What's going wrong with baggage at HKG?

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Viewing 12 posts - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)

  • Craig Bright
    Moderator

    An article in the SCMP last week seems to shed a bit of light on the goings on at HKIA regarding recent baggage delays. Seems this could continue for some time yet.

    http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2120460/why-your-luggage-takes-lot-longer-get-through-hong-kong


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Its not just the baggage in Hong Kong. I experienced 3 difficulties here and all in a matter of 2 hours.. Usually this airport runs as smooth as silk….

    1. My flight very unusually had to enter a hold before landing and landed late

    2. There were long lines at the transfer security

    3. My connection to BKK was delayed by an hour….

    Oh.. the weather was a cool 22c so the snow couldn’t be blamed…

    Very unusual for HKG


    stevescoots
    Participant

    I probably have a hold into HKG about 30% of the time


    Chris in Makati
    Participant

    Holding prior to landing at HKG is not at all unusual. I’m looking at FlightRadar24 now and almost every aircraft I can see has entered a holding pattern at some time on it’s approach.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    I just got off BA31 (an A380). Long walk and then train to immigration, but through quickly because of a frequent visitor card.

    Then we started the wait for bags. Some came, most didn’t. Finally the bulk arrived one hour and 20 minutes after landing.

    I asked one of the BA staff at the airport why. She said it was because there were four other flights using the same baggage belt. Maybe, but the belt was half empty most of the time we were waiting.

    I flew Cathay to the airport three weeks ago and bags were off very quickly, but of course, could just be luck.


    stevescoots
    Participant

    I have done upwards of 30 flights into HKG in past 12 months, most of them on CX, others on EK or AY. Only had bags waiting longer than 20 mins on 3 occasions, once was weather related, the others were peak times. In all cases it was CX flights


    canucklad
    Participant

    Morning Tom,
    I wonder if its simply because BA use a handling agency and CX don’t.
    And if that’s the case I wonder what punitive measures BA has written into their contract with the local handling agents if SLA’s are not met ?
    If there are none, from a time perspective then hey hoo … why bust your gut !!


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    I have to say I found the explanation hard to believe – the carousel just wasn’t busy with other bags from other flights (or any bags from any flights).

    Even if it had taken me 30 minutes to get through immigration, it would have been a very long wait.

    I’ll see what happens next month with BA and then again the month after with CX, though it’s difficult to be scientific about it when there are different aircraft types involved, and different times of flights.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    You can now purchase a special baggage tag which alerts you when your bag comes onto the HK airport baggage carousel. I bought a couple (as you approach the immigration desks there is an airport service counter – you can buy them there). They seem to contain an RFID chip. Download the MyHKG app (which is HK Airport’s own app), load in the details of the baggage tag (there are full instructions enclosed with the tag) and then on each trip load details of your flight into the MyHKG app. I have only used it once but it worked perfectly, and means you can sit off to the side and concentrate on emails (or whatever) and wait for the alert that your bag has arrived.

    It doesn’t fix the problem of slow delivery, but it does mean you can attend to other things!

    Incidentally the MyHKG app has improved beyond all recognition and allows you to track flights very easily, and then whether you are leaving or arriving it sends alerts at each stage. Handy for knowing when to go to the gate, and also for those meeting incoming passengers.

    I have no affiliation with the airport or the app other than as a frequent user!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Good advice. I will download and use it for my departure this week.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    I realise I misnamed the app in my earlier post (which I will correct). The app is called “HKG MyFlights” and you can find information on it here.

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