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FrHow can I check in when travelling with Hainan Airlines?
Travelling with Hainan Airlines gives you three possibilities of checking in:
- Counter Check-in, directly at the airport of departure.
- Online Check-in, by visiting Hainan Airlines’ official website and using their online platform.
- Kiosk Check-in, this method being available in two Chinese airports.
To make sure your embarkment goes as smoothly as possible, and that you won’t encounter any issues during boarding, try to make sure that all country-specific entry and exit requirements are met well in advance.
When must I check in when travelling with Hainan Airlines?
Hainan Airlines’ passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure when embarking for a domestic flight and at least 3 hours before scheduled departure when taking an international flight. This is a preventive measure to ensure that you will have plenty of time to go through security checks.
The airport check-in counters have different closing times between 30 and 60 minutes before departure, depending on whether the flight is domestic, international or regional.
Passengers who wish to travel abroad should arrive at the airport before the check-in times, and have upon themselves all the necessary visa documentation, passports, and also all the travel documents that were used during the ticket purchase. If a credit card was used to purchase a ticket online, it should also be brought for check-in. Of course, none of these important documents should be placed in your checked baggage, because you will definitely need them more than once.
Online Check-in
First of all, in order to complete this online procedure you only need to access the airline’s official website, enter your last name and passport or e-ticket number, and select flight segment by specifying the city of departure. The following step implies selecting the desired seat and going through the usual check-in formalities. Printing your boarding pass is only one step away, once all the relevant information has been completed and confirmed.
Besides, no special printing support must be used for your boarding pass: you can simply print it on an ordinary A4 paper, and it will replace the traditional version. The information included will be, however, equally alike, since your name, airports of departure and arrival, the number and date of your flight, the boarding time, boarding gate and booking class will also appear on the self-printed boarding pass.
However, for international flights, A4-printed boarding passes from Online Check-in are not supported at most airports, and you will still need to go to the check-in counter to obtain a valid boarding pass.
A4-printed online boarding passes are accepted for international flights departing from the following airports: Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Seattle, Taipei Taoyuan, Toronto.
In the Hainan Airlines app, you can generate an electronic boarding pass only for airports that support it: Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Hangzhou, Harbin, Haikou, Hohhot, Jinan, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanning, Nanjing, Qingdao, Sanya, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Taipei Taoyuan, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Tokyo Haneda, Urumqi, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi’an, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Zhuhai.
Documents
In spite of the fact that the Online Check-in procedure will be handled on your own, there will still be certain documents required for successfully completing all the necessary formalities. First of all, a valid piece of identification will be required (ID card or passport). Secondly, if you decide to purchase your ticket online, the credit card used should also be presented at the check-in counters.
The boarding pass is also important. Although you have the option of printing it yourself, it stands for the traditional boarding pass, mostly for domestic flights, and is needed when going through the formalities for airport security and boarding. If you are unable to print it at home or should you misplace it, you can always print it at the airport’s self-service equipment. Consequently, you are advised to complete all the check-in formalities online, if you opted for the Online Check-in, even if you experience some troubles with printing your boarding pass.
Availability
The main advantage of Online Check-in is that you can complete the check-in formalities wherever you have access to the internet. Moreover, while the airport check-in service is available for flights scheduled for departure on the same day, the Online Check-in service is accessible from the day before departure, at certain departure airports and at specified times – Online Check-in open time for each city.
The Online Check-in service is available for both adults and children, provided that the adult passengers don’t have special requirements or needs, and are not pregnant, elderly, disabled, stretcher-bound, members of the army or the police force, VIP passengers or adults travelling with babies. On the other hand, the only children eligible for Online Check-in are those accompanied by adults, children travelling alone being unfit to use Online Check-in.
Apart from the ticket class and the type of passengers, the flight is another criterion depending on which you can complete the Online Check-in procedures or not. Travelers who possess an electronic air ticket and have a reserved seat in a flight operated by Hainan Airlines, Grand China Airlines and Tianjin Airlines are eligible for the Online Check-in service, while those who are codeshare flights under the jurisdiction of other carriers are not.
Another important aspect when thinking about checking in online is the baggage. You can check your luggage at the airport counter after going through the Online Check-in formalities, simply by showing the valid piece of ID that you have used when purchasing the ticket. Online Check-in does not exempt you from checking your baggage or from meeting all Hainan Airlines’ safety regulations regarding luggage.
To sum it up, should you decide to check in online, you are supposed to go through the security checks at the airport 30 minutes before scheduled flight departure, and board the plane 15 minutes before take-off. Try to make sure you will arrive at the airport in time to meet those deadlines, otherwise you will be the sole responsible for missing the flight.
Options
Whether you have luggage that needs to be checked in or not, you might want to verify if any changes regarding the boarding gate have occurred. You can do this whether by checking with Hainan Airlines’ duty manager counter, before going through the security formalities, or by watching the dynamic display system settled within the isolated area, after you’ve completed all the steps required before boarding.
If you have baggage that needs to be checked in, all the necessary formalities can be carried through at the baggage-drop counter at the airport, and afterwards you can board the plane simply by showing your printed boarding pass. If you do not need to check any luggage, make sure there are no changes with the boarding gate first, and then undergo the safety check at the airport by presenting the valid ID certificate which you have registered during the ticket purchase and your printed boarding pass.
You can even use the Online Check-in service for a friend: if a friend of yours and yourself booked tickets on the same flight, you may utilize the Online Check-in platform for another two persons, and select seats next to your friend(s).
Kiosk Check-in
Self-service kiosks are another simple and accessible method of checking-in. You should follow four easy steps in order to complete the check-in formalities:
- Firstly, you can either manually enter your ID / passport number, or place it inside the kiosk scanner.
- Afterwards, you have the select the desired flight.
- Then, you can select the seat you prefer.
- The last step involves printing your boarding pass.
Availability
Should you decide to check in at a self-service kiosk, you ought to know that this check-in method is available:
- At 20 self-service kiosks in the T1 terminal of Beijing Capital International Airport – from 3 hours up to 30 minutes before departure.
- At 9 self-service kiosks at Haikou Meilan International Airport – from 10 hours up to 40 minutes before departure.
- Kiosks are also available at the following airports: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Taiyuan Wusu International Airport, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport.
Restrictions
Checking-in at self-service kiosks is available neither to passengers with special needs or requirements, nor to group ticket holders.
Boarding
There are four important subsidiaries constituting the Hainan Airlines Group: Hainan Airlines (HU), Grand China Air (CN), Tianjin Airlines (GS) and Capital Airlines (JD). Through its aforementioned subsidiaries, Hainan Airlines Group offers both domestic and international flights.
Terminal 1 of Beijing Capital International Airport is used for domestic (Mainland China) flights, including the Beijing – Shanghai Express Service, while Terminal 2 is destined for international flights, as well as flights bound for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.
If you want to go to Terminal 1 or 2 and, by mistake, you end up in Terminal 3, you can redirect yourself towards the desired terminal by either following the signposted walkways or by taking a shuttle bus.
