[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by condor

Any idea about the current situation at Hong Kong airport - is transit / travel happening there amidst the current unrest ?

Cousin is in China right now on a business visit. Return date is on 7th from HK to Hyd on Malaysia airlines. He was asking about the situation there, and if it is safe to travel from there/via HK.

My friend travelled out last night to the US via HK and it worked fine. A couple of hours of delays and nothing else.

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by condor

Any idea about the current situation at Hong Kong airport - is transit / travel happening there amidst the current unrest ?

Cousin is in China right now on a business visit. Return date is on 7th from HK to Hyd on Malaysia airlines. He was asking about the situation there, and if it is safe to travel from there/via HK.

I arrived yesterday afternoon at Shanghai via Hong Kong. I flew Cathay Pacific. Absolutely no issues, whatsoever. On time departures and arrival before schedule time.

Although the newspapers made available in the Aircraft were telling stories of unrest in the city from the previous day.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by condor

Any idea about the current situation at Hong Kong airport - is transit / travel happening there amidst the current unrest ?

Cousin is in China right now on a business visit. Return date is on 7th from HK to Hyd on Malaysia airlines. He was asking about the situation there, and if it is safe to travel from there/via HK.

Like most have said that the issue should not bother your cousin since he has a connecting flight. I second them here.

At best it will get delayed by a bit and it is possible that he might get diverted to another airport nearby. Should not face any issues and the airline will/should take care of lodging in case of long delays.

I was in HK during the mass protest week of August 11 - 17, 2019 wherein the Airport was shut down for two days. The was they managed the whole affair is commendable.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sunilch

I was in HK during the mass protest week of August 11 - 17, 2019 wherein the Airport was shut down for two days. The was they managed the whole affair is commendable.

Offtopic! Mass protests have been on since June, this is now the 14th week. As far as I know the airport was shut for the better part of a day, but it is news for me if it was longer than that. Perhaps the cancellations had a domino effect to the next day.

There are no issues inside the airport, especially for departures. The challenge of late has been reaching there, with all transit options to the airport impacted (Airport express and bus/ taxi). Some protests were held at the arrivals, but I think they found a way to keep them out.

None of the protests are targeted at regular people though. The only challenge has been to keep away from situations where they get into trouble with the cops.
No such situations at the airport. They have handled the situation decently. I would prefer if they help arriving travelers with relevant info on how to get to the city. I don't think anyone knows what is the best (or unhindered) route to reach HK from the airport. Things go pear shaped at extremely short notice. Last month, I got offloaded from the airport express (along with dozens of others) one station after the airport. We were informed they had arranged shuttles to take us to HK island. Outside there was a serpentine queue, perhaps around 3k people. Shuttles kept leaving and the line was moving. 10 mins later I was halfway through the queue but found an Uber so jumped in.

FYI, for any of those venturing to HK from the airport.

[condor]

thanks, everyone

Originally Posted by sunilch

Like most have said that the issue should not bother your cousin since he has a connecting flight. I second them here.

Actually he is in Foshan right now, not far from HK airport. They had planned to visit Macau on Thursday & Friday, and then head to HK to fly out on Saturday morning. Do you all think it is fine ? I dont expect any problems upto Macau also, however - Macau to HK airport ?


Btw, I was trying google maps for distance between Foshan and Macau - g-Maps said no directions available. Macau to HK Airport it shows the Bus + Ferry.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by condor

Btw, I was trying google maps for distance between Foshan and Macau - g-Maps said no directions available. Macau to HK Airport it shows the Bus + Ferry.

Direct bus from Macau to Macau terminal in HK. The terminal is one bus stop away from HK airport in the other direction from the city. This should be a decent option without interruptions. You can check for any interruptions between Macau terminal and HK departures (should not be any)

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by condor

thanks, everyone Actually he is in Foshan right now, not far from HK airport. They had planned to visit Macau on Thursday & Friday, and then head to HK to fly out on Saturday morning. Do you all think it is fine ? I dont expect any problems upto Macau also, however - Macau to HK airport ?


Btw, I was trying google maps for distance between Foshan and Macau - g-Maps said no directions available. Macau to HK Airport it shows the Bus + Ferry.

From my experience and what I have read so far, the protests usually are planned and announced in advance and the mass protests happen mainly over the weekend. On weekdays, if there are protests, they mainly are around government buildings and protesters are fewer in number. The protesters there take extra care to not to disturb normal life of the city. I was welcomed at the airport on a Sunday by thousands of them but 1 in every 4 of the protesters was holding a placard saying "We are sorry for the inconvenience to you". In the 14 weeks of protests so far, only one warning gun shot was fired by the police. I can't imagine any other major city on earth where there wouldn't be riots between protesters and police given the number of people on the streets.

So ask your cousin to check the route he will be taking and if there are protests already announced covering those areas that he may have to go through. Better to avoid those areas during protests.

At the airport, if the numbers are very very large, they may shut down the airport as a precautionary measure. But otherwise it is unlikely that travelers will face any issues.

[hserus]

Just the other day they got into a mtr local train and indiscriminately sprayed pepper spray on all the passengers regardless of whether they were protestors, tourists or just locals out to get dinner. My ex colleague in HK was on the train that left just ten minutes before the one that the cops sprayed.

Tell your friend to stay in his hotel room till it is time for his flight and then take a cab to the airport, catch his flight and leave. HK is no longer the fun and safe place that it once was.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Direct bus from Macau to Macau terminal in HK. The terminal is one bus stop away from HK airport in the other direction from the city. This should be a decent option without interruptions. You can check for any interruptions between Macau terminal and HK departures (should not be any)

Alternatively, there are 3 direct Turbojet daily ferries from Macau to HKIA which dock at the airport ferry terminal itself. Journey time is ~80 minutes. If the ETD aligns with your outgoing flight, its a super convenient option.

See: https://www.turbojet.com.hk/en/routi...ule-fares.aspx

ETD from Macau
8S212 09:00
8S215 11:30
8S2113 19:45

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by hserus

Tell your friend to stay in his hotel room till it is time for his flight and then take a cab to the airport, catch his flight and leave. HK is no longer the fun and safe place that it once was.

This is probably offtopic for this thread.
While I agree that the fun part is not seen these days in HK, it is not as bad as not going out anywhere. Daily routine is still going on; on weekdays one would not even see any protests or issues. The challenge is with the MTR network on weekends when there is trouble; increasing over the last couple of weekends.
I would recommend incoming people to change their plans, but those already here can continue their plans, just being a little more prepared and alert.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Alternatively, there are 3 direct Turbojet daily ferries from Macau to HKIA which dock at the airport ferry terminal itself. Journey time is ~80 minutes. If the ETD aligns with your outgoing flight, its a super convenient option.

I should have included this too, but do not usually consider it due to the (lack of) frequency. You are correct, that one of them may be good for their flight timings.

[prateekm]

I'm flying Hanoi - Kolkata - Mumbai (single ticket, same PNR, different flight on the 2nd leg) in a week. On all my earlier intl flights, I've always landed and completed my immigration in Mumbai. Wanted to just confirm the following:

1. As the 2nd leg is domestic, I assume I'll be completing my immigration in Kolkata?
2. Do I collect my bags again in Kolkata, go through the green channel, and then check-in again for the domestic flight? Or do they directly transfer it as it's a single PNR?

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by prateekm

I'm flying Hanoi - Kolkata - Mumbai (single ticket, same PNR, different flight on the 2nd leg) in a week. On all my earlier intl flights, I've always landed and completed my immigration in Mumbai. Wanted to just confirm the following:

1. As the 2nd leg is domestic, I assume I'll be completing my immigration in Kolkata?
2. Do I collect my bags again in Kolkata, go through the green channel, and then check-in again for the domestic flight? Or do they directly transfer it as it's a single PNR?

Immigration and customs are done in the first port of entry into a country. Consequently, you would have to do them in Kolkata. Yes, you would have to collect your bags, pass through customs and check your bags in for the Mumbai flight.

[sharktale]

Originally Posted by prateekm

1. As the 2nd leg is domestic, I assume I'll be completing my immigration in Kolkata?

For our Rome-DEL-CCU Air India flight (same PNR+Airline), we got the boarding passes for both legs in Rome itself. We were directly transferred (via Domestic Transfer desk) at Delhi, and did our only immigration and baggage collection at CCU airport.

Same was the case, when we flew CCU-DEL-LHR via Air India, where the immigration was done at CCU itself and we got our luggage directly at LHR.

IMHO, you're entering the country only at Mumbai + your Airline and PNR are same, immigration should be done at Mumbai and not at Kolkata.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by prateekm

I'm flying Hanoi - Kolkata - Mumbai (single ticket, same PNR, different flight on the 2nd leg) in a week.

1. As the 2nd leg is domestic, I assume I'll be completing my immigration in Kolkata?
2. Do I collect my bags again in Kolkata, go through the green channel, and then check-in again for the domestic flight?

If your 1st question is for Mumbai- Kolkatta- Hanoi segment then immigration formality will depend on the connection Mumbai- Kolkatta. If it’s coded as domestic flight then at Kolkatta but if it’s coded as international then at Mumbai.

For 2nd question, If it's for leg - Hanoi- Kolkatta- Mumbai - Yes you will need to collect the bags at Kolkatta, clear customs and handover the luggage back to the airline.

[audioholic]

Any updates on the renovation of Plaza premium lounge in KIAL International side? Are we supposed to do with the horrible Bangalore International Lounge forever? I had an early morning flight to catch this month end, and was looking forward to spending some time reaching the airport early since if I leave home late my folks are concerned. Last month, it was the most yuckiest experience in this lounge and they were forcing people to use the first and business lounge by paying for it while the complimentary/privilege lounge was more like a railway waiting hall. Even in international airports this has not been a problem. I hope this is just a temporary arrangement.



By the way, I noticed today that Emirates has added a fourth schedule between Dubai and Bengaluru. That makes an EK flight to Bengaluru every six hours. The gap between the morning flight at 10AM and night flight at 830PM or so has been covered by an afternoon flight to Dubai at 425PM. However this is a Boeing 777-200, perhaps to test the demand for seats. Having flown EK for a long time, their flights between BLR and DXB was never empty. This will now result in lesser layover time for those transiting in Dubai.