The
new four-storey terminal (including basement level)
covers an area of 336,000 square meters--three times
the size of the former terminal--and puts much more
emphasis on passenger comfort. The complex also includes
a large-scale public parking building and a cargo
station. Laser
scan technology is used for luggage inspections; computer-aided
aircraft guiding systems, security equipment, and
information display boards are all first-rate. Electronic
display boards are installed throughout the airport,
providing arrival and departure information in both
Chinese and English. The Unisys Airport Passenger
Processing System (APPS) is used at the airport. APPS
puts intuitive Windows-type graphical screens at the
fingertips of airport personnel, enabling them to
check in passengers and baggage and complete reservations
and departure control processes more quickly and efficiently.
When this state-of-the-art terminal goes into full
operation, it will be able to handle 190,000 flights,
35 million passengers, and 780,000 tons of cargo a
year. The building has 51 elevators, 63 escalators,
and 26 moving sidewalks to make maneuvering around
the airport easy. Beijing
is served by international carriers such as Northwest,
United, Canadian Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Dragon
Air, Japan Airlines, ANA, British Airways, Malaysian
Air, Austrian Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, Korean
Air, Pakistan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai International,
Air China, China Southern, and China Northern. Travelers
will be able to stay in touch with the world via multimedia
payphones conveniently located throughout the terminal.
A phone card, available at airport counters, is required
to make calls. There
are no English-language travel books or maps available
at the airport, but tourist information and maps can
be found at the front desks of most hotels. Free
baggage carts are available on the concourse outside
the departure hall. There are no porters at the airport.
The airport offers Smarte Locke lockers for passengers
to store their baggage. The lockers are located on
the second level. Bags may be stored for anywhere
from an hour to seven days.
Banks & ATMs There
are 12 ATMs and four auto cash exchange machines conveniently
located throughout the terminal and they accept the
following cards:
- Cirrus
- American
Express
- Visa
- Visa
Interlink
- MasterCard
The
following banks have windows set up at the airport
for foreign currency exchange: Bank of China, the
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural
Bank of China, and the Construction Bank of China.
Some of these banks can also provide cash advances
with a Visa card. The ATM machines are available 24
hours a day while the bank windows are open during
normal flight and arrival departure hours. The Bank
of China in the international separating area on the
second floor also provides foreign currency exchange
for passengers.
Travel Tax Travelers
departing Beijing on an international flight must
pay a RMB90 airport construction tax. Those flying
to domestic destinations must pay RMB50. Payment must
be made at counters in the departure area prior to
checking-in for your flight. Keep your receipt.
Airport Transportation
The
airport is 26 kilometers, or 40 minutes, from the
center of Beijing. Modes
of transport (available during normal flight arrival
and departure times) include: Bus: The airport bus is available on the lower level just
outside the Arrivals area. There is just one government-run
airport bus shuttle.
Many hotels run their own airport shuttle bus services.
Taxi: Available on the lower level just outside
the Arrivals area. There is no real difference between
the various taxi companies in Beijing. When
arriving at the airport, AVOID drivers who approach
you in the terminal or outside the terminal as these
are almost always price-gaugers, who will ask triple
or more the actual price. There is a taxi line just
outside the terminal. Drivers should use their meter;
make sure that the driver puts down the flag, as some
drivers will say they forgot and ask for a ridiculous
amount of money. The
cost to midtown Beijing is normally around RMB70 depending
on the type of taxi, plus RMB15 for the highway toll.
There is no need to tip taxidrivers in Beijing unless
they render extra assistance with bags, etc. Many
of the better hotels provide a card with the taxi's
license plate when you get in a taxi at the front
door. Retain this card should you have a problem with
the driver, or should you leave something in the taxi.
If you lose something, and don't have the number of
the taxi, try either your destination or departure
point as it is not unusual for taxi drivers to turn
lost goods in to these places. Women are advised to
sit in the back seat to avoid any possible harassment. It's
a good idea to always carry the name of your hotel
and any destination in Chinese because very few drivers
in Beijing speak English. You can ask the staff at
the front desk of your hotel to write your destination
in Chinese. |
