More passengers opt for early check-in at Jewel Changi Airport in 2025

SINGAPORE – For Hong Konger Jessica Ng, 47, and her teenage daughter, having extra time at the airport to take some photos at Jewel Changi Airport was on their wish list.

They had learnt from social media posts that Jewel Changi Airport is a “very famous” destination, and thanks to its early check-in lounge, they could drop off their luggage seven hours before their flight departure.

“It would have been troublesome to carry my bags around if I want to explore the mall,” said Ms Ng, who works in the customer service industry.

She is not the only one who thinks so – 560,000 passengers used the early check-in lounge at Jewel Changi Airport in 2025, an 8 per cent increase from 2024 and 56 per cent higher than in 2019, the mall’s opening year.

Equipped with automated bag-drop machines, the early check-in service allows travellers to check in three to 24 hours before their flight departure time, depending on the airline they are flying with.

This is earlier than the usual check-in period of two to three hours before the departure timing at regular airline counters.

Twenty airlines are participating in the early check-in arrangement, including Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Turkish Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.

Sharing these figures on its website on April 12, operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) said Jewel Changi Airport recorded footfall traffic surpassing 81 million in 2025, with overseas travellers accounting for over one-third of these visitors.

CAG noted that travellers are intentionally arriving earlier and extending their stay at the airport before their flights, instead of merely passing through Changi Airport.

As at January 2026, about 100 airlines operate more than 7,300 scheduled flights a week at Changi, connecting Singapore to over 170 cities in 50 countries and territories worldwide.

Describing this trend as a shift in passenger behaviour, where the airport experience is no longer a transit point, Mr Damon Wong, CAG’s senior vice-president of airport operations planning, said this early check-in option gives passengers “peace of mind” to explore the attractions and facilities at the airport.

Nearly half of Jewel Changi Airport’s 260 tenants are home-grown brands, including botanical-inspired gelato shop Birds of Paradise and fashion brand Charles & Keith, said CAG.

The mall also hosted around 70 event pop-ups throughout 2025, in addition to launching new stores such as Korean fast-food restaurant Lotteria and merchandise store Gundam Base.

It is not only foreigners who use the early check-in service at Jewel Changi Airport, Singaporeans do so too.

Mr Windsor Chan and his wife, both Singaporeans, have been big fans of this feature and have used it “since forever”.

The 56-year-old, a semi-retiree who used to work in sustainability, was checking in at around 1pm though his and his wife’s flight to Melbourne, Australia, was scheduled to depart at 8.15pm.

He said he usually drives to the airport – from his home in Bedok just 10 minutes away – early on the day of the flight just to check in earlier and drop off the family’s luggage.

This is because he prefers to get to the airport closer to the departure time – without baggage – in a more leisurely manner via public transport or ride-hailing services, and be able to skip the queue at the check-in counter.

Mr Chan said it is usually troublesome to book a ride when he travels with his wife and two children, along with four pieces of luggage in tow, as many drivers would reject them and suggest that they book two vehicles instead.

“The early check-in feature is just so convenient and reduces stress for us,” he added.