8 hours in sin
 

In part because of the additional 3200 base miles and in part because of the $100 fare difference, I decided to book my February HK trip SFO-SIN with a stopover in HKG on the return. I arrive in SIN on 2-7 at 11:55 PM (on UA1) and leave for HKG the following morning at 7:40 AM (on UA2). My original plan for the eight hours was to leave the airport for a bit just to get some air and then catch a few hours of sleep in the transit hotel back in the airport. But, it occurred to me last night that there might not be anyone at UA to check me in in the middle of the night. If that's the case, I suppose I could just stay in the transit area for the whole eight hours. At any rate, I'm a bit unclear about official policy on these matters so any insights/ advice would be greatly appeciated.

Moondog

You are correct that once you leave the transit area you will not be able to get back in until you have your boarding pass from United. United is not available until about 1.5 hours before the flight.

I would either stay in the transit area the whole night or go into town and stay out the whole night until you must return to the airport to catch a flight.

The transit hotel is very accomodating as is the entire transit area in Changi. Have fun.

If your sole objective in leaving the transit area is to get air, there are plenty of outdoor terraces within SIN's sterile area, well-designed for relaxation. I believe they even have an outdoor pool.

Also, there is really nowhere to go outside the airport within walking distance. If you decided to take a cab, well-- the only place worth visiting at that time of night would be downtown. If you decide to do that, you should try to keep your own taxi, since one of the few black marks on Singapore's reputation for efficiency is the availability of taxis (or lack thereof).

moondog .. Great thread heading!

Hope someone can assist you. If anyone reading this knows the policy of staying in TRANSIT It'l, and whether or not a visa is needed for this if otherwise is required for entry to that country, would appreciate your input:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/000231.html

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~ Glen ~

Dang! Given the title of this thread I was looking forward to another of Quiet Lion's Las Vegas trip reports ... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

8 hours in sin surely beats 8 hours in hel... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

One last thought-- I've noticed the transit hotel fully booked on several occasions (I guess that's why they're building a second one). You may want to book ahead.

For U.S. passport holders, no visa needed to enter, even if in transit. Immigration/emmigration lines are extremely short/non-existent and the officers are quite friendly (they even have bowls of candy sitting on the counters).

I haven't done 8 hours in SIN, but I've done 10 minutes in HEL. 10 Minutes in HEL is long enough to...

(a) De-plane
(b) Clear immigration
(c) Get your bags
(d) Get in a cab going into town

It's a FABULOUS airport for connecting / arriving / departing, but I wouldn't want to spend 8 hours there...

Moondog

HKG Flyer is correct even though there is a transit hotel at both terminal 1 and 2 they do often fill up. You can reserve via the web, do not have the site but a search under changi transit hotel should bring it up.

Quite a few of the shops and food places in the transit area stay open all night. There are several TV's on throughout. If the transit hotels are booked you can at least take a shower for about US$4.00 at the transit hotel. The check in counter opens at 4:45 (approximately). There are several benches and comfortable chairs around to get sleep in. If you don't leave the transit area you have no contact at all with immigration or customs.

2 Many Miles -- I've made connections at HEL many times, and I wholeheartedly agree with you, it's a very efficient airport.

Having spent 8 hours in Singapore, I would agree with some of the people on the board and go into the city.

There are plenty of places to eat and hang out.

Definitely take advantage of the shower at the transit hotel.

You can always rest on those seats waiting for UA to start check in.

Richard

Thanks for all the advice and information, everyone. I've been doing a bit of research today and the transfer hotels definitely seem like tenable (and cheap) options. On the other hand, there also appears to be a reasonable amount of stuff to do in Singapore in the middle of the night.

I'm torn between 1) staying in the airport for my entire layover (not very exciting, but probably pleasent enough) and 2) doing a bit of exploring between 12 and 6 (more adventurous, but perhaps a little draining).

What would you do? Do any of you have any experiences with jet lag on day flights from the US to SIN? What's Singapore like in the middle of the night? Are there any differences between the terminal 1 and terminal 2 transit hotels?

There are also a number of threads in the United and the Trip Report forums on similar stays in SIN. See, for example:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/003308.html

Suggest you get a taxi to JJ Mahoneys in the Duxton area. Talk to any of the patrons or musicians, and you will easily find out how to party all night long (if that's what you want to do). On the way back to the airport later, stop for some roti pratah in Sims Road. Take a walk along the East Coast parkway beachway, and watch the sun come up ...

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Craig

Moondog

No major differences between transit hotels. I would probably pick the one in terminal 2 if I had a choice.

If you have not been to Singapore before go into the city. You can get a quick flavor, find some good food and meet some locals while eating.

Moondog:

Now I see your new thread here. Ask any questions below and I'll try to answer them.

Singapore tends to be quite warm and humid even during the night. From previous experiences it rarely drops below 80F. Some shops in the transit area stay open most if not all of the night. I was transiting through there not that long ago after 2am and did a bit of shopping which was a nice experience with friendly and polite staff. With such pleasant surrounding who can resist but take a nap? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

i would also use the few hours to catch a little bit of singapore's nightlife. most of the bars close at 3:00am, but there are spots that stay open longer. taxis are not a problem at all after midnight, so you should be able to get one easily whenever you want to switch locations.
after 3:00am, you can still get drinks at mitre hotel behind orchard road (every taxi driver knows it) and watch the crowd. it's a bit shabby but famous for after-hours. or you can go and get something to eat at one of the many 24-hour hawker centres (Newton Circus or Lau Pa Sat). east coast park for sunset is nice, too.
if you really can't stay awake you can always book a hotel room for a few hours (i think the hotel 81 chain in geylang rents clean, standard rooms by the hour and is quite cheap). have fun!

Thanks again for all the advice. Just in case your curious, I've decided to go with the group consensus and hit the town. I'll be there on a Wednesday night, so a lot of stuff might be closed, but I'll try to make the most of what's on offer. I'll try to provide a mini trip report after the fact, assuming my travels are worth documenting.

One thing to be prepared for is the taxis charge a surcharge between midnight and 6:00 am. Can't remember how much it is but I remember it was no small surcharge.

the surcharge is 50% on top of meter fare. but taxis are not that expensive anyway and at least you'll get one easily at those hours (looking for extra cash).

enjoy-lah! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif