Hong Kong Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is supposed to be one of the region's leading airports - and indeed it was and had been for a number of years after its opening. However I traveled through the airport twice in the last month and found it to be becoming crowded and on the second visit found the security screening slow inefficient and rude. So much so that the passenger behind me called it "out of touch". I agree. My flight arrived at around 6.30am from a long overnight run from Vancouver. Apparently security screening services are drawn down in lean hours - and this was surely the case. Tired from our trip we had to walk a long way to go through security screening as transit passengers (why such screening is necessary is never made clear and the rude security people don't answer questions). There was a line of well over 100 passengers some visibly annoyed that certain other passengers appeared to be jumping the line. When I finally reached the point of being "screened" I placed my things on the conveyor and walked towards the metal detector. I was told to stop for some unknown reason. When I asked why the security "person" rudely told me: "don't ask". It's time that Hong Kong authorities recognize that security is a two-way street. Passengers will co-operate if screening is professional and courteous. Passengers will not co-operate when screening is unprofessional and rude.

I am getting very disappointed by the service provided by Hong Kong Airport in the past several months. First of all it is getting longer to clear the immigration and customs at both arrival and departure. The average waiting time is approaching 30 minutes. This is not acceptable compare to airports in Singapore or even Thailand. Second the wireless Internet and Power Outlet service is just not sufficient. I am currently sitting at Gate 18 and there is not a single open power outlet (only 4 of them are available and all are in use). Also the speed of Wireless Internet is very slow. In fact the same complaint was aired by a local newspaper not too long ago but apparently there is no improvement at all.

I've been through HKG many times and never faulted it until this time when the immigration queues were a disgrace. Barely 1/4 of the desks were open resulting in an hour's wait to get my passport stamped. I thought LHR had problems but they are nothing on HKG. Very disappointing as I've never had any issues with it before.

Used this airport twice last week once arrived off-peak and had an excellent experience. The other time I arrived in the late evening when the immigration area was crowded with what must have been thousands of passengers. It took exactly one hour and ten minutes hour to pass through with only 4 or 5 immigration offers actually at desks which is nothing for such a huge airport and one of the officers actually left his desk halfway through! There were about 3 or 4 other officers just walking around directing people and managing queues which would probably not actually be necessary if they just got behind a desk and stamped passengers passports instead!

This is the most overrated airport in the world. My experience was bad from the moment I touched down. It took me one hour to clear immigration. Despite the long lines more than half of the counters remained closed and staff were simply going through the motions. My departure experience was equally bad the gates are scattered all over and the signage is not clear you had better arrive early or you might miss your flight searching for the gate.

This airport is lovely clean comfortable and efficient. The only complaint that I have is that I was there after midnight and I couldn't find anywhere but McDonalds to buy food or drinks. It would be nice if there were a 24 hour cafe convenience store or even a vending machine.

A brilliant airport. Officials gruff but still efficient and not unfriendly. Huge range of shops and eateries and good view of aircraft movements and the city itself.

SHA to SYD via Hong Kong with Dragonair and Cathay Pacific. This was my third time to this world-class aviation hub and I would say it's worthwhile to spend some time here just to enjoy during the transit though I could have chosen direct flight from Shanghai to Sydney. The transit was quick and efficient. After having passed the security check quickly I just entered one lounge. I took a shower and had some tasty food inside the lounge and of course got myself revitalized and was ready for my connecting flight. There were so many lounges shops and restaurants to keep you refreshed in the airport! The only thing you need to watch out is the time for boarding because the airport is so huge. Sometimes it takes half an hour to travel to the boarding gate so plan your stay in the airport well!

Great airport very well signed with excellent facilities both sides. Staff are helpful and polite. Very clean unlike many European airports.

Used to be a fan of this giant airport but the quality of the airport is declining over past few visits. Arrived on a Saturday afternoon flight with a transit to another Asian city. When I booked my ticket on Cathay Pacific they offer a connecting flight with 50 minute lay over. Normally this should be sufficient for an efficient airport but to be on the safe side I opted for another flight that gave me 2 hour lay over in Hong Kong. Once I left the airplane I went to the transit area immediately and was surprised to find a long queue. The security area was not under staffed but they just didn't work effectively. Despite the long queue there was only one line opened (with 8 members of the staff). It took me at least 40-50 minutes just to go through security and had to run all the way to the other end of the airport to catch another flight. This is very similar to the arrival experience where there is always a long queue. On my return journey I travelled from Kowloon to the airport. The Airport Express was still a very smooth journey and the departure experience was so much better than transit. However the airport is starting to show its age and has become less exciting. Expensive duty free limited choice unless if you would like to buy expensive designer clothes.