Guangzhou Airport

New metro service to the airport is filled to crush levels not ideal for travellers. Flying to Brisbane but it was written as Bu Li Si Ban on screens causing much confusion. Food was ridiculously expensive with an apple juice in a small high ball glass costing almost AU$10 or 58CNY. Outside the airport would only be 5 or 6CNY. Security was very tight due to Asian Games being held in GZ. There is a golf cart taxi service too to get from one side of the airport to another due to the expansive size of the place.

I found the check-in system confusing to say the least. Eventually I saw a small line with mixed nationalities and decided this mist be the Thai flight to Bangkok. I was right. But there was no signage to indicate this. just a blank screen. And on the departure floor there was only one money change. Despite several flights a day to Bangkok they dont change baht. They couldnt even tell me what the exchange rate was. But they would give me US$$. I decided to take a chance and change it in Bangkok. Smart move as it turned out as there is no commission fee. If looking for somewhere to eat go down to the floor between departures and arrivals. A quick example - a capuccino down there was 32 CNY and on the departures floor 65 CNY. And its the latter price if you wait until after clearing immigration. The customs line on arrival hasn't changed from a previous comment.

We were transit from Bangkok to Hong Kong through Guangzhou. Be very aware when transiting in CAN! Upon approaching customs you inform the agent that you are transit passengers. He or she will not stamp your passport but then will take the passport and boarding pass for the continuing flight and give it to a man in uniform who stuffs it into his back pocket and orders you to stand in an area six feet from customs with the other transit folks. After gathering three or four passports this uniformed character runs off to an office. I observed this occurring for five or six additional passengers. Then after about twenty minutes a young lady in uniform returns with a stack of ten or twelve passports - you must follow her around and point our your passport with she finally gives back to you. The boarding pass has a bunch of new stamps on it and you are led through a gate (with this group of unrelated transit passengers) and through a new security point and back into the gate area. A very intimidating and sloppy process - would not recommend that anyone ever transit through CAN. Later we found the terminal dirty and cold expensive and most employees were useless in explaining our six our delay in the continuing forty minute flight to HKG.

Modern and clean. Clearing customs was slow and frustrating due to only one line being available for foreigners despite other custom officers having nothing to do. Received bags around 35 min after leaving the aircraft which is a little slow. Finding the check in desk for a connecting domestic flight was difficult due to a lack of signage and airport staff sending me the wrong direction despite showing my ticket. Was stopped by an english speaking man pretending to be airport staff and asking for my ticket and money caution advised. Airport has many restaurants shops and money exchangers. My general impression was good but it can be a little difficult for the first time visitor.

Very new airport and far better than the old Guangzhou airport BUT - I have passed through this airport three times once missing my plane and twice nearly missing my plane. Reasons are the amazing queues everywhere from the check in to (especially) the security control. I do not understand why this has to be so much less efficient than Shanghai or Beijing? Last time I came at 6:30 for an 8:25 plane (domestic flight to Shanghai) and reached it just in the nick of time. Therefore be early. Apart from that though nice and spacious the lousy quality is giving it away: Leaky roof piping atrocious toilets with broken local electronic equipment. No international newspapers etc. despite being an international airport. And the walkways are dominated by these battery driven transportation cars for passengers which are outright dangerous due to sheer speed. In other places such cars are for the disabled here they seem to be only for the lazy ones.

The airport inside is magnificent spacious and even the air conditioning was just right for subtropical weather in Guangzhou. The staff were courteous and offered my relatives where to check in for China Southern flight to Tokyo Narita. Everything such as foreign exchange food duty free shopping all organized into the hallway before customs making it easy to find.

It's a good airport and compared to most other airports the luggage handling is very fast and efficient. To the downside is that food and beverage prices are very high. When travelling from and to the airport I would suggest everyone to just take a coach to your hotel instead of a taxi. Inside GZ the taxi service is reliable but from the airport taxi driver try to take advantage of people who don't know. The bus service to for example the garden hotel just cost 17rmb per person.

Used Baiyun Airport 4 times in the past 2 months. Found both Domestic and International Departures well-run and efficient; staff appeared professional and well-trained esp. those deployed at the First Class Lounges. Only complaint: When our SQ flight landed from Singapore one of the Airport's health officials came onboard to measure the temperature of each and every passenger. (We were expecting to deplane and go past the more convenient thermal scanners as in other major airports). This led to an additional 45-minute wait inside the cabin for all passengers to be screened before anyone could leave the plane. The stringent precautions are understandable in view of the HlNl virus but the airport could have deployed more than one health official to do the individual temperature scan.

Flew from new Guangzhou Bayon to Ho Chi Minh City. Be prepared for delays going through security screening. With the new airport it appears they have hired a lot of new security screeners. While professional and unfailingly polite they lack experience. As such they do not recognize as safe such many harmless metal items as nail clippers tweezers (or in my casea cheap sewing kit scissors with a one-inch blade). As a result be prepared for delays - perhaps lengthy - while they spend a lot of time searching your bag (or that of the person ahead of you!) and examining these items which they then decide are harmless.

Negative sides: It's a rather new airport but due to bad maintenance some parts already seem old. For example the few gates that are on the lower ground (at least in the A section) or the toilets which can sometimes be very dirty. The biggest problem to me is smoke: people smoke in the toilets although it's forbidden and the smoking areas are too close to areas you want to go to. For example you'll have to stand in front of the open door of the smoking room to get water from the dispenser. Positive sides: check-in and security usually fast and baggage claim the most efficient I know. First time I landed in Guangzhou (from a domestic flight so no immigration or check whatsoever) my luggage was already going out the trail by the time I arrived!