Two of my favourite airports in the world are Singapore Changi Airport and Hong Kong Airport. These airports fiercely compete with one another – not only are the cities global financial hubs themselves, but they also house two of the world’s leading airlines, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. These airports are largely considered to be the two best airports in East Asia, beating other frontrunners such as Incheon Airport and Haneda Airport.
Today I wanted to chat about which airport I largely prefer, as well as the reasons why. Over the years, I’ve developed a solid preference for Singapore Changi Airport over my home airport, Hong Kong Airport. Now, it’s not a slam-dunk win – there are multiple things I prefer about Hong Kong Airport. However, overall I prefer Changi Airport, and here’s why.
The airport is one massive, interconnected complex
Both Singapore Changi and Hong Kong Airport are easy to navigate at the moment. The reason why I prefer Changi Airport is because it’s a lot bigger, yet just as easy to navigate. Between Terminals 1, 2 and 3, Skytrains run every few minutes between terminals, and your boarding pass doesn’t even need to be checked airside to move between terminals.
This is especially awesome due to the other amenities that the airport offers. For example, if you’re flying out of Terminal 2 (which isn’t particularly impressive) though have some time to spare, getting to Terminal 3 to enjoy the facilities there takes 10 minutes, tops. The commute between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 is stress-free and straightforward, and makes long connections at the airport more fun.
It’s so easy to get between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 at Changi Airport
Terminal 4 is an exception to this, and it is a hindrance to what I’d otherwise consider to be an awesome setup. The bus transfer is more of a faff, and the transfer requires more time to complete. However, even when flying out of Terminal 4 you’ll be able to enter through Terminals 1, 2 or 3, which is great especially if you’re considering lounge hopping.
Hong Kong Airport is also very easy to navigate, and everything is currently centralised in one terminal. However, they are now moving away with this with the introduction of Terminal 2, which will open in full next year. Terminal 2 is just a check-in hall at the moment, though it remains to be seen whether the rest of Terminal 2 will operate as one integrated complex with the rest of the airport, or whether it will operate as two separate terminals with no way to get between.
Even so, I prefer Changi Airport’s setup, as the Skytrains move in both directions (as opposed to Hong Kong’s automated people mover, where you have no choice but to traverse by foot if you’re heading back to the “lower” gates, after shopping or visiting a lounge by the “upper” gates).
Hong Kong Airport’s Terminal 2 is nice, though it’s still too early to tell whether it acts as one integrated complex as Changi does
The attractions at Changi Airport are genuinely interesting
One of the things about Changi Airport is that I’m genuinely excited to spend time there, even if I have a long connection. Obviously there’s Jewel (not just the waterfall itself, but also lots of affordable dining options at the mall), but there are also other facilities – for example, there’s Hub and Spoke by Terminal 2, where you can take an affordable shower or grab a drink at the bar. There are also other features such as the Lily Garden in Terminal 1, the Butterfly Garden in Terminal 3, a free 24h cinema, etc. – none of these are groundbreaking on their own, though they’re worth exploring between flights.
Jewel is genuinely something I’d get to the airport early for
I also find the airside shopping situation at Changi Airport to be much more interesting, especially when it comes to purchasing local souvenirs. Changi Airport has more “iconic” shopping options such as Irvin’s and Bengawan Solo, Singaporean classics that you can purchase before boarding a flight.
While Hong Kong Airport also has local bakeries and eateries for last-minute dining and souvenirs (such as Kee Wah and Duddell’s), the scale simply isn’t to the level that you’ll find at Changi Airport.
Changi Airport has more local shopping than Hong Kong does
What does Hong Kong Airport have going for it? Well, there’s the 11 Skies mall, though that simply can’t compete. Hong Kong does also have the Intervals bar and the Sky Bridge – the former is an awesome bar, and the latter has awesome views. However, as much as I’d spend all day on the Sky Bridge, I’ve got to admit it catches a more niche audience.
Hong Kong Airport does have a Sky Bridge with awesome plane spotting, though it catches a very niche group of people (myself included)
Immigration is a breeze for everyone (not just locals) at Changi
While this isn’t the airport authority’s own investment, I’ve gotta give Singapore’s government credit for making immigration a breeze for all. Any biometric passport has access to automated immigration gates at Changi Airport, which takes a maximum of 10 seconds for both departure and arrival. While I also have e-gate access in Hong Kong as a Hong Kong passport holder, I’ve seen the visitor lines stretch for 20-30 minutes, which is less pleasant after a longhaul flight.
To be fair, Hong Kong Airport has Singapore Changi Airport beat when it comes to boarding (more on that later). I do like that you can use your biometrics to board at Hong Kong Airport, which isn’t possible in Singapore (you wouldn’t even need to take your passport out unless you were seeing a manual immigration officer). However, in the grand scheme of things, I think that it’s easier to pass through Singapore Airport as a visitor, at least when it comes to immigration facilities.
While Hong Kong Airport has a stronger biometrics boarding game, Changi Airport has the more streamlined immigration process
The transit process is smoother (there’s a catch to this…)
In the same line of thinking, I also love how you enter the departures area right after you deplane at Changi Airport. This means that right after you deplane, you can head straight to the lounge, to any airside retail centres, or spend your layover however you’d like to.
Now, there’s a major catch – you do eventually have to go through security at your gate, and that’s not the smoothest. More on that later.
Deplaning and ending up straight in the departures hall is a good experience
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Airport’s transit experience isn’t the best – there’s often a queue, and there are very few operational machines. The machines are also old-style, which means you have to take your liquids and laptops out of your bag. That’s not a disadvantage compared to Changi Airport, though – I’ve dedicated a section to that below.
Getting out of the airport via train is cheaper
Both Changi Airport and Hong Kong Airport have a train that takes you to the city. Hong Kong Airport’s is actually much more streamlined, as you can get straight out of baggage reclaim and get to the train platform in a straight line without going up and down a single escalator, and you don’t have to change trains before you get out to the city. However, I’ve got to call Hong Kong out as the Airport Express is ten times more expensive than the MRT transfer, and there’s no other alternative to leave the airport by train.
Meanwhile, from Changi you can take the East-West line to most of the city centre, despite an annoying change at Tanah Merah. You can get to the MRT station with a few escalators or lifts from Terminals 1, 2 and 3 (you’ll need to bus over from Terminal 4), and the journey to City Hall costs SGD 2 (£1.16). In comparison, Hong Kong’s Airport Express standard fare is HK$120 (£12) for the 23-minute journey.
The Airport Express is convenient, though it is very expensive
I prefer the lounge situation at Changi Airport to Hong Kong Airport
Admittedly not everyone has access to this, but I prefer the airline lounge access situation at Changi Airport to Hong Kong Airport. While Hong Kong Airport obviously has some fantastic Oneworld lounges (including the Cathay Pacific flagship lounges and Qantas lounge), as a business class passenger I actually prefer the selection available at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, consisting of the spectacular Qantas and Qatar Airways lounges. Terminal 4 even has a Cathay Pacific lounge, which is also relatively good for an outstation lounge (minus the fact that it doesn’t have showers).
Changi Airport’s Oneworld lounges are even better than Hong Kong Airport’s
Meanwhile Singapore Airlines’ Changi Airport lounges are obviously better than their Hong Kong Airport lounge, and also better than what the United Club has to offer. Neither airport has a great SkyTeam lounge option.
The Star Alliance lounges at Changi Airport are understandably better than at Hong Kong Airport
The only way where Hong Kong has Singapore beat is that they have an American Express Centurion Lounge, which is great if you have an AmEx Platinum card. It’s not a huge space and gets crowded quickly, though it’s definitely better than the Plaza Premium lounges that Changi Airport has, given the better food selection and drinks.
The catch: Changi Airport’s security-at-gate kerfuffle
Changi Airport has my preferred airport experience overall, though that only lasts until the moment your boarding gate opens. Afterwards, there’s one massive downside to the rest of the airport experience.
Now, I don’t actually mind that much that security is at each individual gate. In a way, if I wasn’t reviewing the flight, it’s actually quite nice to be able to get through security when the flight is boarding. The issue is that there’s often only a couple of people manning the security lanes, there’s almost always a wait, and the scanners throughout Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are all the old-style scanners – you have to take your liquids and laptops out of your bag in all cases.
Once you pass through, you’re also confined to your boarding gate until your flight departs. All too often, boarding for a flight out of Singapore is posted at an hour before departure (which is when the gate area opens, as opposed to when you actually get on the plane), which means that you’ll have to wait in the “holding pen” for 20-25 minutes if you honour the boarding time on your boarding pass.
This isn’t an issue at Terminal 4, since there’s centralised security at that terminal.
The Changi Airport experience kind of dies a death around 45 mins before your flight
While I’m here, I’ll also note one other area where Hong Kong Airport is marginally better. I find the hot desking situation at Hong Kong Airport to be better – there are better desks and chairs set up for working coffee shop-style, with easy access to power ports. Changi Airport has far fewer of these work spaces, as the focus of the airport is on retail.
Hong Kong Airport has a better hot desking situation
Conclusion
Singapore Changi Airport and Hong Kong Airport are two of my favourite airports, and they stand out in different ways. Over the years, through multiple times passing through both airports, I’ve come to develop a preference for Singapore Changi. That’s not a slam-dunk win – I far prefer the centralised security and seamless boarding process at Hong Kong Airport – though Changi Airport’s countless entertainment options, seamless transfer between terminals, and easy immigration procedures give it the edge for me.
Do you prefer Singapore Changi Airport or Hong Kong Airport?
