Fascinating article on the Imperial Airways Empire Air Terminal at Victoria

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• Nick says:

  22 Oct22 October 06:50

  When I first moved to London in in 1989, central London Check-In was still available for British Airways at both London Victoria Station for LGW and London Paddington Station for LHR. These useful facilities enabled backage to be dropped and boarding passes collected prior to traveling to the aerodrome by Gatwick Express or Heathrow Express. A real benefit particularly if travelling with bulky or heavy luggage. Sadly the Victoria facility was axed in 2001 and Paddington followed in 2003 as explained in the following article from the Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/check-in-checked-out-86987.html

• Gavin says:

  22 Oct22 October 07:01

  Fascinating read. My late Grandma took the last ever flying boat service to Hong Kong on her way out to work for what she called “the imperial service”.

• RP says:

  22 Oct22 October 07:36

  There are probably quite a few of your HFP readers who work in this building. I worked there until last year and shared the site with a number of colleagues (who then started holidaying in Hawaii business class.) Inside the building is often used as a filming location, recently as the department of public prosecution in the BBC drama Undercover.

  • Londonbus says:

    22 Oct22 October 10:32

    Used to work opposite – at 172 Buckingham Palace Road (London Buses…)

• Concerto says:

  22 Oct22 October 09:46

  Hong Kong has a downtown check in service.

  • James A says:

    22 Oct22 October 11:13

    Kuala Lumpur too iirc

    • Worzel says:

      22 Oct22 October 14:09

      Yes, we did Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by train 3 years ago. Bags dropped at the Sentral station Malaysia airlines desk, we jumped on the express train to KUL-the next time we saw the bags was at LGK.
      Seems as though the same service exists for Malaysia, Cathay and Etihad passengers.

  • APPL says:

    22 Oct22 October 21:47

    Seoul too, from COEX. I think it is/was mainly KAL + Skyteam though.

• James A says:

  22 Oct22 October 11:15

  I can’t imagine taking a flying boat from London to Sydney! Although if you take it in context, it’s a lot faster than an actual boat I suppose!

• Tony says:

  22 Oct22 October 18:56

  Read Alexander Frater’s book ‘Beyond the Blue Horizon’

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