Possible to exit the HKG transit jail?
 

I'm in transit in Hong Kong after connecting from one international flight to another. There's no exit to immigration!

Am I stuck in this jail for the rest of the day? I planned on going into the city.

​​​​​​ugh.

When you got off the plane, why didn't you follow the signs to arrivals?

That's exactly what I did. The lounge had luggage storage :(.

There is also (inexpensive) luggage storage in the arrivals lobby that is well suited for people who want to leave the airport during their transits.

They have cut down on this waste of HK's efficient resources. It is now close to impossible.

No offense - OP deserves it.

AFAICT - the majority of airports separates departure/arrival traffic, with some exceptions. And clearly - while there was a loophole at HKG that some people may be able to exit the airside and back to arrival for immigration, the design of HKG, again, separates departure/arrival traffic.

So when OP chose to pass through transit, OP was destined for departure only.

In the past, when I've been at a country with transit (like Amsterdam, Bangkok/Vietnam (can't remember which), it was a three way grid.

You can go Intl Arrivals -> Intl Departures (transit) - with no immigration.
You can go curbside -> Immigration -> Intl Departures (transit) - Departures control immigration only.
You can go Intl Departures -> Immigration -> Curbside. - Just as a standard arrival would.

The only place really jailed off is intl arrivals.

You could loop 2 to 3 indefinitely, and indeed I've done it in Amsterdam on accident!

There may be a one way gate from arrivals to Departures, but there really isn't a need to "lock" you into the transit area as long as you're willing to go through immigration again.

I guess I'm missing something here on the purpose of transit and HKG must be different.

It's been explained above. Just because you made a decision you later didn't like doesn't mean Hong Kong airport/immigration is "wrong".

The previous reply was inferring it was like this almost everywhere and I "deserved it" in an insinuating way . I was mostly replying to that -- noting I had no way to reasonable know this would be the case and there are multiple major airports where this is not the case. It has nothing to do with HKG being right/wrong. It's the way it is there, but who was I to know. Previous experience wasn't a teacher.

Before I reiterate that you deserve it...

1. Why would you expect HKG allowing what you want to do?

2. Which airports, except KUL (as KUL is the only one I know mixing departure and arrival), allow such practice? Also, which airports do not?

You went to the "departures area". This is intended for people who are departing from HK. Since you actually wanted to visit HK, you should have gone to the arrivals area. Perhaps, you should have spent 2 minutes on Google in advance of your trip.

QUOT

Do you expect me to make this list for you of both? I already pointed out some in my reply. I can only speak to where I have been.

To date, I've visited many countries and exited transit 100% on all my previous attempts to do so.
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AMS (exit/reenter multiple times same day!)
CDG

if I didn't enter, nobody looked at my passport. The only time you get jailed in these airports is after they scan your boarding pass as you board the plane.

Additionally, departures/arrivals s unrestricted to/from immigration in bkk on a flight from Cambodia onward outside bkk.

Furthermore, there is no sign saying you're going to transit in hkg. It says gates 200-300 this way. You pass security, that's it. Not obvious.

Agreed, probably would have helped!. I'm looking now and see some bad advice on Google too, but the idea is just walk towards arrivals.

I did not imply that in anyway.

I simply pointed out your mistake, which you should own the mistake, i.e. deserve it. In other word - you made the mistake by passing through transit security, you deserve to be stayed at departure.

I am not expecting you making a list.

Instead - I am interested why you would assume that way.

Actually, the signs are obvious to point out ways to immigration or transit.

Just search any HKG arrival YouTube video and see it yourself.