Live in Hong Kong or just stopped over for a couple days in this wonderfully vibrant city in the Heart of Asia?
If you are heading away for business or leisure soon, you are probably wondering how early or late you can check in at the airport.
Below, I will cover the different check in options available, the aisle where your airline’s check in desk is located, how early you can check in, and why you should check in early at this incredible airport, that is one of the world’s best.
Hong Kong In-town Check In Facility
If you are staying on Hong Kong Island, the easiest way to get to and from the Airport is the Airport Express Train. This whisks you between Hong Kong International Airport and Hong Kong Station in a blisteringly fast 24 minutes. Trains depart every 10 minutes between 05:54 and 00:48, 7 days a week.
The best way to check in before your flight is the In-town Check In Facility at Hong Kong Station, located after the Airport Express barriers. This means you can check your checked baggage in and check in for your flight before you board the train to the airport. You can check in from 24 hours before your flight with this facility, up to 90 minutes before scheduled departure. You must tap through the gates first to access this facility, so you can only check in when you are actually on your way to the airport.
Currently, the In-town Check In Facility is only available for Cathay Pacific flights. Hopefully, more airlines will make this facility available in the future, as was the case pre-pandemic.
Why you should use the Hong Kong In-town Check In Facility
The In-town Check In Facility means that you don’t have to worry about long check in lines once you reach Hong Kong International Airport, or the hassle of carrying your luggage through the vast airport terminal. The In-town Check In Facility is especially handy if you are travelling with multiple checked bags. You can just take your carry-on bags with you on the train, and head straight through security and immigration once you reach the airport. This saves precious time at the airport, leaving more time to explore all this fantastic airport has to offer (including the fantastic airport lounges!)
To note, the Hong Kong In-town Check In Facility is only available from 6am to 3pm currently. There is a morning and evening peak at Hong Kong International Airport, so if you have an evening flight and wish to use this service, make sure you arrive at the Hong Kong In-town Check In Facility before 3pm and head to the airport early. As an added bonus, you’ll probably also avoid the security and immigration queues.
Pre-pandemic, the In-town Check In Facility was also offered at Kowloon Station and but this has not resumed.
Airport Check In
Once you arrive at Hong Kong International Airport, on the departures level (Level 7), check the screens for which check in aisle your airline is. Check in desks are laid out in aisles from A through L. Below I will cover where check in desks are located for the main major airlines at Hong Kong International Airport (sorted by check in desk aisle), and the check in desk open and close times before each flight.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific has 3 aisles of check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport.
Check in Aisle A is reserved for First Class Cathay Pacific passengers, as well as those Cathay Pacific passengers who hold oneworld Emerald elite status.
Check in Aisle B is reserved for Business Class Cathay Pacific passengers, as well as those Cathay Pacific passengers who hold oneworld Ruby or oneworld Sapphire elite status. There are lots of staffed check in desks here, so any line moves very fast.
Check in Aisle C is for all other Cathay passengers, including premium economy and economy passengers, without any elite status with Cathay or any other oneworld carrier. There is also self-service check in and bag drop facilities available. This is especially handy if the main queues are long at the time you check in or you get to the airport early.
Cathay Pacific check in at Hong Kong International Airport opens up to 48 hours before your flight using the self-service kiosks and bag drop, I was told by staff. You can also check in online, select your seats and collect your boarding passes up to 48 hours before. Airport Check In closes 40 minutes before scheduled departure of your flight.
Cathay Pacific check in desks run around the clock at Hong Kong International Airport, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Air France
Air France check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle D. Check in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 60 minutes before departure.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines check in desks are located in Aisle D at Hong Kong International Airport. Check in opens 3 hours prior to scheduled departure and closes 60 minutes before departure of Turkish Airlines’ one daily late evening flight to Istanbul.
ANA (All Nippon Airways)
ANA check in desks are located in Aisle E. Check in opens 3 hours prior to departure and closes 1 hour before departure. You can also use the check in desks to check in early, up to 3 hours before the first ANA departure from Hong Kong International Airport on the same day of travel.
Asiana Airlines
Check in desks for the two daily Asiana Airlines flights from Hong Kong to Seoul at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle E. Check in for OZ722 (the 1:10pm flight) opens 3 hours and 10 minutes before departure and closes 75 minutes before departure. Airport check in for OZ746 (the 12:30am midnight flight) opens 2 hours and 40 minutes before departure and closes 50 minutes before departure.
Malaysia Airlines
The Malaysia Airlines check in desks are located in Aisle E at Hong Kong International Airport. Check in desks open 3 hours prior to departure and close 60 minutes before departure, for Malaysia Airlines’ twice daily flights to Kuala Lumpur.
QATAR Airways
The QATAR Airways check in desks at located in Aisle E. Check in opens 3 hours prior to departure for their two daily flights to Doha, and closes 60 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
China Airlines
China Airlines Check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle F. Check in opens opens “2-3 hours before departure” and closes 60 minutes before departure. Unfortunately China Airlines doesn’t give more specific guidance than this on check in times.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa check in desks are located in Aisle F. Currently operating just the one daily flight to Frankfurt, the check in desks open 3 hours prior to departure and close 90 minutes prior to departure for counter check in, and 60 minutes prior to departure for bag drop with kiosk check in. Lufthansa is reintroducing their daily flight from Hong Kong International Airport to Munich in March 2024.
SCOOT
The SCOOT check in desks are located in Aisle F at Hong Kong International Airport on Departures Level 7. They open 3 hours prior to departure and close 60 minutes before departure.
Singapore Airlines
The check in desks for Singapore Airlines at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle F, and open 3 hours prior to departure and closes 40 minutes prior to departure.
SWISS
SWISS check in desks are located in Aisle F at Hong Kong International Airport. Check in opens 3 hours prior to SWISS’s one daily evening flight and closes 60 minutes before scheduled departure.
Air New Zealand
Check in desks for Air New Zealand at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle G. Check in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 90 minutes before departure.
Emirates
The check in desks for Emirates are located in Aisle G, and check in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 90 minutes before departure of their two daily flights from Hong Kong to Dubai.
Japan Airlines (JAL)
The JAL check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle G. Check in desks open 3 hours before departure and close 60 minutes before departure for JAL’s two daily flights to Tokyo (1 flight to Haneda and 1 flight to Narita).
Korean Air
Korean Air check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle G, and open 3 hours before departure and close 1 hour before departure.
United
The check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport for United’s daily flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles and (from March 31st 2024) New York-Newark, are located in Aisle G. Check in opens 3 hours prior to departure and closes 60 minutes before departure.
HK Express
HK Express check in desks are located in Aisle H on the departure level (level 7) of Hong Kong International Airport. Check in desks open 3 hours before departure and close 1 hour before scheduled departure.
Thai Airways
The Thai Airways check in desks are located in Aisle H at Hong Kong International Airport and open 3 hours prior to departure. Thai Airways airport check in closes 40 minutes before scheduled departure.
China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle J. Check in opens 2 and a half hours before departure and closes 45 minutes before departure.
China Southern Airlines
China Southern check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle J. Check in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 60 minutes before departure.
FINNAIR
FINNAIR’s check in desks are located in Aisle J at Hong Kong International Airport. They open 2-3 hours prior to departure and close 60 minutes before departure of FINNAIR’s one daily evening flight to Helsinki.
Qantas
Qantas check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle J, and open 3 hours prior to departure. The airport check in desks for Qantas close 60 minutes before scheduled departure for their two daily evening flights, from Hong Kong to Sydney and Melbourne.
British Airways
British Airways airport check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are all located in Aisle J. Check in opens 3 hours before departure, closing 60 minutes before scheduled departure.
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines airport check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are all located in Aisle K. Check in opens 3 hours and 15 minutes before departure, closing 40 minutes before scheduled departure.
Air Asia
Air Asia check in desks at Hong Kong International Airport are located in Aisle L. The check in desks open 3 hours prior to departure and close 1 hour before.
How early can I check in at Hong Kong International Airport?
How early you can check in at Hong Kong International Airport depends on the particular airline you are flying with. I mentioned above that the In-Town Check In Facility accepts check in for Cathay Pacific flights up to 24 hours before.
For Cathay Pacific, you can check in up to 48 hours before your flight at Hong Kong International Airport. This is extremely helpful if you have a stopover in Hong Kong under 48 hours. If your bags aren’t through transferred, you can simply pack a carry-on bag landside after you pass through customs, and re-check your checked bag straight away with the self-service kiosks and bag drop. You can explore all that Hong Kong has to offer with just your carry-on bag, saving the hassle of lugging your bags around notoriously hilly Hong Kong.
For all other airlines, generally the 3 hour before scheduled departure check in rule applies at Hong Kong International Airport, but check out the check in open and close times for your individual airline above. For HK Express, check in opens 3 hours and 15 minutes before departure.
Self-service kiosks at Hong Kong International Airport do also allow early check in for some airlines (such as ANA), but their bag drop facility may not be open until the main airport check in desks open.
Why should I check in early at Hong Kong International Airport?
Hong Kong is one of the world’s best airports, with extensive food options, duty free shopping, and incredible Airport Lounges.
Checking in early means you have more time to explore this airport, and if eligible, lounge hop around the various airport lounges at Hong Kong International Airport. If you are flying Cathay Pacific or oneworld and hold oneworld Sapphire, make sure to visit The Pier, Business, The Wing, Business, The Deck and the Qantas Lounge. If you hold oneworld Emerald, you have access to The Wing, First and The Pier, First, in addition to the oneworld Sapphire airport lounges.
Early check in also means you have more time to sort out any last-minute issues such as seat options, delays or cancelled flights. Getting to the airport early also means you can pass through security and immigration, and relax before your flight. No need to be stressed or worried that you’ll miss your flight, or get stuck in long security and immigration queues. Or get lost trying to find your gate, especially if you happen to be departing from the Midfield Concourse or Satellite Terminal.
Do I need to check in again for connecting flight?
If you have a connecting flight, booked on the same ticket, transiting through Hong Kong International Airport, it will depend on the carrier as to whether you need to pass through immigration, collect your bags and re-check your bags or not.
If both flights are on the same airline, and under the same reservation code or ticket, your bags should be checked through to your final destination. Do confirm at check in for your first flight through transfer of your bags will take place.
If both flights are different airlines, but airline alliance or codeshare partners, and under the same ticket or reservation code, your bags will usually be checked through to your final destination. Another tell-tale sign is if the codeshare flight has the same flight code as your other flight. Best to check at check in again though, just in case.
If you booked your flights separately, or the airlines are not partners (or you booked through a travel agent), best to check with the airline or travel agent at the time of booking. Self-transfer involves clearing immigration, collecting your bags, clearing customs, rechecking your checked bags, clearing immigration and security, before you onward flight.
The time that this self-transfer process takes depends on the airport you are connecting at and the time of day you are connecting through. Hong Kong International Airport has two peak times, one peak period in the morning and one in the evening. If you can transit during the day, you will likely have lesser queues and a smoother experience.
Does Hong Kong Airport have a transit hotel?
Yes, if you are transiting at Hong Kong Airport, there is one airside option. The Plaza Premium Lounge near Gate 35 has private resting areas with bathrooms, showers and single beds. This particular airport lounge is only open from 11pm to 3pm daily, so it’s a great option for late night overnight transits. There are both 6 hour and 9 hour packages available, so check the prices for the date you need and book ahead. It is on the departure level, so you will need to pass through transit security from the arrivals level to access the departures level. If you are travelling as a couple rather than solo, and have enough time, you are better to book the Regal Airport Hotel landside as you can share a room (it is also generally a cheaper option).
If you have a longer transit, the world-renowned Regal Airport Hotel is landside, and connected to the Hong Kong International Airport Main Terminal by a skybridge. It is a lovely and very large hotel with over 1,100 rooms, and a wide variety of room types to suit every budget. Check with your travel agent or airline to make sure your bags will be transferred through to your final destination, or whether you will need to collect and check in your bags the next day. You can check the price of your stay at the Regal Airport Hotel here and book. Day Use rates are also available, for sleep-deprived travellers from all corners of the globe.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my guide to checking in at Hong Kong International Airport. This is such an incredible airport with so much to explore, including fantastic food options (must try Duddell’s), some of the best airport lounges in the world (including The Pier, Business), fantastic shopping and so much more. Not only will you not run the risk of missing your flight by getting to the airport early, but checking in early via the In-Town Check In Facility or airport check in, if you airline allows, gives you plenty of time to eat, shop and explore.
I will keep this information as updated as possible for Forward of the Wing readers, so if you do notice any check in desk locations have shifted or opening and closing hours have been adjusted on your next trip through Hong Kong International Airport, please email me at [email protected] and I will ensure this article is updated. Happy Flighting!