Hong Kong International Airport

If you have paid the fare for the Airport Express train, you can check-in your luggage and print boarding passes at the airport check-in desks at the Hong Kong and Kowloon MTR stations. Some airlines such as Cathay Pacific allow you to drop off your bags up to one day before travel and not have to deal with luggage as you enjoy your final day in Hong Kong. To enter the check-in areas, you must scan your airport express ticket or Octopus card and the fare will be deducted immediately. However, you do not need to enter the airport express station immediately. You can go and do other things, then the same ticket/card will give you free access to airport express on your next entry.

Each airline uses a specific check-in aisle:

Terminal 1

• Aisle A:
• Aisle B: Cathay Pacific
• Aisle C: Cathay Pacific
• Aisle D: Air Busan, Air Canada, Air France, Air Mauritius, Air Seoul, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific Air, Etihad Airways, KLM, Royal Brunei, Turkish Airlines, Vietnam Airlines
• Aisle E: Aeroflot, All Nippon Airways (ANA), American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Juneyao Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SpiceJet, Virgin Atlantic
• Aisle F: China Airlines, Fiji Airways, IndiGo, Lufthansa, Mandarin Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spring Airlines, Swiss, Virgin Australia
• Aisle G: Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Niugini, Eastar Jet, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, Lanmei Airlines, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, United
• Aisle H: Bangkok Airways, HK Express, Malindo Airways, Myanmar National Airlines, Peach Aviation, Scandinavian Airlines, T'way Air, Thai Airways
• Aisle J: Air China, British Airways, China Eastern, China Southern, Finnair, Qantas, Shandong Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Thai Smile Airways, Xiamen Airlines
• Aisle K: AirAsia, Hong Kong Airlines, Jetstar, Philippines AirAsia, Thai AirAsia
• Aisle L: Air Astana, El Al, Eznis Airways, Philippine Airlines, Scoot, VietJet Air

Hong Kong is one of the few major cities in the world where you can get between the city centre and the airport in less than 30 minutes via the Airport Express. There are also plenty of other cheaper options.

The Airport Express is the quickest, most comfortable way to travel between airport and city. Trains run every 10 min 6AM-12:45AM, taking about 30 min. For adults (aged 12+), single fares (which cover same-day return) are $70 to Tsing Yi, $105 to Kowloon, and $115 to Hong Kong Central Station. Returns valid for 30 days are $120, $185 and $205 respectively; fares for children aged 3-11 are about half. There's no ticket barrier at the airport, so you can just board and pay in the city. All stations have free porters to help you get heavy bags on and off of the train; there is no need to tip. If you travel with other people you can get a group discount if you buy your ticket from the staff at the counter. If you take a taxi to reach the airport express, you are entitled to a 50% discount when boarding in Tsing Yi and Kowloon. Tourist travel passes sometimes include a return journey on the Airport Express and some airlines sell duty-free tickets during the flights. A cheap way to get to Central is to take the Airport Express to Tsing Yi, and change to the Tung Chung MTR line, which costs in total $72.5 one-way or $135 return. A free connection from the Airport Express to the MTR is offered if you use the same Octopus Card to change from the Airport Express to the MTR at Central, Kowloon, or Tsing Yi stations. The transfer is free no matter which station you exit the MTR. Free shuttle buses to most major hotels around Kowloon and Hong Kong Island were also provided for users of the Airport Express, though this has since been discontinued from 30 June 2020 due to COVID-19.

Kowloon Station on the Airport Express line is located next to West Kowloon high-speed rail station and connected by pedestrian walkways, making it easy to transfer from the airport to a high-speed train if you intend to head elsewhere in the Pearl River Delta. The downside is that unlike taking a ferry from the airport, you do have to pass through Hong Kong customs and immigration to do this.

If you want to save around $70, an alternative way is to take the S1 bus from the airline terminal to the nearby Tung Chung MTR station ($3.50, 15 minutes), where you can transfer to the Tung Chung MTR line to Kowloon ($18, 27 minutes) or Hong Kong ($24, 30 minutes). The Tung Chung line runs the same route as the Airport Express except it terminates at the Tung Chung station and has four additional stops. The MTR system has luggage restrictions and in any case, carrying luggage on the MTR may be cumbersome. This method will take about 45-60 minutes more than the Airport Express.

Buses are cheap ($10-40), more scenic, have longer operating hours but are slower. Depending on where you are going, they may be more convenient than the trains and some routes run 24 hours (unlike the Airport Express). A complete list of airport buses is available online. There is also an information board at the airport bus terminal. Two companies run buses from the airport: Citybus ('CityFlyer') and Long Win. Buses travel over the scenic Tsing Ma Bridge, the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world. Buses with routes beginning with "A" (Airbus) (cost: $20-40) have free Wi-Fi internet and take a more direct route than buses with routes beginning with the letter "E" (External) (cost: $10-20), which travel via the cargo terminals and airport offices. Buses with routes beginning with "S" (cost: $3-4) are shuttle buses: the S1 bus operates bus service to the closest MTR station. Bus route "B4" is for cross-border and stops at Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge. This route is particularly useful if you are heading towards Macau or Zhuhai. Finally, bus routes beginning with "N" are overnight routes. They tend to be more expensive, less frequent and take a less direct route (often going through cargo area, airline catering section and mail centre) before heading for the highway.

Taxis are a relatively expensive option, with a journey from the airport to Central costing $250-350. The taxi area is clearly signposted near the Airport Express and has separate queues next for each taxi colour:

• Red taxis are for destinations on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, although they are also allowed to go to the local town of Tung Chung as well as Disneyland on Lantau island. If you are going to Hong Kong Island, asking the driver to use the "Western Harbour Crossing" will avoid congestion, but will result in an additional $50 toll charge.
• Green taxis are restricted to the New Territories (other than Lantau Island)
• Blue taxis serve Lantau Island only. Useful for quickly getting to local Lantau sights before your flight, although there are not many of them and often there are none waiting at the airport. It is easier to hail a blue taxi at the nearby Tung Chung

The information desk after customs can provide you with an estimate to your hotel and maps to show the driver. See official taxi fare table. The rates for blue and green taxis are cheaper than red taxis.

Do not take private cars and vans operating as illegal taxis since they are not licensed and in case of accidents, your insurance will not cover you. Generally they are operated by non-Chinese and will be in white or black vans, rather than the ubiquitous blue and red Toyota Crown Comforts. They will approach you inside the airport.

Taxi queues are available at both Kowloon and Hong Kong stations, although the queues are very long at weekends.

There are no ferry services from the airport to destinations in Hong Kong. However, Turbojet ($254, 50 minutes) and Cotai Water Jet ($270) operate services directly to Macau. Additional destinations include Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Zhongshan.

To get to the ferries after you land, do not go through Hong Kong customs and immigration. Instead, follow the signs for "Ferries to Mainland/Macao" to find the ticket counter, where you can buy your ticket with credit card or cash (HKD; RMB are accepted at the unfavorable rate of 1 RMB=1 HKD). There are currency exchange places on the way to the ferry ticket counter. You need to show your boarding pass to buy the ticket. If you have checked luggage, present your baggage stub when buying the ticket and they will transfer your luggage for you—in this case you have to buy your ferry ticket 60 minutes before the ferry departs (in other words, leave yourself a solid 90 minutes between landing and the ferry departure). When it's time to board, you can travel directly to SkyPier for your ferry without having to pass through Hong Kong immigration at all.

Again, if you're taking the ferry, don't go through immigration or collect your luggage—the staff will collect your luggage for you once you buy the ticket and give them the baggage stub. If you do pass through immigration by mistake then the train journey to the Hong Kong ferry terminal will take you about another hour (with a significant connecting walk between trains in Central station), so taking this direct ferry is a great option.

The ferries to Macau from the airport only run a few times a day. If they are not convenient for your schedule, you can take TurboJET's Premier Plus service. ($461) Buy this at the same counter before Hong Kong immigration. This departs much more frequently (every 30-60 minutes) and includes car transfer to the Sheung Wan ferry terminal, ferry to Macau, then car transfer to any location of your choice in Macau. Food and drink on the ferry is included in the price. Staff will accompany you all the way and carry your luggage for you. You will need to pass Hong Kong immigration so ensure you have the correct documents.

Ferries to Shenzhen stop at either Shekou (the city's main ferry terminal) or Fuyong Ferry Terminal. This second option is located close to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and connected by a 5 min shuttle bus ride. This makes it a convenient option if you need to connect between flights at Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports. Be sure to give yourself ample time to make any connections, preferably at least 6 hours between your two flights. Prices as of 2019: HK$220 to Shekou, $295 to Fuyong, $340 from Shekou to HKIA, and $360 from Fuyong to HKIA.

When taking the ferry to the airport, print your boarding pass at the ferry terminal before you embark, so that when the ferry arrives you can enter HKIA smoothly through the automated gates, which don't accept electronic boarding passes. You can collect a departure tax refund at the airport—HK$120 as of 2024.

Car rental services are provided in the airport complex. They provide airport pickup and drop off services and can be booked prior to the flight.

Chauffeur service is an expensive way to travel to and from the airport, which is dedicated to business travellers, and it ranges from $400 to $1000. Services feature a point-to-point travel by luxury cars or MPVs. Services are usually provided by bank credit card concierges, hotels and airlines. Chauffeur service usually requires advanced booking and individual price quoting. Drivers will meet at the exit of the arrival hall and hold a card with your name. Never ride cars of those who ask you in the airport. They are illegal and accidents are not covered by insurance.

HKIA has a number of lounges.

• Cathay Pacific has 4 lounges spread around the airport. All Cathay Pacific lounges feature a noodle bar where you can order noodle dishes such as their signature dan dan noodles. 'The Pier' lounge near Gate 62 is the largest, and offers showers, barista coffee and gourmet tea blends by London-based luxury tea brand Jing. Generally lounges open at 5:30AM and close at 12:30AM, though 'The Wing', near Gate 1, remains open until 2AM. All lounges are open to Cathay Pacific Business and First Class passengers as well as select Marco Polo Club and oneworld members (oneworld Sapphire or above), although 'The Wing' and 'The Pier' have portions set up exclusively for First Class passengers.
  • The Bridge. (updated Apr 2018)
  • The Deck. Cathay's newest lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
  • The Pier. (updated Apr 2018)
  • The Wing. (updated Apr 2018)
• Hong Kong Airlines operates the Club Bauhinia lounge near Gate 23 and Club Autus at the Mid-field Concourse.
• SkyTeam operates a lounge near Gate 8 for first and business class passengers travelling with airlines in the alliance, as well as travellers with SkyTeam Elite Plus status travelling on SkyTeam airlines.
• Qantas has a large lounge with showers, food, internet terminals and plenty of drink.
• Thai Airways has a Royal Orchid Lounge near Gate 40
• Singapore Airlines has a SilverKris Lounge near Gate 5
• Emirates operates an Emirates Lounge near Gate 30 (closed until further notice as of November 2023)
• Plaza Premium Lounge. 2 pay-per-use lounges airside, one near Gate 1 and one near Gate 40, which are also available to people with membership in programmes such as Diners' Club and Priority Pass. All lounges feature a noodle bar where you can order hot dishes, including their signature fish ball noodles. 2 hours $580, 1 hour shower and breakfast package $280. (updated Apr 2018)
• American Express Centurion lounge. American Express operates a Centurion lounge that is available to people with American Express Platinum or Centurion credit cards. (updated Apr 2018)
• United Club (near gate 61), ☏ +852 2122 8268. 6AM-midnight (closed until further notice as of November 2023). (updated Apr 2018)