Arrivals Lounge Options in Beijing Capital T3
Jun 10, 2013, 4:06 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 208
Arrivals Lounge Options in Beijing Capital T3
Does anyone know of any arrivals lounge options for Beijing T3?
I am doing a Finnair marathon tier point run and will be arriving there at 06:55 on a Sunday morning. I'm flying their business product but was wondering as a GCH if there are any options for shower etc when I arrive - I don't think there is a Finnair arrivals lounge. If there are BA facilities am I entitled to use them (I suspect not, but someone might confirm otherwise).
If there are no airline facilities, can anyone recommend somewhere in the airport to shower / have breakfast before heading out into the mayhem.
Thanks
I am doing a Finnair marathon tier point run and will be arriving there at 06:55 on a Sunday morning. I'm flying their business product but was wondering as a GCH if there are any options for shower etc when I arrive - I don't think there is a Finnair arrivals lounge. If there are BA facilities am I entitled to use them (I suspect not, but someone might confirm otherwise).
If there are no airline facilities, can anyone recommend somewhere in the airport to shower / have breakfast before heading out into the mayhem.
Thanks
Jun 10, 2013, 7:02 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: MEL
Programs: BA Gold; VA Velocity Gold; LH FTL; Marriott Gold; ICHG Platinum AMB; Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,393
My former home airport!
Not even Air China has an Arrivals lounge at PEK T3. There are no showers landside that I am aware of in the terminal. There are no Priority Pass lounges landside at PEK. You can't access the Departures level without leaving China. And you can't do that without a boarding pass for a flight departing PEK that day.
There is a transit facility of sorts (the Hourly Hotel) on the second floor, one floor up from Arrivals but below Departures. I've never been to it or used it but maybe worth investigating. Details are at
http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/service/lounge.shtml - note that the T3E lounge is airside - the T3C lounge is the one you want.
Assuming you are heading into town, your best bet - especially at that time on a Sunday - is to head to your hotel or accommodation. Journey time will be under 30 minutes on a Sunday morning. A taxi (taxi rank in the basement) will get you into town for under 100RMB and you can get cash from the HSBC ATM in the Arrivals hall. They won't care if you smell, and the hotel will have showers and the like available in most cases, even if your room isn't ready. Have the phone number for your accommodation available in case your driver doesn't know the address (call them, tell them you are in a taxi and hand the phone to the driver).
You could also take the train into town, then switch onto the subway, but distances on the subway are long, trains are crowded and the taxis at the train station in town (Dongzhimen) are sharks who will likely overcharge you. You don't even save much money this way (5 pounds perhaps). And you will need a shower afterwards given the heat at this time of year, regardless of whether you took one at the airport.
If you absolutely must get a shower at PEK then get a free shuttle bus at ground level to one of the two airport hotels - the Hilton and the Langham. Both are very good but day rooms won't be that cheap.
Enjoy! PEK is a fascinating place.
Not even Air China has an Arrivals lounge at PEK T3. There are no showers landside that I am aware of in the terminal. There are no Priority Pass lounges landside at PEK. You can't access the Departures level without leaving China. And you can't do that without a boarding pass for a flight departing PEK that day.
There is a transit facility of sorts (the Hourly Hotel) on the second floor, one floor up from Arrivals but below Departures. I've never been to it or used it but maybe worth investigating. Details are at
http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/service/lounge.shtml - note that the T3E lounge is airside - the T3C lounge is the one you want.
Assuming you are heading into town, your best bet - especially at that time on a Sunday - is to head to your hotel or accommodation. Journey time will be under 30 minutes on a Sunday morning. A taxi (taxi rank in the basement) will get you into town for under 100RMB and you can get cash from the HSBC ATM in the Arrivals hall. They won't care if you smell, and the hotel will have showers and the like available in most cases, even if your room isn't ready. Have the phone number for your accommodation available in case your driver doesn't know the address (call them, tell them you are in a taxi and hand the phone to the driver).
You could also take the train into town, then switch onto the subway, but distances on the subway are long, trains are crowded and the taxis at the train station in town (Dongzhimen) are sharks who will likely overcharge you. You don't even save much money this way (5 pounds perhaps). And you will need a shower afterwards given the heat at this time of year, regardless of whether you took one at the airport.
If you absolutely must get a shower at PEK then get a free shuttle bus at ground level to one of the two airport hotels - the Hilton and the Langham. Both are very good but day rooms won't be that cheap.
Enjoy! PEK is a fascinating place.
Last edited by House; Jun 10, 2013 at 7:13 am
Jun 10, 2013, 7:12 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,513
There is an arrival lounge / hourly hotel near exit 2F of the arrivals hall. It is not free, but nor is it expensive. IIRC it's 80rmb for a couple of hours. Don't expect anything more than the most basic facilities - the showers sometimes are not hot for example.
Jun 10, 2013, 7:53 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 208
My former home airport!
Not even Air China has an Arrivals lounge at PEK T3. There are no showers landside that I am aware of in the terminal. There are no Priority Pass lounges landside at PEK. You can't access the Departures level without leaving China. And you can't do that without a boarding pass for a flight departing PEK that day.
There is a transit facility of sorts (the Hourly Hotel) on the second floor, one floor up from Arrivals but below Departures. I've never been to it or used it but maybe worth investigating. Details are at
http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/service/lounge.shtml - note that the T3E lounge is airside - the T3C lounge is the one you want.
Assuming you are heading into town, your best bet - especially at that time on a Sunday - is to head to your hotel or accommodation. Journey time will be under 30 minutes on a Sunday morning. A taxi (taxi rank in the basement) will get you into town for under 100RMB and you can get cash from the HSBC ATM in the Arrivals hall. They won't care if you smell, and the hotel will have showers and the like available in most cases, even if your room isn't ready. Have the phone number for your accommodation available in case your driver doesn't know the address (call them, tell them you are in a taxi and hand the phone to the driver).
You could also take the train into town, then switch onto the subway, but distances on the subway are long, trains are crowded and the taxis at the train station in town (Dongzhimen) are sharks who will likely overcharge you. You don't even save much money this way (5 pounds perhaps). And you will need a shower afterwards given the heat at this time of year, regardless of whether you took one at the airport.
If you absolutely must get a shower at PEK then get a free shuttle bus at ground level to one of the two airport hotels - the Hilton and the Langham. Both are very good but day rooms won't be that cheap.
Enjoy! PEK is a fascinating place.
Not even Air China has an Arrivals lounge at PEK T3. There are no showers landside that I am aware of in the terminal. There are no Priority Pass lounges landside at PEK. You can't access the Departures level without leaving China. And you can't do that without a boarding pass for a flight departing PEK that day.
There is a transit facility of sorts (the Hourly Hotel) on the second floor, one floor up from Arrivals but below Departures. I've never been to it or used it but maybe worth investigating. Details are at
http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/service/lounge.shtml - note that the T3E lounge is airside - the T3C lounge is the one you want.
Assuming you are heading into town, your best bet - especially at that time on a Sunday - is to head to your hotel or accommodation. Journey time will be under 30 minutes on a Sunday morning. A taxi (taxi rank in the basement) will get you into town for under 100RMB and you can get cash from the HSBC ATM in the Arrivals hall. They won't care if you smell, and the hotel will have showers and the like available in most cases, even if your room isn't ready. Have the phone number for your accommodation available in case your driver doesn't know the address (call them, tell them you are in a taxi and hand the phone to the driver).
You could also take the train into town, then switch onto the subway, but distances on the subway are long, trains are crowded and the taxis at the train station in town (Dongzhimen) are sharks who will likely overcharge you. You don't even save much money this way (5 pounds perhaps). And you will need a shower afterwards given the heat at this time of year, regardless of whether you took one at the airport.
If you absolutely must get a shower at PEK then get a free shuttle bus at ground level to one of the two airport hotels - the Hilton and the Langham. Both are very good but day rooms won't be that cheap.
Enjoy! PEK is a fascinating place.
As your former home airport, assuming I'm out by 09:00, do you have any idea how long it would take a taxi to take me to the Beijing South High Speed Railway station / how much it might cost?
I cant remember how I got there last time, but I seem to recall it being quite chaotic once I arrived and seemed incapable of getting a first class train ticket which was a pain. They also made me take down my suitcase from the overhead luggage rack which meant sitting with a large suitcase in an aisle.
Jun 10, 2013, 8:03 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: PEK and BOS
Programs: BA - Blue
Posts: 4,531
Thanks for your feedback, I'm amazed that there isn't anything in Beijing apart from an hourly hotel. I'm actually heading out to Tianjin so will be taking a train there from Beijing South.
As your former home airport, assuming I'm out by 09:00, do you have any idea how long it would take a taxi to take me to the Beijing South High Speed Railway station / how much it might cost?
I cant remember how I got there last time, but I seem to recall it being quite chaotic once I arrived and seemed incapable of getting a first class train ticket which was a pain. They also made me take down my suitcase from the overhead luggage rack which meant sitting with a large suitcase in an aisle.
As your former home airport, assuming I'm out by 09:00, do you have any idea how long it would take a taxi to take me to the Beijing South High Speed Railway station / how much it might cost?
I cant remember how I got there last time, but I seem to recall it being quite chaotic once I arrived and seemed incapable of getting a first class train ticket which was a pain. They also made me take down my suitcase from the overhead luggage rack which meant sitting with a large suitcase in an aisle.
tb
Jun 10, 2013, 8:52 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,513
There are various facilities. There is a lounge by gate 10 in terminal E and similarly in 3C departures. Neither of use to you of course but then there is the lounge/hourly hotel in arrivals detailed above. All are pay facilities I'm afraid and none are particularly good. I'm afraid free arrivals facilities are pretty unusual in China. Indeed free departure lounges are pretty ropey in my experience.
Jun 10, 2013, 9:25 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: MEL
Programs: BA Gold; VA Velocity Gold; LH FTL; Marriott Gold; ICHG Platinum AMB; Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,393
PEK to Beijing South should take under an hour at that time on a Sunday. Allow double that on a Friday afternoon! Price will be around 100RMB and probably more like 85RMB - this includes the 10RMB toll for the airport expressway and a couple of RMB that gets added on in some taxis for fuel surcharges (so the fare may be up to 12-13 RMB more than the meter shows).
Alas the station will be chaotic - it always is! The journey is short enough though, and you should be able to get a ticket for a departure without waiting too long (First tends to sell out first a lot of the time).
Have you considered booking a car to Tianjin? There are various limo companies around - e-hi is one of the bigger ones and they have an English booking service (http://corporate.1hai.cn/english/ ). You can also email them in English. More expensive than the train of course, but less hassle if you're coming from PEK and cheap enough compared to what you would pay for a limo in Europe or the US.
Last option - though not especially luxurious - would be to take a coach service from PEK to Tianjin. You are at the mercy of traffic and your fellow passengers, but it is at least simple and will be cheap. Buses go from outside the terminal.
Alas the station will be chaotic - it always is! The journey is short enough though, and you should be able to get a ticket for a departure without waiting too long (First tends to sell out first a lot of the time).
Have you considered booking a car to Tianjin? There are various limo companies around - e-hi is one of the bigger ones and they have an English booking service (http://corporate.1hai.cn/english/ ). You can also email them in English. More expensive than the train of course, but less hassle if you're coming from PEK and cheap enough compared to what you would pay for a limo in Europe or the US.
Last option - though not especially luxurious - would be to take a coach service from PEK to Tianjin. You are at the mercy of traffic and your fellow passengers, but it is at least simple and will be cheap. Buses go from outside the terminal.
Last edited by House; Jun 10, 2013 at 9:32 am
Sep 11, 2013, 6:07 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
24 Hr Lounge
Hi
Arriving PEK Dec 16 on SQ from SIN at 12.15 AM. J
Departing AA Dec 17 at 6.55 AM.
Too short to go anywhere for four houes ! Have four suitcases and two carry ons.
Will I be allowed
1 Check bags thru BOM SIN PEK on SQ and interline on AA ?
2 What lounges are open 12 midnite to 6 AM ?
Than You
Arriving PEK Dec 16 on SQ from SIN at 12.15 AM. J
Departing AA Dec 17 at 6.55 AM.
Too short to go anywhere for four houes ! Have four suitcases and two carry ons.
Will I be allowed
1 Check bags thru BOM SIN PEK on SQ and interline on AA ?
2 What lounges are open 12 midnite to 6 AM ?
Than You
Sep 11, 2013, 11:22 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott Plat
Posts: 686
Thanks for your feedback, I'm amazed that there isn't anything in Beijing apart from an hourly hotel. I'm actually heading out to Tianjin so will be taking a train there from Beijing South.
As your former home airport, assuming I'm out by 09:00, do you have any idea how long it would take a taxi to take me to the Beijing South High Speed Railway station / how much it might cost?
I cant remember how I got there last time, but I seem to recall it being quite chaotic once I arrived and seemed incapable of getting a first class train ticket which was a pain. They also made me take down my suitcase from the overhead luggage rack which meant sitting with a large suitcase in an aisle.
As your former home airport, assuming I'm out by 09:00, do you have any idea how long it would take a taxi to take me to the Beijing South High Speed Railway station / how much it might cost?
I cant remember how I got there last time, but I seem to recall it being quite chaotic once I arrived and seemed incapable of getting a first class train ticket which was a pain. They also made me take down my suitcase from the overhead luggage rack which meant sitting with a large suitcase in an aisle.
I laughed and got out, then proceeded to inform the rest of the queue about this thieving b*stard. Hopefully my irritable, jet-lagged outburst ruined his morning
Jan 8, 2014, 4:08 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ICT
Programs: AA ExP
Posts: 1,860
Jan 8, 2014, 4:20 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,815
Is this incorrect? http://www.businesstraveller.com/asi...rrivals-lounge
See:
Air China Arrivals Lounge at PEK?
Jan 8, 2014, 4:24 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ICT
Programs: AA ExP
Posts: 1,860
I think that the Air China arrivals lounge is actually the transit hotel run by the airport referred to in the post you quoted.
See:
Air China Arrivals Lounge at PEK?
See:
Air China Arrivals Lounge at PEK?
Aug 8, 2014, 2:29 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: WS Platinum, former AC E35K
Posts: 6,335
Can anyone please confirm this still exists and CA J pax can use it for free? He link above describes an intention to do this but I can't find anything confirming this.
I have a 7 hour layover (from 6am-1pm) and was hoping to use this before a quick trip into the city.
Thanks
I have a 7 hour layover (from 6am-1pm) and was hoping to use this before a quick trip into the city.
Thanks
Jun 19, 2015, 5:36 am
#14
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: VA Platinum, SQ Gold, TK Gold, Hhonors Gold, Accor Plus Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Premium
Posts: 1,022
I was there yesterday and I can confirm there is an Air China Arrivals Lounge. It is called the Air China Premium Lounge (or words to that effect) and it is in the baggage carousel area to your right as you enter that area.
It is small but rather pleasant. The showers and toilets a miles better than those found in the departure lounges. So if you have a few hours and you an avail yourself of the visa free entry into Beijing I would encourage you to use this lounge.
I did have one challenge though. The helpful attendants offered to mind my backpack while I went into the city for lunch. They told me what time to return for my afternoon departure flight, but they neglected to tell me how to re-enter the arrivals area. (Beijing is a segregated airport - segregated between arrivals and departure.)
I hunted around for a way to get to the arrivals lounge and eventually overcame the strict security to inappropriate use of the shuttle train to get from the departure side to the arrivals side. I got my backpack and repeated my great escape experience.
So if you use the lounge and plan to visit Beijing - take your hand luggage with you. Or is there another way to access the lounge from land-side?
It is small but rather pleasant. The showers and toilets a miles better than those found in the departure lounges. So if you have a few hours and you an avail yourself of the visa free entry into Beijing I would encourage you to use this lounge.
I did have one challenge though. The helpful attendants offered to mind my backpack while I went into the city for lunch. They told me what time to return for my afternoon departure flight, but they neglected to tell me how to re-enter the arrivals area. (Beijing is a segregated airport - segregated between arrivals and departure.)
I hunted around for a way to get to the arrivals lounge and eventually overcame the strict security to inappropriate use of the shuttle train to get from the departure side to the arrivals side. I got my backpack and repeated my great escape experience.
So if you use the lounge and plan to visit Beijing - take your hand luggage with you. Or is there another way to access the lounge from land-side?
Jun 19, 2015, 5:54 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: VA Platinum, SQ Gold, TK Gold, Hhonors Gold, Accor Plus Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Premium
Posts: 1,022
I was there yesterday and I can confirm there is an Air China Arrivals Lounge. It is called the Air China Premium Lounge (or words to that effect) and it is in the baggage carousel area to your right as you enter that area.
It is small but rather pleasant. The showers and toilets a miles better than those found in the departure lounges. So if you have a few hours and you an avail yourself of the visa free entry into Beijing I would encourage you to use this lounge.
I did have one challenge though. The helpful attendants offered to mind my backpack while I went into the city for lunch. They told me what time to return for my afternoon departure flight, but they neglected to tell me how to re-enter the arrivals area. (Beijing is a segregated airport - segregated between arrivals and departure.)
I hunted around for a way to get to the arrivals lounge and eventually overcame the strict security to inappropriate use of the shuttle train to get from the departure side to the arrivals side. I got my backpack and repeated my great escape experience.
So if you use the lounge and plan to visit Beijing - take your hand luggage with you. Or is there another way to access the lounge from land-side?
It is small but rather pleasant. The showers and toilets a miles better than those found in the departure lounges. So if you have a few hours and you an avail yourself of the visa free entry into Beijing I would encourage you to use this lounge.
I did have one challenge though. The helpful attendants offered to mind my backpack while I went into the city for lunch. They told me what time to return for my afternoon departure flight, but they neglected to tell me how to re-enter the arrivals area. (Beijing is a segregated airport - segregated between arrivals and departure.)
I hunted around for a way to get to the arrivals lounge and eventually overcame the strict security to inappropriate use of the shuttle train to get from the departure side to the arrivals side. I got my backpack and repeated my great escape experience.
So if you use the lounge and plan to visit Beijing - take your hand luggage with you. Or is there another way to access the lounge from land-side?