A night flight from Hong Kong to London, delayed drama from a monsoon and an electrical storm — and the reviewer still walked away calling this the best airport experience going. That's the verdict from a recent first-person review of Hong Kong International Airport, home base for Cathay Pacific and, since 1998, built on the reclaimed island of Chek Lap Kok.
The airport itself earns the praise. The main terminal runs on vaulted ceilings, wall-to-wall glass and natural light by day, when the surrounding mountains put on a show. A standout feature is the Sky Bridge: a 200-metre-long, 28-metre-high glass-floored walkway linking the main terminal with the North Satellite terminal, tall enough for an A380 to pass underneath. Getting around is easier than it sounds — purple Allways buggies, styled after 1930s luxury convertibles, shuttle passengers to gates.
Processing is where it really shines. Security and immigration here skip the usual ritual: electronics, liquids, aerosols and gels all stay in your bag. The reviewer cleared the whole thing in about ten minutes, which for an airport this size is close to remarkable. Oneworld status holders (like Qantas Gold) can use the fast business-class check-in and access any of Cathay's three flagship lounges — The Bridge, The Deck and The Pier — the latter two home to the airline's beloved Noodle Bar dishing out dan dan noodles, wonton soup and steamed pork buns.
The food and shopping lineup is unusually strong for an airport. Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Duddell's has an outpost selling its roast goose packed for carriage on board ($163, available 10.30am–11pm daily, with a border-restrictions caveat depending on destination). There's also the famous Yung Kee, Hong Kong-style milk tea at Men Wah Bing Teng, and Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food to Go. Retail skews luxury — a double-storey Chanel plus Louis Vuitton, Prada, Balenciaga and Cartier — with Fortnum & Mason and TWG for tea gifts.
A few practical quirks worth knowing before you fly through. Gates are spread out and not always sequential, so budget serious walking time. Signage points to hot rather than cold drinking water, a mainland-China habit. Near gates 1 and 2 there are privacy pods with lie-flat seats, and charging stations are plentiful at most gates.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: if you're booking long-haul Asia-Europe or Asia-Australia routes, an itinerary that transits Hong Kong — particularly on Cathay Pacific — turns a layover from something to endure into something worth arriving early for. Even with a storm raging outside, the whole experience ran smooth, fast and, oddly, enjoyable.
