Hong Kong International Airport and the associated Airport Express rail link have a great feature that I've used many times: in-town check-in.
For those who don't know about it, the principle is simple:
- You get to one of the Airport Express stations in town.
- You perform check-in there.
- They take your bags and tag them exactly as you would do at the airport, and get them to the airport and onto your flight.
- You board the train to the airport without any bags
- You walk directly to exit controls/security, as if you had no bags at all.
I've also done one better:
- Go the Airport Express station early
- Drop your bags
- Exit the station and go eat in a good restaurant of your choice
- Go back to the station and hop onto the Airport Express
This is especially useful when you have a late flight (many long haul flights from Hong Kong depart around midnight) and would rather have dinner in town at a decent time.
Are there other cities/airports where this service is available?
