[eshcoldp]

Mr Woodward
sorry to bother you,
Although I have been reading the forum for 10 years and I feel I know a lot of you well, this is the 1st time to post.
Can you tell me as of this week can I transit at Hong Kong with just the normal vaccine certification. I am 99% sure this OK but the CX website and HKIA are not clear.
I am coming in Friday night on CX from BKK and then transfer to CX 139 to next morning. I will only stay in the transit lounge
…thank you….gregoire

[cwoodward]

Its no bother eshcoldp – pleased to assist.

You should have no problem – the below is very clear now. I checked with a friend at the airport just to make sure nothing has changed in the past month – it had not.

– The critical part for you is only I feel the bottom line –

‘From 1 August 2022, passengers can use Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for transit/transfer on flights operated by different airlines. Passengers must hold a confirmed ticket or onward boarding pass departing HKIA within 24 hours of their scheduled time of arrival and baggage are tagged-through to their onward destination. Passengers should also confirm in advance that they are able to enter the final destination. Please check with airlines for details.’

4 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, TimothyTanks, Woodpecker, eshcoldp

[CathayLoyalist2]

cwoodward , I stand to be corrected but in addition I think the itinerary has to have all the sectors on one booking/PNR not separate PNR´s.

[cwoodward]

CL2
yes -That used to be the case but my understanding is that this requirement also changed on 1st August – BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE CHECKED

1 user thanked author for this post.

eshcoldp

[Polly]

CW
We are supposed to eventually! Get back via HKG late November. However, agree the website is not clear at all as you quote. It does say baggage must be tagged through. Simply not possible if travelling on 2 different airlines our CX flt from kul to HKG, cancelled, new date, followed by our now cancelled BA J from HKG simply does not meet the requirements as they stand. Even from August 1st. I can’t see anywhere on either sites, esp, the HKIA site which is supposed to be up to date. We would have to collect our luggage, and check back in. No guarantee we can do that. Absolutely nowhere on their site. U.K. gov sends us back on to that site , also useless advice.
If you are aware of this being possible, would also be very grateful for the update. Been hours onto BA to try to get an alternative flight, BA can’t atm. TIA.

[Chris in Makati]

[postquote quote=1228269]

I doubt you’d be able to collect your bags and check-in again at HKG. To do that you’d have to pass through immigration to get landside, and to do that you’d have to take a Covid test and have a quarantine hotel booked.

[cwoodward]

Poly
As I understand it the situation: CX and most other OW partners will check bags to the final destination if more than one OW airline is involved in the itinerary. The same situation applies also to some non OW airlines in code share or route partnerships with a OW airline.

It is a good situation for customers however it is my understanding that BA opted out of the arrangement some 3 years ago citing the high costs involved.
This seems to be the nub of your problem.
Cathay do say to check with them in this situation prior to travelling which indicates that they may be prepared to assist.

My other thought is to ask BA to endorse your HK -London ticket to CX who are now flying a couple of flights day a to LHR and once or twice a week again to Manchester. HKIA site is unclear but I do suspect that what you need is now possible but cant check today as I am at the beach with no computer to reference.

Please do check what I have said above re BA as is from my memory and I had a couple of glasses of a great NZ Pinot at lunch !

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[Polly]

Thanks CW and Chris,
It would be nice if we got 2 of those CX J flights to LHR. indeed there were 2 but there were snapped up by another agent, as l was on the call. The agent was having more difficulty getting the KUL HKG J leg sorted for me, as he wanted to connect them.

As you say BA did opt out of interlining some years ago. But l always had better luck with MH and CX checking through bags, even into BA. It’s just BA cost cutting from their end. Don’t want the responsibility of hotels etc for missed connections.

It worked really well for RFS connecting to LHR from the U.K. regions too. But now they are stuffed.
Oh well, will wait and see over the next few weeks.
My KUL SIN suggestion made perfect sense, but no way was that going to fly!

CW, enjoy the beach and that vino, Tnx for replying anyway. Chris, l gathered that scenario when l read their rules. Nightmare.

[cwoodward]

Polly
Don’t know if this helps
Cathay are now flying Tuesdays, Wednesdays,Sundays and some Fridays from KL in September
I did a dummy booking for 25th and it showed available seats.
May help……..

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[RedBaron]

I’m looking at some flights on Cathay in October MEL – CDG. One involves a 17 hour transit – is one to assume that you’d be looking at sleeping in airport lounges if any are open?

[cwoodward]

Several Cathay lounges are open at HKIA and more reopening

However they are at the moment closed after 12.30 am until 5.30 am.

Perhaps look at the Plaza Premium lounge current opening hours online as in normal times it used to be open 24/7 and the cost was about HK$550.00 from memory.

2 users thanked author for this post.

RedBaron, Polly

[Polly]

CW,
Thanks again for reply etc. yes BA said they will only fly us from HKG. We would be perfectly happy to fly CX or QR from KUL or SIN, but they won’t move us due to this ridiculous 300 mile rule which they say they must adhere to. Time to remove these obstacles in these restrained times. Will be trying them every day til l get an agent who might be able to move us. Especially as they cannot facilitate our CX KUL HKG leg either, apart from The odd Y date. And with HKIA now, the bags must be interlined. Another complication. Never mind, we will get home some way. First world problems. The best laid plans and all that……

[drykl]

I am puzzled. Which sector does the 300 mile rule apply to? I have driven KUL-SIN a number of times and it is 240 miles by road. Even less by flight – under 200 miles.
Is it that the 300+ miles is counted from your Penang sector?

[RedBaron]

Thanks for this. There appears to be a lounge open from 11pm to 8am where you can book a rest area for the princely sum of HKD1400-odd for 6 hours. If you go in at 11pm to they kick you out at 5am? GBP150 for that seems very excessive.

[Polly]

@drykl

BA have this rule for avios flts, they can only re route you within 300 miles of your departure point. HKG is 1.5k/miles from sin and kul, so they insist they won’t let us depart from there. As it’s further than their 300 mile rule… it’s a joke really, in these times. What they really want Is for us to accept a refund, and then pay x 4 times the price to get home… seriously bad form. CX is fine, but they can’t quite coordinate our KUL HKG sector on J. But there are no J seats left out of HKG now anyway… we have back up from KUL on MH new tkts, x 4 times the avios, as we can’t use our companion 241 voucher on MH, which BA could easily transfer us on to, but they won’t.

[Author]

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