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 more than double the number in the mall’s opening year in 2019.

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.