Overnight Transit at SIN airport

[JohnK]

I will have an overnight transit at SIN airport early June. I arrive at 23:45 and depart ~8:00am the next day. I do not really want to get a hotel in town as it does not leave a lot of hours for sleep. The transit hotel may not be an option as I could possibly have a checked bag, golf clubs and a carry on bag.

From CX website their check-in does not open until 5:00am which is too many hours to pass in the check-in area. I guess I could store the luggage, go out to Geylang for a couple of hours for a bite to eat and some Carlsberg and come back to check-in later in the morning.

The routing is TPE-HKG-SIN-HKG-BKK (with overnight in SIN) and there is a possibility I could clear immigration at HKG arriving from TPE and leave the bags in storage there and collect them the next day arriving in HKG from SIN and checking them through to BKK.

Another remote possibility is to be able to check the bags TPE-HKG-BKK but unfortunately TPE-HKG-SIN and SIN-HKG-BKK are on different PNRs and not sure the check-in staff would be able to this type of through check-in for luggage.

If I can somehow stay in transit in SIN then I could use the transfer desks to collect boarding passes and spend the night in the Slyview Lounge and have a shower in the morning.

The actual routing is SQ award Friday night BNE-SIN then Saturday morning SIN-TPE. Saturday afternoon is TPE-HKG-SIN on CX with overnight transit in SIN but a couple of hours transit in HKG if wanting to leave bags in HKG. Then Sunday morning it is SIN-HKG-NKK on CX with enough time in HKG if wanting to collect bags and check them through to BKK,

What would be the best option? Any thoughts?
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[moa999]

Slightly confused on the overall routing
BNE-SIN-TPE-HKG-SIN-HKG-BKK.
Three options as I see it.
1. Check through to HKG, as you outlined / airside hotel
2. Pick up in SIN, put in storage, go to Geylang/ airport hotel
3. Let luggage go to keepr (lost baggage), stay airside, then clear customs a few hours before to claim (this is actually a suggestion on the Changi Airport website. Probably the only airport I would consider doing this)

As you have correctly identified while SIN does early check-in well, particularly for SQ, the CX counter does not open to 0500

 

[JohnK]

I am also confused on the routing. I should clarify in OP....

 

[Mal]

If you don't have the boarding passes before you arrive at SIN, don't expect to get them until check-in opens around 5am. I was turned away at the agent's desk when I tried about midnight.

IIRC, their check-in does open a little earlier than 5am, perhaps somewhere around 4:30 or so - but can't recall the exact time.

I suggest you head to Geylang, or one of the other 24 hour areas in Singapore. When I did a similar transit, I had a great feast of Satay and other assorted goodies plus Tiger/Heineken at one of the less-touristy 24hr hawker places, then went for a wander around and hailed a cab back to the airport.

Then wandered around all terminals for about an hour or two before settling down to wait for Cathay to open up.

The Cathay (Skyview) lounge is a 24 hour operation, so if you do remain airside that is an option.

 

[markis10]

CX have early check in but a Mal says it wont be open:

0500 hrs - 1630 hrs
(Tue/Thu/Sun)
0500 hrs - 1930 hrs
(Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat)


I suppose you could through check the bags and online checkin as required, another option is to hope the CP at Changi is on pointsbreaks, June is a busy month at the expo though with Communicasa etc

 

[Mal]

I suppose you could through check the bags and online checkin as required

Online check-in is a little flakey with CX. Not sure what the issue is (suspect it's passport/visa related), I got a few "take this to the airport" type of printout which you then swap for your boarding pass, and a few "boarding passes". Didn't seem to be a pattern as to what would happen. This was even with flights where I'd flown half the itinerary. I also tried asking at the HKG lounge if they could issue the BPs, but they couldn't due to it being from another airport.

As indicated earlier - Although the SIN (airside) transit desks stay open until 12/12:30ish at night, they don't seem to want to assist with getting the boarding pass. I may have just got a person in a bad mood (they just were finishing up dealing with missed conx from a delayed QF flight), but it seemed like it was a standard response (ie no more CX flights, systems are closed type response) rather than just a bad mood. I doubt the Skyview lounge can help either as IIRC, it's completely outsourced.

So getting that 8am BP could be tricky...

 

[JohnK]

I suggest you head to Geylang, or one of the other 24 hour areas in Singapore. When I did a similar transit, I had a great feast of Satay and other assorted goodies plus Tiger/Heineken at one of the less-touristy 24hr hawker places, then went for a wander around and hailed a cab back to the airport.

Is there somewhere to leave 2 bags and golf clubs while I go into Geylang? I know BKK has such a facility (Chubb) and it is open 24 hours and only costs 50 baht for each bag for every 12 hours of storage.

Then wandered around all terminals for about an hour or two before settling down to wait for Cathay to open up.

Sounds like a good idea.

The Cathay (Skyview) lounge is a 24 hour operation, so if you do remain airside that is an option.

If I manage to leave my bag and golf clubs in HKG and get to the transfer desk in SIN before it closes then I should have onward boarding passes and all is OK. If that is not the case could I get into the Skyview Lounge with an online printout of OLCI or even a printout of the itinerary with details of the incoming flights and outgoing flights?

 

[Mal]

Is there somewhere to leave 2 bags and golf clubs while I go into Geylang? I know BKK has such a facility (Chubb) and it is open 24 hours and only costs 50 baht for each bag for every 12 hours of storage.

There's a 24 hour facility Airside that I've used. They are also landside, although I haven't used them: Baggage

Sounds like a good idea.

Yeah it's good exercise and keeps you awake, although be aware that the Inter-Terminal skytrains stop between 2:30am and 5am. There is a replacement bus or you can walk. There are also a couple of hidden away areas where you could sleep.

If I manage to leave my bag and golf clubs in HKG and get to the transfer desk in SIN before it closes then I should have onward boarding passes and all is OK. If that is not the case could I get into the Skyview Lounge with an online printout of OLCI or even a printout of the itinerary with details of the incoming flights?

Like I commented earlier, I don't believe they will issue you a BP at the Transit Desk for the next day. With Skyview Lounge, no idea of their admittance practices, but OLCI should work. They might accept the other paperwork as well.

I might be in Asia at the end of next week again, and possibly would be doing the same sort of transit again (still deciding both on the trip as a whole and whether I want to visit SIN). If I do, then I'll try and do some scouting around...

 

[JohnK]

3. Let luggage go to keepr (lost baggage), stay airside, then clear customs a few hours before to claim (this is actually a suggestion on the Changi Airport website. Probably the only airport I would consider doing this)

I missed this response earlier. My warped mind was thinking of this yesterday when I started the thread but did not consider how SIN customs/immigration would view someone not collecting their luggage.

Could be an alternative if I cannot leave my bag and golf clubs in HKG and I can get into the Skyview Lounge in SIN. But knowing my luck the bag and golf clubs would have disappeared when I went to collect them and miss my 08:00am flight....

 

[djfuzz]

JohnK, if you're happy with letting the bags/clubs go to Left Luggage and pick them up in the morning, are you considering the Transit Hotel or staying in the Skyview Lounge?

We have the same conundrum coming up (almost precisely the same) and were tossing up between Skyview and the Transit Hotel - assuming that sleep will be easier to come by in the latter, but have heard nothing about the former.

 

[markis10]

John

could you use the early checkin Saturday morning for the Sunday flight out???

 

[JohnK]

JohnK, if you're happy with letting the bags/clubs go to Left Luggage and pick them up in the morning, are you considering the Transit Hotel or staying in the Skyview Lounge?

At this stage I would lean towards the Skyview Lounge but I am going to be extremely tired as I would have done a red-eye the night before BNE-SIN. I can sleep almost anywhere and have slept in a lounge before (LAX Flagship Lounge) for 3-4 hours without any hassle.

could you use the early checkin Saturday morning for the Sunday flight out???

I am not sure at this stage. I know I can use OLCI but my biggest hassle is the bag and golf clubs. The ideal solution would be to leave bags in HKG storage somewhere after coming in Saturday night from TPE-HKG (I have 1:55 hours transit) and then collect them again on the Sunday after coming in from SIN-HKG (I have 3:35 hours transit).

It would be nice if CX can check the bags TPE-HKG-BKK while I go through to SIN but somehow do not think this would be possible.