Travel tip: check in for Singapore Airlines flights at Marina Bay Sands

Singapore’s towering Marina Bay Sands is offering lobby check-in for Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights – although the convenience comes at a small cost.

Guests are charged a handling fee of S$25 for every two bags deposited at the check-in counter, a joint venture between MBS and SATS (Singapore Air Terminal Services).

None the less, it’s a small price to pay for avoiding queues at Changi and also lets you wander around the rest of The Red Dot and then head straight to the airport rather than make your way back to the hotel to fetch your bags.

Hotel guests can check in anywhere from three hours to 48 hours (yes, you read that right, two full days) before their flight.

Accepted baggage is transported to Changi Airport on a regular transport run and undergoes security screening at the airport.

Passengers also receive their boarding passes over the counter so they can make their way straight to immigration at Changi.

SATS says the service will be extended to cover more airlines in the coming months, and is also open to guests at any other hotels – as long as they’re willing to make their way to the Marina Bay Sands.

In most cases that'll call for a  taxi ride across the city, but given that Singapore's taxis are so affordable and comfortable, it's a small price to pay for having your luggage already on the way to Changi while you spend the rest of your final day in meetings or checking out the city.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.