SEVEN Chinese carriers have teamed up with Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) to provide a one-time check-in service for passengers flying to the mainland through Hong Kong.
The move, seen as yet another sign that direct flights between the two points are not far off, means passengers no longer need to queue for a second time in Hong Kong to check in and obtain boarding passes from mainland Chinese airlines.
In Taiwan, passengers flying with Air China, China Eastern, China National Aviation Corp, China Southern, China Southwest, China Northern and China Northwest Airlines are issued boarding passes from CAL staff.
Next week, the same seven airlines are to begin testing the system for Taiwan-bound passengers departing from China on CAL flights. The two-way service is expected to be fully implemented late this month.
The system is not without its glitches, however: 'Years of separation between mainland China and Taiwan have led to the use of different phonetic systems for spelling Chinese names in English,' CAL spokesman Steve Yang said.
In January, government authorities approved the airline's request to begin the service and it has been in planning ever since.
