Saltire74

Hi All

Nice to see this forum open now with me being an avid smoker, albeit trying to cut down and quit.

[No airside smoking at PEK]

Safe & Happy Travels

S

travelinmanS

If you need to smoke anywhere in china the toilets are always acceptable. This includes at all airports.

ORDnHKG

We need smokers like you and me, cut down maybe (not a good idea but I understand) but certainly don't quit (bad bad idea).


I believe all smoking lounges in HKG are airside, if it is landside, you have to go out of the terminal near all the A buses bus-stops. There used to one smoking lounge one floor above departure level (above the duty free shops) after you exit immigration, but I looked multiple times and couldn't find that anymore, maybe it had closed

msadmn

Air Chine website stil indicates a smoking room available in the business lounge in t3 airside? can anyone confirm if this is still available please?

is this still the case? if i nipped to the loo for a smoke, would i get thrown in jail or something?

Saltire74

Hi msadmn

Unfortunately I fear that the Air China website is out of date but I stand to be corrected. As of June 1st 2015 smoking was banned in Beijing in all public places (restuarants, bars, shopping malls, airports). I recently flew Qatar Airways from T3 and they have the use of the CA Business Lounge which definately does not have the smoking lounge in it. In fact, even before the smoking ban, the smoking room in this lounge was closed and the nearest smoking room was in the main departure area near gate 19 which has also been closed.

Nipping to the loo to try and have a quick puff will be faced with a couple of problems. First, if you're caught, you could be faced witha hefty fine and secondly, lighters are banned anywhere airside in Beijing and you would find it extrememly difficult to light a cigarrette unless you had a couple of bits of wood to rub together .

I flew Emirates last week and was asked to sign a declaration at check in that there were no batteries in my check in and that I was not carrying any lighters. Security checks are quite thorough and I have a seen one or two passengers being caught out with lighters at security. I have seen nothing worse than them being confiscated. There are also numerous signs telling you that lighters are forbidden.

If you haven't been to Beijing Airport before, the only places to smoke are outside the main terminal. The terminal itself is fairly efficient although can get a bit busy at times. You have to take a transit train to the international departure gates and some of the domestic gates then clear Immigration and Security. To be on the safe side I would leave it no later than 1.5hrs before departure to be on the transit train at the very latest to ensure you are in the departure area (although that may be me being over cautious).

The other pain that this adds to is when either transiting a third country where smoking is permitted and you are lighterless and have to hunt down a kindly soul that will let you borrow a lighter (as I have found most airports don't sell lighters airside) or when you arrive at your destination and your first stop is a shop that sells throwaway lighters at extortionate prices .

Sorry for the not so good news.

Safe & Happy Travels

S

jsn55

Nonstop SFO to PEK in November. Understand no smoking inside the terminal. When will be my first opportunity to have a cigarette? Do people still smoke in the toilets? I'm used to international arrivals, doing all the formalities, then out on the street to have a smoke. Will that be my first opportunity? I'll be OK as long as I know just how long I have to wait to light up!

cblaisd

Originally, this thread was for both PEK and HKG. Since PEK is now officially non-smoking airside, it’s time to close this thread per the forum rules re venues whose default is non-smoking: Welcome to the Smoking Lounge!

HKG info from the original thread has been placed into a new standalone thread here:
China / Airports / HKG

goalie and cblaisd
Smoking Lounge Co-Moderators