Passengers who fly from Shanghai will soon be able to check in at a downtown terminal, rather than rushing to the airport hours in advance.

The newly built terminal in west Nanjing Road, a major commercial district, is the first downtown air terminal in China, said a source from the information office of the municipal government Friday.

At a cost of 300 million yuan (US$ 36 million), the 11- story building will provide check-in and luggage delivery services and perform routine security checks.

Passengers can get boarding passes, check their luggage through, shop around different stores in Nanjing Road and even exercise at the gyms inside the terminal building before they catch a shuttle bus or take a taxi to the airport.

( People's Daily December 28, 2001 )