Arrivals process and Using the Pier or Wing
 

What is the process regarding immigration, baggage collection and using the Pier or Wing upon arrival in Hong Kong?

If we arrive on the 5:40am CX flight from LAX and wish to use the Cabanas and freshen up prior to going into town, how does this work?

We are flying in First Class.

Thanks

Note 1: You MAY NOT use the Wing/Pier on arrival in HKG

1. Proceed to the immigration counters after deboarding, normally this flight arrives at a close gate, around 1-4, so the immigration counters are nearby. If not, you will have to proceed to the transfer system. As F class passengers, you will likely be ahead of everybody else. There are seperate lines for Hong Kong PIC holders and Visitors. After completing this process, proceed to the baggage claim area.

2. Your luggage will also be out first, since you are F passengers, and the luggage is priority tagged.

3. Proceed to customs

4. After passing customs, you will be in the arrivals hall, and may take the AEL, buses, taxis or your hotel transfer into Hong Kong.

Isn't the First Class Lounge at the Wing on the same level as the arrival hall with the Business Class Lounge down stairs?

I thought you could hang a left after clearing immigration and enter the First Class lounge prior to picking up your bags and clearing customs.

The only problem I see with this is what happens to your bags if you leave them on the carousel.

The ONLY way you can access either lounge upon ARRIVAL is if you have an onward connection where you will take one of the 3 transiting elevators from the arrival level to the departure ones. But since you are terminating in HKG, you'll be out of luck. Sorry about that.

No. All of the Wing is on level 7. Arrivals is on level 5.

The Pier takes up on space on level 5 but is only accessible through level 6 departures.

Arrivals and departures are COMPLETELY segregated at HKIA and as rejunivated has said there is no way to access the DEPARTURE lounges, of which The Wing and The Pier are, unless you are holding a valid onward DEPARTING boarding pass. Whether you are arriving in F, J or Y.

However most HKG hotels do early checkin, or will let you use their gym facilities to freshen up if your room happens not to be available on arrival.

I think this issue has been discussed before.. about why CX doesn't have an Arrivals lounge. I attributed to the fact that it may be an 'asian' thing. That airlines believe that people would want to get home as fast as possible instead of hanging around the airport some more. If we look at the other Asian airports, and their carriers, none of them offer an Arrivals lounge.

Could it be a Western thing that one must take a shower immediately after arrivals? Don't you want to go home or to the hotel so that one may refresh there instead?

Not an "arrivals lounge" per se, but Malaysia Airlines offers its arriving J and F passengers use of their very nice (and very well catered) Golden Lounge at KUL.

http://hq.malaysiaairlines.com/mys/e...en_lounges.asp

I used this lounge after my flight from NRT without an onward connection.

Wow, what a bummer. On our continuing flight several days later to Bali and then back to the US we will not have much connection time to enjoy the Wing and/or Pier.

Our best bet was upon arrival.

Our early check in at the Ritz is at 11:00am, so I don't know what we will be doing for 4 hours while we feel grimy and such.

Whats the point of having Cabanas when you are departing?

Precisely for those trips when you're connecting from a long-ish flight and have some time to kill before your next flight. After arriving from LHR, I loved being able to shower and then have a decent meal while waiting for my flight to SIN.

Some people go through the trouble of purchasing a fully refundable ticket just so they get back to the departure areas and the lounges. If you are so determined to visit the lounges, then this is a possibility. After you're done, just take the ticket back and get a refund.

Haha, I haven't heard of that one before. Interesting! :D

It's nearly a 3-hr connection if you're flying to LAX. How much time do you need? It's an airport lounge, not a destination resort.

I would be forced to agree:

Cabanas - at most, an hour
the Haven - at most, an hour
Surf the internet/reading material - remainder of the time.

You should be all set. :)

I have spent around 5 hours last time when I was at the Wing.
I arrrived at HKG @ 5:30am. Got to the lounge @ 6am (as they use the small one downstair before 6am).
Used the Cabana for around 2 hours (accidently fell asleep there)
Dine at the Haven for 1 hour
Served the net and finished my work for 1 hour
relax as the Library (reading chinese magazines for 1 hour)

Actually by that time i feel really bored and decided to go home and drop off some luggage before heading back to the lounge again for lunch (which was a good buffet) before our flight to YVR/JFK

When I said at most an hour, I was pushing it. I usually just take 45 minutes, and this involves soaking the tub, and having a quick shower after that. But maybe that's just me. :D

I'm sure the Ritz-Carlton would be glad to store your luggage upon your arrival at around 7:00am and then you can head to their health club and shower:

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/ho...on/default.asp

After the shower, you can have breakfast here:

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/ho...fe/default.asp

or if in the club floor lounge if you have booked accomodations that includes access to it.

I believe a regular CX flyer (changi or mhtapai) said there was a way to do as the OP wants, but I have bad luck with the serch function in locating the link.

As stated before, only if one has a connection can you use the lounges. My question is that I have a 12 hour transit in HKG. I would love to take a shower at the lounge, then head into Central for a while, returning later for my same day onward flight. Any suggestions?

of course u can, provided your next fight is with OW. (or that u r CX Diamond).
as for the direction instruction, i think i first posted it in 2001 and many people have repeated in previous threads. u may want to do a search

note you can also leave your lugguage there (unlike the paranoid US airports who fear you might leave a bomb there). but remember to bring your BP and passport :)

for detailed instruction click the link below (or search old FT threads -- but it was disabled :( )
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comprehensive guide to transit in the Wing and half day trip to the city

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hey, that was my idea. though i never used it myself :)
hkg-tpe F oneaway is probably $400, u got refunded right away, i guess

EXPLT: won;t you be able to enjoy Wing/Pier on the outbound of hkg-dps?

also, try to call your hotel and tell them that you want to see if you can check in early.
(i checked into a sheraton in US 6am in the morning, as SW PLT member)
as noted before, i am sure they would let you shower in their gymn/sauna

many full fare F and J tickets purchased in HKG have refund fees.

It's very much possible. Just go through the transfer security, use the lounges, leave your carry-ons, take your passport and BP, enjoy the city, return, use the lounges, continue with the trip!!!

When we met last March in one of the lounges, that's what I was doing. I arrived in the morning from LAX and had a late evening departure to JNB. I'm not sure we met that particular day as I had 1 more connection through HKG later in the trip as well as departing for LAX on the return, but the point is that as long as you have a departure BP, the lounges are yours to enjoy.

Yep, all CX F class flights on the day in question. I assume that the lounge staff will assist you with the correct procedures for going thru customs and immigration.

leaving is easy, it is finding the way to go from arrival level to departure level that is tricky. but with a transit BP, they would tell you how to get there.
the easiest is to look for W1-4 elevators, and go up to level 7(i think it is 7).
you just follow the same track to come back down

i thought these fees are travel agent imposed?
if you buy from airline, there shouldnt be.

but again, it may be a hassle to refund a ticket where you have obtained a BP already. i think CX typically remove your coupon when giving u the BP

Actually I did a detailed post on the procedures to goto the lounge and then get out and go outside during transit.

Please do a serach or PM me.

tickets purchased directly from CX can have refund fees, usually HKD125.

If you have a same-day onward flight it used to be quite straightforward to get back to the arrivals area after using the CX lounge in departures. You could just take the elevator back to the arrivals level and the security guard would let you go back though as long as you showed him your boarding card for later the same day.

Some time last year the rules were tightened up, and you now need to have a member of CX staff escort you back through security. Its still possible to do, but a bit more hassle involved while you wait around for someone to show up to escort you through.

Chris

I can confirm that. Last october I had a connection in HKG (arriving in the morning and leaving in the late evening) and went directly to the departures level with my onwoard BP. I took a shower at the lounge but when I wanted to go back to security via the elevators to leave for the city they also told me that I needed to contact my airline and have someone coming to escort me out. This took another 30mins as they (Dragonair) were waiting for some other passengers who wanted to leave as well. The agent didn't want to run up and down all the time...

Any ideas how this inconvenient procedure is improving security?

As I said before, you DONOT need to be escorted. You just need a special permission slip from the staff at the Wing or the Pier. But if you connected on other airlines (eg. KA) then it might be a different procedure. Well unless you are Diamond or above then you wouldn't be able to use the Wing/pier anyway if travelling on a different airline.

...now I got it, thanks!

I did not tried that so far because I did not have any CX to CX connection with enough time to go to the city yet. As I said that day my connection was on KA. That day I needed to be escorted by KA staff.

I am only MPC silver but got offered access to the CX lounges that day because my incoming CX flight was delayed by 28 hours - and that was actually the reason for the long layover.

It would be easier to spend more time in there if they had a drinks service in the Cabanas ;)

I was flying CX on both inbound and outbound flights that day. It was the guard manning the security check who told me I needed an escort. Next time I'll do it differently and ask for that slip at the CX lounge before I attempt to head landside.

Chris

That's what I thought. Perhaps its not so much a security issue rather than an attempt to prevent hapless first-time travellers from wandering off into areas they shouldn't be going to. Never underestimate the ingenuity of some people for getting lost and delaying their flights.

Chris

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