How to breeze through Terminal 4

If you’re one of the lucky passengers that will soon get the chance to fly out from Changi Airport’s brand new Terminal 4 (T4), we’ve put together some tips to help you have a smoother departure.

T4 will be the first terminal at Changi Airport to introduce a fully automated departure process, FAST (Fast And Seamless Travel), that will improve the efficiency of your next trip. Using integrated facial recognition technology and end-to-end self-service options, this service will be first rolled out to passengers of Cathay Pacific and AirAsia. Scroll down to the bottom of the article for a quick and simple guide to FAST.

Step 1: Start at the Automated Check-in Kiosks

Print your boarding pass and baggage tag at your airline’s check-in row.

If you’re flying with Cathay Pacific or any of the airlines in the AirAsia Group, head straight to the Automated Check-in Kiosks to have your boarding pass and baggage tag(s) printed. Tag your own luggage and proceed to the Automated Bag-Drop to drop it off.

These are the first 2 stages of the FAST process, which allows you to check in at your own convenience.

For passengers travelling on other airlines, our friendly airline staff will assist you at the check-in counters.

Drop off your luggage at the Automated Bag-Drop machine.

Tips to enjoy a smoother baggage check-in process

·         Watch your baggage limit: Weigh and ensure that your check-in baggage complies with the airline’s baggage limit before checking in. If not, there are repacking benches at the departure hall for baggage repacking.
·         Be aware of baggage restrictions: Baggage restrictions are safeguards that provide a greater ease of mind for many passengers. If you have restricted items, check with our friendly airport staff for assistance. 

For passengers who might require added assistance (such as pregnant women and passengers in wheelchairs), our counter service and roving passenger service staff will be around to help. Alternatively, look out for the Priority Passenger icon for priority clearance.

Fun fact: The layout of the check-in terminal is designed to be slanted towards the immigration gates to improve passenger wayfinding.

Step 2: Know what to look out for at immigration

After checking in, head straight to the Automated Immigration Gate (AIG) if you are above six years of age and fulfill one of the following criteria:

·         Singaporean
·         Permanent Resident
·         Long-Term Pass Holder
·         Travellers who had previously arrived in Singapore and enrolled their thumbprints with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore

If you don’t meet any of the requirements above, our immigration officers at the manned counters will assist you with your immigration clearance.

You can opt to clear immigration using the new Automated Immigration Gate at T4.

Remember how you used to have to queue for boarding pass checks and identification verification from officers, before and after you pass through the biometric gantry?

The third stage of T4’s FAST process allows for the immigration verification to be fully automated, where both your fingerprint and facial data are collected, without the need for manual verification by the officers. The fingerprint data is matched against your passport to ensure that you’re the same person, while your facial data will be used for verification during boarding.

Tips to enjoy a smoother automated immigration verification process

·         Remove your passport cover: The cover makes it difficult for passport details to be read by the machine. Remove it for a smoother and swifter process.
·         Remove your sunglasses and cap: Keep your facial features uncovered for facial authentication.

Step 3: Breeze through T4’s screening process

With the introduction of Computed Tomography (CT) security screening at T4, removal of gadgets such as laptops or tablets from bags is no longer necessary, thanks to advanced 3D screening technologies employed.

Ensure that prohibited items in hand-carry bags such as scissors, pocket knives or LAGs (Liquids, Aerosols, Gels) such as bottled drinks, hairsprays or toiletries in containers above 100ml are disposed of or checked in before departure immigration.

Tips to enjoy a smoother screening process

·         Be the first to unload: With parallel divestment stations on the new Automated Tray Return System, two passengers can now unload their belongings onto trays simultaneously. This means that if you are the first to finish loading your items, you can go straight to body screening.  
·         Separate LAGs (less than 100ml): Present these items separately onto the tray.
·         Remove all pocket items: Place loose items such as keys and coins in your hand carry so as not to set off the body scanning machine!

Step 4: Board through the Automated Boarding Gates

Breeze through boarding via the Automated Boarding Gate.

Remember the time you had to rummage through your carry-on baggage for your passport before boarding? That’s now a thing of the past.

If you have used the Automated Immigration Gate, breeze through boarding via the Automated Boarding Gate. The Automated Boarding Gate only requires you to scan your boarding pass; a photo will be taken to authenticate your identity, and this is then matched against the photo taken at the Automated Immigration Gate.

Tips to enjoy a smoother boarding process

·         Don’t lose that boarding pass: Scan your boarding pass at the gate and you will be through to board your next flight out!
·         Remove your sunglasses and cap: Keep your facial features uncovered for facial authentication.

A quick and simple guide to breeze through Terminal 4:

T4 utilises advanced technology to improve check-in efficiency, so you can have more time to explore the terminal before your flight. Read our tips on things to look out for in T4; or visit the T4 website for shopping and dining deals, while waiting for your gate to open!