Travelers taking intercontinental flights abroad have previously faced the extra cost of at least one night's accommodation when making cross-city transfers.

On September 30, as the National Day holiday travel peak approached, Changsha Huanghua International Airport unveiled a brand-new "Fly via Changsha" free accommodation service for air-rail intermodal transfers on intercontinental flights, aiming to reduce the burden on long-haul transfer passengers and make cross-city outbound journeys more worry-free and cost-effective.

This benefit is available to air-rail intermodal passengers transferring from high-speed rail to intercontinental flights (international routes outside Asia).

As long as passengers arrive in Changsha by high-speed rail (G/D trains) from outside the province, or from cities within Hunan other than Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Xiangtan, and then connect to an intercontinental flight departing from Changsha Airport (with a connection interval of 8 to 48 hours between the train and flight, and an overnight transfer spanning calendar days), they can apply for one night of free accommodation.

The accommodation is one bed per person, with the airport arranging shared rooms. The service covers only basic guest rooms, while breakfast, room upgrades, and other value-added services require passengers to pay on their own.

The application process is reportedly simple. After arriving at Changsha Airport, passengers can go directly to the on-site counter to verify their eligibility (transfer accommodation reception points are located at Gate 3 on the T1 arrivals level and beside Gate 5 on the T2 arrivals level). When processing, they must bring valid identification such as an ID card and passport, along with their high-speed rail ticket and intercontinental flight itinerary, ensuring that the person, documents, and travel information are all consistent.

Once the procedures are completed, Changsha Airport will arrange hotels and shuttle vehicles in a unified manner, providing a one-stop solution for overnight transfer travel.

Group travelers must make telephone reservations at least 24 hours in advance (contact number: 0731-84798168) and submit travel materials for all members.

In addition, passengers can use the "Transfer Passenger Service" mini-program to check the detailed rules for this service, which is valid until February 28, 2027.

Changsha Airport is Hunan's aerial gateway to the outside world. In recent years, its international route network has continued to expand, and passenger traffic on intercontinental routes has grown steadily.

This year, the two intercontinental routes from Changsha to London and Nairobi have carried a total of 58,000 passengers, up 1.8% year on year, with a load factor of 72%, up 3.6 percentage points year on year, reflecting continuously rising cross-border travel demand.

In addition, Changsha Airport will open a new Guangzhou-Changsha-Addis Ababa route on October 12, with two round trips per week operated by China Southern Airlines using Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft.

Once the new route is launched, Changsha's direct flights to Africa will increase to two, and the total number of intercontinental routes will reach three, further densifying the air corridors serving the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

By launching this free accommodation transfer service, Changsha Airport not only effectively lowers travel costs for cross-city intermodal passengers, but also leverages the well-developed high-speed rail network in central China to attract travelers from various regions to transfer through Changsha and fly to the world, further supporting Hunan's opening-up and China-Africa economic and trade exchanges.

Next, Changsha Airport will continue to refine supporting services for air-rail intermodal transport, continuously enrich its intermodal product matrix, and improve its comprehensive transportation hub functions, paving convenient global connections for Hunan's opening-up with thoughtful transfer services.