By Air|beijing travel

2009-03-26

Beijing Capital International Airport (http://en.bcia.com.cn , IATA: PEK) is located northeast of the central districts, 26 km from the city center. The airport is being expanded at a furious pace to be ready in time for the 2008 Olympics, and now has three terminals, broadly speaking divided as follows:

Terminal 1: Hainan Airlines

Terminal 2: China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam

Terminal 3: Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Oneworld, Star Alliance

Terminal 3 officially opens on March 26th, but migration will be gradual, with Air China/Shanghai Airlines moving immediately and other carriers following later. Double-check your departure terminal before arrival.

The Terminal 3 of Beijing International Airport

Facilities on arrival include ATMs and money changers. Be aware that upon departure, porters may want 10 yuan to wheel your bags 50 meters to check-in and that most eating options are rather outrageously priced. Before you cross through security, if you want a bite to eat in the Terminal 1, there is a KFC which has lowered its prices a little, and in Terminal 2, there are 2 KFCs, and the restaurants in the basement have relatively low prices compared to what's above. A meal at any of these places should be around 20 yuan.

Many people use taxicabs to reach town from the airport. Try to get the Chinese name in characters of your hotel so that you can let your taxi driver read where you want to go. A taxi from the airport should cost 70-120 yuan. You will have to pay the fee shown on the meter (make sure the driver uses it) plus 10 yuan toll for the airport expressway. Traffic jams are common.

The cheapest way to get to the city center is to take the airport shuttle (+86 10 64594375/64594376) . There are several lines running to different locations throughout Beijing. Buses for each route leave every 10-30 minutes, and tickets cost 16 yuan for a one-way trip. Follow signs for the buses to find the bus-stops:

Line 1 (to Fangzhuang): 1. Liàngmǎqiáo ; 2. Báijiāzhuāng ; 3. Dàběiyáo/World Trade Centre ; 4. Pānjiāyuán ; 5. Shílǐhé /KingWing Hot Spring International Hotel ; 6. Fāngzhuāng /Guiyou Shopping Mall . Runs 7:30-22:30. Return stops are 6, 3, and the airport. Convenient for getting to the south east of the city.

Line 2 (to Xidan): 1. Sānyuánqiáo 2. Dōngzhímén ; 3. Dōngsìshítiáo Bridge ; 4. Xīdān /Civil Aviation Building . Return stops are 4, 2, and the airport. Runs 7:00 till the last flight. Heads south-west.

Line 3 (to Beijing Railway Station): 1. Yuyang Hotel ; 2. Dōngdàqiáo ; 3. Cháoyángmén ; 4. Yǎbǎolù ; 5. Beijing Railway Station . Runs 7:30 till the last flight. The Beijing Railway Station stop is actually at the west gate of the International Hotel , across Chang'an Avenue. Return stops are 5, Dōngzhímén, the Jingxin Building West Gate , and the airport. Convenient for the city center, the southeast of the city, and Chaoyang, Chongwen, and Dongcheng districts.

Line 4 (to Gongzhufen): 1. China International Exhibition Centre ; 2. Xībàhé ; 3. Anzhen Bridge ; 4. Madian Bridge ; 5. Běitàipíngzhuāng ; 6. Jimen Bridge ; 7. Friendship Hotel ; 8. Beijing TV Station ; 9. Zizhu Bridge ; 10. Hangtian Bridge ; 11. Gongzhufen /Xinxing Hotel. Return stops are 11, 7, 5, 3, and the airport. Runs from 7:00 to 23:00. Convenient for the north and north-west of the city, and Haidian district.

Line 5 (to Zhongguancun): 1. Wàngjīng /Huājiādì ; 2. Xiǎoyíng ; 3. Asian Games Village /Anhui Bridge ; 4.Xueyuan Bridge ; 5. Just west of Bǎofúsì Qiáo . Return stops are 5, Beijing Aeronautics University North Gate , Huixin West Street (/Anhui Building , Huixin Dongjie ( Huìxīn Dōngjiē)/SINOPEC (Zhōngguó Shíhuà Jítuán), and the airport. From 8:30 to 21:30. Convenient for the north of the city, particularly the university district within Haidian.

The shuttle bus website also has a map available. It's at http://en.bcia.com.cn/traffic-manual/airport-bus.shtml.

Public bus #359 also runs from the airport to Dongzhimen, where you can catch Subway Line 2 or 13, but this is not very fast or convenient.

A number of youth hostels and luxury hotels run their own complimentary shuttle bus services - do ask if where you're staying has one.

The Beijing subway system should complete its spur route to the airport in 2008.

Nanyuan Airport (IATA: NAY) is a former military airfield 17km to the south of Beijing, currently used only by army-linked low-cost operator China United . China United currently fields daily flights to Ha'erbin, Dalian, Sanya, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Wuxi. Free shuttle buses run from China United's ticket office to and from the Xidan Aviation Building . Times depend on flight schedules.

Scams at the airport

Arrival: Take your taxis from the stand outside, not the touts or desks inside, and insist on the meter. If you are in a group of three or more or have a lot of luggage, touts will tell you need a minibus, and then lead you towards a people carrier in a car park, but then it will turn out they are actually leading you to a shabby taxi parked behind it, which will charge far more than the regulated fare.

Be aware of another scam where impostors who pretend to work for the taxi company pose at the official-looking stands outside offering rides to the city (especially in the non-regular hours where there are not many people about). You will be led into a "taxi" with a fake meter (which could be hidden) which runs very quickly (¥200-300 to the city). Read the section on taxis for details on how to distinguish between fake and legitimate taxis.

Departure: Ignore any people walking around offering to sell you an exit fee ticket/receipt. There used to be an airport construction (or exit) fee of ¥90, but now it is included in the plane ticket.