection is tight. It's a bummer the OP didn't receive it.
As a note to anyone transiting with a tight connection in the future, transit security staff will usually let you hop to the front of the queue if your departure time is <30 minutes from the current time. Just be persistent talking to them.