I wonder if someone can give me some advise about how the Macau to HKIA ferry service works.
I'll be staying in Macau and have a flight from HKIA to Seoul/Korea (Korean Airlines) at 12.05.

Given that the ferry takes 50 mins to get to HKIA, would it be safe to assume that the 9.30 ferry would give ample time?
As I understand it, the whole check-in and immigration process is handled at the Macau side ferry terminal?  Is this correct?

If there are processes to be following and queues to be joined at the HKIA side, I might need to consider the 7.30 ferry instead but this'll mean a ridiculously early hotel checkout which would be a pain in the ass considering planned 'fun' the night before :-).

Advise appreciated from anyone who knows the system.

Hope I haven't posted this in the wrong forum - appreciate that this isn't typical 141 forum stuff.

Many thanks.

Here's a useful link

You need a valid ticket from HKIA with a seat assignment, for the day of boarding the ferry. Also passport with 6 months validity, visas, etc.

It seems to me that the 9:30 ferry would be fine, as long as you meet all the requirements. You'd get to HKIA at about 10:20, having 105 minutes in hand.

If I were to do this myself, I would want a backup plan in case the ferry were delayed for some reason. But with a reasonable backup plan, the 9:30 ferry should be fine.

Here's a segment from Turbojet:

Notes for Sea-Air Transfer:

Documented proof of holding a confirmed seat must be presented. Itinerary is not acceptable.
(Please note that passengers travelling to the Philippines are required to hold a printed return or onward ticket
instead of the electronic format of tickets shown on laptop or smartphone.)

Passengers holding airline staff or family tickets will not be accepted

The connecting flight departure time should be on the same day (Passengers who connect to CX,
CI, KA, GA, KL or MH flight departing before 10:15am may take the last sailing of the previous day to SkyPier).

This route is only applicable to passengers transiting via Hong Kong International Airport.  Passengers will not be able to
enter Hong Kong and thus should ensure that no baggage is left outside the restricted area of the airport.

A fine of HK$2500 will be imposed by HKAA for each repatriated passenger who failed to comply with
above requirements. TurboJET reserves the right to request passenger to indemnify the Company of all fines payable.

Gherk

[ Last edited by  ggherkin at 14-4-2013 11:35 ]

Hunting around, it looks like other companies than TurboJet offer a service from Macau to HKIA so there may be alternatives with a slightly earlier departure time.
Just need to make I get the right ferry terminal - I have a habit of making a mess of schedules so wish me luck!

be careful i think with any flight after 11am you are safe if you buy the first ferry out. Most airlines will require that you are at HKIA (not the Macau ferry station) 120 minutes before the flight. Just 2 years ago I got screwed over by one of the ticket counter guys at the ferry station saying that i needed 180 minutes so I had to go to Mongkok then take a taxi etc. it was such BS.

there is an extensive discussion about this on one of my reviews from before, if you have time take a read.

http://forum.sex141.com/eforum/v ... 1113&highlight=


here's a turbojet link:

http://www.turbojet.com.hk/en/ro ... schedule-fares.aspx

Yes, the only problem with the other companies is that the schedules are far and few between. But other than that, no real difference in vessels, service, and so on.

Gherk

Yup...the link to the discussion thread that bro lookign4cfc posted is correct. Lots of info there. Key takeaway is to check with the particular airline first.

Also, no harm taking an early ferry and waiting a couple of hours at HKIA. It's a pretty nice airport with free wifi and decently priced food at the foodcourt.

I agree Wachovia, HKIA is my fav. airport in the world, the food and even the products are pretty well priced relatively speaking and there is always so many things to see in that airport.

One thing I forgot to ask is that you might want to buy the ticket early too, I've run into a few occasions where the ferry was sold out recently.

I agree, nothing like getting straight off the plane and onto the train.  Takes almost as long to get out of Heathrow than to does to make the whole journey into Central HK.

The food court isn't half bad either.  Decent wifi, decent food.