Hong Kong Flights

You will fly into the new Hong Kong Airport at Chep Lak Kok. Very modern hotel with a great duty free and restaurants. There is also a place to get a foot massage, a beauty salon and shower rooms. An option is to take the Airport Express MTR Train into Kowloon or Hong Kong Station (Centra; this will cut down on your costs and avoid a taxi ride. See Airport Express Info.

It is always nice to fly into Hong Kong by its own national carrier, Cathay Pacific. Long a rival of Singapore Airlines, it was a pleasure to finally being able to taste and see how good the carrier to Hong Kong is...

Chek Lap Kok Airport is located on the island of the same name, just off the north shore of Lantau Island. It opened for commercial operations in 1998 and is a gateway for destinations in mainland China, East and Southeast Asia. The airport is the third busiest airport for passenger traffic in Asia with around 69 international airlines servicing the airport. It is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, along with several other smaller airlines, including Hong Kong Express, CR Airways and Oasis Hong Kong Airlines.

The fastest local passenger transport to the airport is the Airport Express train that zips you in and out from the Kowloon and the Central district. The journey takes only 23 minutes with a ticket each way costing $60-$100, or a round trip for $110-$180, depending on the distance travelled. After arrival, free shuttle buses connecting to major hotels in Kowloon and Central are provided, or you can continue onward by MTR.

Do not argue with me on the service HKIA is providing--as the winner of Skytrax's Airport of the Year for five years in a row, the ultra-modern airport is super efficient, easy to navigate and a paradise of cuisine and great shops.
And HKIA offers excellent international flight schedules too. Flights to major cities in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and even Africa are frequent, offered by the local Cathay Pacific and dozens of foreign airlines. And no doubt, there are countless flights flying to mainland China and Taiwan every day.

HK's Chek Lap Kok Airport is one of the most organised airports that I've seen. There are clear signs everywhere, and the operations is highly organized and efficient. This is especially important since Chek Lap Kok is one of the largest airports in the world (or in fact, the largest, as I've read somewhere before).

Getting to the airport itself takes about 30 mins from the Central area in HK, and probably slightly less if you're in Kowloon, and a cab ride cost me about HKD350 (or USD 45).

But the cheaper way (and just as convenient) is to take the airport express. You can check-in at the downtown counter near Central on HK Island, and from there, it's a 20-odd minute ride to the airport.

The bane of any business traveller is getting stuck in an airport for some time, with nothing to do. In Chek Lap Kok, you will not have this problem. There's plenty of food outlets and the duty-free shopping is incredible (great range of major brands, local food to buy for the folks back home, very competitive prices). I think next to Changi Airport (my homebase airport), this is probably the best airport in Asia.

In short: it's a state-of-the-art place! It's huge, but easy to get around, very clean and efficient. Oh, and the tax-free shopping is great, too!

One word of advise: the gate area is massive and a special underground shuttle train takes you there. Prepare for a hike if you're boarding at the furthest gates!

When you book your flight to Kong Kong, you will fly into Hong Kong International Airport. Once known as Kai Tak International Airport, the airport was originally located in the city. It's new location (now named Chep Lap Kok) on Lantau Island does not offer the stunning urban views, however, it is easy to get in and out of the airport. (See my tip on "Airport Transfers" to get more detail).

I found that it is much much more inexpensive to book your flight through a consolidator or a travel agent. They usually offer you the best prices. I saved about $400 on my flight by doing this. Unfortunately, the flights sometimes involve more than one transfer depending on where you are flying from because of the cities that are sort of designated as the major Asian gateway cities. It's best to really shop around if you are serious about going.

Try these sites for flights:

www.airfarediscount.com/
www.airlineconsolidator.com/
www.bestdiscountfares.com/

Air-conditioned Airbuses run regularly to Tsim Sha Tsui at HK$33 and to island destinations in Central, Wan Chai and Taikoo Shing at HK$45.

One way taxi fare is about HK$350 to Central on Hong Kong Island.