Advice Needed - Changi & Manchester

[CoodaShooda]

CoodaKid#1 (16 yo Crocodile Dundette type) is off to Manchester at Commonwealth Games time for a youth conference.

She's flying unaccompanied and has previously negotiated Kingsford Smith (Sydney) and Brisbane airports solo.

Schedule has her arriving ex-QF at Changi terminal 1 with 4 hour hold to departure on SQ from terminal 2 direct to MAN.

The return sees her arriving terminal 2 with a 16 hour wait for the terminal 1 departure back to Darwin.

I would welcome any advice I can pass on to her about transit arrangements at Changi, particularly how to get between terminals, where to get seat allocation, whether there's anywhere transit passengers can get some rest (during the 16 hour wait) etc

Similarly, what can she expect to have to deal with on arrival and (0900) departure at Manchester? (And is toasted muesli a prohibited import?)

[malanda]

I've never switched terminals at Changi, so I can't comment on that, but she should find Manchester T2 pretty straightforward. There may be a fairly long queue at immigration, but other than that, no probs.

There's a frequent rail link (3 per hour?) to the city centre, and much of the rest of northern England has decent rail links to the airport. The airport is 10 miles from the city centre, so taxis are feasible, too.

Toasted muesli will be fine. (I assume there's no meat in it)

[christep]

In principle you can actually walk between the two terminals at Changi, though there is also a fast automatic train type thing which take you a few hundred yards.

It is an extremely easy airport to navigate around - everything is signed in English and everyone who works there speaks English.

There is, of course, a website with full details:

http://www.changi.airport.com.sg/

There are plenty of places to sit, places to shop, a internet-browsing lounge (presumably censored to the usual Singaporean government standards) and also, if you want, there is an airside transit hotel which I imagine can be rented by the hour.

Hope that helps

[SLF]

Cooda - there's also a free bus tour of Singapore (or there was 6 months ago) for transit passengers who have at least 5-6 hours to spare. Just what she wants, I guess, to be stuck in another cramped seat...

Huge, airy, modern, uncrowded, excellent shopping and entertainment - there are a lot worse airports to spend a few hrs...

BTW there's no longer any need to bring vegemite, it's freely available in MAN ;) ;)

God luck - SLF

[gofer]

Cooda,

The 16h layover is something NOBODY in their right mind wants or needs - however nice Changi is.

The hotel can indeed be rented for 8h shifts - and is not very cheap. It also has no windows in any rooms !!

Personal recommendation would be - to re-route via HKG or KUL and make certain that the layovers are shorter. Both airports are easier than Changi, unless you've collected so many airports that another one won't phase you. You might even consider BKK with a 3-4h layover if you can get it, though ability to communicate and understand may be more limited there.

MAN-SIN is around 12-13h a 16h layover and then a 7-8h to Oz and the 4-5h needed to get to the airport and do the check-in (2h prior). That's over 40h on the trot.... :o

[CoodaShooda]

Thanks folks
She's walked the Larapinta Trail and camped out often enough in Litchfield & other parks, so sounds like she should be ok visiting civilisation. :rolleyes:

Gofer....unfortunately we're limited by the flights coming into Darwin - only three QF services a week to/from Singapore and buggra all else from anywhere else other than Brunei. :mad:

Domestic flights are similarly hard to find post-Ansett and you're looking at a minimum of 4 hours if you can find a direct flight. (QF offers to fly you from Darwin to Alice Springs via Gove, Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide - 11 1/2 hours to travel 1500 km, its faster to drive :eek: )

[gofer]

OK, that's what I was afraid of for you. On her 16 hour layover, think of checking main baggage through in MAN and just going into town and looking around if its daytime - underground to civilisation is 1.40 S$ each way and takes about 30-40 mins worst case - its brand new and only opened a few weeks ago. She should make sure she has her boarding card (probably issued in Manchester if not at the transit desk in Singapore).

Remember NO chewing-gum allowed in Singapore, high fines; and death penalty for drugs of any kind. :)

[callyoushortly]

If it isn't too late to add my two pennorth.... I went through SIN 3 months ago going to and returning from Australia. I found it a particulrly easy airport to navigate, really efficient and well signposted.

Didn't look in on the hotel as I only had a 4 hour stopover max, but I did go take a VERY welcome shower in the terminal in a very swish and clean area. If my memory serves me correctly, it was S$ 5, towels, toiletries and hairdryers etc supplied.....well worth it!!!
There's a gym and oxygen area to take advantage of, many a food outlet and a Aussie area in with the arcade games, which sells sweets and crisps (mmmmm Twisties) and all things Australian if you're looking for things from home. There's also an efficient and, from memory, a cheap interenet area which wastes more time!!

Hope this helps!

[rsoman]

Was transitting Changi in March, and the free bus tour SLF mentions was still operating. They require that you need a minimum of 5 hours transit and if I remeber correctly the first tour
is around 10 Am and then there are hourly departures in the late afternoon,
Cheers
RSO

[CoodaShooda]

Thanks again folks

Its starting to sound so attractive, she may not want to get on the QF flight and come home :D

[knobbygb]

Does she need advice on where to stay/where to visit in NW England or is that already taken care of?

Oh, and have you heard of umberella's in Oz? Bring one!

[star gold]

That SIN-MAN flight is not quite direct, more like same plane with a stop in either Delhi or Brussels depending on what day of the week the flight is.

As for Changi the T2 end of the terminal is more interesting.