What should I know about NKG airport?
 

Flying into NKG for a week in June, via PVG, on China Eastern. I'm a Delta Gold Medallion so will have lounge access when I depart at the end of the week. I've done a little Googling about the airport and lounges, but information so far has been sparse.

Anything I should know? Since I'm flying onto PVG, I assume immigration/customs will all be dealt with in Shanghai.

Also, if you have any tips/must sees in Nanjing, let me know!

Hi jrkmsp!

I visited Nanjing last year. NKG is a large and very modern airport. That said, it is not on the same massive scale as PEK, PVG or SZX.

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International Departure area...

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I believe China Eastern has a dedicated lounge / domestic lounge, which I have not visited, but I did visit the International Lounge, which is a shared lounge used by Dragonair (Now Cathay Dragon) and other airlines.

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It is a decent, if unexceptional, lounge with fairly basic, mainly Chinese-style, F&B.

Comfortable, spacious seating.

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No guesses when I was there...

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The city itself is quite spread out, and many parts of the city are quite scenic.

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I only visited for a few days, and just caught a glimpse of the city, but apart from the history and other attractions, there is very good food to be had.

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Enjoy your trip!

The new terminal at NKG is certainly a step up from the old one.

Just off the top of my head here are some answers to your questions.

Yes, you would clear immigration in PVG. Sometimes, depending where you are coming from, your bags will go to the destination. Make sure you ask that question upon check-in and again when you get to PVG. I have had that happen from Taiwan. It was still a rather confusing walk to get from the international arrival to the domestic departure. It is no where near as clear as it would be in a standard U.S. international airport. If in doubt, ask.

I'm Delta Platinum Medallion. China Eastern and others in China affiliated with SkyTeam are pretty good about recognizing your status. The lounges are nothing to write home about though.

Getting from the airport to the city is a long drive, about 45 minutes to an hour. Taxis are pretty good, but it would be good to have your destination written in Chinese to show to the driver (print out hotel address or something before leaving).

There is a lot to see and do in Nanjing. In no particular order: the Nanjing Massacre Museum is well worth a visit if you know about that part of WWII history; the old city walls and gates are pretty cool. There is a good reconstructed section open to tourists; Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Mausoleum and the Ming tombs are on a mountain outside of the city but within easy cab ride. It's a nice scenic area to visit, but there are a lot of stairs; the Xuanwu Lake park right outside the old city wall is nice place to go for a stroll.

If you have time and would like to see one of the best places in China go to Yangzhou to see Slender West Lake. Also outside the north gate is Da Ming Temple and a short walk to the east is Songjia Town relic park, which is an old Song Dynasty fort and grounds.

In general, if it's a Chinese airline, then the (J) lounge is rubbish...IIRC, the last time I was at a CA lounge at PEK, they didn't have bottles of water, nor any snack that wasn't also a pork floss rice cake.

They're competing "well" with US airline lounges.

Are you serious? I've been to well over a dozen of J lounges in China. Almost all of them have bottled water or snacks. Some of them in the hub city even have real food throughout the day, well above the lounges in the US.

While I've never seen a lounge that didn't offer water, I agree with BMB on the general point. I shall also note that airport restaurant quality has made big strides during the past several years. For example, at SHA and SZX, it's now possible to enjoy a decent meal/snack in a better environment than the lounges at the same airports. That having been said, retail space in Chinese airports is still heavily skewed in favor of stores I would never ponder visiting at airports (e.g. there are better places to buy wedding dresses and $3,000 handbags); replace these with more f&b choices, and I'll happy.:)

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm being picked up on arrival and will be dropped off before I leave, so that should take care of that.

I guess the only other question worth asking is how far in advance I should plan to arrive at the airport. My flight to PVG is scheduled for a 7:35a deparutre. Is 6a early enough?

That's more than early enough and leaves enough time for any delays on the road (once you're outside the city, I've never had any traffic on this segment though) - and since you'll be leaving the city around 5.30am in that scenario, hardly any traffic in the city either. You might even want to plan to arrive a little bit later to give yourself some more sleep.

I like NKG airport, the new terminal is well designed and while the lounges certainly aren't great, they do their job just fine. As I'm in the *G camp, I'm using their lounges, but from what I got told, they're pretty much identical. For your time of the day probably not relevant, but the beer is properly cooled, and there are some hot food options during meal hour times.

All in all a better than your average Chinese airport experience. Nanjing really took some good decisions in the last few years. Metro is expanding fast, they've adapted a "light rail" system (Called the proper German Name, S-Bahn) for the outside areas incl the airport, and renovation in the city area has created much more "nice" areas to chill, walk and relax. Also, hotel prices are much lower than those in PEK/CAN/PVG, and there are enough choices including 2 Hiltons, Sheraton, Sofitel as well as several other "mid range" brands.

All in all, the former capital of China has plenty of things to do, all neatly packed in a not too crazy city area (but being bigger than smaller cities like Hangzhou and fairly international - going along with English alone is harder than in Shanghai for example, but it's not impossible if you don't mind some sign language :D

It's a great city to explore.

Did a smidge of editing for you.

As an aside, I was staying at a hotel deliberately along the airport metro line, though still downtown. I made it to the station as soon as it opened, but still had to wait about 40 minutes for the rather long ride. I'm not complaining about the service; instead, budget enough time in case you choose (or anyone else chooses) to take the metro.

Nanjing Metro line S1 also ends at Nanjing South station. Travelling further to the city requires connection.

Ugh, forgot about that...(doesn't Kunming's metro have a similar design re: airport connections?)

all the more reason to budget extra time when it's near opening/closing times.

(btw, aren't you on skyscrapercity?)

Yes.

One of Nanjing's biggest assets nobody has mentioned yet: very nice and friendly people, some of the nicest of any big city in China.....and they are nice even when you meet them in other parts of China, traveling outside their home city. The city has a nice vibe to it. I'd also rank the Presidential Palace as well worth a visit, and if one has time, a view over the Yangtze River.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/attac...0&d=1462524395

Yum!:p

Top tier hotel not mentioned was the Fairmont, but agree with the low prices for this level of city. The Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum itself has lots of steps, but the entire park is amazing. Take some time to enjoy the whole area. The stair part is crazy busy, but walk the trails off to some of the other areas and it is beautiful, quiet and just as historically meaningful. You could easily spend a full day here. The street food in the old area of the city is awesome and easily accessible without language skills.

How is this as an entry airport vs. PVG? It looks like I'm going back to Suzhou for another 2 months this fall and HATE flying into and out of PVG. Is the metro to the train station fairly easy? I don't mind SHA since I can get a direct train from the airport or WUX since the taxi isn't long, but I HATE the drive to PVG!

Thanks

Dr. PITUK