[Flight Report] UO 261 PKX-HKG
UO 261 Beijing Daxing - Hong Kong21 March 2024
My hotel is on the southern ring road so I don't need to commute too far and change too many times to get to the airport. Setting off 3 hours before departure, I reached Caoqiao station just shy of 1pm, where express trains run every 10 minutes to Daxing airport.
Caoqiao is a massive station where several lines intersect. Similar to other interchange stations in the city, transferring lines can involve a lengthy walk, and this one is no exception. With my hand carry in tow, I trekked some 300m underground through a long tunnel to emerge in the airport line's concourse. All passengers need to exit the subway network first, and turn left to scan into the airport line. Luckily, we don't need to re-do the security check and my Yikatong fare card worked on both types of trains.
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The fare from the city to the airport costs 35 yuan for Economy Class and 50 for Business Class. Shenzhen was the only other place I've visited in China where the airport line had 2-tiered pricing. But the Economy seats were quite comfortable on my ride into town a few days earlier, so I didn't think I need to splurge this time.
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While passengers mostly use their phones' QR codes to scan onto trains, there are also other potential new methods such as using your hand palm scan and facial recognition. I'm not sure whether I want to disclose so many biometrics to anyone though.
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There was a sizeable crowd downstairs on the platform. It seems they're not running at full capacity yet as the train only filled up a section of it. I was among the last to board and there were no more seats available, but it's a short trip anyway.
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5 yuan may sound like a bargain for an airport train by international standards, but public transport in China is quite cheap. Beijing's subway charges a minimum 3 yuan but a cross-town journey would rarely cost over 6. Over the past 4 days, I spent only about 70 yuan taking buses and subways around the city.
I was standing at the last train car and spotted the driver's cab, which is only separated from the passenger cabin by a flimsy set of plastic flaps.
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After about 20 minutes, we pulled into the airport station. Electronic signs above the doors show which direction to exit and your train car's location against station facilities.
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Trains arrive at the lowest level while international check-in is all the way up on the 4th floor.
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The international check-in area is sleek and airy with a wavy architectural design. It's a Zaha Hadid creation that costed $11.5 billion with construction starting in 2014.
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This is still mostly a domestic airport, with international departures on the 3rd screen only that can't fill up the page for the rest of the afternoon and evening. After the Hong Kong flight leaves at 3:35pm, the next one is almost 2 hours away.
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Just a little over 2 hours ahead of departure, I reached an empty check-in aisle for Hong Kong Express. They only have 4 counters open but it was pretty empty. I haven't checked in online the night before to see if I can score a window seat without paying, which is HKD $50 on the website. Unfortunately, getting a seat assignment at the counter would cost twice that, so I was content to have a free middle seat assigned by the computer. My hand carry was slightly over the 7kg limit but the staff affixed the cabin approved tag anyway. As with my prior experiences with Chinese airports, check-in staff don't really give much smiles or greetings.
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By now it's 1:45pm and I browsed around looking for lunch. Fearing international prices past security, I headed upstairs land-side to find a restaurant serving traditional Beijing-style zhajianmian, or pork and soy bean paste noodles. Prices are more expensive than the Michelin-recommended restaurant I had in the city, but it was still only 32 yuan here.
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Satisfied, it was time to head to my gate. With so few international flights, there wasn't much waiting to go through security, although I was given the full body pat-down, including rolling over my pants' waistline and the tops of my socks.
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Although devoid of humanity, the Family Mart and McDonalds were open, which are good shops to have airside. Near gate 85 is a beautiful outdoor Chinese garden. By the time I reached the gate, it was time to board. It's not even 3pm yet.
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Next up : boarding.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/uo261.htm
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