KIX - KAL or KLM Lounge, Which's The Better Bet?
 

I'm flying Air France business class next month and should have the option of either KAL or KLM lounges at KIX. Hard to find much info online on either lounge for comparison. Has anyone visited either lounge before? I've been to only the Asakusa lounge at KIX, which has limited snacks and drinks. Do either the KAL or KLM Lounges offer more food choices?

I'm finding it extraordinary that KIX should have separate lounges for KLM and KAL. How many flights does KLM have out of there?

EDIT: Can't see a KLM lounge on this site:
http://www.skyteam.com/en/your-trip/...ional-Airport/

Looks like KAL's lounge is landside.

Oh dear.

The Korean lounge is before immigration on the 3rd floor so you would have to use it after you check in and before heading through immigration. Haven't used it years so who knows if there is more food now!

http://www.koreanair.com/local/na/gp...p?cityCode=KIX

Have no idea about the KLM lounge....the lounges at KIX aren't so great on the whole so have low expectations and you should be fine!:)

KIX - which lounge?
 

Hi guys, I will be connecting at KIX and want to know which lounge is good for taking a shower and lounging around, as well as getting some good (free) brunch/lunch.

I am *G, flying in on TG F, out on CA J (two-cabin flight).

Click the link for airport map on this page:
http://www.staralliance.com/en/servi.../airport/kix/#

You should have access to Thai, ANA, and United lounges as a *G
And access to a contract lounge on the other pier (near gate 30) for CA

From my recollection (and general consensus on this forum), KIX lounges are all a bit underwhelming. Don't expect much more than some sofas, a bar, and some finger food. If you have a couple of hours between flights, you might consider going landside for a decent restaurant meal.

If you fly in on TG then you can't use *G lounges. They all suck anyway. No showers, I believe.

Don't fly OW so no idea about Cathay. But it can't be worse than *G lounges.

CA is Air China. Star Alliance.
I believe OP should have access to Star Alliance lounges.

I am spending a few days in Kyoto, so my stay at KIX is not just a connection. I am returning to Osaka on the morning of my flight out of KIX and want to head to the airport early 1. to make sure I am on time for my next flight (in CA J, two-cabin) and 2. to check out the airport. It's sad there are no showers. I would expect at least the ANA lounge to have something since KIX is a major hub.

I think it's an awesome structure. But unless you're wowed by the building, there's very little in the gate area to occupy your mind.
You can get a shower for a fee - at the 24 hour lounge which is landside.
http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/service/relax/
Landside is also where you'll find all the worthwhile restaurants and shops. Actually, you can get a pretty decent meal landside. Don't go airside until you need to.


EDIT -
You can also (apparently) get a free shower airside at the following location (see map for "shower room"
http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/service/relax/

I don't think that KIX is a major anything, but a pain in the ...

As others have said, much better stuff and food can be found landside.

NH basically has ignored KIX and focused their strategy on building up HND and NRT as their main hubs. JL does the same thing (though I've heard they may add more international service in the next few years).

I would like to see CX add their own lounge given that they have five flights per day out of KIX.

What does landside mean exactly?

For KIX airside, I have always been stuck in the Asuka Lounge, which is a shared, contract lounge for *A. It is comfortable enough but the snack selection is a bit slim. I don't think any airline considers KIX to be a "hub."

Peach ? :D Anway, seems KIX has found it's place in Japans aviation industry as a low cost "hub" ! Which if you think about it is very strange, considering the cost of it to build ! ;)

Oops. Then he is definitely out of luck. 99% sure that there are no showers in KIX among *G.

KIX has this white elephant, bubble era atmosphere. It is not used much for connections, or at least intended that way.

Also ANA does not have F service from KIX.

I suggest then that you spend your night before at the Nikko (~10k per night when demand is low) in the airport. There are also budget hotels one stop away on the train from the island. Check a site like booking.com.

You do realize that KIX is only 75 minutes away from Kyoto Station by JR Haruka? It is anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes from various places in Osaka.

I've never understood the rationale of moving hotel to Osaka from Kyoto just to spend the night before departing from KIX. Even morning flights are easily reachable from Kyoto on the morning of, and you can shower in your own hotel room before leaving. Shoot, for afternoon flights I've departed to KIX from Okayama and even Fukuoka before flying out.

:confused:

What lounge is best for Oneworld at KIX? (BA*Gold (ie OneWorld top tier / Emerald) departing on Japan Airlines in business)

Based on your business class onward flight, it seems you might be eligible for the JAL Sakura Lounge. http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/s...index.html#_02

I know KIX is only 75 minutes from Kyoto via that fast train, but I just like to stay on the cautious side. What if I miss the train and have the catch the next one, and then got off at the wrong stop and have the catch the one after that? Anyway, how much in advance would you leave to allow some room for error?

http://www.kyotojp.com/haruka-time.html

The train leaves every 30 mins ! Expect on-time departure ! If you want leave 30 minutes before and if you miss it you can take the next ! Also announcements are in multiple languages and Kansai airport is the final stop .

If you're taking the Haruka airport express train, you're unlikely to get off at the wrong stop. The airport is the last stop.

If I were you, I would choose a train that's scheduled to reach the airport at least 2 hours before departure time. That means leaving Kyoto station about 3.5 hours before flight departure time. You might want to check the timetable to verify the next train in case you miss the one you wanted -
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/tr...ion/timetable/

Even if you want to throw in an extra 30-60 minutes safety cushion, you should still be able to stay in Kyoto the night before your flight.

When I first started traveling to Japan, and particularly via KIX, I usually worked backwards from my desired arrival at the airport to figure my train times. Some folks like to get to the airport a couple of hours before flight time, others cut it closer or allow even more time. When I have lounge access, I like to get there at least 2 hours before flight time and spend a little while decompressing in the lounge. From there, I work back 75 minutes for the Haruka and find the nearest departure time that gets me there at those times. That is my last possible departure. Then, for safety's sake, I'd plan on the Haruka just prior to that. In that way, I'd have a fall-back if something happened and I missed the earlier one. If I didn't miss it, I just had some extra time in the lounge. If I missed TWO departures, I'd still get to the airport over an hour before my flight and be able to make my flight if I hurried.

Using Hyperdia, you can look up all the train departures, travel times and arrival times at the airport station to get a very accurate plan, including fall-back options. Just start with the arrival time that leaves you a couple of hours before your flight and work backwards to find the best departure time(s.) Use Kyoto to Kansai International Airport and choose "Arrival" instead of the default "Departure." When you have a listing for the JR Haruka, you can select "Interval Time Table" (under the train number) to see all the other options for that train.

From Kyoto Station, once you get on the Haruka, there is no way to get off at the wrong station as the line terminates at the KIX station. The train makes a couple of stops along the way to pick up passengers in Osaka. Just don't get off before you get to the airport. The announcements are in English.

As an example, my United flights usually departed about 4:45 pm. Two hours means arriving at the airport by 2:45. The 1:15 pm Haruka arrives at 2:34, so that is my primary train. If I want to be extra safe, I plan on taking the 12:15 train, which puts me at the airport 3 hours in advance. If I miss that train, the 1:15 gets me in over 2 hours before my flight. If I miss THAT, I still have the 2:15 that will get me there over an hour before my flight, which means hurrying and skipping the lounge.

The Haruka starts running at 5:46 am and runs twice per hour in the early morning and once per hour after 10:15 am. If that is not enough, there are plenty of other train connections to the airport but most of those require a change somewhere like Shin-Osaka. If you are nervous about connections, I'd recommend just staying with the Haruka as you can't miss your stop. :)

That was a VERY long-winded way to say that Kyoto to KIX is very stress free and easy to make almost any international departure.

EDIT: I see we were all typing at the same time, said approximately the same thing and gave the same advice - some just a lot more concisely.

I'd have written a shorter post but I didn't have time.

Ironically I used JAL Sakura lounge for my SQ flight - it's their contract lounge due to gate location. It is better than Asuka lounge (UA) or lounge Pacific (CX) - they serve curry rice!!

My flight out of KIX is around 2pm on CA J. So figure I'll aim to board the train from Kyoto at 10am? That will give me enough time to get to KIX, even if I miss the first train. If I don't miss the train I will be able to grab some lunch landside, and then go through security and such, and then have about an hour to spare.

And why is it that HyperDia does not show the direct route from Kyoto to Osaka Airport? It gives me 3 options, and they all involve switching to a bus after the train.

I know there's this Icoca Haruka pass thing that will allow train/subway/bus. I will most likely end up getting one of these. Use the Kansai airport express for KIX-Kyoto and back, and buses between places to tour. How much money should I deposit onto the Icoca card / how much do buses cost in Kyoto? Is it a flat 230 yen no matter the distance traveled?

http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/tr.../icoca-haruka/

Sounds like a plan.
In the timetable for today, there's a Haruka at 10:15. Arrives at KIX at 11:34
The next Haruka after that is at 11:15. Arrives at KIX at 12:34
Yes. That's a 1 hour gap. Not the 30 mins that you would find at other times of day. I'd be OK with it (but I'd probably take a route via Shin Osaka if I missed the 10:15 train)

Now you're talking!

On what date?

Within central Kyoto the flat fare is 230.
For what you're likely to visit as a tourist, that's probably all you need http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html

My flight is on July 10

Is KIX every busy? I have flown from there in the late morning (LH) and the late afternoon UA flight and it seemed like a ghost town compared to NRT.

One could easily arrive 1 hour before departure.

I like KIX for shopping airside. It has a shop with a wide selection of nihon-shu and there is also Minamoto Kitchoan store for sweets. You won't find this at NRT.

That is because you are NOT going to "Osaka Airport." Hyperdia is correctly giving you the connections for ITM (Itami) which is the "Osaka Airport." As I mentioned above, you should enter "Kansai Airport" in the destination field. Doing so for your criteria shows the JR Haruka as the second choice.

If you had followed the directions for Osaka Airport, you most certainly would have missed your flight.

They're different?! Okay, Kansai it is. Thanks for letting me know, I surely would have missed my flight had I not known this.

The official name of Itami (ITM) is Osaka International Airport. KIX does not have Osaka in either its unofficial or official name.

Unfortunately, the airlines exacerbate this problem by continuing to refer to KIX as "Osaka." :rolleyes:

Well maybe it should be Osaka airport - it's in Osaka, sorta. Osaka airport (Itami) is partly in Hyogo.

Is it IATA's fault? Osaka city airport code OSA includes ITM, KIX, and UKB

No, it's because the monorail stop at Itami is called Osaka Airport in Japanese. By the same logic Haneda should be "Tokyo Airport". Both these legacy airports have the official names of Tokyo/Osaka International Airport.

There are train stations nearby called Itami, so that won't get you to the airport, although close.

For Tokyo, the airport train stops use Haneda in the name. There is fortunately not any Haneda train station in the adjacent neighborhood. However, there is an expressway exit called Haneda, which is not for the airport. In Osaka the expressway exit also uses Osaka Airport. In Tokyo it is Airport West or Airport Center off the expressways.

This is like how JFK, LGA, and EWR are all New York airports...

I have priority select (via Chase), but the KAL at KIX is a pain.
Limited to two guests, unlike other PP lounges. I went with my party of 6 and only 3 of us could enter.

Only for departing passengers, even though it is landside and accessible for arriving as well. Maybe not even departing domestic...

They had a "FULL" sign up when I went there the second time (means only KAL business class, not contracted cards). It was not full though and they would have let me in if I had been departing.

Food is just cup ramen, onigiri and some packaged bread. Wine is mediocre. Good points are the beer machine and a decent 17yr old blended whiskey.

Thanks for the update. I'll eat before the airport then (or at the airport, just not in the lounge)