BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review :  22 February 2010 by G Davis   (USA)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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T3 - Lots of great shops and places to eat. The Air China Business Class lounge is the best lounge I have been in. There is a little hotel at gate E-10 (all the gates for international flights are the E gates in this terminal). It has mini rooms, with no windows, that you can rent by the hour or even overnight. Caution - when you arrive, if you are connecting internationally and already have your boarding pass or want to go rest in the hotel do not follow the crowd down the escalator after customs. This leads you out of the terminal and to baggage claim via a train. If you do accidentally get to the train just take it to the main terminal and then don't get off. It will take you back to the E terminal, where you will have to clear a new set of customs and security to get back into the gate area.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review :  8 January 2010 by H Bond   (China)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Disorganized, sprawling airport that is too big to be practical. Like C Neumann, experienced, twice, the ineptness of airport information staff. There are no floor plans showing which row and number of stall holds which airline check-in desk. Aimlessly wandered in the airport looking for Continental desk. Found Info desk, gave info staff airline, flight number and time of flight. She told me "this flight does not exist," multiple times and on the third try searching on her computer found said flight to exist and directed me to the correct row--in row E (it is not alphabetical order, which would be the intuitive thing). Second time, found airport staff and asked again where is check-in desk, and she did not know despite working on the check-in floor aiding travelers. She had to radio the info desk. After multiple tries, info desk did not respond. Had to walk to info desk who did not know either, and had to look on his computer (they should really know this without resorting to looking it up). She ended up directing me to the wrong check-in desk. From check-in to gate is much too far. Besides walking long distances, it requires a shuttle ride to the gates where you must walk long distances again. Security was terrible, no organisation. People cutting lines, drifting in and out of lines. No one spoke English. Was in danger like some other travelers of missing flight due to excessive security delays. Every once in a while an airport security worker would walk by. If I had not asked in Chinese for help because my flight was leaving soon I would have missed my flight altogether (worker removed me from the line and brought to the front, cutting all the people behind me.) Was late for flight and no one bothered to radio ahead. Allot yourself at least half an hour from check-in to gate plus more for security. Airport staff has none to minimal English skills. Bad service from shop assistants prior to gate.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review :  30 December 2009 by Y Ren   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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T3 is fantastic, T2 is a little bit dated but services are good. Immigration staff are friendly and efficient. heaps of shops and cafes. The only is internet, there is no free wifi services at PEK.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review :  26 November 2009 by Bill Jones   (France)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Beijing Airport has a lot of superlatives and is fantastic when everything goes smoothly. I was delayed, coming on Air China from Hangzhou (bad weather in Beijing, will probably appear later in the statistics as pollution-free day) and had to catch Air China flight to Frankfurt. This flight departed just when we landed. Transfer desk is useless: they send you to ticketing, in ticketing, you have to wait in queue (whereby Chinese people do not queue, they just push you away), and when you are done with ticketing, you wait in queue (same style as before) to get accommodation. The whole procedure took almost 3 hours.

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 9 September 2009 : by Kostas Sapountzis

Customer Rating : 4/5

It has a good and cheap connection with the city, and although huge, it's very well organized and you can find your way easily. But due to its size you have to leave enough time for check in, gate transition etc. Among his disadvantages was the luck of proper services for disable people. If it wasn't the polite and helpful personnel I don't know how easily we could have made it. Another big disadvantage it was that the very expensive restaurants and cafe facilities. We paid 30RMB~3Eu for a plain and small sandwich and 27RMB for a small glass of juice!

BEIJING CAPITAL AIRPORT review : 31 July 2009 : by C Neuman

Customer Rating : 1/5

Had a connecting International flight in Beijing, and could not get proper directions. Airport personnel were indifferent and unhelpful, with one person even asking for money just to tell me where the Continental Airlines counter was. My son and I had a miserable and tiring time, filled a ton of forms, had to go through immigration and in again!

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.