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Same as
last year, before heading back to Hong Kong, I also squeezed in a
short trip to Japan. Last time I used Cathay's mileages for the flights,
but most of the mileages I'd saved up over the years have now pretty
much run out, so this time I had to pay proper money for the tickets. I
bought a Cathay Pacific multi-city ticket, which covered Manchester – Hong
Kong – Osaka, Osaka – Hong Kong, and Hong Kong – Manchester: three journeys,
four flights in total, for £1,186 including tax. That's about the same
price as a simple Manchester–Hong Kong return, so it felt like I'd
'gained' a free trip to Japan. |
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Although this trip was technically in and out of Japan via Osaka, my
real destination was Tottori (鳥取).
In the past there were direct flights from Hong Kong to Yonago (米子)
in Tottori Prefecture (first with HK Express, later with the rather
unpopular Greater Bay Airlines), but all of those routes have since been
cancelled. Besides, travelling from the UK, using Osaka as a gateway in
and out of Japan is much more convenient. |
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Tram & Train Combined Single ticket |
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Langworthy Metrolink stop |
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Bombardier M5000 light rail vehicle, currently
the only model used on Manchester Metrolink |
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Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink stop |
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Footbridge linking the Metrolink stop and
Platform 1 at Deansgate railway station |
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Platform 1, with a Northern Trains Class 156
'Super Sprinter' DMU passing on the opposite side |
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Today I was flying Cathay Pacific flight CX216 to Hong Kong, departing
at 10:25. I left home at around 06:15 and took the Metrolink (tram) to
Deansgate to change onto a train to the airport. The combined single
ticket cost £7.70. Many people choose to change at Manchester
Piccadilly, where services are more frequent, but at Deansgate there's a
footbridge straight from the tram stop to Platform 1 for airport-bound
trains, which is much easier when you're hauling luggage. |
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I boarded the 06:38 Northern Trains service to Manchester Airport.
Trains from Deansgate to the airport aren't as frequent as those from
Piccadilly, mainly because some services start from Manchester Oxford
Road or Piccadilly, and only Northern Trains services stop at Deansgate.
This one was a relatively fast service, stopping only at Oxford Road and
Piccadilly before running straight to the airport, arriving at 07:00.
Perhaps because it was still before the peak, it ran pretty much on
time. |
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A Northern Trains Class 195 'Civity' DMU
passing through without stopping |
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My train: a Northern Trains Class 323 EMU |
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Bee Network advertising on the train body,
promoting Transport for Greater Manchester's plan to take over
rail services by 2030 |
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Parked quite close to the buffer stop |
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A second photo of the original front of the
train (by then it had changed direction and become the rear) |
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A TransPennine Express Class 397 EMU on the
next platform |
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Don't assume you're at the terminal as soon as you get off the train.
The airport station is a world of its own, about 400 metres from both T1
and T2, which takes roughly 15 minutes on foot with luggage. The station
is linked to the terminals by the enclosed Skylink walkway. There are
travelator, but the section between the station and the Radisson Blu
Hotel still wasn't working. Thankfully, after the hotel they were
running, which is at least an improvement on before. Once inside the T2
departure hall, the first thing to do is check the flight information
screens to find your check-in area, as airlines at Manchester Airport no
longer have fixed counters. |
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Because the Hong Kong and Chinese governments no longer recognise
British passports endorsed with 'British National (Overseas)' status (BN(O)
passports), passengers are normally required to show a Hong Kong
Identity Card at check-in. However, the ground staff member handling my
check-in stubbornly insisted on seeing a 'Hong Kong passport', saying an
identity card wasn't acceptable. There really are quite a few front-line
staff in the UK who can be incredibly rigid. In reality, many Hong Kong people living in the UK no longer hold a valid HKSAR passport, and having to
explain and argue over this sort of thing is genuinely exhausting. |
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Travelator in the later section |
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Check-in information screens |
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Check-in in progress... luggage just under 23
kg |
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In the end, check-in was completed successfully and I got boarding
passes for both the Manchester – Hong Kong and Hong Kong – Osaka legs. I
went straight through security, as there's really nothing worth browsing
landside anyway. Why did I arrive so early? Since October 2025, parts of
T1 and T3 have been closed for consolidation and refurbishment. Apart
from Ryannair, all airlines previously operating from T1 and T3 have
been squeezed into T2. I was a bit worried that one terminal wouldn't
cope with the passenger volume of three, but it turned out fine –
security was fairly smooth. |
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I was through security by about 08:00, with nearly two hours to go
before boarding. I decided to have breakfast and chose a place called
The Bridgewater Exchange. I ordered Eggs Royale (similar to Eggs
Benedict, but with smoked salmon instead of bacon or ham) and a glass of
apple juice, which came to £16.75. There was still plenty of time and
the restaurant wasn't full, so I added a decaf coffee. Before long it
was time to head to the gate – this time Gate D4, with an air bridge. |
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Post-security departure hall |
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Restaurant: The Bridgewater Exchange |
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The aircraft which I'll travel with |
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The flight was operated by an 'old friend', the A350-900. Unless there's
a special reason, Cathay's Manchester – Hong Kong services always use this
type. Economy seating is in a 3-3-3 layout. I chose the first row behind
the toilets, in a centre aisle seat. The advantage is that no one in
front can suddenly recline their seat, but there are downsides: you
can't put a bag on the floor in front, the tray table is stored in the
armrest so it's a bit small, and the screen is mounted on the wall
ahead, which is further away. There's a remote control for the screen,
but mine was broken and couldn't be taken out. |
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The flight departed on time, taking off at about 10:40. Lunch was served
around noon. The choices were traditional Szechwanese Chinese dish – Yu-Hsiang
aubergine and pork mince with rice, a French dish Coq au vin (red wine
chicken casserole) with tagliatelle, or a vegetarian option of aubergine
and potato baked in tomato and bechamel sauce with mozzarella. I chose
the Coq au vin, which had a bit of a 'British Airways' feel to it –
almost certainly prepared by the Manchester caterers. I actually
preferred the starter, a smoked beef and potato salad. Dessert was
Häagen-Dazs, in a flavour I like, which was a bonus. |
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Dessert: Häagen-Dazs (cookie & cream) |
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Mid-flight snack: Cheese and Onion Handy Pie |
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Breakfast: Cheese omelette |
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I bought onboard Wi-Fi for this leg, scrolled through my phone now and
then, watched several Hong Kong films, and managed a few short naps.
Sitting next to me was a yound child travelling with his mum and a baby.
I was really lucky – both kids were well behaved and didn't cry. The
older child sometimes stretched his legs onto my thigh without realising,
but it wasn't a big problem. At one point I went to the galley to get a
snack – a Cheese and Onion Handy Pie – which was actually very nice,
crisper and tastier than Cathay's Hong Kong-style egg tarts. |
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Breakfast was served at about 04:00 Hong Kong time (20:00 UK time). The
choices were a Western option of a cheese omelette with pork sausage,
spinach, cherry tomatoes and rösti potato, or a Chinese option of
Chicken and mushroom congee (rice porridge). If it were dim sum and chow
mein (fried noodles), I'd usually go Chinese, but for congee I prefer the
Western option. Drinks included Hong Kong-style milk tea. It's nowhere
near as good as what you get in a cha chaan teng (茶餐廳), but it was
enough to satisfy almost a year's worth of tea cravings. |
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Finally, some travelators! |
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The aircraft for the next leg |
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Sky Bridge linking the T1 main building and the
T1 satellite concourse |
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Boarding pass for the second leg |
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The scheduled arrival time was 06:50, however, before 06:00 the captain
announced we were preparing to land. We landed at 06:12 and arrived Gate
42 by 06:18. I've set foot in Hong Kong Airport countless times, but
this was my first time transiting. I found the transfer signage
surprisingly unclear. I knew my next flight was at Gate 7, but had no
idea which transfer security point I should use. Hong Kong Airport
currently has four transfer checkpoints: E1 and E2 on the east side
(immigration hall), W1 on the west side, and M1 in the midfield
concourse. |
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The closest transfer checkpoint to Gate 7 is E1. Ideally, I should have
taken the people mover to the immigration hall and cleared transfer
security at E1 – the shortest walking route. Instead, I went through W1
near Gate 42. Once back departure level, I had to walk all the way to
Gate 7. Because of how the people mover is designed, the departure level
only has westbound trains, while the arrivals level only has eastbound
ones. If you choose the wrong transfer checkpoint, you end up like me,
walking from Gate 42 all the way to Gate 7 – nearly 40 minutes on foot. |
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Inflight meal: dim sum and chow mein |
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Kansai Airport air bridge |
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In the Wing Shuttle,
the people mover system in Kansai Airport |
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Arrival Hall (ground side) |
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The second flight was CX596, departing Hong Kong at 08:20 for Kansai.
Just like last year, I was travelling with Todd. Last time he'd worried
about taking the wrong train (and, in the end,
he did). This year there was no need to worry – he booked the same
flight, and we met at the gate. This flight was also operated by an
A350-900, and once again I had the same seat as on the previous leg. |
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we should eat breakfast at the airport before boarding, but I
said no. I'd just had breakfast on the previous flight, and now
another meal soon after take-off – three breakfasts in one
morning felt a bit much. I didn't get the dim sum and chow mein
on the earlier flight, but this time I did. Todd chose the other
Western option – sausage, fried eggs and hash browns – very
similar to my previous meal, just plated differently. |
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collection were very smooth, and within about half an hour we
were already out in the arrivals area. |
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Airport Express train, Nankai
Railway (Nankai fleet Series 7100) |
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Tengachaya station (Nankai platforms) |
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Tengachaya station (Osaka Metro entrance) |
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Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line train (Hankyu fleet
Series 7300) |
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Before leaving, we'd already booked our limited express tickets to
Tottori for the next day
online, so we took the chance to collect them from the JR ticket
machines at Kansai Airport station to avoid a rush at Osaka station
tomorrow. After that, we boarded a Nankai Railway train. As we were
staying in Kitahama (北浜)
rather than Namba (難波／なんば),
we didn't take the 'Tetsujin 28' Rapi:t limited express, but instead
took a regular Airport Express (空港急行),
changed at Tengachaya (天下茶屋),
transferred to the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line, and got off at Kitahama. |
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That night we were staying at
Onyado Nono Osaka Yodoyabashi (御宿
野乃 大阪淀屋橋, I'll write a separate article about the hotel). The
nearest exits are Keihan Railway's Exit 21 or 20 at Kitahama station,
but both are stairs only, which isn't great with luggage. We used Exit
1B instead, which has a lift. It's about a five-minute walk on the
surface, mostly past office buildings, and feels very different from
staying around Dôtonbori (道頓堀) or
Shinsaibashi (心斎橋). |
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Once we'd collected the room key, settled the luggage and had a short
rest, it was time to properly start today's journey... |
中文版請按此 Date: 7th January 2025 (Tuesday) After ch...
Click here for English Version 正一非常喜歡自駕遊。要合法在外國駕駛，首先需要「國際駕駛許可證...
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