RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 13 – Hong Kong (HKG) to Jakarta (CGK)

By Nige on January 30, 2026 at 1:01 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: Cathay Pacific | CGK | HKG | Hong Kong | Jakarta | Skycity

I woke well ahead of my alarm, which was set for 4:30am. The plan was to catch the first hotel shuttle bus back to the airport at 5am.

I used the extra time to catch up on some admin. I’ve always been most alert first thing in the morning and tend to fade later in the day — I’m very much a classic lark.

The coach arrived about five minutes before 5am, and I secured a front-row seat. There was already a decent queue of passengers heading back to the airport, but the coach was full-size and easily accommodated everyone.

Once inside Terminal 1, I checked the location of the Japan Airlines check-in area.

As expected, there was no one around, and realistically I didn’t think they would be able to do anything about my Tokyo connection at this hour anyway.

So I headed through security to airside. The pull of The Pier First Class Lounge — and a Starbucks — was simply too strong.

By now, I was familiar with the terminal layout, so working out where I needed to go was straightforward. I had a couple more early-morning departures from Hong Kong still to come, and by the final one I expected to be an expert.

I reached The Pier First Class Lounge just after it opened at 5:30am and immediately caught up with the missus back home.

I had time for some sourdough toast with butter and jam, before wandering down to the Starbucks near Gate 43.

My flight to Jakarta was due to leave from Gate 60, which made the lounge location ideal.

From the gate area, I watched in mild amusement as the ground staff wrestled with the tensa barriers.

One agent put them up, another took them down. It genuinely looked as though this was the very first time they had ever prepared for boarding.

I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of business-class seat I was going to get on this flight. ExpertFlyer suggested recliners, while AeroLOPA indicated full lie-flat seats.

Thankfully, AeroLOPA was right on this occasion.

I settled into seat 14A and, despite the flight being under five hours, fully intended to get some sleep.

I had eight hours in Jakarta ahead of me before my flight to Tokyo Narita, five of which would be spent landside in Starbucks, waiting for Japan Airlines check-in to open.

I placed my breakfast order: chicken rendang, accompanied by what the cabin crew described as a “Morning Glory” — essentially a bucks fizz.

After take-off, breakfast service began without delay. A plate of fruit arrived first, along with a croissant and jam — a very nice start.

The chicken rendang was excellent and came with crispy anchovies, which worked surprisingly well. A genuinely good dish.

After breakfast, I asked for a blanket and managed a solid few hours of much-needed sleep.

I woke with about an hour to go. I was seated in the third row of business class, with a divider curtain at the front of the cabin.

We arrived at Gate G23, where I was met by a woman holding an iPad with my name on it. I couldn’t immediately work out why she was there.

I briefly hoped it might be to help me remain airside — but suspected that reality would soon assert itself and that I’d need to go landside and deal directly with Japan Airlines myself.

Next up: Afternoon at Jakarta airport on Day 13 of my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026