BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 5 June 2009 : by A Lee

Customer Rating : 5/5

Terminal 3 is enormous, but seem a bit under-used. Had a domestic transfer with Air China from YVR to SHA via PEK and was a smooth process. Had many stops and stamps to my passport and tickets but I can honestly tell you that I had no idea what I was getting stamped or checked. Still a fairly smooth process and lot's of walking involved. I felt like I walked the whole airport just to get to my next flight! Unlike many North American airports there are not a lot of opportunities to purchase snacks or water after security. If you want food I recommend eating before proceeding through security since there is not much in the departure area. Also found it odd that for such a large airport I had to be shuttled to the plane for both of my flights. Overall a pleasant experience!

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 6 April 2009 : by Steve Conroy

Customer Rating : 5/5

PEK Terminal 3 is a truly remarkable building - the sheer size of the place can be quite overwhelming. For this reason, it can take a while to get from one side to the other. In my case, I took nearly 30 minutes to make my way from my Dragonair flight to immigration - and this was on a quiet Sunday morning. You will never experience overcrowding! Check-in areas are adequately signed and customs staff are efficient if not a bit dismissive. Previous comments are correct: there is not a lot in the way of eating facilities once you clear immigration for an outbound flight. Most of the shopping is for high-end duty free. However this airport gets full marks for cleanliness, ambiance and efficiency. Overall, a very good airport.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 10 March 2009 : by R Pontida

Customer Rating : 4/5

Transportation to/from the airport is cheap both by bus, express train and taxi. Terminal 2 seems like a low-cost terminal and waiting lines are usually long for those flying economy. And a lot of flights depart a bit late. But Terminal 3 is a piece of art. It's huge and from the inside it's really beautiful. As stated by P Smith it's also vastly underused which means I never had to wait, was it for immigration, security check or anything else. You have free power outlets for your laptop with free Wi-Fi, like in Incheon for example but, in my opinion, with better natural lighting (although with no signs).

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 3 March 2009 : by P Smith

Customer Rating : 3/5

Beijing Capital is the most ridiculously oversized airport I have every seen. It is a political monument more than an airport. On the positive side, you will never feel crowded out. On the negative side, there is almost nowhere to eat (including the airline lounges which are sub par) and you better leave 20 minutes to get to your gate.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 16 February 2009 : by M Bates

Customer Rating : 3/5

The new Beijing Capital Terminal 3 is architecturally fantastic, especially from the air. The check-in area is huge and not too crowded and generally easy to navigate and I have always found the check-in process to be reasonably smooth whether for domestic or international flights. However, things go downhill from there. Although the check-in area is huge all the passengers are congregated into one smallish area for access to the gates. Domestic passengers have it easy in that once through the security check the gates are right there in the same building as the ground side area. But, as in the old terminals at this airport, it seems like the airport authority likes to bus as many passengers as possible to remote stands which is simply ridiculous in a modern airport. It is even more ridiculous when you are on the bus looking at the airport with most of the gates unoccupied and all the planes parked a mile or so away on remote stands. I have travelled on domestic flights through this terminal eight times since it opened last year and only once have been to a proper gate. As for the international passengers, all have to go down two escalators to a train that is often broken. You then get transported out to the furthest of the three buildings at the end of the dragon (the intermediate building is not in operation yet) where you then immediately go into the passport control and tiny queuing areas for security. Once through into the airside terminal be sure to have a jacket as it is always about 10C in that building. There are lots of glitzy shops to spend money in but almost nowhere to eat. For such a grand project there are so many small problems with this airport that could have been fixed with just a little thought. Regardless of this, it is still 100 times better than the two other decrepit terminals at this airport.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 28 December 2008 : by Mark Bickerton

Customer Rating : 5/5

T3 is fantastic! Huge, beautiful and well organised, it puts many other major airports to shame. There are places where you can sit quietly and relax, which is actually what I prefer to do at an airport rather than eating or shopping.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 24 December 2008 : by S Manniex

Customer Rating : 3/5

This review is for Beijing Capital Airport's Terminal 3. The new and ultra modern terminal 3 would be much better if it had free wifi internet access. It is possible to access a hot spot however it isn't free, it requires a Chinese mobile phone number, and the login page is displayed only in Mandarin. The information desk staff need to speak and understand decent English (because it's an international airport after all), and also need to know exactly which facilities are available in which locations. A better selection of shops that cater to those of us on a budget is required - for example convenience stores stocking everyday items at everyday prices not just expensive tourist junk. Travellers from western countries like to eat things other than McDonalds, KFC and Burger King. Please provide some healthy western options.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 7 November 2008 : by C Tin

Customer Rating : 5/5

T3 basically a newer chinese version of HK int'l. HUGE airport, long walks to gates though. But everything clearly labeled in English. Immigration a breeze, no lines both times, and they actually are nice at the airport. Quite a shock. Train a little inconvenient and it doesn't come that often, but all in all very impressive for China as I've flown into a bunch of chinese airports.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 6 November 2008 : by Joe Bailey

Customer Rating : 4/5

Shining, Clean and too big. It all takes too long really and the distances are great. One gets the feeling of being diminutive in an enormous great cathedral like cavern. I always get someone to meet me from the hotel. You get met on the jetway, accompanied all through the airport through passport control, baggage collection and customs in a sort fo wistful haze, and then plonked in a taxi and whisked in style to your hotel. This seems profilate until you realise that for all this you would get around half way from Heathrow to London in a black cab for the same money. Spend it, avoid the grief.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 21 October 2008 : by Jack Sheldon

Customer Rating : 5/5

Have recently been several times through T3. One was an international to international transfer and as there seems to be some confusion about the process. As you get into the terminal, follow the signs for transfer and just before you get to the immigration area, you'll find the airline transfer desks. They'll supply you with a boarding pass for you next flight. From there you go to "Transfer immigration". This is a single desk just before the crew and diplomatic immigration line. When I went through, there was no-one in front of me. You'll get a stamp in your passport, but don't need a visa to get through. From there take the escalators down one floor, go through your own private security check (very efficient and courteous) and you're in the departure hall. The whole process from touchdown to finding myself in the business class lounge took no more than 20 minutes. My second trip was an entry into China. Although there were about 10 people in my line at the immigration desk, the line moved fairly quickly and I don't reckon it took me more than 5 minutes to get through. By the time I had taken the train to the main terminal, our bags were already going round the carousel. There was a very long line for taxis, actually two lines sent off in different directions. It was well organized, but still took the better part of 15-20 minutes to get a cab. The driver didn't understand the name of the hotel, so I called them on my mobile phone and got them to tell the driver. Cab was properly metered and driver took the most sensible way to my hotel (in Wangfujing). Fare, including tolls, was 102 CNY, which is normal as traffic was heavy.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 26 July 2008 : by Christian Ahuis

Customer Rating : 4/5

Came in twice in new T3 for a connection flight (once Hong Kong, once Frankfurt). The airport Terminal is quite impressive, there are many shops. Not acceptable, that Pizza Hut outlet didn´t accept credit card! Got nice food and drinks in the central hall above the tram for the Terminal. Very friendly staff at customs but due to a delay on flight from Frankfurt via Bejing to Hong Kong the staff at Beijing was not able to handle the new tickets for the next flight quickly enough. So we missed that flight as well and had to wait in total for 4 hours. Big question was on same flight, why our plane parked not directly at terminal but outside and we had to take the bus to terminal. It was easy to see, that about 90% of the gates directly at the terminal was not occupied. Traffic at terminal was at both visits not much. Restrooms were clean (much cleaner than at Frankfurt).

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 22 July 2008 : by Alonso Fernandes

Customer Rating : 3/5

On arrival to PEK, if you can avoid taking taxis. I live in China, I speak Chinese, I know the city, I even phone the hotel to let them tell the driver how to get there and still 9 out of 10 times the driver tries to cheat me! Cheating varies from taking longer routes and pretending to have lost their way, or that the hotel told them the wrong route, or that they don't know the destination, to, straight forward extortion (requesting for 600 RMB to transfer from the airport to the city), in some case they pretend their meter to be broken. (it can happen but it's not common, use your common sense and if the driver gives you a reasonable fare then he should be honest) . The normal fare to downtown Beijing shall not be over 60-110 RMB plus 10 RMB toll fee that the passenger has to pay and get a receipt for. In any case, before boarding the taxi mark down the cars licence plate number and the driver licence number that should be displayed in front of the passengers seat. If the drivers number is not displayed refuse to take the taxi. Every taxi is registered upon leaving PEK airport so marking down the plate number shall help you if problems arise. Always ask for metered fare (da piao) and ask for invoice (fa piao). Also check that the time of departure in the invoice matches the time you took the taxi, as the drivers often print older invoices. Best ways to avoid problems are: Print your destination name and address in Chinese. Call the hotel so they tell the driver how to get there.3. check with the hotel the approx. fare from the airport. If you feel you are getting cheated; don't argue with the driver, wait till you get to your destination, request a receipt (FA PIAO) and check the times on it match the time you boarded the taxi, pick your belongings and get out of the taxi, and then give the usual fare to the doorman of the hotel so he can solve the problem with the driver. Normally cheating only occurs from the airport to the city, specially if your destination is close to the airport.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 8 July 2008 : by Ted Michaels

Customer Rating : 2/5

Arrived and departed from Terminal 3. Very new and spacious, but also very long walks. Whilst it pretends to to be geared up to the Olympics, that will be fine if all the visitors speak Chinese - as staff in most locations have little if any command of the English language. Tried getting info for hotels, and hotel shuttle buses, and not one member of staff was able to help or try to talk English - aside from trying to get you to use a luxury limousine service. A shame, the infrastructure is potentially good, but the airport management do not seem to have got their act together.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 13 June 2008 : by J Bai

Customer Rating : 5/5

Beijing's new T3 is a breeze of fresh air, very bright, new, modern and nicely presented. With loads of seating and shops and places to eat. the only bad thing is that it's too big, and so takes some time to walk from one place to another. International Departure Hall was spacious, airy and well managed, a nice one indeed. My complaints is that it may lack a bit of human touch in the whole grand building, as it's just too new and contemporary. I waited for about 20 mins for luggage on both ways to and from PEK.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 11 May 2008 : by C Wong

Customer Rating : 5/5

Went through T3, and was quite impressed. Very large and clean - likely because it is new. Comparable to other world class airports, specifically a copy-like version of HKG airport, but a tad bit darker. Custom agents were friendly and actually smiled! You could even leave feedback regarding the custom agent by pressing on a box at the desk. Truly an upgrade.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Yi Ren

15 April 2008   Customer Rating :

Recently went through new T3 at PEK. Very impressive, huge building, smooth connection for international and domestic service. Immigration staff are friendly. Luggage arrived so quick, I was really impressed. Airport staff are helpful. New lounge for oneworld flights is great! Great range of food, internet and everything. All in all, Beijing airport is very good. definitely would like to go through PEK again.

Beijing Capital Airport review by G Bray

1 April 2008   Customer Rating :

Flew out of Beijing Capitol Airport's new Terminal 3 domestically on my way to Zhuhai on the third day after Air China moved across from T2. Very impressive building & very easy to clear through all check in & security checks in no time. After Check-In, there was a large variety of shops & bigger array of food outlets that were very reasonably priced for an airport. Allowed a greater chance to make my farewells to my friends in comfort, before I had to leave them at the security check. Reclining seats at the gate lounges were very nice & had fun enjoying the immense size of the building. Watching the train run internally from one end off to the distant International end of the terminal was also fun to watch in this gargantuan place.

Beijing Capital Airport review by C Migas

3 March 2008   Customer Rating :

Just flew out of PEK recently and found the experience smooth and stress-free. Immigration was easy and they have eliminated the step of having to go through quarantine line. No departure taxes to be paid. Now that terminal 3 is open things will only get better. Maybe the Chinese are getting their act together because of the Olympics. Airports these days are never pleasant. This one is no different.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Gary Herbison

25 February 2008   Customer Rating :

Beijing Capital airport, is not always a nice experience. not because of unfriendly people but because at the moment it is chaos. Especially now that when one is in transit and has to go through immigration, customs and then back in and check in again whether you have a boarding pass or not. The second problem is that they have taken away the transit immigration counter and unless you know what you are doing you will be confused and end up in the wrong line. I did that in December 2007 and spent an enormous amount of time getting through immigration, having to change lines and going to the back. I did not find out the error until at the immigration desk. You must go to the diplomatic channel. The help will have to so much better for the olympics.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Chris Jackson

12 February 2008   Customer Rating :

Living in Beijing, I fly in and out of this airport many times a year. If you speak Chinese the whole game changes, but in general looking non-asian automatically paints you as something of a target for any and all trying to get you to give them money, be it bag porters, fake taxis who overcharge (or even metered ones who will drive in a loop around the far side of the city to increase their fare because you have no clue about the roads and where to go, you're a foreigner in China who doesn't speak chinese), as well as people who try to claim they are airport officials trying to get you to give them departure tax (a few years ago you actually had to pay the departure tax at the airport, and you would receive a little slip of paper, but these have been done away with and is now included in all airfares). Also, these days there are the girls trying to sell SIM cards literally around every corner of the airport. Things to stay away from are the black cabs, the ridiculous prices at the airport gift shops and restaurants, the bag porters (except for one I met, and he told me I could pay him however much I thought he deserved, and he took a lot of bags all the way to the counter check-in, unlike others who drop your stuff at the declaration check - it helps to speak chinese) and people claiming you need to pay them for some ridiculous thing. You don't need a bag porter especially when in the arrivals and departure areas they have free bag carts to use. Also, it would be nice to have more places to eat in the terminal and more variety of shopping. Beware of fake items being sold at the duty free (such as marlboro with chinese on them). However, despite all of this I've had all sorts of employees help me with all sorts of issues. One time, I arrived at the airport check-in counter ANA at 7:55 for a flight at 8:35 to NRT. They expedited my tickets, took my bags, had me go through the diplomatic customs and security, and a staff member escorted me to the plane, all to make sure I got on in time. Very helpful, especially since I'm not a diplomat! I'm almost tempted to show up late more often! Another time on a flight from PEK to SIN, I arrived late from Qingdao into PEK due to bad weather in Qingdao, and thus missed my connection to SIN. SIA booked me on the next flight, and the airport paid for a hotel room for me, plus transportation to and from the hotel. When I arrived, I needed to access the internet, and so on a Y-class ticket to SIN the people let me into the Business class lounge so I could access internet on my computer and even offered me coffee (all on Y ticket and w/o SA gold or other elite card which I have since then acquired). Overall, the Beijing airport has been very accommodating over and over again for my travel needs. However, there is baggage that goes along with the airport that sometimes overshadows that it is in reality a decent airport.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Rainer Burger

8 January 2008   Customer Rating :

Actual information is, that on February 28th 2008 the first five airlines are moving to the new terminal 3 (if I remember right I read somewhere that this will be the biggest terminal building in the world) and that on March 28th the rest of the Star Alliance members are to follow into terminal 3. That should take care of the problem that the terminal 2 is simply overcrowded as the previous comment describes quite good.

Beijing Capital Airport review by S Wilson

7 November 2007   Customer Rating :

At departures (international) absolute chaos, hoards of people with their luggage desperately trying to get departure forms to fill out before pushing into the "nothing to declare" queue. I chose the "declare" queue which was quieter and it worked, got sped through. Checkin for Austrian in business class was a breeze, but not on Air China for my partner, who spent 40 minutes in a single queue while other queues sped by, because a staff member was being trained - and because some local people would push into the front shouting in Chinese demanding attention, and got it! Security also was a dog's breakfast with enormous queues, no priority queue for business class passengers, and the terminal was packed. The generic lounge for business/first passengers had no bathroom facilities, and was jampacked. In short the main problem is the terminal is grossly overcrowded. Saw the duty free ripoff stores and did make a purchase, although had to correct the price charged which was different from the ticket (in small print), paid in cash despite being asked to pay with credit - I'd already read about the scams!! By contrast, boarding was a very relaxing affair. This airport needs more terminals, more staff and to eliminate ridiculous customs checks on people leaving - surely this could be partially automated after check in, and there needs to be airline built lounges by the three main alliances at least!

Beijing Capital Airport review by J Wygant

6 November 2007   Customer Rating :

In Oct. 2007 we were to fly out of Beijing on China Eastern. The fog was heavier than usual and our flight was delayed. China Eastern had only two ticket clerks at Beijing and nobody working a check-in counter, which was being done for them by China Air. We got wrong information from China Air (that our flight was canceled) and were told there was nothing they could do about our missed connection. We would have to book our own tickets and overnight hotel room. Very little English was spoken by any staff. Our boarding passes were confiscated, then later returned. We waited in several lines without achieving anything. The airport itself is grossly inadequate, small and with few of the usual passenger amenities. It was necessary to go back out of immigration to get a cup of coffee. It turned out the flight was only delayed, not canceled, and the China Eastern staff at the wonderful Shanghai Airport were extremely helpful. With all of the other new airports in China, Beijing's is a joke.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Alain Kupferman

21 August 2007   Customer Rating :

Transferring from an international destination to another one is a lengthy matter in Beijing Capital Airport. You have to queue at a special immigration desk (have entry card ready), get the card stamped, then you go to the check-in of the airline you want to fly on, you get your boarding pass, and go again through immigration with your stamped entry card. This procedure can take up over 3 hours, depending on the length of queues in the respective desks, so transferring though Beijing is definitely not a very good idea

Beijing Capital Airport review by T Lo

9 August 2007   Customer Rating :

This airport is actually very easy to get through. For international departures, the first sight you see is hordes of people gathered in the hall. It seems like they are all waiting around and no one knows what to do. I've flown out of Beijing Capital Airport many times. All you need to do is fill out the customs form (available in one of the large circular floor kiosks), then walk through a gate in order to enter the terminal proper. Just hand the form to the uniformed customs agent along with your passport and ticket and you can walk directly to the ticketing counter to get your boarding pass. Once you get past that, security is relatively easy. You still need to fill out another departure card and stand in another line, but it is fairly orderly. There is a large assortment of shops, from the fairly tacky Chinese products to Coach and Dunhill, etc, a Starbucks, and a few other restaurants. Watch the TV monitors for your flights status, etc. So, it's not as bad as everyone says as long as you know what to look out for. Encountering so many people waiting around can be daunting, but rest assured that most of them are just waiting around and are not all standing in line; once you know what to do you can go right in.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Billy Webb

3 July 2007   Customer Rating :

Beware of the Beijing Airport Duty Free Scam! The duty free stores at Beijing Airport list their prices in US dollars, but convert them to Chinese Yuan for credit card purchases. Alas, the conversion is not at the official rate that can be found all over Beijing (including at the airport), but at an inflated rate that is about 0.4 Chinese Yuan/US dollar above the official rate. For example, on June 26, 2007, for example, the store rate was 7.91 vs the official rate of 7.54 Yuan per US dollar. This is probably not illegal; but it is certainly greedy. The problem, of course, is made worse when one's credit card company converts the currency back to US dollars, adding their own commission, etc. I urge you to boycott the stores (and tell them why you're doing so) until they reform their practices.

Beijing Capital Airport review by Nick Fortuna

30 June 2007   Customer Rating :

Used both Domestic and International portions of this airport on a number of occasions. Lines for arriving int'l pax can be long, Line up nearest to the chinese immigration line - once locals have cleared immigration, passport control will process foreign arrivals. Baggage claim was usually quite fast. Check-in can be chaotic for international departures since you have to fill out a myriad of customs, immigration and health forms prior to checking in. On the domestic side, there is not much seating once past the security check. Liquids are permitted, but staff will sniff whatever liquid you're bringing. This mean you have to open your can of coke. Too bad if you were going to drink it later. Information regarding delayed flights is woeful. When bad weather forced the cancellation of some and delays for many other flights, staff in the domestic section could not provide information. Not sure if it was language-related or airline related. In all, there are better, larger and more modern airports in China such as Guangzhou, SHenzhen, etc.

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