Beijing's New Airport Terminal Welcomes the World

Whether you're arriving or departing at terminal 3, the experience is likely to be pleasant, well-organized and, surprisingly, almost relaxing.

For one thing, the terminal is well-staffed and its sheer size allows some 300 airport check-in desks to fit into the space, so lines are relatively short. High overhead, the red, sloping roof is illuminated with a skylight; floor to ceiling windows admit calming natural light. The architect, Britain's Norman Foster, also designed Hong Kong's superb Check Lap Kok airport, which displays some of the same features in miniature; here, Foster has allowed the principles of space and light to play out to the maximum.

Arriving passengers take a light-rail shuttle called the Passenger Express from T3C -- one of the two satellite buildings -- through T3B, which is still under construction, to TC1, the main building; the ride takes three minutes.

On the way to the customs and immigration queue, you pass classical Chinese artworks such as calligraphy, sculpture and landscape painting in display cases. State-of-the-art the terminal may be, but it also conveys a sense of place and feeling for the past.

Whether you are arriving or departing, be prepared to build in some time, thanks to the yawning expanse of the terminal. But at least it's a journey on polished marble floors, surrounded by upscale shops.

Travelers can move between central Beijing and the new terminal on a tree-lined airport expressway, which takes anywhere from 30 to 75 minutes, depending on traffic. Beijing taxis are cheap, even on the airport run; expect to pay $10-$15, sans tip, which is not expected in China. A dedicated Airport Express train, arriving and departing from terminal 3's level 2, will soon link the airport and the central city with a 15-minute ride. It is supposed to be operational by early July, in time to handle visitors to the Olympics, which run from Aug. 8 through Aug. 24.