Intl-intl transfer at PVG
Jul 13, 2015, 1:59 am
#16
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
-DL's cutoff is T-60
-you should allow for 60 minutes to get from arrival gate to DL check-in counter
-this gives you 120 minutes of leeway
That having been said, if you catch HKG-PVG on a bad day, 8+ hour delays are quite common, especially during the summer.
As such, be sure your KA and DL flights are on a single ticket, or if on separate tickets, the DL ticket has a generous change policy. Why don't you want to fly MU HKG-PVG, by the way (much easier in your case)?
Jul 13, 2015, 5:29 pm
#18
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Asia/Europe
Programs: CX, OZ, MU (+AY, DL), Shangri-La, Hilton
Posts: 7,236
Jul 13, 2015, 7:10 pm
#19
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
If on the one ticket, not so much to worry about. If separate, I wouldn't be feeling too comfortable with a 4 hour connection time. Flights on the HKG-PVG corridor have been pretty bad of late... 8 hour delays and plenty of cancellations are not uncommon at the moment.
(edited to add - sorry - was on page one of the thread - just saw page 2 - I agree with moondog... unless you have flexibility, 4 hours is potentially very tight)
Sep 4, 2015, 9:46 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 144
So a follow-up and thanks to all your helpful suggestions back in July.
PVG is NOT a good airport for int-int transfer as you warned.
I did change my HKG-PVG flight on CX to allow for a 5 1/2 hour transfer time in PVG. The CX flight was held for two hours in HKG by ATC so arrived in PVG 3 1/2 hours before DL flight to the US. It then took a good two hours to officially enter China, then walk that long, long "wenzhou trail" or whatever it's called from terminal 2 to terminal 1 and recheck-in with DL, then leave China again via immigration. Also, just as you predicted, the immigration officer on entering China had to call over a supervisor to let me in for the transfer even though as a US citizen I am allowed TWOV. Delta does not issue mobile boarding passes for China. Fortunatey I did not check in bags on CX as that would have taken another 45 minutes to claim baggage in PVG.
So I made it but wouldn't suggest it. Only did it because was able to get a low DL C award back to the US.
PVG is NOT a good airport for int-int transfer as you warned.
I did change my HKG-PVG flight on CX to allow for a 5 1/2 hour transfer time in PVG. The CX flight was held for two hours in HKG by ATC so arrived in PVG 3 1/2 hours before DL flight to the US. It then took a good two hours to officially enter China, then walk that long, long "wenzhou trail" or whatever it's called from terminal 2 to terminal 1 and recheck-in with DL, then leave China again via immigration. Also, just as you predicted, the immigration officer on entering China had to call over a supervisor to let me in for the transfer even though as a US citizen I am allowed TWOV. Delta does not issue mobile boarding passes for China. Fortunatey I did not check in bags on CX as that would have taken another 45 minutes to claim baggage in PVG.
So I made it but wouldn't suggest it. Only did it because was able to get a low DL C award back to the US.