Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport will soon launch time-saving baggage drop-off services that have proven popular around the world, an executive at Taoyuan International Airport Corp. (TIAC) said Friday.
There will be a total of 13 baggage drop-off kiosks installed in the second terminal of Taiwan's main gateway, said TIAC President Hsiao Ting-ko.
From early October to the end of the year, the machines will operate continuously to offer passengers more convenient services.
Sun Hung-pin, head of the company's maintenance department, told CNA that the baggage drop-off system can help travelers cut short waiting times at check-in counters.
With the automatic luggage system and an online check-in system at the airport that already exists, travelers can complete the check-in procedure about four hours before their flight takes off, giving them "more time to spend at the VIP lounge or duty-free stores," Sun said.
Taiwan-based China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Airways and Uni Air, as well as foreign airlines Cathay Pacific Airways and AirAsia have signed up to participate in the baggage drop-off system so far, Sun added.
Sun said the airport company may increase baggage drop-off kiosks at Terminal 2 depending on demand, and will also assess the feasibility of installing such equipment at the older Terminal 1.
As for Terminal 3, which is under construction, the baggage drop-off system will be part of the terminal's standard equipment, he said.
Outside the airport, the baggage drop-off service is already available on the Taoyuan airport mass rapid transit line but limited to six kiosks at Taipei Main Station. (By Wang Shu-fen and Elizabeth Hsu)