I checked in at 330p for my 5p flight today. Since this was uncharacteristically early for me, I decided to do a bit of exploration in order to kill time. I eventually ended up on the lower level of the airport (one down from arrivals), which I had previously assumed was only for maintenance and physical plant type functions. But, upon entering the building, I discovered that it was a check-in facility for bank customers deemed worthy of special treatment.




After seeing this, I proceeded to look for an elevator to bring me back up to the 3rd floor so I could get back my normal drill of passing through security and parking myself in the airline lounge (would have been *A today). However, after not finding any elevators, I decided to see what would happen if I presented myself at that special check-in desk.

The counter lady took my boarding pass, punched some numbers into her computer, and then asked what bank I was affiliated with. Next, I showed her my collection of bank cards, and -- much to my surprise -- she told me that my CITIC card was the only thing she needed to see.

(Backstory about my CITIC card. About 6 months ago, I opened an account at a CITIC branch in Shenzhen, and was told that because I was their very first customer, they were giving me a special card -- plus a really cool PRC currency proof set... I thought nothing of it at the time, but I subsequently made mental notes that the amount of fan fare I received during bank visits was a bit over the top).

Next, I went to the CITIC lounge.



It is not an especially impressive lounge (i.e. better than its counterparts in Nanning, but not much). And, every bank under the sun seems to have its own lounge of the same ilk in the facility; if they joined forces, they could probably put together a pretty cool setup. There was also a communal buffet in the common area... so I guess that's where they expect passengers to eat.

The lounge manager told me that, whether I decided to stay in the lounge or go elsewhere, she would contact me when it was time for boarding. I stayed, and when it was time for boarding, one of her colleagues escorted me to security (unnecessary because it was a straight shot walk).

I didn't grab any pics of the security checkpoint so allow me to describe it:
-2 document check stations
-2 xray/metal detector lanes
-5 other passengers

This took 30 seconds at most. (Security at Chinese airports is rarely all that time consuming, but I was especially impressed by the civility of the process.)

After that, I jumped in a waiting van that took me directly to the airplane. I was the only passenger.




In the end, it was a pretty awesome way to fly out of SZX. Why?
-the thing I despise most about SZX is the intense amount of walking that it entails; the car-to-airplane drill completely nullified this
-not having to battle crowds (at all) was extremely pleasant