I'm planning a trip to HKG in the very near future. I was looking at J class fares on CX from SFO and found the price to HKG to be around $4300, but $2800 to TPE. I could then buy another return ticket TPE - HKG in J class for another $550, saving me over $1000!
My question is how easy is it to turn around in TPE? I would arrive around 10am and depart back to HKG at Noon. Same thing on the return flight. Is there a local transfer desk I can go to in the terminal? Has anyone done a turnaround with CX in TPE before? Thank you.

Good question! I do exactly the same.... buy "D" SFO/LAX-HKG-TPE-HKG-SFO/LAX then fly TPE-HKG-BKK/SIN-HKG-TPE. This has saved me and clients lots of $$ and qualified me for LOTS and LOTS of bonuses back in the old days. Do register for the current one though, the CXAPR promo, qualifying for 10K per RT.

TPE is very easy to turn around. There's a designated "Transfer" area upstairs on air side, and also you can proceed to the Mini CX lounge afterwards. The transfer desk will be able to issue your onward BP and all, or if you have any additional things to take care of, proceed to the lounge and they can help you in there.

I do this TPE turn around about 8 thimes last year, and it has always been very easy and quick. Even if you don't get on the flight you are confirmed on, you can opt for later/earlier flights. There's almost one flight every hour. Sometimes I feel like going to TPE/HKG earlier, then I just ask the lounge people, and vice versa.

Note that in almost all instances inter-Asia on CX you can pretty much show up whereever you want, and whenever you want, and you will be taken care of -- one of the biggest advantages of flying CX inter-Asia in J/F.

jkc22 - you have been a wealth of info for me in planning this trip! Thanks for all of the info. As far as logistics go, I just get off the plane in TPE and go through transit security and then upstairs to the transit desk? I'm not sure if I will have paper or E-tickets. Do I need to show something to security while transiting? Thanks


[This message has been edited by JonnieB (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

As soon as you get off the plane out of the holding area, there are signs overhead as well as orange/yellow sticker line/arrow guides on the ground which will direct you upstairs to the transit desks.

There will be no immigration or security involved to the transit desk, although in going there you will approach the security checkpoints, but you won't need to go through it.

After you obtain your BP and etc, depending where in the terminals you are going (likely the same, as both flights are CX, or sometimes to the opposide wing), you then proceed through security and then turn left to go upstairs to the CX lounge, where there's a J and a F section. You only need to make sure which "end" of the terminal (Terminal 1) you are going to, as there are two wings on opposite ends. The CX gates are located on the "B" end of Terminal 1.

You won't need BP or passport for security since you will never have left the secured/immigration areas. For a rough idea of how the airport layout is, refer to http://www.cksairport.gov.tw/english...on/t1_map.htm#

If your tickets are purchased through AA or CathayPacific.com, they are now electronic. If through a travel agent or on Cathayusa.com they will be paper.

If you want to do duty free shopping, you will have to leave the lounge early to the gate areas for the shops.

Finally, enjoy CX J. AFAIK, all 74B's are removed from SFO-HKG, so you'll get the new (albeit inclined) flat NBC seats.



[This message has been edited by jkc22 (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

Also, next time if you could, try to get you tickets issued by a Taiwanese travel agency. The local agencies have tickets as low as $10,000NT ($350US). Otherwise, try to ticket next time on http://www.cathaypacific.com/intl/booking/onlinefares/ where they offer TPE-HKG in J for $14,900NT ($450) now.

This works well if you don't have any checked baggage.

But what if you have checked baggage?

If flying SFO-HKG-TPE-HKG on the same day, is it possible to ask the check-in agent in SFO to tag the bag SFO-HKG (the bag will be spinning around the baggage claim in HKG with nobody to pick it up -- can you pick it up at the baggage inquiries desk after you return from the TPE-HKG segment later in the day?) instead of SFO-HKG-TPE?, or even tag the bag as SFO-HKG-TPE-HKG?

Ahh....of course. What I usually do is either 1) not check any bags, or 2) check my bags to HKG only, and while in HKG at the Wing/Pier, inform the lounge attendant that I will have bags that arrive from the plane CX8** that will be offloaded in HKG and that I will be going to TPE and back in a few hours, then they will page baggage service to look for my bags and hold them for me until I return to HKG later in the afternoon. It has never been any trouble for me.

In one instance, they had to confirm whether the bag was mine (it was a LV bag) so I just exited to confirm with my bag tags and personally pointing out the bag (although the lounge attendant Grace offered to follow up for me). Even if I had to exit and reenter the secured area it usually takes me at the most 10-15 minutes. On top of that, the baggage delivery is so efficient that about 80-95% of the time my "First" tagged bags are already there waiting for me once I exit to the baggage claims. HKG is just so easy, I wish all other airports in the World can be like HKG, especially JFK and SFO...