Mr Bean

Hi,

Flyertalk noob here.

I am visiting my home country for a month with my wife and 5 yo son. On-route from Canada, we are planning to detour via HKG and SIN for 4 days each.

We’ll have 2 check-in baggage (20kb/45lb) and 2 cabin baggage (7kg/15lb). The current flight I am seeing takes me to HKG at 10:30 PM. Others flights are expensive.

How much time does it take me to get from the gate to outside? I have to go through immigration, etc. and collect the luggage so I am guessing, it would be 1.5-2 hours when we are outside the airport. I haven’t booked hotel, but I am thinking somewhere in Kowloon.

We are planning Disneyland 1 day/360 Ngong 1 day/ Kowloon & HK Island – 1.5 days.

What are my options to get to the hotel at that hour (say midnight) -

1) Wait at HKG lounge overnight, try to get some sleep and then take the airport express in the morning. I have Priority Pass lounge passes that I can make use of.
o Is there a limit on time? Are there comfortable couches to get sleep? I would have done 25 hour journey at this time.
o In the morning, check in luggage at the hotel and go for light sightseeing (I understand we’ll be tired that day)
o Here, I will save money on 1 hotel night (that’s not my purpose, but its just happening in this option)

2) Try to make it to Airport Express to Kowloon and then take taxi from Kowloon. Last train is at 00:48. Do I have enough time to catch it in time?
o Is it easy for us to carry the luggage and lil one through the Airport Express? I am used to crowds/transit and have general agility.
o Taxis at Kowloon: Is it safe at that hour and available easily?

3) If I happen to miss the Airport Express, then take the N11, get down somewhere in Kowloon - 80 (N11) + 40(taxi) = 120 HK$
o If N11 takes to the hotel, well and good. If not, take taxi to hotel. Are they easily available?

4) Take taxi directly to hotel – 300 HK$

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Personally I would think you will have passed immigration and collected your bags and be landside within 1 hour from leaving the aircraft ( and probably a bit quicker) as immigration and baggage reclaim at HKG is quick in my experience.

With 3 people ( not sure if there are child discounts) on the Airport Express I would probably just take a taxi to Kowloon.

You could take the AE to Kowloon but then you would have to carry your suitcases to the taxi rank ( there were trolleys at Kowloon when we passed through last month.)

Regards

TBS

christep

You can expect to be landside with bags in 45-50 minutes; 60-65 on a bad day, so you will be in plenty of time unless your flight is seriously delayed. You can take the luggage trolleys from the baggage carousel to the train door, and from the train door in Kowloon or HK stations to the taxis, which are safe and readily available.

In general you can't wait at a lounge because they are in the departure area and you are arriving. The two areas are separate. The only option is the Plaza Premium arrivals lounge, for which Priority Pass gives you a maximum 3 hour stay. I can't see a scenario in which that would be helpful.

Taxis should be no problem in most areas of Kowloon around midnight. You should be able to catch the regular airport buses unless your flight is delayed - the last A20 and A21 are at 00:00. If you miss them then you want N21 to Kowloon, not N11.

So basically if your flight's on time you'll be fine with the airport express and then a taxi to your hotel. Or the A21 (most likely) if it happens to go near your hotel.

And if you're too late for the airport express then I'd say just get a cab.

In fact as the previous reply said, with 3 people, the airport express option won't be cheaper than a cab direct. So if money is tight take the bus; otherwise just take a cab.

Mr Bean

I was planning on getting the AE pass but looks like the 2 ride pass doesnt save anything over the 1 ride pass. So I guess I will just toss between bus and taxi based on how stressed we are at that point. Thanks guys.

beep88

There is round the clock public transit from airport... taxi, night bus, hotel coach (which might be upgraded to sedan for free at the coach company's discretion if no one else is going to that area at that time)

:D!

A 5-year-old needs to pay the child fare, which is $50 each way on a child Octopus card.

An adult round trip ticket is $117 on Klook, that is $58.50 each way and there is a free bus from the station to many hotels

garykung

OP - simply choose taxi and leave the rest behind.

Lounge is not really a good place for a child to stay, especially the lounge could be crowded during that time. Airport Express can be expensive in your case. Even available, you may require additional transportation. Bus option is even worse, when the cash you have will be large bills and you may not be able to get an Octopus card.

Taxi, although being the most expensive option, has the least concerns.

azepine00

As noted 30-60 min to get out depending on gate lines etc. Take a taxi - dont make your life miserable to save a few $.
Since you plan to go to disneyland you may consider splitting your stay and staying a couple nights at airport marriott that will make going to disneyland much easier and save time on arrival

kaka

Or take an uber
whatever the government says, ubers are safer than cabbies.
and passengers do not take the legal risk of taking an uber.

garykung

Safer or not, the reality remains the same - taxi is the easiest method (given the signages).

On the other hand, Uber will need a pick up point (because Uber is officially illegal in Hong Kong, there is no designated pick up point anywhere at the airport).

evergrn

I agree that taxi would generally be the easiest choice, given the OP's situation.
BUT... HKG taxi drivers can be a bit crazy. One time we were in a similar situation, arriving really late (like 11pm) with little kids. So we decided to cab it. Scariest cab ride ever. The driver kept falling half-asleep behind the wheel! He was swerving from lane to lane. We shouted at him repeatedly, he'd wake up again, and he'd say "okay okay" with a smile. Then a minute later, he looks half-sleep. We asked him if he was okay, shouldn't he pull over, etc, etc. He kept saying "okay, okay" and kept driving. That's the last time I've taken a night-time taxi from HKIA into town. This fall, we'll be landing late again and this time we're staying at the airport hotel and taking the train into town in the morning. I know this experience was an outlier, but still.

gpia

I have had the same thing happen three times after late night arrivals (~1am). Remember the instances vividly and even resorted to night buses a couple of times because it was so scary.

On the other hand, had to change my young Uber driver's tire on the shoulder of the Lantau highway once, so stuff happens

Would still recommend a taxi to the OP. Take a look at the driver and request a different one if you don't feel comfortable.

nearbeer

You could try and stay at the Hong Kong Sky City by Marriott; they have a shuttle to pick you up. It seems a lot easier to get to Ngong 360 from there compared to staying on Kowloon.

kaka

i would NOT recommend a taxi in hong kong because they are very good scammers. either take an uber or get a train ticket using klook. at least taking the cab at the train station would limit your cab exposure on high speed routes, i would still prefer taking an uber there because taxis would scam charge you per piece of luggage anyways, not uber.

taxi is the easiest method fpr a tpurist to be scammed. and i am saying this from experience - until i decide to tell the driver to mind his own rotten business or lets spend a few hours in the police station.


PS: the cabbie problem in hong kong is a systematic one, so i dont think looking at one in the eye and decide would change much. taking the train would defo avoid the gpia situation

christep

I feel kaka exaggerates the situation dramatically. Granted I don't take taxis from the airport, but in 20 years of taking them regularly around town I can think of only one occasion where the driver tried to take a "scenic" route, plus a couple where there wouldn't go cross-harbour when asked.

However, there are two blackspots: taxis hanging around at the lower Peak Tram station seem quite often to be scammers, and there is the problem of taxis at Lan Kwai Fong late on a Friday and Saturday night declining short rides (or demanding high fixed prices). A standard rule of taxis anywhere is "you pick the taxi, don't take a taxi that picks you". The luggage fees are part of the standard regulated published fare, they aren't a scam.

I'd far, far rather use a HK taxi than take a ride in some unknown, unlicensed and uninsured person's private vehicle. Uber drivers are just as likely to fall asleep (or have a heart attack and die while driving, killing other people, as happened recently) as taxi drivers.