Minimum Connection Time (MCT) in HKG

[JohnK]

Does anyone know the MCT in HKG? CX website is offering a 50 minute connection but with checked luggage I feel it is asking for trouble. Even if aircraft lands on time it would be a struggle to make in time before boarding closes for the next flight.

If I take this flight I get to TPE at 10:55am which gives me plenty of time for the 13:15pm departure back to HKG and then off to BKK and arrive at 17:30pm. I could also get on the next flight HKG-TPE (which is a 1:40hour connection) and arrive into TPE at 11:45am but that then makes the connection in TPE a little difficult especially if I decide to leave my luggage there the day before and have to collect it.

The other option is to spread the flights out during the day but that leavs no choice other than to get into BKK at 23:45pm. That is way too late and I then have a 90+ minute car trip to my final destination. Not going to be easy to get up early the next day for golf.

Is the tight connection in HKG worth the risk? I will be in business class so should be OK to get on a later flight but worried about getting in to BKK late. Will CX check luggage through HKG twice, e.g MNL-HKG-TPE-HKG-BKK? I can leave the luggage in TPE the day before and pick them up on the way through assuming the tight connection in HKG is OK.

Any thoughts? I know the golden rules of status runs is no tight connections and no checked luggage. Oh well, can't have everything....

 

[mannej]

I can't source it but HKG has a very swift MCT. I know that transits of 50-55 minutes are not uncommon.

I did PER-HKG-KUL last year, with a 55 minute connection time, in the middle of the swine flu paranoia and made it very easily.

I would say if CX are ticketing it on their website, it should be worth the risk. I have found that they are very swift in getting luggage from one flight to another, and that you would be able to make it from one flight to another with atleast ~20 minutes to spare.

That is my $0.02

 

[simongr]

I have a 60 min connection coming up on a booked ticket.

 

[david870mdg]

Is the tight connection in HKG worth the risk? I will be in business class so should be OK to get on a later flight but worried about getting in to BKK late. Will CX check luggage through HKG twice, e.g MNL-HKG-TPE-HKG-BKK? I can leave the luggage in TPE the day before and pick them up on the way through assuming the tight connection in HKG is OK.

The HKG connection should be ok, they usually have gate staff making sure the CX connectors know where the next connecting flight is and in some cases they will rush you and check your names / BPs etc...
I'm assuming you're through checking your luggage to TPE?

Beware at TPE that you need to collect any luggage, clear immigration and re check in (its just around the corner). In 4 flights i did like this only once was I able to transit at TPE and that was without any luggage.
HKG/MNL wont issue you BPs for TPE-HKG if its on a seperate itinerary as they cant check people in for flights ex TPE even though CX reservations had told me they could issue a through connection, but we were able to change to later flights with ease to allow for the extended time with the re checkin process at TPE.

Hope this helps

David

 

[Mal]

HKG/MNL wont issue you BPs for TPE-HKG if its on a seperate itinerary as they cant check people in for flights ex TPE even though CX reservations had told me they could issue a through connection, but we were able to change to later flights with ease to allow for the extended time with the re checkin process at TPE.

Online Check-in should mitigate this issue quite a bit I'd suspect.

 

[ChrisBNE]

I regularly have travellers making this connection and into China. All things considered this connection is fine.

 

[ChrisBNE]

PS the MCT for HKG CX to CX is 50 mins.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks for the replies. I have since found a flight departing TPE-HKG at 14:10 and gets me into BKK at 20:15. Better than getting there midnight and I may book this one instead of the 13:15 departure and have the 1:40 hours connection in HKG earlier.

The HKG connection should be ok, they usually have gate staff making sure the CX connectors know where the next connecting flight is and in some cases they will rush you and check your names / BPs etc...

The last time coming in from TPE-HKG I got the furthest gate possible for the HKG-BKK flight. The flight was late and I was rushing to make it in time. In the end I had 10 minutes to spare but I do not need that much excitement.

I'm assuming you're through checking your luggage to TPE?

I may leave the luggage and golf clubs in TPE as I am a little sceptical about taking it with me to MNL for an overnight transit. If I take the tight connection it will leave me 3:15 hours in TPE or the later connection will leave me 2:25 hours in TPE. Both of these will leave more than enough time to get through immigration, collect luggage and re-check it in through to BKK.

Beware at TPE that you need to collect any luggage, clear immigration and re check in (its just around the corner). In 4 flights i did like this only once was I able to transit at TPE and that was without any luggage.

That is interesting. I had a transit in TPE with CX-CX and they were able to issue boarding passes at transfer desk for the next 4 flights. I also had a transit CX-KL (different terminals) and walked to the transfer desk and got the boarding pass for the KL flight back to BKK.

I can't avoid immigration in TPE with an SQ-CX connection but I will try to avoid immigration with the CX-CX connections depending on what I do with the luggage and golf clubs.

I will more than likely have a CX-Air Asia connection later in the week and I will see if I can do this at the transfer desk rather than going back out through immigration. Trying to avoid too many stamps early on in the new passport.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I did several CX/CX transfers with short connecting time last year (55 minutes through to 1hr5 mins) - most were ok - except #3 transit last year when baggage did not make flight to BKK despite having 50 mins (slight delay on inbound from China).

While my baggage was delivered to my hotel via the next flight (so I got it about 5 hours after I landed) I wouldn'd risk it if you need your golf clubs and are travelling by car to go play golf.

 

[JohnK]

While my baggage was delivered to my hotel via the next flight (so I got it about 5 hours after I landed) I wouldn'd risk it if you need your golf clubs and are travelling by car to go play golf.

I do not need the clubs right away as I could hire a set at the golf course the next day but would prefer to have the golf clubs and my luggage with me at the hotel rather than waiting for some Thai courier to deliver them 90 minutes away from Bangkok.

I think I will spread the flights out, to try and minimise risk of delayed luggage, but have not yet decided with flights I will take....

 

[Mal]

I did a transfer from gate 67 to gate 66 (via immigration) and it took about 45 mins. This was walking reasonably fast, no delays at immigration (in or out as I use the e-channel), and security only took a few mins.

If I had've used the int transfer, the queues were huge. However, if pressed for time there you can get sped through that...

I think 50 mins is an adequate transfer time. You'd probably even have a Cathay staff member waiting at your arrival gate to express you back to the departures level.

Even if on seperate tickets, the system seems to track you via your FF number - I tried to use a quick-check machine to print some boarding passes that refused to print online and after scanning my passport and giving it the details of later flight, it knew of a flight I was about to take even though it was a seperate ticket.

It still refused to print the BP's though.

 

[2muchplastic]

Best I've done was a connection from a KA flight inbound from PVG connecting to a VS flight to SYD:
25 minutes from exiting the aircraft to parking bum in the VS clubhouse (I had a 1 hour transfer and had still had time for a bite and a beer) - even after collecting my BP from the transfers desk and some duty free for SWMBO. And while I walk pretty fast, I'm no Olympic sprinter!