Hi, guys. I flew TSN-CAN today for several reasons:

-saved y800 in air fare
-wanted to try out the C train
-wondered if this could be viable alternative

Let me start with my conclusion: don't do this unless the fair difference is at least y600.

Anyway, here's the play by play.

In terms of numbers, I paid y30 for the taxi to Nan Zhan, y58 for my train ticket, and Y10 for the bus from TJ Zhan to TSN. While, that's only 98, since the bus ended up being the silliest part of my plan, let's replace that y10 with a taxi fare of y60, which puts us at y150.

Meanwhile, if I had flown out of PEK or NAY, my total ground transportation bill would have been y50. This means we can deduct y100 from my cost savings right off the bat. So, I saved about $105.

The total travel time between my place in Fulicheng and TSN was a whopping 2.5 hours (PEK takes around 45 mins), but I'm inclined to blame the bus on at least 30 minutes and as much as 60 minutes.

-left house at 11:10a
-arrived in Nan Zhan at 11:32a
-trains to TJ seem to depart every 10 mins or so
-I bought ticket from machine; earliest train with seats was noon departure
-I could have stood (literally) on an earlier train or maybe taken first class (I didn't inquire)
-the train is every bit as cool as I'd expected.... 29 minutes later, I was in the heart of TJ
-when I got to TJ, I must have walked 2 km looking for that stupid airport bus (in a typical Chinese fashion, every person I asked was happy to help direct me to it, whether or not they knew where it was)
-in case you're curious, it departs from a street about 200 meters away from the north exit, but you really shouldn't be curious because using the bus is a really bad idea
-instead, follow the signs to the taxi lot and get the first taxi you see (this still entails much more walking than you'd expect, but methinks I could have been a taxi by 12:40p and at the airport by 1:10p
-moreover, if I were to do this drill often, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to make the entire journey in 1.5 hours (aggressive, I know, but doable).

In closing, I guess $100 for an hour of my time and a new experience to boot, is okay. However, I'm not keen on repeating this experience. Instead, I'll try to book future tickets at the 5 day mark so I'm not confronted with the prospect of pay $250 for PEK-CAN.

There is also a direct a/c bus from Beijing to the Tianjin Airport, without going through TJ city. It leaves from Dawang Lu (Bawangfen long distance bus station, not too far south of Jianguomen, near the river). But it only operates during the daytime, is not incredibly frequent, and probably still takes 2 hours..though I think it's pretty cheap and the bus quality is good. This bus also runs in the opposite direction, from TSN to Beijing Bawangfen. Might be an option to/from those heading for Beijing SE part of city and CBD.

TSN is also an international airport and can sometimes be a useful backdoor if PEK flights are full or priced sky-high, though you'll likely need to route via NRT or ICN.

Does "meinu" work OK in TJ?
Instead of dongbei xiaojie?

No TSN-NRT flights, though JL flies TSN-NGO, probably due to some sort of Toyota-related contract.