Digital dazzle and dining delights add shine to Hong Kong’s golden brand

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

Selfies with a large, anthropomorphic, red-and-yellow honey bee. Up close and personal with Ronald McDonald. A close encounter with Hong Kong’s famed Pink Dolphins.

All in a day’s work for a travel retail Publisher.

Fun work, yes. Exciting and educational work, more importantly.

On Friday I joined a throng of Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese media for a preview tour of Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) new-look, reconfigured Terminal 2.

And when I say ‘new-look’, I mean architecturally majestic, digitally wowing, technologically dazzling, efficiency pleasing, and retail/food & beverage compelling.

If that sounds a mite over the top, I promise you it isn’t. T2 represents the very essence of a modern airport terminal, one that from launching its first flight – from local carrier Hong Kong Airlines – on Wednesday 27 May is expected to serve some 8 milllion passenger trips in its first year of operation.

That represents a decent-sized chunk of HKIA’s total passenger traffic (61 million in 2025), thus easing the considerable (though welcome, given HKIA’s struggles during and post-pandemic) pressures in Terminal 1’s departures hall.

VIPs led by Airport Authority Hong Kong Chairman Fred Lam and HKSAR Government Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong (11th and 12th from left) toast the Terminal 2 opening {Photo: Airport Authority Hong Kong}
68 express self-bag drop counters streamline the pre-boarding process

New technology is to the fore across every aspect of a reconfiguration integal to HKIA’s HK$141.5 billion (US$18.1 billion) three-runway system. That hugely ambitious project is, in turn, pivotal to enhancing the Special Adminstrative Region’s status and allure as a world-leading aviation hub.

I summarise that technology in the panel below. But, in line with The Moodie Davitt Report’s traditional focus, I took particular interest in the commercial offer and the consumer ambience.

Terminal 2 Snapshot

  • Eight check-in aisles with 68 express self-bag drop counters.
  • 58 smart check-in kiosks and 108 hybrid check-in counters.
  • All self bag-drop counters and hybrid counters feature an ultra-low platform design that enables passengers to put their bags onto the conveyor belt with ease.
  • The 20 e-Security Gates at the entrances to the restricted area are embedded with facial recognition technology. From 27 May, the minimum age for using facial recognition at e-Security Gates will be lowered from 11 to 7 in both T1 and T2.
  • Inside the restricted area, all 15 smart security screening channels allow passengers to keep their laptops and bottled liquid under 100ml in their carry-on luggage while undergoing screening.
  • The Immigration Department has set up 35 e-Channels and 60 counters for departing passengers.
  • Passengers move by automated people mover to their Terminal 1 boarding gates.

Click on the image to read my full report on The Moodie Davitt Report.com

T2’s departures hall features eight food & beverage outlets (four of them operating around the clock) and 12 stores.

I was struck by the variety of the F&B offer (notably, none of them concessioned out to major operators), ranging from perhaps one of the most impactful McDonald’s you will ever see in an airport to the HKIA debut of Filipino fast-food favourite Joloibee, plus an array of tastebud-tempting localised offers.

McDonald’s has deployed an old-style split-flap flight information display screen (Solari board) to marvellously engaging and apposite effect
The digital signage rotates constantly, bringing exuberance and fun to the offer
“So, Mr Moodie, who told you about the Terminal 2 opening?” – “Sorry, Ronald, like you, a journalist never reveals his sources.”
To Jollibee or not to Jollibee, that is the question
Chicken Joy Forever, Jollibee’s famed mantra, celebrates the Filipino brand’s signature, world-renowned fried chicken

As an egg tart (蛋撻/daan tat in Cantonese) aficionado, I can promise you those on offer at Milk Café , baked fresh hourly and costing just HK$9, just ooze gooey perfection. Crispy then crumbly, sweet and savoury, an enduringly perfect marriage of smooth, eggy custard and a flaky crust.

HK$9 for a journey into culinary nirvana, daan tat-style. Now, that is what you call an airport bargain.

Sense and taste of place abound at Cookies Quartet, which offers an enticing mix of signature palmiers, handcrafted cookies and gift boxes, perfect as Hong Kong souvenirs before passengers fly. Great cookies, great crew.
Sang Roastery, a nod to the family-owned Sang Cheong dried seafood business, is a story of one name, two generations and a fresh interpretation. Locally roasted beans, hand-drip coffee and light refreshments are all on offer. Plus signature coffee gifts packs as quality destination merchandise gifts.
Team members at Nap Tea, the hugely popular, healing-themed, Taiwanese tea brand will give you a warm welcome and some simply great refreshments. Look out for the signature Blanket Thick Milk Foam series featuring a 3cm silky foam layer paired with invigoratingly tasty tea.

My other standout was the ominprescent, LED wraprounds and other digital installations, stunningly immersive and alluring. The 3D contents currently feature ocean-themed videos, with star digital appearances from Hong Kong’s famous though endangered Pink Dolphins (Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins).

What a fantastically illustrative encapsulation of the marine life so intrinsic to Hong Kong.

Well you’ve got to colour match while on assignment, right?
Airport Authority Hong Kong Executive Director, Airport Operations (left) Steven Yiu and Executive Director, Engineering & Technical Services Tommy Leung pose for a photoshoot in front of oceanic-themed LED digital installations

Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said in a Blog post last week, “Hong Kong’s golden brand will reach another milestone with the opening of Terminal 2.”

She’s right, HKIA’s golden lustre may have been dulled during the dark days of COVID but like the city it serves, the airport’s shine has been well and truly restored. ✈

And that’s a wrap. Camera crews were out in force to film the spectacular T2 interior.
Media representatives dive deep into the terminal. And, courtesy of digital footage, the South China Sea.

 

 

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