Bailing out short in KUL (BKK unrest related)

[Programme]

Hi all,

In a month or so I have planned travel from Malaysia to Bangkok with a side trip in Hong Kong for a few days in between (hugely indirect routing I know!). The political situation in Thailand is a bit worrying and could be much worse by the time of travel, so I'm considering ditching BKK as a destination if the situation worsens.

The last leg of the ticket is HKG-xKUL-BKK with HKG-KUL on CX metal (MH codeshare), and KUL-BKK on MH. The whole thing is booked on one PNR on MH (232-) ticket stock.

If I decide not to go to Bangkok, would it be possible to check in at HKG as far as KUL without losing my luggage? Of course, I'd understand that the rest of the ticket will be cancelled, but that will be of no consequence.

Having a quick read around the Internet, this might not be possible, but does the AFF brains trust have any experience or advice?

 

[Hvr]

You're correct that if you miss a leg the rest of the journey is normally cancelled.

However, CX is aware of the issues in BKK and have been cancelling flights. Suggest you email CX and ask if you can change flights. Offer alternatives and see what they say.

You might get lucky.

 

[JohnK]

Is the situation that bad?

I will be arriving in Bangkok tonight and hopefully off to Pattaya in the morning.

 

[Programme]

However, CX is aware of the issues in BKK and have been cancelling flights. Suggest you email CX and ask if you can change flights. Offer alternatives and see what they say.

Herein lies a little issue - the ticket was purchased through an online travel agent and is issued on MH codeshare flight numbers on MH ticket stock. So do I contact the TA, MH or CX? Although if I do try to short check at HKG it will be the CX agent saying yes/no as that leg is on CX metal.

Is the situation that bad?

I will be arriving in Bangkok tonight and hopefully off to Pattaya in the morning.

What had been planned in Bangkok (>6 months ago) would mean staying and travelling around the protest sites in the city. If things stay as they are now, perhaps it will be ok, but the situation may deteriorate in a months time. No one knows. I also have rather unadventurous travel partners.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

The last leg of the ticket is HKG-xKUL-BKK with HKG-KUL on CX metal (MH codeshare), and KUL-BKK on MH. The whole thing is booked on one PNR on MH (232-) ticket stock.

If I decide not to go to Bangkok, would it be possible to check in at HKG as far as KUL without losing my luggage? Of course, I'd understand that the rest of the ticket will be cancelled, but that will be of no consequence.

The checkin agent should not have an issue with checking you in for only HKG/KUL & 'short tagging' your bag to KUL however before your bag gets sent down the belt double check there is only one city code on the bag tag which should be "KUL" not "KUL/BKK".

What is the full routing of your ticket?

The airline may well have a waiver in place so you can avoid change fees in the event of civil unrest in BKK but it may depend on when the ticket was issued ie if you bought the ticket after it was common knowledge about the goings on in BKK you may not be covered. The same may apply if trying to make a claim via a travel insurance company.

Herein lies a little issue - the ticket was purchased through an online travel agent and is issued on MH codeshare flight numbers on MH ticket stock. So do I contact the TA, MH or CX? Although if I do try to short check at HKG it will be the CX agent saying yes/no as that leg is on CX metal.

If you are ringing anyone about your booking generally it would be the travel agent who did the booking, however if travel on that ticket has already commenced you may be able to contact the airline direct in which case it would be MH as the ticket is on their 232 ticket stock & the flights are 'sold as MHxx_x' irrespective of CX being the operating carrier.

At HKG Airport you would be checking in with CX as it's their metal so they do the checkin (even though your flight is sold as MHxx_).

 

[Programme]

Thanks for the information, ozbeachbabe.

The checkin agent should not have an issue with checking you in for only HKG/KUL & 'short tagging' your bag to KUL however before your bag gets sent down the belt double check there is only one city code on the bag tag which should be "KUL" not "KUL/BKK".

What is the full routing of your ticket?

The airline may well have a waiver in place so you can avoid change fees in the event of civil unrest in BKK but it may depend on when the ticket was issued ie if you bought the ticket after it was common knowledge about the goings on in BKK you may not be covered. The same may apply if trying to make a claim via a travel insurance company.

The full routing is PEN-HKG-xKUL-BKK and was bought in early December, before the Bangkok Shutdown was announced - or I wouldn't have booked it either! Onward travel is BKK-xSYD-MEL on QF.

My "Plan B" was to bail out at KUL and contact QF to and ask to reroute on the EK codeshare KUL-MEL or get on to SIN-(xSYD/BNE)-MEL in conjunction with something cheap on AK or 3K. If it looked like there was no way of bailing out at KUL, I would have to have found a "Plan C" to get home from HKG, but from what you've told me, "Plan C" probably isn't necessary.

"Plan B" is looking increasingly likely given the recent shootings in Trat yesterday, with an 8 year old shot in the head and injuring people at a noodle stall and the bombing in Ratchaprasong outside Big C today that killed a 9 year old. Considering we had planned to stay at Pathumwan, today's bombing was particularly chilling.

Travel insurance might be useful for me, but one of my travel partners didn't purchase travel insurance until after the shutdown was announced, so the insurance has an explicit waiver on Thailand and they aren't covered. EDIT: Mine doesn't seem to cover civil unrest either (d'oh), so travel insurance is of no use.

 

[Programme]

Reading some current news about the situation in Thailand at the moment, and came across this photograph (via Richard Barrow on Twitter. It is from the site of the bombing in Ratchaprasong. The t-shirt says "Thailand, Land of Smiles". Sad.



EDIT: Also, some video of a bit of the aftermath.

[video=youtube;XYmSOAwdD1E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYmSOAwdD1E[/video]

Yeah, not going to BKK at the moment.

 

[markis10]

Cathay are being a bit nasty re waivers etc

Special Ticketing Guidelines for Bangkok for Tickets Issued from Countries/Regions Other than Hong Kong
Last updated: 14 Feb 2014


Due to the special situation in Bangkok, with immediate effect, rebooking charges will be waived for all tickets issued worldwide (irrespective of fare type) on/before 21 January 2014 for travel with Cathay Pacific/Dragonair confirmed booking involving Bangkok between 14 February 2014 and 28 February 2014.


1. Cathay Pacific/Dragonair tickets


a. Cancellation, Refund and Rerouting


No waiver on Cancellation Refund or Rerouting Charges.
b. Rebooking


Rebooking charges will be waived on condition that:
Such requests are made on/before 28 February 2014 and before departure for travel with Cathay Pacific/Dragonair confirmed booking involving Bangkok between 14 February 2014 and 28 February 2014.
No-show passenger is not eligible for the waiver.
Revised (new) travel date must be on/before 11 March 2014 and subject to flight availability. In which case, the ticket expiry date will be adjusted accordingly.
The newly rebooked sector must observe and conform to the conditions of the respective fare rule, e.g. black out dates, flight application, weekend/weekday travel, stopover charges, and applicable seasonalities by collecting additional/refunding difference (if any) as appropriate.
Re-issuance charges will only be waived due to the expiry of the original ticket.
c. Group Tickets


Please refer to your local travel agent.
2. Asia Miles airline award tickets


For further details:


Please regularly check the Asia Miles website.
You can also contact The Marco Polo Club at (+852) 2747 5500 or Asia Miles Service Hotline at (+852) 2747 3838.
For further details, please refer to Asia Miles Terms and Conditions at Asia Miles Airline Award Redemption – General Conditions.

 

[Programme]

Cathay are being a bit nasty re waivers etc
[snip]

Thanks for the info markis10. Where did you find this? I've searched to see if there is similar policy for MH or QF but haven't been able to find anything (although that might just be poor search skills).

 

[markis10]

Its here:

Special Ticketing Guidelines for Bangkok - Cathay Pacific Australia

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I would just call QF & ask what their policy is for changing your flight BKK/xSYD/MEL to KUL/MEL on QF codeshare flight or KUL/xSIN/MEL on 3K/QF.

Alternatively you could fly HKG/KUL & get off there to spend the time you would have had in BKK then purchase a cheap one way ticket KUL/BKK to connect with your original flights.

The above link whilst helpful for pax booked by CX on 160 ticket stock is not relevant to your situation.

 

[Colster]

Everything You Need to Know About Bangkok Protests | Richard Barrow in Thailand

this is is a good resource. Am still going to BKK on the 6th for 2 nights after 8 in HKT. Stay away from protests and you should ​be ok. Here is a live google map https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msi...100.532455&spn=0.146226,0.222988&source=embed

 

[Programme]

I would just call QF & ask what their policy is for changing your flight BKK/xSYD/MEL to KUL/MEL on QF codeshare flight or KUL/xSIN/MEL on 3K/QF.

Alternatively you could fly HKG/KUL & get off there to spend the time you would have had in BKK then purchase a cheap one way ticket KUL/BKK to connect with your original flights.

The above link whilst helpful for pax booked by CX on 160 ticket stock is not relevant to your situation.

Yes, I will call QF soon. The legs to and from Australia forms an open jaw on 081- stock and the bit in the middle is a separate ticket on 232- stock. It would seem that I probably won't need to be too concerned about calling MH though.

Everything You Need to Know About Bangkok Protests | Richard Barrow in Thailand

this is is a good resource. Am still going to BKK on the 6th for 2 nights after 8 in HKT. Stay away from protests and you should ​be ok. Here is a live google map https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msi...100.532455&spn=0.146226,0.222988&source=embed

Yes, I have been reading Richard Barrow's Twitter posts and other resources on the Internet closely. I probably wouldn't be as concerned if I wasn't already planned to be in the Pathumwan area within Bangkok. Elsewhere and away from the protests will be fine, but unfortunately that isn't where I was going to be. Would rather bail on this trip and return when things are more settled, as no doubt will happen eventually, but no one knows when.

 

[MYT105]

Why not try to to change the flight HKG - KUL - BKK so that you fly in to KUL, have a stop over there then fly KUL - BKK and then get on the QF flight from BKK - SYD - MEL with only a few hours in BKK airport? I would suspect that would be a lot easier then trying to change a whole lot of other flights, and there is no trouble at the airport that I am aware of and you would not even be clearing customs or immigration.

 

[Programme]

I would just call QF & ask what their policy is for changing your flight BKK/xSYD/MEL to KUL/MEL on QF codeshare flight or KUL/xSIN/MEL on 3K/QF.

The chap on the other end of the line was most helpful, but unfortunately the fare difference in this case is currently around $700 per person, plus the change fee :shock:. It would be cheaper for me to buy a new fare! (Although I fully understand that's the flip side of buying a cheap discount Y inflexible ticket.)

 

[froggerADL]

I am currently staying right by National Stadium BTS station. This seems to be large protest site with a stage and hundreds of tents. I went for a walk to have a look without problem. Security has been stepped up. My bag was scanned on the way into the hotel and they are using mirrors on poles to check under cars for bombs.

The most annoying thing is that the local 7 Eleven is not selling alcohol by order of the protest leaders. Any protest that bans alcohol is not getting my support

 

[Programme]

Why not try to to change the flight HKG - KUL - BKK so that you fly in to KUL, have a stop over there then fly KUL - BKK and then get on the QF flight from BKK - SYD - MEL with only a few hours in BKK airport? I would suspect that would be a lot easier then trying to change a whole lot of other flights, and there is no trouble at the airport that I am aware of and you would not even be clearing customs or immigration.

HKG / xKUL / BKK is all booked together. I didn't think that I would be allowed a 'stopover' in KUL on the rules of this ticket, but called the agent who booked it anyway, who confirmed that changing the KUL / BKK flight is not allowed. In any case, if I were to do what is being suggested (which is entirely reasonable), purchasing a KUL / BKK one way won't exactly break the bank.

I am currently staying right by National Stadium BTS station. This seems to be large protest site with a stage and hundreds of tents. I went for a walk to have a look without problem. Security has been stepped up. My bag was scanned on the way into the hotel and they are using mirrors on poles to check under cars for bombs.

I, too, have accommodation booked right by the National Stadium BTS station. Judging that this appears to be pretty much within the Pathumwan protest area, it has me more than a little anxious. It doesn't take much for a seemingly safe protest site with a jovial atmosphere to go pear shaped: see the deaths of children in the past few days from shootings and bombings, who were not even involved with the protest but out eating at a noodle stall or out shopping.

PS: Is it difficult to get around by road in that area? Unfortunately, another complicating factor is that the flight arrives near midnight, so the airport train and BTS aren't operating any more, leaving taxi/airport limo as the only transport option... straight into a protest site at night!

 

[froggerADL]

Oops. Duplicate post.

 

[froggerADL]

PS: Is it difficult to get around by road in that area? Unfortunately, another complicating factor is that the flight arrives near midnight, so the airport train and BTS aren't operating any more, leaving taxi/airport limo as the only transport option... straight into a protest site at night!

The traffic here seems to be moving at normal Bangkok pace. I wouldn't think you'd have any problems with traffic at that time of the night.

I'm getting a taxi to DMK at 6.30am tomorrow for an 8:30am flight. It's 6pm here and Google maps is estimating 40 minutes for 24kms in current traffic conditions.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

HKG / xKUL / BKK is all booked together. I didn't think that I would be allowed a 'stopover' in KUL on the rules of this ticket, but called the agent who booked it anyway, who confirmed that changing the KUL / BKK flight is not allowed. In any case, if I were to do what is being suggested (which is entirely reasonable), purchasing a KUL / BKK one way won't exactly break the bank.

PS: Is it difficult to get around by road in that area? Unfortunately, another complicating factor is that the flight arrives near midnight, so the airport train and BTS aren't operating any more, leaving taxi/airport limo as the only transport option... straight into a protest site at night!

I just had a look at ITA Matrix to check out KUL/BKK airfares & putting in a random date of 18 March it comes up with AUD63.00 for MH796 2155/2300 based on the sales city of KUL booked in "O" class

Matrix - ITA Software

If you're overnighting in BKK I would just stay at the Novotel BKK Airport who allow you to checkin any time & give you a 24 hour stay so you could checkin at midnight on a Tue & checkout midnight on Wed. You could do some kind of day tour in and around BKK but I'd keep well away from the protest area & be safely indoors by nightfall.