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-   -   HKG: Exiting the airport after going to the lounge (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cathay-pacific-cathay/1580369-hkg-exiting-airport-after-going-lounge.html)

milehighj Feb 20, 2013 12:45 am

Using HKG departure-side lounges before clearing immigration
 
I have a scheduled 12 hour HKG (CX-CX) layover and plan to head into town later in the day for dinner with friends. What I'd like to know is whether upon arrival I can first proceed up to the departure concourse and utilise the Wing/Pier, et al, facilities for a couple hours, before clearing immigration and heading into town?

MTIA.

CanucksHKG Feb 20, 2013 12:51 am


Originally Posted by milehighj (Post 20281530)
I have a scheduled 12 hour HKG (CX-CX) layover and plan to head into town later in the day for dinner with friends. What I'd like to know is whether upon arrival I can first proceed up to the departure concourse and utilise the Wing/Pier, et al, facilities for a couple hours, before clearing immigration and heading into town?

MTIA.

What cabin are you flying?

Since you're implying you'll have access to Wing/Pier.....If your flight arriving Hong Kong is J/F, you have access to the CX Arrivals lounge. No need for the hassle to go through back up to the departure side.

milehighj Feb 20, 2013 1:00 am


Originally Posted by CanucksHKG (Post 20281539)
What cabin are you flying?

Since you're implying you'll have access to Wing/Pier.....If your flight arriving Hong Kong is J/F, you have access to the CX Arrivals lounge. No need for the hassle to go through back up to the departure side.

I'm in J and am BA Emerald. So in view of spending a couple of hours working on my laptop before heading into town, I'd much rather try the new Wing F than use the arrivals lounge. :)

CanucksHKG Feb 20, 2013 1:11 am

Technically you can arrive
-> enter immigration
-> walk past luggage area...."enter" HK
-> head back up stairs to "departure" HK
-> go through security / immigration
-> enjoy the Wing
-----------> then "enter" HK again. There's a special route for this, but it's not the usual flow of traffic. But there is a way to get back out of airport again. You would have to inquire one of the airport staff.
-> Head into town for dinner
-> go through security / immigration / lounge / fly



Whether it's worth the hassle to go find that route to be allow out of the airport again...would really depend on you. How long do you plan to stay in Wing working for?

peasant Feb 20, 2013 1:17 am


Originally Posted by milehighj (Post 20281530)
I have a scheduled 12 hour HKG (CX-CX) layover and plan to head into town later in the day for dinner with friends. What I'd like to know is whether upon arrival I can first proceed up to the departure concourse and utilise the Wing/Pier, et al, facilities for a couple hours, before clearing immigration and heading into town?

MTIA.

With some difficulty, yes. If you have the onward boarding pass issued and in hand, you can pass through security to departure hall. But then to get out, you will need to contact airline staff and have them arrange escort back down to arrivals/ immigration level, there's no "public" route from departures to arrivals

milehighj Feb 20, 2013 1:20 am


Originally Posted by CanucksHKG (Post 20281569)
Technically you can arrive
-> enter immigration
-> walk past luggage area...."enter" HK
-> head back up stairs to "departure" HK
-> go through security / immigration
-> enjoy the Wing
-----------> then "enter" HK again. There's a special route for this, but it's not the usual flow of traffic. But there is a way to get back out of airport again. You would have to inquire one of the airport staff.
-> Head into town for dinner
-> go through security / immigration / lounge / fly

Well it isn't really that complicated... Upon arrival, I'd first head upstairs as a normal transit pax holding my onward boarding pass, and head to the Wing. I certainly wouldn't have to enter HK twice.

All I was really asking was whether there's a simple process to exit the departure level and then clear immigration just that one time... Which I agree with you is not the normal flow of traffic.


Originally Posted by CanucksHKG (Post 20281569)
Whether it's worth the hassle to go find that route to be allow out of the airport again...would really depend on you. How long do you plan to stay in Wing working for?

As I said, a good couple of hours, which I think to many people makes a slightly roundabout detour to the nicer lounge worth the hassle. YMMV.

CrazyJ82 Feb 20, 2013 1:20 am


Originally Posted by CanucksHKG (Post 20281569)
Technically you can arrive
-> enter immigration
-> walk past luggage area...."enter" HK
-> head back up stairs to "departure" HK
-> go through security / immigration
-> enjoy the Wing
-----------> then "enter" HK again. There's a special route for this, but it's not the usual flow of traffic. But there is a way to get back out of airport again. You would have to inquire one of the airport staff.
-> Head into town for dinner
-> go through security / immigration / lounge / fly



Whether it's worth the hassle to go find that route to be allow out of the airport again...would really depend on you. How long do you plan to stay in Wing working for?

If you get the BP for your connecting flight at your origination, in theory you could just go through transit security and not have to worry about immigration at all until you're ready to head into town. You should not need to go through the first four steps above. (At which point, I believe you'd have to find a lounge attendant to escort you out through some secret path down to the arrivals level to clear immigration and enter HK.)

Though it is an awful lot of trouble. Are you sure you can't get your work done in the Arrival lounge? Or, after a shower in the Arrival lounge, head into town and set yourself up at a coffee shop with wi-fi?

Unterwegs Feb 20, 2013 1:27 am

It is actually pretty easy.
When you arrive you do what a normal transit passenger would do: Go thru security upstairs to the lounge.
In the lounge then later you tell them you want to go to town. They will either escort you or explain how to do it. You go backwards thru transit security to the arrivals level, thru immigration, customs.
Advantage of doing this is that you can leave your carry on in the lounge. Not horribly complicated and time consuming.

milehighj Feb 20, 2013 1:41 am


Originally Posted by Unterwegs (Post 20281609)
It is actually pretty easy.
When you arrive you do what a normal transit passenger would do: Go thru security upstairs to the lounge.
In the lounge then later you tell them you want to go to town. They will either escort you or explain how to do it. You go backwards thru transit security to the arrivals level, thru immigration, customs.
Advantage of doing this is that you can leave your carry on in the lounge. Not horribly complicated and time consuming.

Thanks for that. ^

And while I do genuinely appreciate all the input here, I fail to see the logic of why my plan would be such a hassle - unless it would hugely inconvenience me and/or CX staff to get me back down to the Arrivals level - which is something I've never done before and why I asked the original question.

I travel thru HKIA dozens of times a year, carry the HKIA frequent visitor pass, and am familiar with all the CX lounges (though I haven't yet visited the refurbished Wing F). So I'm pretty certain that given the amount of time I have on my hands, I'd rather check out the Wing F than the Arrivals Lounge.

garykung Feb 20, 2013 4:05 am


Originally Posted by milehighj (Post 20281627)
And while I do genuinely appreciate all the input here, I fail to see the logic of why my plan would be such a hassle - unless it would hugely inconvenience me and/or CX staff to get me back down to the Arrivals level - which is something I've never done before and why I asked the original question.

You are correct - a escort will be required.


Originally Posted by milehighj (Post 20281627)
I travel thru HKIA dozens of times a year, carry the HKIA frequent visitor pass, and am familiar with all the CX lounges (though I haven't yet visited the refurbished Wing F).

It does not mean you can do whatever you want.

miki13331 Feb 20, 2013 4:13 am

while it is not a big hassle for the passenger, it is a big inconvenience for the CX staff in the lounge to make arrangements to take you back to the arrivals level.

the lounge staff cannot tell you how to do it, they must get another ground staff from outside the lounge to escort you to the arrivals level, which could take 1-2 hours or longer if they are short of staff or there is some irrops at the airport. this is different than in the past when they would just issue a 'transit advice' form.

milehighj Feb 20, 2013 5:31 am


Originally Posted by garykung (Post 20281941)
You are correct - a escort will be required.

If you're 101% certain about that, then I'll take your word for it and just use the arrivals lounge.

But rather doubt that you are... :rolleyes:


It does not mean you can do whatever you want.
:rolleyes::rolleyes:

correctioncx Feb 20, 2013 6:58 am


Originally Posted by garykung (Post 20281941)
You are correct - a escort will be required.



It does not mean you can do whatever you want.

As usual you have no idea what you r talking about and do not have first hand info :rolleyes:

The op just tell the lounge CSO he needs to go landslide and they will issue his with a special ticket which states flight delay etc... And then he just take that and go back to the transfer point - use the elevators near Burger King and then just clear immigration and head back out

Unterwegs Feb 20, 2013 11:27 am


Originally Posted by miki13331 (Post 20281965)
while it is not a big hassle for the passenger, it is a big inconvenience for the CX staff in the lounge to make arrangements to take you back to the arrivals level.

the lounge staff cannot tell you how to do it, they must get another ground staff from outside the lounge to escort you to the arrivals level, which could take 1-2 hours or longer if they are short of staff or there is some irrops at the airport. this is different than in the past when they would just issue a 'transit advice' form.

Not my experience at all. I did this a few times in the past - seems they escort when they have time and issue a special document and explain how to use it otherwise. Never had to wait.

miki13331 Feb 20, 2013 12:25 pm


Originally Posted by Unterwegs (Post 20284365)
Not my experience at all. I did this a few times in the past - seems they escort when they have time and issue a special document and explain how to use it otherwise. Never had to wait.

They can no longer issue the special document 'transit advice.' HKG immigration have changed the procedures.


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