Why your luggage takes a lot longer to get through Hong Kong airport than you do
World-class efficiency at the airport is tainted by lengthy waits in reclaim hall – and the problem is likely to continue for another 18 months
The world-class efficiency at Hong Kong International Airport is frequently let down by a luggage lag as passengers zip through immigration, only to find themselves burdened by a wait in the reclaim hall.
And the problem is likely to trundle on for another 18 months at least.
In the summer, construction began on a 2km conveyor belt linking a detached passenger building to the main arrivals hall, which should be completed by August 2019. But until then, the wait for suitcases is likely to go on as about 80,000 bags arrive daily, more than 2,700 of which will take longer than 40 minutes to reach the reclaim hall.
Lawmakers in the past have raised questions in Hong Kong’s legislature while readers of the Post have often complained about the poor service.
Lee Jae Woon, a Hong Kong-based academic who specialises in aviation, said: “I pay attention to the flow of airports and I have found Hong Kong’s baggage delivery to be exceptionally slow compared with its immigration.”
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On his most recent trip, flying on Hong Kong Airlines, he waited 45 minutes for his bag – a stark contrast to Seoul Incheon airport at the other end of his journey, where the typical wait is no more than 10 to 20 minutes.
