Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s passenger check-in desks will reopen in Hong Kong’s central business district Wednesday, after a more than three-year shutdown sparked by Covid. Cathay will be the sole airline offering in-town airport check-in services, and only from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hong Kong train operator MTR Corp. said Monday. MTR said it would keep talking with airlines about restarting downtown check-in — prior to the pandemic, other carriers also had counters at the station and they were open for longer. Hong Kong’s in-town check-in was suspended in April 2020 as international travel dried up. Even though the city abandoned its last Covid restrictions months ago, a shortage of workers prevented MTR and the airport from restarting the bag-drop service. The aviation industry globally has faced acute staffing shortages as travel rebounds from the Covid crisis, and Hong Kong is bringing in workers from overseas to fill posts in the industry and other sectors. The airport check-in downtown enables passengers to drop off their luggage in central Hong Kong up to 24 hours before flying, with the bags then sent on to their final destination. The feature, offered in few places globally, helped underscore Hong Kong’s reputation as a convenient and efficient world city. Cathay confirmed on its website that services will restart from Hong Kong Station, but operations at Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations remain suspended.<br/>
oneworld
Trading house Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Airlines will encourage passengers to pack less by renting clothes to visitors to Japan, seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting luggage weight on flights. Sumitomo will launch the Any Wear, Anywhere service Wednesday. The user enters flight information, length of stay, season and clothing sizes on the website at least a month in advance, and the garments will be sent to the hotel. Rentals will cost 4,000 to 7,000 yen ($28 to $48), depending on the number of items. The service will initially be limited to JAL flights until August 2024. If it proves popular, Sumitomo will consider expanding it to other carriers in the Oneworld alliance. Each kilogram of cargo weight cut from a flight between Tokyo and New York reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 0.75 kg through lower fuel consumption, according to JAL. The airline is working to transition to sustainable aviation fuel made from plant matter and waste cooking oil. But supply and cost hurdles remain, and the company is finding other ways to respond to pressure to shrink its carbon footprint. Sumitomo hopes to help cut down on clothing waste as well. The rental service will use excess inventory from apparel brands or used items, teaming up with dry cleaner Hakuyosha and Wefabrik, which runs a site through which clothing companies can sell overstock.<br/>