Hong Kong Airport Express city check-in reopens
The convenient check-in counters at Hong Kong Station will reopen on Wednesday July 5.
By David Flynn, July 4 2023
Hong Kong travellers can once again enjoy the convenience of dropping their luggage in the city rather than at the airport, with the Hong Kong Airport Express’s city check-in service restarting on Wednesday, July 5.
Check-in counters have now opened at Hong Kong Station – the terminal for the rapid Airport Express line, which reaches Hong Kong International Airport in 24 minutes.
However, at first Cathay Pacific will be the only airline accepting with staffed Airport Express check-in desks, and those will be operating only from 6am to 3pm, according to news service Bloomberg.
Bloomberg adds that “a decision hasn't been made on restarting check-in at Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations”, the other two stops on the Airport Express line.
The bag drop and check-in counters of the Hong Kong Airport Express service.
The popular in-town check-in service was suspended in April 2020 when Hong Kong, along the rest of the world, clamped down on international travel in the face of the pandemic.
Visitors to the Asian metropolis have long enjoyed the convenience of checking their luggage in Central, Kowloon or Tsing Yi stations and then hitting the city for the rest of the day, before later making their way straight to the airport knowing their bags have already gone ahead.
The Hong Kong Airport Express whisks travellers between the airport and the city in 24 minutes.
The return of in-city bag drop is yet another positive sign in Hong Kong’s recovery, with foreign visitation steadily climbing since the removal of all restrictions in April and a number of global connections resuming in recent months, including Qantas flights from Melbourne on June 20.
Cathay Pacific is set to finally reopen its flagship The Pier first class lounge in mid-July, followed by the debut of a new ‘seaport’ lounge at China’s Shekou Ferry Terminal in August.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board estimates that by the end of 2023, annual visitor arrivals will have reached almost 26 million, or close to half of the average number of pre-pandemic arrivals across 2017-2019.
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Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 Jan 2013
Total posts 50
Does anybody know if Standby Passengers can access this service?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Jun 2019
Total posts 5
Yes.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 Jan 2013
Total posts 50
Great to see this service return, does anybody know if standby passengers can access this service?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Jun 2014
Total posts 20
Great to hear this is going to be restarted. Such a relaxing way to start the journey.
25 Feb 2015
Total posts 56
Yeah good news.
I don’t have high hopes for this but I do wish that MH & KLIA would reopen their city check-in desks at KL Sentral too!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2019
Total posts 8
Yes agree with all this service is first class enabling you to check out of your accomadation ,, do some sight seeing shopping ,, relaxing and then head into Airport by train for the evening flight ,,I really enjoyed the HK Qantas Lounge & I hear not only has it reopened when we thought it was gone forever but has also been revamped .
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1501
Most welcome news
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 468
Good news as far as it goes, but why is the Kowloon station not operating its city check-in again? A large proportion of visitors (and residents) are based on the Kowloon peninsula.
Hong Kong in general has not handled the post-COVID re-opening process at all well.
Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles
07 Jul 2023
Total posts 1
was last in hk in March had to renew my frequent visitor id tried to do it at the airport,but was not able to do as they wanted a physical f/f card to renew it wouldnt accept a copy of itinery with f/f number on it asiamiles good to see they have changed it.
chloe
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Jun 2018
Total posts 4
Hi there - anyone know please if this service has re-opened for airlines other than CX? ie QF?
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 431
Still only CX, I flew out on QF128 on Monday and was hoping to use the Central check-in desks but they were only open for CX.
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