Our Fabulous Fridays topic this week is the extremely convenient Ferry Transfer option, available to arriving passengers at Hong Kong International Airport. Arriving passengers have the ability to purchase a ferry ticket to various destinations in Mainland China and...
Our Fabulous Fridays topic this week is the extremely convenient Ferry Transfer option, available to arriving passengers at Hong Kong International Airport.
Arriving passengers have the ability to purchase a ferry ticket to various destinations in Mainland China and Macau after arrival (Transfer Desk E2) and then proceed directly to the boarding pier.
One feature of HKG is the close proximity to both the Chinese border and also Macau, which makes it very attractive to fly to HKIA directly rather than being limited to the few international connections to Macau MFM or Shenzhen airport.
If passengers have baggage, they present the baggage slip to the check-in/ ticket desk, and the bags are being routed to the ferry as well. Do not go outside and pick up your bags because you won’t be able to go back inside the departure area, the SkyPier is for transiting (arriving) passengers only.
You can access HKIA’s website to learn more about the SkyPier services here.
Passengers looking to take a ferry to the Mainland China or Macao should proceed to the ferry ticketing counter at Transfer Area E2. DO NOT go through immigration and reclaim your baggage. Passengers who have gone through immigration procedures CANNOT return to the ferry ticketing counter and use the ferry service.
To use the service, passengers must:
Possess the following items:- Same day arrival flight air ticket / e-ticket / boarding pass stub- A valid ferry ticket- A valid passport and, if applicable, a visa for the intended destination (Mainland China / Macao)
Transfer to Mainland China / Macao within the same day of arrival
Arrive at the Ferries to Mainland / Macao Ticketing Counter located at Transfer Area E2 at least 60 minutes before the scheduled ferry departure time for ticketing and transfer procedures. For passengers without checked baggage, 30 minutes would be sufficient;
For passengers with checked baggage, please present the airline baggage tag receipt for customs clearance and baggage transfer procedures.
It’s really easy enough, just follow the signs to Transfer Desk E2 which is right next to the immigration area.
What’s interesting is that passengers arriving by ferry at HKIA and transferring over to a departing flight can claim their departure tax back, which is automatically charged when they buy an airline ticket.
It won’t be much, but hey, why leave the money on the table if they already offer to refund it!?
Here is a flowchart provided by the airport showing the options for both incoming and outgoing passengers:
Services are frequent, and prices reasonable, so it’s much easier to avail yourself of the connections to/from HKIA rather than crossing land borders or using the Central / Kowloon terminals. Of course, all that depends on your travel plans overall.
For passengers originating in Shenzhen Shekou, Cathay even opened a lounge at the ferry pier:
Cathay Pacific Opens New Lounge At Shenzhen’s Shekou Ferry Terminal, Departing To HKG Airport
Talk about departing in style, even on the seas! Really interesting that Cathay invested the money for this facility after the airline almost went broke during the pandemic. I wish they had one in Macau as well!
Conclusion
Passengers who fly to/from Hong Kong Airport but whose origin/destination is really China’s mainland or Macau can use the ferry services that operate to/from the airport’s transit area.
The service is very well organized, and thanks to HKG’s plentiful flight options, it’s extremely easy to hop over to Macau, which is otherwise quite difficult to reach by plane.
Have you used the SkyPier before?
