NH-NRT-UA: I'm not doing this again!
 

As Gold, I'd normally prefer UA metal for its E+ at booking. But this time, a family member (general MP member) booked HKG-NRT-LAX before me so I matched the same date/route. This was my first time on NH, and I won't do it again:

(1) UA app sent me to NH to OLCI, but NH only allows API/passport data entry.
(2) NH's (undoable) OLCI locks up seat selection. UA's app also locks up seat selection. At T-24h, you suddenly lose the ability to change anything.
(3) At HKG, counters open T-2:30h (UA always T-3h).
(4) Essentially all HKers/Japanese end up in the have-BP bag drop queue, and the don't-have-BP queue has all the Americans/UA customers.
(5) One standing sign says Business, so I didn't go there. Only after T-2:30h when the overhead monitors came on, that screen showed Business & Star Gold!
(6) Only then did I realize Star Gold was printed on the business line carpet. By that time it was pointless to join the end of that queue.
(7) NH812 departure was Gate 24. UA/TG lounges were too far, ended up at SQ which had no working restrooms and had bad mobile signal.
(8) NH812 arrived at a remote stand, so there was a bus ride. Fortunately it was 23C (73F), which was rare for a December afternoon at 3 pm. I think UA always gets a real gate at NRT.

I don't know how different/worse/better LAX-NRT-HKG would be.

Very interesting post. I'm sharing some of my comments/thoughts below:)

I'm not clear if you were on an NH ticket stock or UA ticket stock, and to what degree this would have mattered. That said...
I have done MNL-NRT-USA on UA over a dozen times. MNL-NRT on NH, NRT-USA on UA. Ticket issued by UA.
I use the NH record locator and populate their system/website with all my details within a day of my UA ticket being issued. I make my seat selection then too (I'm in J if that matters).
I don't need to rush to check-in at T-24, but I do check to ensure there wasn't an equipment change which changed my assigned seat once check-in opens. I then check-in if available or if not just go to the airport and check in with a live agent. Never any hassles, the NH agent gives me my UA boarding passes, etc. Good to go.

Can't speak to the gate issues you raised, but I always expect the worst connection logistics and appreciate when it goes well for me.

Less experience than PP, but also did MNL-NRT-USA recently (and vv). In both instances I was able to select seat in advance on NH website (economy) using the separate record locator. Choices were limited, and opened up within T-24 (I think), but I could use both online and the app to modify seat choice and get BP (on outbound the BP was issued by United but I could also get BP via NH website after checkin).

I think OP had an unfortunate experience that perhaps could have been avoided in some respects by digging deeper on NH website (unless there was ticket issue), and some are problems created simply by UA not having intra-Asia connections (such as lounge access)

Not one mention of the actual flight experience.....

I never set foot on a UA airplane whenever NH is an option.

Aside from the vastly superior inflight experience on NH, which I've flown countless times, I have always been able to manage my reservation on the NH website (if on a UA ticket, usually only the NH operated segments are visible or can be managed), check-in online 24h before departure, and get a mobile boarding pass (if any issue, you can get a paper boarding pass from a kiosk). As to HKG, yes the SQ lounge restrooms are still (it's almost two months now) being renovated but the food and service are great or you can choose the UAC or the Thai lounge, etc etc.

Remote stand seems to be a random thing - I've had it a couple of times on arrival, but I almost always depart from a proper gate.

I've taken NH 812 many times before. Most of the time its been a 767 but a couple of times it was a 787. I actually love NHs 767; older/smaller IFE screens but they actually have tons of music vs UA having none. Plus aromatic kabosu and hojicha to drink onboard.
Just like @drewguy above, I use the record locator and find my reservation on NH website and choose seats. The check-in counter has never been an issue, agents are relatively fast at processing the queue. I would be annoyed like OP about not knowing of the StarGold/Business line but nothing that would linger with me.
Gate selection is usually anywhere from 20-36 at HKG which isn't too bad either. At least it isn't at the North Satellite or either end of the "Y" of the terminal. No more than a 15 minute walk from either SQ or UA lounge in my experience.
The only issue I wholeheartedly agree with is arriving into NRT through a remote-stand. It just adds an extra layer of stress for connecting flights. And any carry-on just becomes a hassle to walk down stairs and into crowded buses. But again, I've been on that particular flight and for the most part it arrives right into Terminal 1 at NRT.
Sorry to hear your flight was not too your liking but I really feel you should give it another try.

Been there, done that, understand the frustration. You can't really blame that on NH though, overall I've found their service to be quite excellent and whilst it sucks that the check in desks open so late at HKG, that's to be expected with airlines there that don't operate a regular schedule.

One thing you should keep in mind when travelling on * partners is that you almost always get to use any lane/line that says Business. I have yet to encounter any * partner that scoffs at a Gold using a J lane (FTers tell me if there are exceptions to it). In terms of seat selection and the like, generally speaking you need to pop in the NH confirmation number on your UA itinerary for that to work properly.

Agree with you that HKG is really the dumps when it comes to Asian airports (way better than US airports but that ain't saying much) be it the malfunctioning wifi or the sheer lack of amenities. In terms of * lounges at HKG, the UC is probably the best there: they've got working showers and the food spread is decent if you want western style food. Agreed that it is a bit of a hike although those in the know use the gate train to get them close to that area. SQ lounge is really lacking (i.e. no showers when I was there in June) and TG while nice and a bit more private than SQ was also lacking. Having been to a couple SQ lounges (including their flagship at SIN) I can confidently tell you that SQ is not known for their lounges (for that you'll want to visit an NH lounge).

Hope that clarifies things.

Safe Travels,

James

I'm guessing that you don't fly around China very often. HKG is the best airport on my normal travel circuit by a country mile, and in town check-in is a godsend.

I'm excluding China from the comparison as I haven't been there. From what I've heard, the Chinese airports aren't any good in terms of lounges and facilities (i.e. Beijing is still waiting on an airport). That being said, I would implore you to visit SIN, HND and NRT airports and tell me how HKG fares to them! Again, I'm not saying HKG is a bad airport per se, certainly better than any US airport I've been to! All I'm saying is you can't tell me that HKG is on the same level as SIN with a straight face!

Safe Travels,

James

My wife and I really loved that the whole border control and security process in HKG only took 10 minutes when we flew back to ORD. No lines at all. We were impressed! We only wasted a few minutes wondering what to do with with the return slip from the immigration form. We were just standing there with the forms in our hands. An agent came and told us that since we used the machines, those forms were not needed.

Arriving at HKG was as efficient. Short line for immigration. No line for paying for the Express Train. Express Train very fast.

SIN offers a lot more terminal amenities than HKG/TYO for a connecting passenger, but it is quite inadequate in terms of lounges (whether it's SQ/OW/ST or PP lounges). HKG on the other hand may lack all the terminal amenities of SIN, but it has much better lounges (CX/ST/multiple *A, Amex Centurion and PP and even HX). NRT/HND are no better or worse than HKG, TYO airports are just large efficient duty-free terminals catering to all the Mainlander tourists.

I don't get the romantic view of NH. Competitive and different, sure, but I can't go so far.

Some time take one of their high density 788 recliner seats in biz TPAC, and then we will talk. If you have, then I admire your strength. I had the same plane, no kidding, MNL to HND, and then HND to YVR. Crossing the ocean I was longing for a sCO 78x seat. Having done a ton of MNL<->NRT flights on those 788 seats, I can't find a reason to be happy with it.

I like their herringbone long haul product though - I think it was SIN to HND. Great stuff.

The people, are always great - I do appreciate the NH attention to service. But I will gladly arm wrestle with the grumpiest UA FA for another Buffalo Trace over the NH 788 intra-Asia.

NH doesn't have a herringbone or reverse herringbone product. All their J seats are staggered aisle-access.

Though I agree, I will take UA 2-4-2 lieflat over NH 788 torture seats. And even in OP's case, I will take UA E+ over NH Y.

Yes, the CX lounges are awesome, but I simply love Popeye's.

NH service didn't matter much to me for such a short haul--I didn't even use the lav. Even if it was NRT-LAX, I'd rather fly UA than NH for its E+, but as a window pax I don't like the GPS-dark 787. I guess I'll be back to flying HNL-GUM or SFO. (Ch9 over Alaska, Russia and China was interesting!)

We had already used NH PNRs to select seats, but the real problem was UA NRT-LAX seat locking up in the last 24 hours, which wouldn't happen if it was an all-UA itin. Nevertheless, there was a day-before panic with HKG-NRT, as our A+B became A+C, which I thought meant across the aisle. Turned out they changed the 767 mapping from AB-CDE to AC-DEF.

For NRT-LAX, my father was obviously in a "white" seat, but was kicked by the computer at about T-16h up to E+ a few rows from me. So I tried to move him to B/C next to my A. When we left the NH counter at 0745 we were hungry and didn't want to hang around at the UA counter until 0800 (EWR: 1100) or walk to UC which wasn't the one we wanted to visit. Eventually the seat change was done when we reached the regular NRT UA counter after getting off the bus (B/C were still empty). We wanted to try the NH lounge, having both been to the UC. Two taking ABC in E+ was nice.

He had no HK data plan on his old Samsung so he tried to connect to SQ lounge's wifi. The password/login mechanism (which was fine for my iPhone) took him to Chrome which blocked the "hijack attempt". OK, I had an hour and 0.3 GB left so I turned on my hotspot, except mobile signal was too weak to share. This wouldn't happen at the UA/TG loft.

Due to where we stay in HK we mostly take the bus, so AE in-town bag check isn't much useful. But last time I flew late evening BR TPE-HKG that downtown bag check was a lot nicer than HKG--you're not even obligated to use the train!

And I'd rather go through one (SFO) or two (GUM/HNL) TSA Pre checkpoints than a regular NRT check. As I said I haven't tried/am not sure how much seat/bag trouble westbound UA-NH can be, zero checkpoints after LAX surely beats one.

​​​​​​Outsider here but why can't you blame NH for their OLCI issues?

Given your preference to minimize transfers and additional security, why not fly AA/CX/HX LAX-HKG direct next time? I get that E+ is nice to have, but the additional time and stopovers and transfers will just add to your frustration. You can probably get AA MCE at a decent price.

Just flew from HKG tonight - first visit to the Skyteam lounge, which was fine. I'm reasonably familiar with CX and SQ lounges at HKG and have thought they are ok as well.

...but how is SIN "inadequate in terms of lounges"? Perhaps I have missed something as my visits tend to be short.

It depends which airline and class of service - if you're in J or F and *A, then you will have an amazing lounge experience. If you're in Y as a *A you'll be crammed into a small SQ lounge balancing a plate of dimsum on your lap while people trip over your bags.

UA has been adding more direct flights to Asia ever since they cut all their fifth freedom flights, so there really isn't a need to do the NRT stop anymore.

It's been almost a year since I've done the X-GUM-HNL-X route, but it seems like there was a some extra form filling involved at both airports even with GE - something to consider if you're not a fan of lines/forms.
On the bright side, Asia-GUM and HNL-USA are CPU/RPU flights.
The airline you fly makes no difference in regards to security (UA-UA/UA-NH). You still have to clear security when connecting through NRT in either direction. This is the same as when UA used to fly NRT-HKG. I actually prefer this style of securing the whole departure area vs security at the actual gate.
FYI they do have a Gold Track line for international transfers in NRT, but it's sometimes longer than the regular line.

--unless you're flying to SGN (UA stopped flying there two years ago), KUL, CGK, MNL (UA doesn't have a non-stop to MNL from the continental U.S.), RGN, PNH, etc.

Sooooo... Clearly NH has some room for improvement if any pax finds their process to be non-intuitive. But, speaking as a very frequent Asia traveler, this whole post strikes me more as an "I'm not used to this" sort of thing, moreso than any actual problem with NH. There's a few gems in here that would have made OP's experience better.

a) Being able to check-in more than 2-3 hours in advance is not common at many Asian airports. Most have an "Early check-in" area or desk where, with certain restrictions, you can check in prior to the desks opening. In some (like SIN & BKK), that area is a designated office in the back of the check-in gallery. In HKG, you can use the in-city Airport Express desks to check-in as much as 24-hours prior to your flight (and drop bags!!) But otherwise yes, ANA clearly publishes that their desks at HKIA open 2:30 prior to the flight.

b) UA's app _always_ prohibits seat changes on the reservation inside of 24h. Doesn't matter if it's Int'l or Domestic, once you're T-24, you have to use the Check-in / already-checked-in app and website features to make any changes. Itinerary view won't do anything. And since your initiating flight was operated by a partner, yes, you have to check in with that partner, not UA.

c) The ANA official lounge in HKG is the United Club. Can't hardly blame NH (or UA) for bathroom problems or bad mobile signal in the SQ lounge... but even if you choose to, the reality is that Gate 24 is literally about 50 yards further from the UA club as from the NH club! Remember that gates on that central pier jump from 36 to 60, at the "Y". So it's not like you actually would have had to walk past ~30-some gates to get there...

d) As another poster mentioned, UA does NOT always park at a gate. I've had to bus to a hard-stand for UA before, but also as noted, they prioritize long-haul over short-haul. I don't think I've ever had a UA TPAC flight depart from a hard-stand, but when they were operating SGN / SIN, absolutely! TYO is short-haul, so it's not unheard of. Consider yourself lucky that most of *A never uses the 500 gates!! ;) Then you have a bus AND a gate wait!

Can't speak to problems with NH OLCI... the few times I've used it, I've never had an issue. But from just zipping through the rarely-crowded ANA priority desks ~90-120 minutes prior to departure, I've never had reason to poke at it too hard!!

Sorry you had a bad experience OP, but you sort of made some weird decisions there. Virtually all of them could have been avoided with some prior experience in HK/Asia. :(

I'm not sure that's entirely correct, I've been able to change seats on UA app after check-in and up to T-1 on both domestic and international flights, in Y and J. I suspect with a partner connection, OP wasn't able to change until he has flown the first segment on NH.

I believe the OP had an issue with the bus gate upon arrival at NRT which is getting more common at NRT given the limited gate space during the afternoon rush.

Just one question: which one is the official NH club at HKG? When I flew NH822 (midnight flight to HND) in September, the invitation was to the SQ Club. Perhaps not all NH flights at HKG give the same lounge invitation?

HKIA is an outstanding airport in virtually every respect (with the best airport to town transport in the world IMO), but I think we should be able to agree the current situation at the SQ lounge is a sad joke. I cannot imagine any credible explanation for fixes to the bathrooms and showers taking so long.

NH actually uses both UA Club and SQ SilverKris Lounge.

On the website, it says:

Oh, it makes perfect sense then. Probably this arrangement was made because the United Club closes before 11 PM or so.