5 Things About Traveling From Beijing PEK Airport This CNY

I had the opportunity to take an international flight from the Beijing International Capital Airport (PEK) back to my home country for the Chinese New Year holidays.

The last time we traveled internationally was in the summer of 2022, from Beijing to the States, and that process was arduous to say the least. With China’s loosening of the covid restrictions, we wondered what the situation would be like at the airport and if you are as well, we are here to share what we experienced. Remember, things are changing constantly so your experience could vary, but here’s what we learned from going through PEK airport on Jan 20, 2023.

1. If you plan to eat, do it in the main terminal before proceeding through customs to the departure gates. Restaurants such as Hua’s Kitchen, cafes like Lavazza and Starbucks, fast food stores like KFC and Burger King are all open in the main terminal before you take the shuttle to the departure gates. The only stores we saw open in Terminal 3E while waiting to board were a duty-free liquor store and Hermes. Not the best of shopping options. And definitely no food choices at all! We were so grateful we had packed snacks just in case.

2. Empty that water bottle. The refill stations in the terminal are usable again, hurrah! And customs is being strict on confiscating liquids in carry-ones, even when you say it’s for the kids. If you’re lucky, you get that nice customs officer who allows you to get away with it if you take a drink of the water (supposedly to prove that it’s for drinking and not some other nefarious purpose).

3. Don’t bother with alcoholic hand sanitizers, unless you enjoy handing them over to customs. Also, if you have any spray bottles with you, be prepared to explain their purpose and perhaps demonstrate to the customs officer; I had to spray my homemade hydrosol solution (which I use for a quick mood-lifting spritz) for the officer to sniff. Luckily, it passed the test.

4. Covid travel requirements differ from country to country, but for us heading to Singapore, we had been prepared with an electronic 24-hour NAT result. At check-in, the ground staff allowed us the option of showing our complete vaccination records on our phone in lieu of the 24-hour NAT result. It seemed that airport staff were being understanding of the changing covid travel requirements and trying their best to accommodate travellers.

5. Mask up. Masks are still a requirement in the airport and on the plane, even if your destination country doesn’t mandate it.