Garuda Indonesia has launched an upstream check-in service that allows passengers travelling by ferry to Hong Kong International Airport to check in at the ferry port where they begin their journey.
Passengers can new check in hold luggage and get boarding passes at desks operated by Skylink in the Shenzhen Shekou, Shenzhen Fuyong, Dongguan Humen, Macau Taipa and Macau Maritime ferry ports. They can also clear immigration formalities at the piers.
They then proceed by ferry to Hong Kong International Airport’s Skypier, where they just need to pass through security and undergo a second document check before going to the gate. Checked luggage is transferred directly from the ferry.
“More and more people from China are travelling through Hong Kong to Indonesia,” said a Garuda spokesperson. “So we wanted to provide them with this extra convenience.”
He added that Garuda also allowed passengers to check in all the way to onward destinations throughout Indonesia, unlike many airlines that require passengers to check in again in Jakarta.
Garuda recently announced that after 50 years of serving the city it planned to enhance its Hong Kong base and was aiming to raise its profile with the corporate and conference and incentive travel sector (see here).
On September 25, United Airlines also started offering through check-in at the Dongguan Ferry Pier for passengers bound for flights departing from Hong Kong International Airport, and is the only US carrier to offer this service (see here).
For more information, visit www.garuda-indonesia.com
For ferry schedules to and from Hong Kong International Airport, see here.
Nicholas Olczak
