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HKG: Exiting the airport after going to the lounge

Old Feb 19, 2019, 3:31 am
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Last edit by: kaka
as long as one has an intention to fly and has a long(%) transit immd is not gonna take you to court for going for a shower and some food after getting off a flight that arrives at 5am (or whenever your flight is).

However, dont expect you can be taken care of quickly if you need to get out before 10am during the morning bank of flights.

No comments for other reasons for using the lounge and back out - do at your own risks.

(%)- assuming you spend min 2 hours in lounge (spare more time for getting out in the morning) after arrivals to shower, eat, and wait for staff to walk you out + returning 1 hours before flight + 1.5 hours for the 2-way airport express trip, youre looking at killing 6 hours before you can do anything in town. YMMV.
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HKG: Exiting the airport after going to the lounge

Old Feb 15, 2019, 3:11 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by uncommonsensical
as much as i like CX, i cannot stand the attitude of the greeters at the HKG lounges. everyone else in the lounges is great; but the girls all have this homecoming queen vibe that seems to miss the mark in terms of the reality of their position. i got nothing but attitude like i was asking the world when i arrived and expressed my plan to shower then head into the city. the girl finally got past the gravity of my request (hey- i didn't close the arrivals lounge) and told me to come back when i'm ready to go and someone will escort me. so i do that and then i'm told it could be a couple of hours to find staff. ... didn't you tell me that when i arrived? ugh. it's been 90 minutes and, hence, enough time to find this thread. my window to leave is closing and, well, i'm venting. all the while the 2 of them stand there playing with their phones doing a job that requires only 1 person (or an above average chimp who happens to look good in CX colours).
I guess I understand the wait. This is not an activity the airline would be assigning permanent staff to, so you'd be taking staff off their regular duties. There are likely passengers with legitimate needs for assistance that need access to those staff now, rather than than you. Passengers with late inbound flights, that may have forgotten an item on board that needs to be retrieved, or maybe even unaccompanied minors.

I guess your priority is at the bottom of the list, and keeps gettig pushed down as genuine pax need help. And then staff are entitled to a break or whatever, so your time gets pushed out.

Not sure if there would be much of a difference if they had told you on arrival at the lounge it could take two hours. Presumably you only had a very quick shower so this has only put you back 30 mins or so? (it still would have taken two hours to get someone from whatever time you decided you wanted to go out).
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Old Feb 15, 2019, 6:46 am
  #17  
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So people in this thread have been asking the lounge staff to help them exit the airport. What if you are someone who doesn’t have lounge access. There must be other people in the airport who can help you exit? Maybe they will help you exit faster.
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Old Feb 15, 2019, 8:17 pm
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Originally Posted by kaka

how is using a lounge w an onboard flight cheating

HKIA seems to believe it is against their regulations to enter airside "without the intent to fly". likewise, what the poster everyone is responding to said...is not very clever. "Hi, I want a shower and then intend to go into town". I am not a lawyer, nor do I have any clue how enforceable any of this is. But they've told me this in multiple conversations, I've asked this exact scenario before.

I don't actually think it is ever (maybe rarely?) enforced in this situation. Especially since I don't think there is any way to prove it. But in this case, the passenger basically said as much to the lounge staff lol. And like I said in my post above, CX doesn't have much incentive to screw the passenger over and make him the rare case to get in trouble for this. So they delay the hell out of it and have plausible deniability - they can say the passenger was persistent, them delaying him 60-90 minutes obviously shows they're not encouraging it, etc.

But yea, only if you're trying to throw a wrench into your plans and delay yourself, should you emulate the poster roughly: "Hi, I'm not here to fly right now, but rather just enjoy the services and bounce into town."
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Old Feb 15, 2019, 11:15 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by kaka

how is using a lounge w a same day lounge invitation cheating
They are departure lounges, in the sterile departures area. They are not arrivals lounges.
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Old Feb 16, 2019, 7:33 am
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Originally Posted by kaka

if there were a rule stopping that either AA or CX would have pulled it.

add to that cx staff suggested that makes it unlikely that theres actually a rule against it.

more reason to think its a made up rule and lazy staff.
Originally Posted by percysmith


Well on the other hand I don't think admittance into HK after entry into the transit level is an as of right entitlement - in fact probably a discouraged practice if not an outright exception.
My understanding is, there is definitely a rule that you cannot enter without "intent to fly". HKIA executives have told me this. However, I think practically the problem is everyone knows you can't police it. How the heck do you have security enforce that? Boarding pass is enough, most likely, for any passenger to win any argument let alone legal fight about intent to fly. And nobody ever gets in trouble for this, maybe not one person ever. So it would be pretty silly for CX to report people for this. They lose a customer forever, get bad PR, and probably nothing happens to the guy on top of it since how can it be proved anyway. They still have pressure from immigration and security to curtail abuses, though. That's why the fellow who started this discussion is off base...because he essentially said "I'm entitled to abuse this rule, and why aren't you moving fast enough?" They cant obviously just agree to that. So he gets delayed.

There are ways to approach it, and not to approach it, if you're breaking this technical rule. Sadly, an "emergency" is a surefire way to do it. Of course enough abusing it, and this ruins it for those of us who eventually do have an emergency and have to leave. But definitely the way not to approach it is to harangue CX lounge attendants about wanting your arrival shower before you go into town and munch on dim sum for half the day, and criticizing CX for not having an arrival lounge, and saying that's the only reason you came airside.

At some point, folks on here forget not every perceived loophole is actually a loophole. It is just very poorly enforced and/or not yet tested.
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Old Feb 18, 2019, 7:54 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by tentseller
Just a data point on leaving CX pier to head home in HK.

There was massive late evening delay with CX/KA on Jan 27, my 2000 departure HKG KUL was delayed and when the new flight was announced at 0045 Jan 28 at 845pm I decide to pack it in and fly out the next morning.
Counter staff made all my fight changes in 5 minutes and I was then immediately escorted via a waiting cart to just before the immigration gates.

Base on my datapoint they are taking their time filing these visit lounge and then leave airside for HK request.
That's interesting. A similar thing happened to me a few months ago and I was escorted to the immigration office. Could not use the arrival immigration gates (I am PR) and had to wait almost an hour to be "processed" by immigraiton.
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 3:36 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by brunos
That's interesting. A similar thing happened to me a few months ago and I was escorted to the immigration office. Could not use the arrival immigration gates (I am PR) and had to wait almost an hour to be "processed" by immigraiton.
this is normal procedure if you exited HK (as opposed to a transit), as they need to cancel your exit record.
for transit they only need to accept you (enter hk).

aligns with many other normal countries in my experience, even at irrops.
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 3:56 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by kaka

this is normal procedure if you exited HK (as opposed to a transit), as they need to cancel your exit record.
for transit they only need to accept you (enter hk).

aligns with many other normal countries in my experience, even at irrops.
I agree with you.

An immigration officer mentioned that they were also routinely checking the overall "profile". I assume that they were checking if I had done anything like this before. But my impression is that they also have instructions to "delay" pax, even PR. During my wait, some other pax from different airlines showed up and had to wait. A couple had missed their flight and had to go back landside to make new arrangements, very upset with the long wait. One had forgotten her handbag landside and that reminded me of a famous incident..
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 8:36 am
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I do wonder why at HKIA they have these rules in the first place. I have had several 12 hour plus layovers in HKG and chosen to go into the city, refreshing up a bit at a restroom before talking the HEX. It would be nice to be ab;e to take a shower at the lounge after a 15+ hour flight before leaving to enjoy Hong Kong proper.

I understand that the lounges are not meant to be an arrivals lounge, but in this case, I'm connecting and require a ticket to prove that. And if I never left the airport after arriving from my first flight, I'd still have access to the showers etc. as soon as I hit the lounge first thing after clearing transit security.

If I wanted to go into town, I'd still have to clear immigration etc. both leaving and reentering the airport, but that would be my choice. In the US, one needs to clear immigration and customs after an international arrival, but after that no one is going to stop you from clearing security, going to a lounge to take a shower, then leaving the airport during a long layover, to return later for your flight, be it a domestic US or another int'l flight.
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 9:25 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by teemuflyer
I do wonder why at HKIA they have these rules in the first place. I have had several 12 hour plus layovers in HKG and chosen to go into the city, refreshing up a bit at a restroom before talking the HEX. It would be nice to be ab;e to take a shower at the lounge after a 15+ hour flight before leaving to enjoy Hong Kong proper.

I understand that the lounges are not meant to be an arrivals lounge, but in this case, I'm connecting and require a ticket to prove that. And if I never left the airport after arriving from my first flight, I'd still have access to the showers etc. as soon as I hit the lounge first thing after clearing transit security.

If I wanted to go into town, I'd still have to clear immigration etc. both leaving and reentering the airport, but that would be my choice. In the US, one needs to clear immigration and customs after an international arrival, but after that no one is going to stop you from clearing security, going to a lounge to take a shower, then leaving the airport during a long layover, to return later for your flight, be it a domestic US or another int'l flight.
there are multiple issues at bay but the monotonic thinking procedure leads to a monotonic conclusion. luckily procedures from the past has led to 2 outcomes at entrance procedures that i know of- backtrack during transit leads to entering HK and cancellation a flight w HKG as origin leads to Immigrations office having a grilling (at least, of your records)

for your long transit you only need to wait for cx staff to take you back to arrivals level and no need to wait for the immigrations office to check if youve broken various laws. this is made worse because you may have to wait longer for a shower back when cx used to run the arrivals lounge than getting a talking to by the lounge staff if you time what you do and play your cards right.
now that they dont even have a lounge its led to even funnier conclusions- since you can afford X you should also pay Y but its not of CXs responsibility to provide you Y as an add-on product although many airlines can provide you a shower (inclusive of towel) and some snacks for the minimum without a ridiculous waiting time.

Of course, theres less of a case where business travellers w FFP proof has their business meeting cancelled last minute (they should wait landside to wait for confirmations), travellers who forgot something landside should have their stuff confiscated (their responsibility), or health issues (they can either see the airside doctor or at their destination, or fly over and fly back to see their dying relatives- or they shouldnt be so unfillial and should have cancelled their trip before checking-in) and should be left SOL in case circumstances changes. There should never have been a case of emergency.

Last edited by kaka; Feb 19, 2019 at 7:01 pm
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 12:52 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by teemuflyer
I do wonder why at HKIA they have these rules in the first place. I have had several 12 hour plus layovers in HKG and chosen to go into the city, refreshing up a bit at a restroom before talking the HEX. It would be nice to be ab;e to take a shower at the lounge after a 15+ hour flight before leaving to enjoy Hong Kong proper.

I understand that the lounges are not meant to be an arrivals lounge, but in this case, I'm connecting and require a ticket to prove that. And if I never left the airport after arriving from my first flight, I'd still have access to the showers etc. as soon as I hit the lounge first thing after clearing transit security.

If I wanted to go into town, I'd still have to clear immigration etc. both leaving and reentering the airport, but that would be my choice. In the US, one needs to clear immigration and customs after an international arrival, but after that no one is going to stop you from clearing security, going to a lounge to take a shower, then leaving the airport during a long layover, to return later for your flight, be it a domestic US or another int'l flight.
Does HKG have domestic flights?
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 2:14 pm
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A lot to sift through here, however the process to exit HKIA after entering the departure area seems clear enough.

My biggest questions is, what's the risk of doing this? Almost every data point on this thread is a successful exit of the airport from the departure area after a lounge visit. Has anyone been told no? Or been refused entry back into the departures area?

I have a 14 hour layover coming up in a couple weeks that will start at 5:00 am (well before Disneyland opens for the kiddos).
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 4:19 pm
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Originally Posted by tentseller
Does HKG have domestic flights?
this would open a can if worms!
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 5:26 pm
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Originally Posted by Passmethesickbag
I have a reservation that will bring me from SYD to HKG at 5 AM, continuing to Europe just after midnight. I have a day room booked at an airport hotel, with a 9 AM check-in. Assuming that I will be checked in straight through to Europe in SYD, is it possible to start the morning as a transit passenger in the terminal, and have breakfast in the lounge, and then exit through immigration and head for my day room?
The SYDHKG CX138 arrives early most of the time, especially at Australia Day light saving times. I some times got out of the airport at 4am. The official opening time for CX lounges are 5:30am, no real food will be served before that. And unless you've got F lounge access, the breakfast at J lounge side is minimum at 5:30, the noodle bar etc start from 6ish. Basically means you will be wasting almost 2 hours before you can have some real hot food. Shower is decent though.

If it was the Regal airport hotel you booked with, there are quite a lot of guests checking out very early (I guess the reason for a person chose to stay at the airport hotel would be to catch an early flight), if your check in time is booked to be 9, I don't think you would have any problems to be actually in the room couple of hours before that. There are one restaurants already open at the airport arrival hall around 4am and you can grab a decent breakfast for under HKD50.

Originally Posted by QRC3288
My understanding is, there is definitely a rule that you cannot enter without "intent to fly". HKIA executives have told me this. However, I think practically the problem is everyone knows you can't police it. How the heck do you have security enforce that? Boarding pass is enough, most likely, for any passenger to win any argument let alone legal fight about intent to fly. And nobody ever gets in trouble for this, maybe not one person ever. So it would be pretty silly for CX to report people for this. They lose a customer forever, get bad PR, and probably nothing happens to the guy on top of it since how can it be proved anyway. They still have pressure from immigration and security to curtail abuses, though. That's why the fellow who started this discussion is off base...because he essentially said "I'm entitled to abuse this rule, and why aren't you moving fast enough?" They cant obviously just agree to that. So he gets delayed.

There are ways to approach it, and not to approach it, if you're breaking this technical rule. Sadly, an "emergency" is a surefire way to do it. Of course enough abusing it, and this ruins it for those of us who eventually do have an emergency and have to leave. But definitely the way not to approach it is to harangue CX lounge attendants about wanting your arrival shower before you go into town and munch on dim sum for half the day, and criticizing CX for not having an arrival lounge, and saying that's the only reason you came airside.

At some point, folks on here forget not every perceived loophole is actually a loophole. It is just very poorly enforced and/or not yet tested.
Well, they can simply put a price tag. i.e. 500HKD for escort from airside to landside unless your flight rescheduled more than x amount of hours. So if someone wants to visit airside without the intention to fly, they either pay the fee or rebook their flight.

Last edited by Ausriver; Feb 19, 2019 at 5:35 pm
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 5:52 pm
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thats a very good way to get passengers to fly via a different transit point and airline- instead of having good tourists who travel in prem cabin and spend money in the city. (alternative is either spend money at regal or get tired before anything opens in the city)

all they need to provide is a reasonable space for people to hang around for 3-4 hours. the BA arrivals lounge has 50ish shower pods + lounging space.
if people dont have to wait for 2-3 hours or spend usd100s for a shower, many people will not want to clear transit security for this.
or the alternative is to accept their operation sucks and have someone at 0830 or 0930 to bring transit passengers back to arrivals from the Wing.
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