by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 15, 2012 | Trip Reports |
On my trip to Hong Kong last week, one of my “to-do” items was to enroll in Hong Kong’s E-Channel program. This program, which replaces the Frequent Visitor Program, is designed to let you skip what can sometimes be lengthy lines at immigration. For those of you familiar with Global Entry, this is a similar program.
To qualify for enrollment, you need to meet 1 of 2 criteria. One way, is to have completed 3 “Round Trip” visits to Hong Kong in the previous 12 months. By this I mean your passport must have 3 entry and 3 exit stamps from Hong Kong Immigration. The other way is to be an elite member of one of 34 approved Airline Frequent Flyer programs. Here is the list of qualifying airlines (and program minimums in some cases):
Air Canada
Air China
Air France
Air New Zealand: Airpoints Silver, Gold, Gold Elite
ANA
Asiana Airlines
British Airways: Executive Club Silver, Gold
Cathay Pacific
Dragonair
China Airlines
China Southern
Delta
Ethiopian
Eva Airways
Finnair
Hainan Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong Kong Express
Japan Airlines
Jet Airways
Kingfisher
KLM
Korean Air
Lufthansa: All Miles & More Members
Malaysia Airlines: Enrich Silver, Gold and Platinum
Philippine Airlines
Qantas: Gold, Platinum, Platinum One, Chairman’s Lounge
Qatar Airways
Royal Brunei
Singapore Airlines: KrisFlyer Elite Gold and PPS Club
Swiss: All Miles & More members
Thai Airways
United: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, Premier 1K, Global Services
Virgin Atlantic: Flying Club Gold
When I first sat down for my enrollment session (no appointment is required) I had stated that this was my 3rd visit at which point the enrollment officer stated that I was not eligible for the program until I completed the visit and could enroll at the beginning of my 4th visit. I had assumed that the beginning of my 3rd visit would qualify me, but actually a 4th visit would be required. You must have 3 “complete” trips in order to apply. However, having familiarized myself with the program prior to leaving for Hong Kong, I asked if my United Frequent Flyer card would suffice in lieu of 3 complete visits, and that was satisfactory to her.
From there the process took 10 minutes. I handed her my passport of which she made a copy of the inside cover that contains your information and photo along with my Frequent Flyer card. 2 signatures on the enrollment forms, 2 digital fingerprints (left and right index fingers) and a quick look into a digital camera and I was finished. At the end of the enrollment the officer affixed a bar code sticker to the back cover of my passport and I was free to go. This was a lot easier than my GOES application and interview that was required for Global Entry!!
PLEASE NOTE that your E-Channel eligibility expires 6 months prior to your passport’s expiration. This was stressed a couple of times by the enrolling officer.
On my departure a few days later I had the opportunity to try the E-Channel program. At first I was actually going to just stay in traditional line so that I can get my Hong Kong exit stamp in my passport, but when I saw that the line was 15-20 people deep and I ONLY had 5 hours before my flight, I chose the E-Channel lane where no one was waiting.
Typical E-Channel Kiosks (photo courtesy of Hong Kong Immigration)
The E-Channel lane is a 2 step process with gates separating each one. First, you scan your bar code sticker at the first station, once completed a swinging gate opens that leads you to step 2. With step 2, you place one of the fingers you had fingerprinted on a reader and after a few seconds the second gate opens signaling your successful “emigration” from Hong Kong.
Closer view of Kiosk - 2 steps are involved: Bar Code scan and Fingerprint Scan (photo courtesy Hong Kong Immigration)
The E-Channel program allows frequent visitors to take advantage of expedited immigration at several locations:
Hong Kong International Airport
Lo Wu
Lok Ma Chau Spur Line
Shenzhen Bay
Macau Ferry Terminal
China Ferry Terminal
For those of you interested in applying for the E-Channel program at the airport, there are 2 enrollment offices. Both offices are IMMEDIATELY past passport control in the immigration hall however each office has different hours. The one located in Hall “A” is open from 10:00a to 6:00p and the one located in Hall “B” is open from 7:30a to 11:00p. When approaching the passport control booths from an arriving flight, Hall “A” is the left bank of booths while Hall “B” is on the right side. This area is large and it’s not immediately obvious that there are 2 banks of passport control booths so don’t worry if you don’t see one of them at first. If you’ve exited into the baggage claim area, you’ve gone too far and will need to go back through the automatic doors (but ask before doing so, since the doors are clearly marked as “DO NOT ENTER”). The enrollment offices are located just a few feet from the doors that open into the baggage claim area so if you missed it, you probably walked right by it!
To learn more about the program, please visit the E-Channel website.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 1, 2012 | Trip Reports |
Late next week I set off for a few days to Hong Kong. Over the past year I’ve been able to visit twice and it has become one of my favorite places in the world to see. Being a native New Yorker, I never thought I’d find a city that I enjoyed more than NYC, but Hong Kong has given it a run for it’s money as far as I’m concerned. There’s no one thing that I can pinpoint that makes the case for Hong Kong being a favorite. I think it comes down to a confluence of several things including ease of navigation, breadth of cuisine, cleanliness of the city and the extremely friendly and helpful residents. Being one of United’s best “cost per mile” destinations only helps the argument.
On my previous visits, I stayed at the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency. This time, I’ll return to the Hyatt Regency simply because it’s location in the heart of Kowloon makes it very easy to reach most of Kowloon and Hong Kong. I love the fact that I am only a few steps from fantastic noodle shops, shopping and transportation the moment that I step out of the hotel.
Fortunately on previous trips I was able to take in several of the “Must See” places that new visitors are encouraged to see. This time I hope to expand my exploration to take in new places and sights. I’ve also been armed with a holiday shopping list by my wife that includes Chinese Puzzle Balls, Pearls, Tagua Nut Figurines and Jade Dragons so no doubt that will take a few minutes of effort!
🙂
I’m trying to actually do less planning for this trip in the attempt to do more things on a spur of the moment. I think this way gives me much more flexibility and spontaneity than sticking to a pre-meditated itinerary of places to go. The only “Must Do” on this trip will be Plane Spotting from the HAECO hangar area just off the airport campus.
For the outbound flight, I chose the traditional Grand Rapids-Chicago-Hong Kong route so that I can enjoy 16 non-stop hours in the bubble top of my beloved 744 and hopefully more great views of Siberia. However for the return flight I was “dared” to be a little more creative so instead of the easy Hong Kong-Chicago flight, I’m going to make my way from Hong Kong to Guam (yes Guam), then onto Honolulu and onward to Chicago and finally Grand Rapids.
In all, it’s a couple thousand more miles for the Frequent Flyer account with this more creative routing but I’ll have the new experience of stepping on Guam’s terra firma and perhaps adding a GUM stamp to my Passport. My understanding is that US citizens take care of Immigration in Guam and Customs in Honolulu. Something tells me I won’t find a Global Entry kiosk in Guam, but no matter, I’d wait in line for the stamp anyway.
Of course I’ll have my trip reports and photos to share once I return!
Related Posts:
The Diplomat Suite – Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
The Hyatt Regency – Hong Kong
Hong Kong Skyline Pictorial
A View From The Peak
Temple Street Market
by Lufthansa Flyer | Oct 24, 2012 | Airlines, Trip Reports |
Being the wonderful hosts that they are, Lufthansa associates (thanks Anja, Mi-Kyung and Ulrich!) had arranged a private tour of some of their facilities in Frankfurt while I was there to attend their Social Media Workshop. The tour included visits to their Technik Hangar, Engine Shop, Cargo (where I was able to be aboard an MD-11 while loading for it’s trip) and the Flight Simulator/Training Center. Out of respect for their wishes, I can not publish photos from the Engine Shop or Flight Simulator Center, however there were still plenty of great opportunities to take photos inside the enormous Technik Hangar where several aircraft were undergoing flight preparation and routine maintenance.
I had met up with my guide Ulrich at the Lufthansa Aviation Center and we set off on the tour. Once past security and “airside” we entered Lufthansa’s Technik Hangar. This facility is generally used for preparation of aircraft for their flights that day and for routine maintenance and inspections. It was a good day to visit as the Hangar was full of 747-400’s and A340-600’s. The idea of being “A kid in a candy store” came to mind, and even that would not do justice to how I felt!
As part of the tour I was given free access to explore the hangar and ask any questions. The fact that Ulrich is a retired Lufthansa 747-400 captain made it that much more enjoyable since he has a genuine passion for flying and aircraft. His insights during the tour were wonderful as demonstrated by the extended amount of time we spent sitting and talking in the 747-400’s cockpit. Having a pilot share his experiences from a career that spanned 3 decades was a great experience for me. The fact that he knew nearly everyone in the hangar was a huge plus as well!
Quiet on the outside, but full of 747’s and A340’s on the inside…….
Rare view of an open Emergency Exit on the upper deck of a 747-400
Looking over towards another 747-400
Up close to an A340-600
The A340’s Crew Rest area located on the lower level in the rear of the aircraft
A340’s Galley below the main deck — Elevators are used to bring the carts into the main cabin.
Top of the steps at the 747-400’s main door
An A340 at the other end of the Hangar
Beneath the wing of an A340-600
A340 being prepared for a flight later in the day
An opened Emergency Hatch in the 747-400’s cockpit.
The cockpit of the 747-400
Wall to wall “Heavies”
A 747-400’s wing as seen through the Emergency Exit
747-400’s crew rest area located above the main deck
The Crane looks great under a ray of sunshine!
