Passengers departing from Changi Airport can now look forward to a speedier and more flexible check-in experience as Changi Airport Group (CAG) partners Singapore Airlines and its regional wing, SilkAir, on their Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) check-in trial in Terminal 2. The trial will build up to a full suite of FAST options in 2016, giving passengers of both airlines more choices for check-in as well as faster processing through the automated check-in kiosks and bag drops.
Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights from Terminal 2 can use any of the 24 check-in kiosks. Another 24 kiosks will be introduced in Terminal 3 subsequently. For passengers with baggage to check in, FAST check-in is a simple two-step process. They first obtain their boarding pass and bag tags at the kiosks. Once they have tagged their bags, passengers drop them off at the bag drop counters. There are instructional videos, signs and staff on ground to guide passengers on this process.
Passengers with carry-on bags only may print their boarding passes at the kiosks and proceed directly to departure immigration. Alternatively, passengers who have done online or mobile check-in may also skip the counters and proceed to departure immigration with their home-printed or mobile phone boarding passes. Based on past trials conducted by CAG, 97 per cent of passengers polled indicated that they were satisfied with the FAST check-in experience and would consider using it again.
Jayson Goh, CAG’s senior vice president for airport operations management said, “The adoption of FAST initiatives is in line with a wider global push towards self-service options at airports to improve productivity and efficiency, while at the same time providing passengers with greater flexibility and convenience. CAG is pleased to partner Singapore Airlines and SilkAir on the FAST journey and will work closely with the airlines to continuously refine the process where necessary, so as to bring about a greater travel experience for our passengers.”
The entire FAST check-in sequence – including printing of boarding pass and bag tags, together with tagging and baggage drop off – can be done in a matter of minutes. The time taken is expected to reduce as travellers gain familiarity with this mode of processing, given the growing use of automated check-in options in airports around the world.
In addition to providing passengers with a faster and more flexible check-in experience, automation will also help raise efficiency and productivity of check-in operations, thereby providing cost savings for airlines.