Airport Express, Hong Kong

As everyone knows Hongkong airport is one of the best airports in Asia. Airport express train is a most convinient way to travel between an airport and a city. The Airport Express Shuttle-bus is a complimentary add-on service provided exclusively for Airport Express passengers travelling between Hong Kong or Kowloon station and major hotels and railway interchanges.

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The best way in getting to and from the Airport to your Hong Kong destination is through the MTR Airport Express. It’s the fastest mode of transportation to travel especially when you have to catch your plane.

It happened that I only have 1.5 hrs to catch my flight on that night of November; good thing is that Will, my new fellow traveler, advised me to just take the MTR Airport Express. I started the journey from MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station to the Central Station then run to the nearest MTR Airport Express Counter. A single journey ticket costs HKD100 and if you still have your Octopus Card with a remaining balance of HK$100, you may also use it.

The travel time only takes about 1 hour and will take you directly to the Asia World Expo; a link will lead you then to the Hong Kong International Airport. I was just on time the moment I arrived in the airport.

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The HKG airport express train is a great option to get into the city if you are new or have luggage. It is fast, efficient and had the luxury to be designed into the new airport island when it was built. This means it follows new land most of the way that is flat and moderate on curves to maintain a good speed. 24 minutes from the airport to Hong Kong island Central Station.

As of 2012, the fare was $100 HKD per person. Do be aware that a regular octopus card will not give you a round trip discount. For that you must buy a separate ticket. This will save you $20 HKD off of a round trip or 10%.

At each set of doors on the trains there will be a luggage rack. Then chairs for the ride. Stow your bags, sit back and enjoy the fast trip into town. You can take it to Tsing Yi and Kowloon as well.

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I had done much research on the best way to get to our Hotel in TST. While the train was quicker, it was also much dearer and did not get us closest to our Hotel. So we had opted for the A21 bus, also advised as the best way by Hop Inn staff. Price is only $33HK each person one way from airport to Central TST which is very very cheap. The Airport Express train is about $100HK each person one way. Follow signs down the ramp to the bus waiting area and look for the signs for the A21 bus, it was pretty easy to find, even after a long tiring flight!!

Easiest way to use ALL public transport in Hong Kong is to buy an Octopus Card and just keep topping that up. We bought our Octopus card (you need to buy one each) at the airport at an information counter and initially put $200HK each on them.

Bus journey into TST took maybe half an hour or a bit longer, but its an interesting journey, passing over Ching Ma Bridge (suspension bridge) you can see a partial downtown harbour skyline of Hong Kong on the right, getting you excited for your arrival!!

For more information on the octopus card see the website link below.

If only all the airports around the world can learn from Hong Kong it would make traveling so much pleasant. Getting into town is a breeze. Buy a ticket either from the machines or the various counters for the Airport Express. Then walk over a small walkway and wait for a train that comes every 10 minutes, and once at your stop there is complimentary shuttle service to just about every major hotel in Hong Kong. Where else can you get that ???? Only in Hong Kong. The price of the train ride is 160 HKD return about $20 US dollars. If traveling with more than 3 people then I would recommend taking a taxi, but be warned the Airport Express takes only 20 minutes to Hong Kong Island, and a taxi can take over an hour in traffic.

The downtown check in service and the airport express are an absolute godsend.

We were flying out of HKG at 0845 on a Monday, so in theory we needed to be at the airport for 0645 for check in, which would have meant leaving our hotel at 0600 in a taxi. Downtown check in to the rescue.

We checked our cases in at the Hong Kong Station the evening before. We purchased our tickets for the airport express , they issued us with our boarding passes and we went out for dinner, happy in the knowledge that the next morning we had a short trip on the MTR to Hong Kong Station, and then a 25 minute ride on the airport express, which stops inside the departure hall at the airport. On arrival, all we had to do was go through security and straight to the gate, therby not needing to arrive at the airport until 08.00

A little tip is to check at Hong Kong station of there are any offers on for Airport Express tickets,as sometimes it is cheaper to buy the tickets directly rather than using your octopus card on the train. Also if you do have an octopus card, there is a booth at the airport express station at the airport that will refund your deposit and any unused credits.

From the Hong Kong Airport take the Central Express MTR (subway) into downtown Hong Kong. Journey between the Airport and downtown is 24 minutes. The operating hours are 5:50am to 1:15am daily and trains leave every 12 minutes. You can go to either Kowloon or Hong Kong Station (Island side). From Hong Kong Station you can catch a cab to your hotel or take a shuttle bus. (Assuming your hotel is on the shuttle route.

I purchased an Airport Express Tourist Octopus valid for 3 days on the MTR and 2 Airport Express rides on my Cathay Pacific flight (from the Duty Free on the plane). We stayed 5 days so we bought 1 day MTR Tourist passes for the extra days and saved the Airport Express Octopus for our return trip to the Airport.

On your way out of town & back to the Airport take advantage of the In-town Airport check in! Free check in at Hong Kong and Kowloon stations for most major airlines (Air Philipines and Continental being some of the exceptions). Saves you from lugging your bags onto the train and through the airport.

This was very easy, after collecting your luggage go and buy your ticket for the train (180HKD return to Hong Kong Island). The first train departs around 6.00am, they are about every 12 mins and it takes 24 mins from the airport to Hong Kong Island.
This train is extemely efficient, smooth and very clean with seat back videos.
There is also a progress map showing how far you have travelled.

This is the fastest and one of the most affordable ways to get in central Hong Kong. A taxi will cost you around $350HK ($45 US) and a little cheaper to Kowloon. A bus (A21) will cost $33HK for Kowloon, $40HK for Central. The bus will take around 45 mins or longer.

The airport express will take 23 minutes to get into the city and runs every 10-15 minutes. You can either buy the tickets through a vending machine (cash only) or you can buy tickets at the information counter at the arrivals section. The costs are $100HK ($13USD) to central. The train makes two stops before arriving in central. The cost to Kowloon is around $80HK ($11USD). When you arrive in either Kowloon or Central. Look out for people offering bus service to various hotels. This is included in the ticket. They have a small list of hotels they stop at.

When you are heading to the airport with airport express. If you have left yourself a few hours before your departure, you can check in there. This is a great service.

From airport, you can travel to downtown of Hong Kong by airport express. It's very fast, convenient and cheaper than taxi or bus.

When you collect the luggage at belt, come out to the departure hall and looking for the sign that show "Train to the city".

When you return to airport from Airport Express station, you will reach the check in counter area of many airlines.