Beijing Capital Int'l Airport Passenger Reviews and BCIA Traveller Reports   a World 4-Star Airport         Add your Beijing Capital Airport Review   Beijing Capital Airport 4-Star Ranking     Customer Review scoring : Beijing Capital Airport 109 reviews

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	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  2 May 2013 by Mary Butcher    (UK)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I travelled through Beijing Airport on 21st April this year. It is freezing cold so if you are travelling now, take a warm jacket as all the airport staff were wearing big coats. Whether it's normally like that I don't know but it is very cold. When on my stopover to Australia I had a shower in the hotel by gate E10 - it costs £15, 150 Yen. I nearly fell backwards but I was ready for a shower so agreed to have one. I have to say it wasn't all that good or hot but I felt better for it. Coming back on my journey I saw some free showers near one of the pagodas/temple behind Costa Coffee. As I'd only taken a small amount of money with me, the cost of the shower took half of my allowance which meant on the way back, by the time I'd bought a coffee (it's so expensive) I didn't have enough money left for some food. I was in a freezing cold airport for 6 and a half hours and ready for a meal on the plane home. The airport is spotlessly clean, immigration and shop staff all need to smile a bit more though. I would recommend this airport because of the cleanliness but would say be warm and take plenty of funds with you if you are spending quite a while there. There are lounge chairs in certain areas where you can relax and watch the planes taking off and landing.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  19 April 2013 by A Newton    (UK)
	Rating : 3/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	The most bizarre large airport I have ever transited through. on all 4 flights I had in and out of PEK, we did not use the airbridges, and were transferred by buses. Security and immigration for transit is insane, only one member of staff on the transit immigration desk for 2 full plane loads of passengers. The staff manning these points I found to be rude and abrupt. The airport was freezing cold, I saw many people walking around with big coats to try and warm up. Good thing is there was free wifi, but as a non Chinese citizen you need to take your passport to the information desk to get wifi passwords. The airport has so much potential, I do not see it as world class yet.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  17 April 2013 by P Vanelli    (Italy)
	Rating : 3/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I often fly in and out of Beijing, mostly through T3, and I find this terminal to be most annoying. The terminal is very poorly designed, with unnecessarily long distances. What really drives me crazy is that, when you arrive you end up in a hall which is not located at the same level of ground transportation, so you must take either an elevator (there are just two of them!) or an escalator to reach the taxis / buses or the parking lot. If you have a large piece of luggage this can be quite difficult to manage. On the plus side, I have never waited too long for immigration. Baggage collection, on the other hand, is variable (up to 1 hour once, for a flight from Europe). Food choices are really limited, considering the size of this airport. I definitely prefer T2, even though it's more crowded.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  15 April 2013 by J Isaksen    (Finland)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	The only plus here is the open space and lack of lines when arriving early morning at least. Passed through twice. Very limited places to eat. Too many empty high end stores and looking for a bottle of water was a challenge. Not aimed at International traveller needs. No co-operation between Air China staff. Speciality lines handling irregular visa travellers were there but not handled very well.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  15 March 2013 by A Syed    (Australia)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Good airport but staff not very efficient, especially with their level of English very poor. Check-in staff had to call about 3 or 4 members to translate from Mandarin to English, which is still not great! But other than that, great facilities, very clean and spacious. Another problem encountered is no connection to social media, in fact very limited usage of the internet. Will still visit Beijing again regardless.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  2 January 2013 by Michael Pobjoy    (UK)
	Rating : 2/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Big, big airport, but for a modern airport disappointing. With so many docking points, why should people get off planes and face winter conditions and sardine cramped busses? Also whilst in transit why do passengers have to go through immigration and back again, and subject them to excessive baggage and body searches? Airside there was a lack of money exchanges, was unable to get any money, the potential of this airport is enormous.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  28 December 2012 by G Scott    (China)
	Rating : 3/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	For allegedly the 2nd busiest airport in the world it is probably the worst large airport I've ever been to. While there are times when check in and security queues are really short there are other times when they are ridiculously long. The constantly use buses to take you to and from the planes which is fairly outrageous for such a modern airport. The worst thing is, there is such a tiny selection of shops and restaurants and they are all vastly overpriced. I've been through Beijing Capital airport at least 30 times since T3 opened and every time end up disappointed.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  10 October 2012 by B Marcus    (USA)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I arrived from Hangzhou and arrived at T3. It did Not take that long to claim my bad but the taxi line was ridiculous and I waited almost 45 minutes. For a modern airport they need a better system for their taxis. I departed T3 for my United flight to Newark. I was very surprised that there was No Fast track line for Business Class passengers. Going through immigration took over 30 minutes and the line through security took another 25 minutes. There was Not a large selection of restaurants and shops. I much prefer Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Seoul airports than Beijing T3.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  6 August 2012 by W Hammond    (Singapore)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Perhaps the worst and most disappointing "new" airport in the world! Landed at T3 gates, took 30 mins to get through immigration, then you inexplicably have to jump on a train for 5-6 mins to get to the main terminal. The extremely few shops were closed and it was 11pm. Then stuck in an awful taxi queue for 1 hour. Overall it took me nearly 2 hours to get out of the airport, then you can add another 40 mins to the city. By the time I checked in to the hotel it was 1.30am - 2.5 hrs after touchdown! Flying out was just as bad, T3 is huge, biggest terminal I have ever seen and completely empty of anything bar check-in desks - there's nothing to do, no shops or bars or anywhere to relax and everywhere is closed by 10pm. The satellite terminal where all the departure gates are is even more desolate and so dark you can't even read a book to pass the time.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  29 May 2012 by J Sung    (China)
	Rating : 2/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I live in Beijing and dread going to the airport and I travel 3 times a month on average. Taxi queues are messy (up till recently) and can be extremely long, especially late night. Lounge has limited service offering. Immigration line for foreigners (inbound) are extremely slow (but this is the same for almost all Chinese immigration). Baggage claim is slow. T3 is huge but there is nothing much in it (restaurants, shops, services, etc), especially at further gates. Flights are often delayed.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  16 March 2012 by Josef Sonntag    (Israel)
	Rating : 9/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	PEK-PVG, Xian-PEK, SVO-PEK, PEK-SVO. Arrivel at PEK very efficient, clean with good information, good ground services, very efficient ground service (electronic self check-in) and good restaurants.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  5 January 2012 by Y Ren    (Australia)
	Rating : 9/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I think PEK has improved. Landed at Terminal 2 with China Southern from Hanoi and departure from Terminal 3 to Singapore. Immigration and security staff are friendly and efficient, luggage arrived quickly. Airport express train is easy to access and only takes 20 minutes to get to city. More shops opened at terminal 3, staff are friendly and helpful. Airport business lounge has plenty of food choice. Check-in and boarding are smooth, free wifi available through PEK.

	Beijing Capital International Airport customer review :  10 November 2011 by D Scott    (USA)
	Rating : 6/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Agree with the comments on cleanliness. Disagree on some signage - not clear where you transition from domestic to international - there is a sign but you have to be looking for it. Staff English skills are hit and miss, if you ask them the same question they hear many times a day, they can handle it but the slightest deviation and they struggle but they are friendly. There is lots of walking, security is long and laborious. Had a long layover outbound and a short one on the return, my opinion is 2.5 hrs between flights is the minimum.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  22 August 2011 by F Harvey   (UAE)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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We had a 3hr 30mins stopover in T3 and were very impressed by this terminal. Signage was good, terminal was immaculately clean, shops were decent and there were several relaxing areas with long chairs, two 'Temples' with a small pond and a few benches. Finding an ATM was hard but there were several Bureaux de Change. The only annoyance was that we had to go through a separate immigration queue on arrival even though we had an international connecting flight outside of China.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  21 August 2011 by L Charpentier   (France)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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Very good impression on arrival, less than 30 mins from aircraft to taxi. Unfortunately, taxi drivers don't speak English. On departure, check in counter open 3 hrs before flight, very good, no queue at security checks or customs. duty free area - not enough shops. Quiet airport.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  14 August 2011 by Micke Akesson   (Sweden)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Newly built and looks pretty good. If you have to stay in the airport for more than an hour you will quickly become bored. Very limited in both shopping and eating. Staff are not very friendly and security is a hassle, even in transit. English speaking personnel is rare.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  6 July 2011 by M Gill   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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We flew through Beijing on our way to Delhi and then back to YVR. The new terminal is big and clean. You have to walk a lot. The airport seemed deserted even at 8 pm. Limited eating facilities close to gates with no international flavour and choices. There was a small tea shop near our gate and it had one piece of cheese cake and had just ran out of milk/cream for coffee. The map showed the restaurants were 10 mins walk from my gates. I tried to use the automated phone using my credit card but the instructions were not clear and I just gave up. The terminal was cold, so were the personnel working there. Take note: I was advised at a duty free shop at YVR not to buy any alcohol because it will not be allowed to go through Beijing. It is best to buy liquor there, if you are in transit. But the choice is limited shops don't operate 24 hrs a day.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  24 June 2011 by B Ngan   (Hong Kong)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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So many vehicles were blocking the drop-off area at the entrance of the terminal, which was a mess. The airport offers no directory of shops and restaurants. Food selections are so limited, and none of the restaurants are charging a reasonable price. The train transferring passengers to terminal 3E shakes at departure and arrival is like a roller coaster.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  18 May 2011 by C Craemer   (Germany)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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The duty free shopping is ridiculous. Were there at 8 pm and none of the shops were open. The food was okay, but most of the staff don't speak English. Airport was clean, but was very cold at night. At arrival, very uncoordinated queues with Chinese staff shouting at people who were Europeans in Chinese - so that no one understood anything. If you asked them to speak English they became very rude.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  21 April 2011 by David Gartside   (UK)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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T2 - the 'old terminal' as our guide described it - if that's old , I'll settle for it. Clean and efficient, lots of shops for those who want such things, enough quiet corners for those who don't.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  28 March 2011 by Joseph Schmitt   (USA)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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I can't believe that no one has mentioned how cold it is. My wife and I had a 9 hour layover on March 21. The temperature in Beijing was about 32 degrees F and the airport did not seem much warmer. Another annoying thing is that they make you go through customs, even though you are in transit and only connecting to another flight. The signage for the transit customs seemed a little lacking - customs officials were terse. Other than the coldness and redundant customs, the airport is not too bad. The best and cheapest place to get food is the Chinese Fast Food place (the name escapes me). I think that if you want western food, you are going to pay more for it than the Chinese food. They have lounge chairs, that are good for catching some ZZZs. Just follow the signs. I've never seen these in other airports. Good Idea. They also have hot water spickets in certain locations. If you really want to eat on the cheap, they sell those Ramen type noodles in heat able containers - just add the hot water. I am giving an overall Poor rating because of the cold temperature.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  7 March 2011 by J Singh   (USA)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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I arrived in Beijing for a connecting flight to Delhi, India. I was amazed in the new Terminal 3! Very clean, modern, and great staff. It was a big walk from gate to gate, but they did have people movers and some small cars operating.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  16 January 2011 by Y Ren   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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Immigration process was smooth both for landing and departure, officers friendly and efficient - some officers also prioritised passengers with small kids go through special lane. Luggage arrived ahead of me. Airport express train was great, no queue for taxi either. Air China business lounge was good - the suggestion for PEK is shopping, staff are not that helpful and very limited choice.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  14 January 2011 by Michael McNeel   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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T3 is just massive. Inside the passenger terminal there is no Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or other western franchise. Instead, a Chinese coffee shop where they sell a tiny cup of Americano for 5 dollars. Duty free shopping was a nightmare too - poorest service I've ever had. Airport immigration? Slowest ever! I simply have no idea why this airport received 4 stars.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  9 January 2011 by A Clemonsky   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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The design and structure of the airport is very similar to that of Hong Kong's Chep Lap Ko airport. The staff are quite cold and indifferent whenever they are asked a question. After immigration, more international stores (Starbucks, MacDonalds, etc) should be opened.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  27 November 2010 by V Bhar   (India)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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T3 is massive, possibly the largest terminal I have been in. Given its size, the distances are large and time consuming. The terminal itself is very clean, airy and well designed. Some English signage missing or confusing. Immigration both ways was fast and efficient. Luggage wait negligible. Wireless internet didn't seem to work. The retail and food options need improvement. More taxi bays required - we had to wait almost 30mins in subzero temperature to arrive at the head of the taxi queue.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  1 November 2010 by J Drolet   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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T3 is huge, beautiful, clean and new although a shocking lack of amenities airside compared to HKIA for example. Getting through Immigration & Customs was smooth & officials are friendly & pleasant. I used T1 for a domestic flight to Xi'an. While it is older & smaller, it is still very clean & the staff are friendly enough. Many domestic flights board from a bus that takes you from the terminal to the plane on the tarmac so that feels like a bit of a throwback to an earlier era.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  7 September 2010 by Peter Goldsbury   (Japan)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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For my flight from Hiroshima via Dalian there were two pick-up areas for the baggage, one for Hiroshima and one for Dalian, but there were no signs in English for the Hiroshima baggage, so I had to go back into the immigration / customs area and start again. There was no problem with this, so I suspect that it often happens. Given the huge size of this airport, I cannot understand why planes are still parked away from the terminal and buses used to convey passengers, with the inevitable free-for-all. For the return trip I was accompanied by a Chinese guide, so the check-in procedure was very smooth. It took about five minutes, so there was no sense in having to arrive three hours before departure. I flew Business Class, so the ratings are higher.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  20 August 2010 by F Runcie   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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This airport is huge and airy, with a wealth of shops in the area near the gates. Despite the presence of people movers, some distances are unnecessarily long. The hairpin turn before immigration services is a case in point, and Transfer passengers desk needs to be more clearly signposted. Perhaps most problematic about this airport is the lack of wireless internet service. It is advertised in a number of places, but never available. The information desk staff seem unable to provide assistance with this matter. One good thing about this airport is the presence of showers for use for a nominal price.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  28 July 2010 by R Ducker   (UK)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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We used Terminal 3 flying in from Helsinki and had no problems at all - short queues at customs and immigration, a bit of a long ride on the train to collect your luggage but a lot better then having to walk that distance. On leaving set off from hotel nearly 4 hours before the flight, but taxi journey only took 35 minutes, check-in took 10 minutes so we had a lot of time to kill for our 10:55 flight. Terminal 3 could do with some more western food outlets the one we used (a famous country & western singers eatery) the staff had a very poor command of English - apart from that a very good airport.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  20 July 2010 by Anders Tham   (Sweden)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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I was in transit at the Beijing Capital Airport. First impression was the airport is huge and clean. However, there is only 1 Chinese restaurant operating there. And their service is on- par or lower than the fast-food restaurant. Before getting into the main transit hall, transit passangers (even does not entry the country) are subject to the queue of the immigration control. After that yet another baggage scanning. First many didn't understand what was needed of them (look at the web-cam for photo shoot) and this makes the officer angry. Probably those who work there has very little interest to speak English to the international transit passengers. I like the fact the airport provides power terminal for laptop and etc.

Beijing Capital International Airport review :  27 June 2010 by B Fruin   (China)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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International Check in is not bad. They need bigger notice boards to say where your flights are checking in. A long way to go to the aircraft via a train which doesn't hold near enough people. Returning to Beijing is a absolute shambles. Clearing customs can take a long time as they don't have enough customs windows open, and you can wait forever if 3-4 flights arrive at once. Then there is the train to the baggage collection. If you have any oversize baggage you have to go miles to find it.