iuytrede Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 ask CI to let you use their lounge (they will normally do it). Free food and free broadband internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanukdee Posted May 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2003 By transit lounge do you mean the Transit Hotel 4th floor terminal 2? After searching on google and mama I found out that Terminal 2 has a Transit Hotel with 21 rooms. One report was that it was a good value. Other then that I could not find out any more details/prices. The official CKS Airport website is as lame as I remember their airport to be. Anyway I will trek over to Terminal 2 and hopefully find a Transit Hotel there. I also want to check out the CI lounge. (assuming they let this economy class vagrant in) I will report back my findings when I get to Bangkok. (assuming I survive the CI flight) :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 ALL-- Another idea is (assuming you are travelling on one of the visa-free entry countries on Taiwan's list) to go into town.. It's not far.. about :45 or so.. Airport express buses run every :15 until 23:00 and resume at 05:00... In town you can get a bite to eat, do some light shopping (remember you won't have access to your luggage so you'll have to hand-carry all your purchases) or such. One thing to remember is that you WILL have the pay the airport tax of NT$30 before you clear immigration. Unlike Japan where they do not levy airport tax on same-day connections, in Taiwan, once you leave the airport you have to pay the tax. NT$30 is not much, just be sure that you have it in NT (cannot pay in other currencies).. --UPSer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 [color:"green"] Unlike Japan where they do not levy airport tax on same-day connections, ... [/color] Even Kansai Airport? I remember you had to pay the airport tax before going through security. :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtimer Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Never transited Taipei; although some day I intend to try EVA. Usually travel by way of Hong Kong but have recently avoided it on account of SARS. Hong Kong Airport is ok and only second in comfort to Singapore; although one prefers Singapore on account of the beautiful landscaping in and around the terminal. In HKG the bookshops are well stocked and the business class lounges have a great free noodle bar. The Regal Hotel at the airport, however, is a bit stark compared to the Amari in BKK where one is obliged sometimes to put up for the night enroute to Phuket. A month I transited Narita which is a dreadfully boring place, although the lassies in the JAL business lounge were kind enough to let me use their desk phone to make a call to Phuket because my credit cards wouldn't work in their pay phones and I lacked any yen.I think that my knowledge of sushi Japanese may have helped paved the way . Such is life back and forth across the wide Pacific enroute to LOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuytrede Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 airport tax is NTD 300 (not 30), about USD 9. There are ATMs at the airport where you can use Visa/Plus or Masters to get 300 NTD. Dont forget Sars: WHO recommends against going to Taipei. You may not be able to buy a mask in Taipei (sold out), but in some places (like the MRT) you are now by law required to wear one, so bring your own. When you arrive in Bangkok you may be treated as an arrival from a Sars infected country (which you are) with possible quarantine etc (see corresponding thread in health section) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Sorry.. get a bit fast with the 0's... It is NT$300.. not a lot but you still need to have it/pay it before leaving... Also, masks are nearly impossible to buy now a day in Taipei.. I know since we're shipping in nearly 10,000 each day from 3M's plant in USA to Taipei. You do bring up a good point, by leaving the airport, you will be stamped and you **may** run into issues at your destination for having been in an "affected" city. All in all, Id' say that unless your layover it **at least** 4 hours or more, you are better off staying within the airport and not leaving. Also, as posted earlier about Japan's aiport tax... In KIX you can get a "waiver" from your airlines check-in desk. Just tell them that you arrived from XXX on flight and are departing on flight YYY... Show them the tickets and they will write it up on special form and attach it to your same-day ticket. This will get you by the "tax" issue at Immigration.. NRT used to do the same back when they used to have those tax machines (like in BKK) with the tickets.. --UPSer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanukdee Posted May 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Well i survived. And five days in BKK already and SARS free. And no need to contact the Human Rights commisioner. The flight from Anchorage to Taipei was excellent. The plane was only about 25% full and I had four seats to myself to lie down. It was a new Airbus 300 Aircraft with a personal video/telephones at every seat. The food was much better then I am use to on Northewst Airlines too. All the flight crew was wearing surgical masks which surprised me because the flight originated in New York City. The Taipei airport was very empty and quiet. Nearly everyone was wearing masks. I walked by a counter and asked for one and the women gave me one free. I asked China Airlines for a hotel voucher, but they said they couldn't and gave me a free lunch voucher instead. I asked a few people where the Transit Hotel and was directed towards it. Take the sky train to terminal 2. There i found a nice receptionist who checked me into a room right away. It was $30 for a minimum of 3 hours and $10/hour after that. I paid $60 for six hours and asked for a wake up call. The rooms was quite big. (compared to Narita dayrooms) And had large windows. There was a TV but only a few channels in Chinese. The bed was comfortable and I had a good sleep and refreshing shower and was on my way to BKK. The plane to BKK was nearly full with 90% passengers wearing masks. Most of the passengers were Thai. On arrival in BKK we were given a little green card with information about SARS and who to conact if symptoms developed. I walked by an infrared monitor and was asked to pause there. That took about one second and then welcome to Thailand. There were dozens of nurses and doctors in white uniforms standing by in case a passenger needed a more closer check-up. what matters most is I am in LOS again. :: :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo_bill Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Sanukdee, pleased to note that you had a good time in TPE and thanks for reporting . China Airlines clearly my favorite in the past til they started to murder too many of their passengers. Closing screen and leaving for the Land of Smiles RIGHT NOW ! :grinyes: :grinyes: :grinyes: Bbill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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