Travel Bits: January 2018

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Connecting Flights.......

This coming weekend, I will be traveling to Taipei (TPE) via Hong Kong (HKG). Because my flights were booked on different airlines under different booking codes, I have to collect my check-in luggage upon arrival in HKG from SIN, clear immigration and customs, check-in again for my next flight from HKG to TPE, go through immigration again as well as the necessary security checks before I can emerge airside at the airport for my connecting flight.

Departure Hall of the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong SAR, China (2017)

Sounds like a hassle? Not when I will be flying J-Class (a.k.a. Business Class) on both sectors from SIN to HKG via SQ (Singapore Airlines) and HKG to TPE via CX (Cathay Pacific) on tickets paid with air miles. Sure, there are hassles with the connecting flights on 2 different airlines with different booking codes but they are worth it. 

In order to ensure that I have a seamless transit at the Hong Kong International Airport, I planned ahead by ensuring that I have more than sufficient time between the two flights. Thus, I dutifully booked my flights such that I have a 4-hour layover in Hong Kong. Some may ask what will I do with so much time at the airport? For a start, after going through all the administrative and security procedures, I will probably be left with only 2 hours or so of "free time", 3 hours at most if things go smoothly. Flying on J-Class means I will have access to the Business Class lounges at the airport. And Cathay Pacific has at least 3 great lounges at their home base at the Hong Kong International Airport. Lounge hopping is one of my favourite activities as I can try the different food and enjoy the slightly different facilities and ambience at each lounge. The added lounge experiences will also provide me with additional materials for my travel writing.

Singapore Airlines' Silverkris Lounge at Terminal 3 of the Singapore Changi International Airport, Singapore (2017)

One of the Cathay Pacific Lounges at the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong SAR, China (2017)

Besides the lounges, there are also the great shopping available at the airport in Hong Kong. The many shops present great opportunities to shop around for bargains. 

But the best plus point is that with the additional layover time, I will greatly reduce the possibility of having to rush myself through the administrative and security checks like a participant in the Amazing Race. After all, I am going on a vacation and this is the time to take things slow and easy. The joys of traveling is not just the destination but also the time spent getting there.

A Singapore Airlines' Airbus A350-900 at the Boarding Gate, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong SAR, China (2016)

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