Chengdu airport hours

[Roger]

Hello….I am having trouble finding out the status of Chengdu airport for transient visitors….in a nutshell is the airport open 24hr/all night and can I stay in the airport overnight? I do not want to have to leave the airport or get a hotel…just want to hang out at the airport till my morning flight out…

I arrive 11pm, depart 7am…arrival and dep airlines are different…just want to be able to stay in airport at no cost like other international airports….is this possible, thanks, Roger

[Justin]

You can stay there, no one will kick you out. KFC closes at midnight and none of the stores will open till the morning, but the airport itself will remain open. On the very top level, above the check in counters, there is a lounge that has tables and chairs you can rest in.

[Roger]

Thanks for the info…that is what I needed to know…not to be forced out and have to get a hotel, good news, Roger

Ps,any one, what do the characters under my name signify…is it a pronouciation of my name? Does it have a meaning?

[Rick in China]

“newbie”

[Roger]

this would be true….

[Rick in China]

That’s the translation.. like most boards, posting frequency is identified beneath your name with an identifier, like a rank, which shows how often the person posts.. 菜鸟 = newbie.

[Charlie]

Quote:

You can stay there, no one will kick you out. KFC closes at midnight and none of the stores will open till the morning, but the airport itself will remain open. On the very top level, above the check in counters, there is a lounge that has tables and chairs you can rest in.

Yeah, after midnight the top floor of the airport (departures) is accessible even though there will probably be no departures. You can walk around there or sleep or whatever, no one will bother you.

[Roger]

thanks for the confirmation and info….

[Roger]

Bummer, just received an email from very expereinced American tour operator who has run tours in China for yrs and yrs…he was unsure on Chengdu airport hours so he emailed his associate travel operator in Chengdu. That guy says airport will be closed at night and security will kick you out….so somewhat of a dilemma….are you guys, above, absolutely sure based on recent experience that the aiport is open and I can hang out upstairs as mentioned above….thanks, Roger

Don’t mean to question anyones’ input, just trying to resolve conflicting info…..

[Charlie]

Quote:

are you guys, above, absolutely sure based on recent experience that the aiport is open and I can hang out upstairs as mentioned above….thanks, Roger

The official rule might be no people allowed upstairs. I’ve never been kicked out or even seen a security guard at all. The last time I checked was a few months ago ago but Justin was there a week ago and didn’t have a problem either.

[Justin]

I was there from 12am-3am one night and didn’t have a problem. A foreign couple near me were comfortably asleep on the floor, laying on borrowed chair cushions when I left at 3am.

[Roger]

Justin and Charlie…thanks again, that is good to hear…at the risk of beating this to death…with a 11:00pm arrival, prob last flight in, will I be herded along with others thru whatever (customs?) or ‘out the door’ as I assume 99% of the rest of the passangers WIll want a hotel, or does it seem reasonable that I can break out alone and try and find this upstairs place w/o causing a stir or having the local authorities wanting to usher me along with everyone else either trying to ‘help me’ or just ‘expecting’ me to leave. Thanks again…boy, I am out of my element here….had this been about Nepal I’d be right at home but China is new to me and I have read a lot of things that give me pause, especially as I have zero language. Roger

[Justin]

If you don’t speak any Chinese you’re probably better off, no one will hassle you or bother trying to explain anything to you. An 11pm arrival won’t be the last flight in. My last arrival time was 1am and it took about an hour to get my bags and leave the airport. There were still plenty of people milling about and waiting for passengers while I was waiting in the taxi queue.

[Roger]

OK, now THAT info really settles it and is good to hear….thanks again you guys….Roger

I am looking forward to this routing as the flight apparently includes a one hr stop over at Lhasa while continuing on to KTM. So anticpating super views of the Himals.

[Charlie]

Quote:

I am looking forward to this routing as the flight apparently includes a one hr stop over at Lhasa while continuing on to KTM. So anticpating super views of the Himals.

Flying from Chengdu to Lhasa provided the most incredible landscapes I’ve seen from an airplane. Enjoy

[Roger]

More good news! Thanks, guys…you guys have really helped me on this and provided the info to make my decison. Roger

[Cheryl]

I was very happy to stumble across this forum. I am in a similar situation and have been searching everywhere for the information I need only to keep getting outdated or conflicting information. I am flying to Nepal in 2 days and have a layover in Chengdu. I arrive at midnight and leave again at 7:30am. I didn’t really want to go to a hotel just for a few hours.

[Roger]

Cheryl, how about a trip report on how the overnight at Chengdu goes and any hints you may have after having done it, thanks, Roger

ps and the views enroute to KTM, stopping for one hr in Lhasa?, my flight does….which side of plane might be best from Chengdu to Lhasa and Lhasa to KTM…

[Cheryl]

Certainly, I will try to get on here and let you know how it goes. My situation may be different than yours because I am not changing airlines but still I will tell you what I find out. I am leaving this Friday from Incheon airport in Korea and I also have the stopover in Lhasa so will also let you know about the views.

[Cheryl]

Also, Roger if you look on the CTU airport arrivals and departures they have planes leaving and arriving all night long so I don’t see how they can close the airport.

[Author]

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