If I fly on one airline, how much time do I need to have for layovers?

Do I have to pick up my luggage and check it again, or is it checked right thru to HK?

I am looking at flights (BUF > HKG) and they have layovers in Detroit for 2hrs and then Narita 1 hr. I just want to be sure this is enough time.

I haven't travelled overseas since 9/11 and just want to ensure flight legs are reasonable.

I have just been invited to a wedding in HK for early November and am researching the possibilities of going - never been to HK before. Since this is an unplanned trip, I am looking for the cheapest route (i.e., willing to endure 2 stopovers for a less expensive fare). Are there likely to be any seat sales to HK soon?

I noticed that Tsing Yi (where I will be staying) is very close to the airport by MTR. Is travelling by MTR with a flight arriving at 10:50pm still safe (solo female)?

Any insights/tips on flights much appreciated.

Enjoy-la!

If you are flying on one airline all the way there, the airline will transfer your luggage from one flight to another, no need for you to pick up your luggage until you reach your final destination. Your layover times are fine. The airline knows how much time to allow and those times are plenty.

I doubt that there will be any airfare sales for Hong Kong for dates just two months away. But do check various airlines as fares do vary.

You're flying Northwest. NRT is a huge connection point of theirs for US-Asia passengers, and they will delay the connecting flights to the other cities rather than put 300 people in hotels. So, no need to worry about connection time at NRT.

2 hours is also plenty in DTW. Your bags will be checked all the way through to HKG. No need to pick them up anywhere. Coming back, you'll have to claim bags at DTW, go through US customs and then redeposit them to NW at the customs exit.

As for fares, how much are you seeing? And what exact dates do you need?

I'm seeing UA and CO one-stops around that time for ~$1,160, and NW's two-stops for about $1,010. I'd seriously consider CO as it's one fewer stop and about 5 hour less in total travel time. Their planes are much newer than NW's, with invididual screen in each seat (and just over half of their 777 fleet even have AVOD with 250 movies, etc).

Yes, it's $150 difference, but is worth considering.

It's safe basically anywhere you go in Hong Kong any time of the day. The problem is that the MTR doesn't go to the airport. Instead, you'll need to take the Airport Express train for that one stop to Tsing Yi, quite overpriced (by HK standard) at HK$60 one-way or HK$110 roundtrip.

To catch the regular MTR, you need to take the S1 bus from airport to Tung Chung MTR (HK$3.5), then MTR to Tsing Yi for $12.5.

But where in Tsing Yi are you going? Can you walk from the Tsing Yi AE/MTR station to where you're staying?

I <b>highly recommend</b> the bus. There are two bus lines direct from airport with multiple stops on Tsing Yi island, one of which may be closer to where you're staying than the AE/MTR station.

The buses are A31 and E32, both till midnight:

A31 - $17.8

http://www.kmb.com.hk/english.php?pa...amp;select_to=

E32 - $10.5

http://www.kmb.com.hk/english.php?pa...amp;select_to=

E32 is cheaper but it takes 15 minutes longer to pick up airport workers at various stops &quot;behind&quot; the airport.

For me, A31 is the best compromise between cost and convenience to get to most places on Tsing Yi.

have you looked at cathy pacific from ny??

i fly N/W all the time and their layovers are just perfect through narita...its a small area and things work well...

you probably will be able to check your luggage right through from your departure city if your booking is all on one ticket

Kathie, thx for setting my mind at ease. I will just go with whatever flights I can get this week.

rkkwan, your detailed replies are much appreciated!

I thought enjoying the lead up to Halloween might be fun, and the wedding is on Nov 4 so I was going to arrive a few days early in case I was jetlagged, and stay a few weeks. I was using departing Oct 31 and returning Nov 20 but I'm flexible within a few days on those dates.

For fares, NWA has $1047, 2 stops.

Because of the insightful info on CO, I took a look at their fares and found $1127 for the same travel dates. For the reduced travel time and flight amenities, seems very worth the price. One of them has the Newark layover at just an hour -this is okay, right?

rkkwan, looks like you have lots of experience going to HK. Does the CO flight look like the best option? A good price?

rhkkmk, I did check Cathay Flights from SFO, LAX and JFK. With connecting flights included they were at $1320, $1295 and $1415 respectively.


Re: MTR They must have been referring to the Airport Express Train from the airport to Tsing Yi. Thx for the clarification.

I don't know the exact address of in TY but I was told it's a residential tower, 10 min walk on the waterfront promenade, from the MTR station.

The bus links are great - I'll check them against a map. Do they stop at the TY MTR station? (worse case scenario is I don't have to walk further). I like public transit (on my July trip to NYC took it from EWR rather than a cab) so it looks like an easy and much more affordable solution.

Thx a mint all for sharing your expertise and experiences. The Asia board is very welcoming!

Enjoy-la!

I would absolutely check flights from Toronto. Both Cthay Pacific and Air Canada have non-stop flights from there.

Non-stops absolutely make your life a lot easier.

Well, but there's the drive from Buffalo to YYZ.

As for the 1hr connection at EWR, it's a little tight, but in general delays at EWR don't start until later in the afternoon. Your COEX flight will arrive at Terminal A, and there's a bus to take you over to Terminal C without having to reclear security.

They also tend to wait a little for passengers connecting to CO99 to HKG. I'd love to have a longer connection, but I notice that the earlier flight means 3.5 hours at EWR.

Thx a mint for the extra replies.

I can't get to YYZ unless I rent a car but that would be addtional hassle/expense. Of course I could fly to YYZ from BUF but if I was going to do that, I'd prefer to fly via EWR so I don't have to go thru one more country's customs. I'd be willing to do it if I could save 1/3 but it is the same price to fly from YYZ as BUF to HKG, so in this scenario it doesn't work out for me. Thx for the suggestion tho! It's a good one - next month I'm driving up to YYZ and then flying to Churchill, MB; I was watching for a seat sale and flying from YYZ wasn't 1/3 the savings - it was 1/3 the COST!

Since there is some concern that the connection is a little tight, I'll get the earlier flight and wait 3.5 hrs. My gut feeling was that it was a bit close but I wanted to be lazy...LOL! Since there is no later flight to HK if I miss the 3pm flight, it's better that I wait a few hours rather than stress about missing it or worse actually miss it. This is especially true if passengers take a bus - I thought I'd just walk down a gate or two.

Do you happen to know where I catch the bus in Terminal A?

I'm going to book the fare now - so excited, thx again all. Enjoy-la!

Yes, the bus leaves at gate A28.

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US.../maps/ewr.aspx

Thx a mint for the shuttle info &amp; link.

I bought my tix this morning - ended up being $150 more but I went with Continental mostly due to the 11pm arrival of the NWA flight.

Wow, can't believe I'm going to HK! Now to do some serious planning.

Enjoy-la!