🇸🇬→🇨🇳→🇰🇷【厦門航空 搭乗記】無料ホテル消滅！乗換え泊&どローカル中華｜SIN→XMN→ICN Xiamen Air/翔安国際空港
XiamenAir departs from Changi Airport Terminal 3.
Breakfast at the SATS Premium Lounge, accessible with Priority Pass. The illustration on the canned coffee is cute. I’m exhausted after foolishly staying up all night at Jewel. In the lounges in Singapore and Malaysia,
I almost always eat curry laksa. At Changi Airport, which has over 110 boarding gates,
a remote stand is probably rare. It’s my first time too. Maybe that’s why the facilities at the boarding gate are simple, or rather, crude. The Xiamen flight has many young people from China. Singapore Airlines (SQ) long-haul flights use Terminal 3.
Large aircraft like the B787 and A350 are lined up. Air New Zealand (NZ), also part of the Star Alliance.
It takes over 10 hours to get to Auckland. Surprising. Making a U-turn. The yellow aircraft is Scoot (TR).
It’s a low-cost carrier under Singapore Airlines. This B777-300, registration number 9V-SWP, was bound for Shanghai. I like the blue aircraft. Um, I think that’s my seat… They were completely relaxed in the wrong seats (lol). They are in the adjacent A, B seats. And they’re trying to leave with the used blanket. Just an “OK”? It looked like a personal bottle, but the water was distributed to everyone. The seat next to me is empty. A glass with XiamenAir’s cute logo. The design of the in-flight magazine is beautiful, isn’t it? A very Chinese-style in-flight safety video has started. ANA used to have Kabuki. XiamenAir has Beijing Opera. It’s also made like a movie. This part is modern style. It makes you want to clap. Taxiing to the runway. Over there is China Eastern Airlines (MU), based in Shanghai. Taking off with a 2-hour delay. A 4 hour and 30 minute flight. Not too short, not too long, just right. As expected of a major trading port, the number of container ships is amazing. The in-flight meal has been served. It’s been over an hour since takeoff due to turbulence. They came to confirm if another one was okay since they didn’t have the white wine from the menu. My eyes aren’t working well, so she’s too close~ Beef and winter melon soup. Light and delicious. Fried white fish with sweet and sour sauce, I guess? Dessert. I couldn’t even eat half of the chocolate cake. We’ve arrived over Xiamen. The mountains are deep. Jiulong River. The largest river in southern Fujian province. In all of Fujian,
it’s the second largest after the Min River (Binkō) which flows through Fuzhou. The river is so wide I can’t tell where it meets the sea.
The land ahead is a sandbank. Nakasu Sangyo University (so old). Speaking extreeemely fast 😁 What you see in front is the city center of Xiamen. The airport is large but not very crowded. I couldn’t use the XiamenAir transit hotel due to regulations, so I booked on Trip.com.
It was actually 4,700 yen. Revised from January 10, 2025, short-haul international connections
(Asia -> Asia) are no longer eligible for a free hotel, which is a shame lol. It’s within walking distance from the airport if you try. I ate dinner here. No problem. The dumpling shop I could see from the hotel window. A hot pot with various pork parts and sour pickled cabbage. It was delicious~👍
This was 46 yuan (just under 1,000 yen). It’s enough for two people. Sour, rich, and delicious! Pork belly, thigh, offal, and various other parts. Boiled dumplings and Tsingtao beer. The best! It was so hot, I burned the inside of my mouth a little 😭 Early the next morning, I took the hotel shuttle bus to Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.
On yesterday’s connecting flight with XiamenAir to Incheon (Seoul). There was a huge line at the entrance, so I asked if I should line up here. This young lady said she was traveling to Kuala Lumpur alone. It seems they were lining up before the international departures opened.
When it opened at 6 o’clock, this line disappeared quickly. Ticketing counter. It’s a simple and small lounge, not what you’d expect for Xiamen Airport’s home base, but
the variety and quantity of food are abundant. Xiamen’s noodle dish, Sha Cha Mian.
A rich noodle soup with a peanut flavor based on Southeast Asian satay sauce.
I missed the chance to eat it 😭 Moving around the apron by bicycle. So very China. Boarding has started. It’s convenient that the boarding gate is right in front of the lounge.
And today it’s a remote stand again. Same seat as yesterday, 12L. Goodbye, Xiamen. I wonder if there will be a next time? Breakfast is cereal, omelet, chicken, salad, etc. The Chinese woman next to me didn’t want a meal.
As a cheapskate, I could never do that 😁 Approaching Seoul Incheon Airport.
Arrived safely!
シンガポールからソウル仁川へ、スカイチーム厦門航空を利用した厦門経由の搭乗記です。
中国系航空会社の多くが提供する無料宿泊ホテルサービスを目指しましたが、厦門航空では2025年1月の改定で近距離→近距離のルートが提供不可となり、アジア域内が対象外となってしまいました。
急遽探した安くて清潔な空港近くのホテルに宿泊。空港送迎も利用でき大変便利。そして、ホテル眼前の水餃子と鍋のお店が最高！
翌朝早く、古めの厦門空港ターミナルへ。本拠地にもかかわらず質素なラウンジと、中国らしく充実した機内食も。
古いのもそのはず、2026年に島の沖合に開港予定の新空港、翔安国際空港がオープン予定なのです。
現地のリアルな体験と、最新のトランジット事情をぜひご覧ください。
