It depends on the airports involved. At HKG, you can get CX BPs from most airports except for a few restricted ones. The risk here is that CX JFK check in is handled by BA. I am not sure if BA personnel have the same access as CX to issue BPs from other airports. I also believe CX will not issue you a BP if you haven't even checked in for your previous flight. You may have to check in for AF flight first, then go over to CX terminal.
Being a school teacher does have its perks--like summer vacation .
Anyways, once I do online check-in with AF/DL, do I necessarily need to get my AF BP before heading to the CX counter? The AF/DL counter won't presumably let me print off my necessary BPs and allow me to check bags outside of the 3-hour window before departure.
Long story short: Can I just check in online for my AF flight and then get my CX BP at JFK from the CX ticket counter? Or, do I actually need to travel the first segment before being able to get BPs for CX? This gets pretty dicey, because the CX counter may not be open when the AF counter is open.
Oh dear...I worry that I might have to go back to the drawing board...
.........Can I just check in online for my AF flight and then get my CX BP at JFK from the CX ticket counter?....
You don't need to travel the first segment. However, it depends on if AF OLCI will show your JFK-CDG segment as used or not in the eticket record. Some airlines, such as UA, will and you can go straight to board your flight; some airlines, such as SQ, will not and you need to have your OLCI BP validated before you can board. I don't know about AF. I doubt CX will allow you to skip a segment and use it later. I know you will fly JFK-CDG first, but eticket will be marked as used when you receive your real BP. Not sure about OLCI BP.
Don't forget CX JFK check in is handled by BA. You may need to ask for a CX supervisor to do anything other than routine check in.
Note: this will not be an issue if you have paper ticket as CX cannot tell if you have checked in for AF flight or not. You may want to convert to paper if that's what you plan on doing.
I have a similar question about my own tight connection at CDG. Unline UVAhoo06, I'm connecting to another AF flight CDG-HKG, but I have even less time to make my connection. I tried to get an earlier departure from JFK, but I couldn't get speedy to offer it to me. So I'm on the late AF flight from JFK, departing at 11:35 pm. I have exactly one hour at CDG between my JFK arrival and my HKG departure. I'm worried about a misconnect and, perhaps moreso, my bags not making that connection. I realize that actually rebooking the first leg will result in a re-fare. But what about taking an earlier flight on a standby basis? Will AF let me fly on an earlier JFK-CDG flight just to smooth out the connection?
Or is my best hope that the flights we get retimed and either give me a cushion or violate the MCT, obliging DL to rebook me on an earlier AF flight?
Last edited by MegatopLover; May 11, 09 at 7:36 am.
You don't need to travel the first segment. However, it depends on if AF OLCI will show your JFK-CDG segment as used or not in the eticket record. Some airlines, such as UA, will and you can go straight to board your flight; some airlines, such as SQ, will not and you need to have your OLCI BP validated before you can board. I don't know about AF. I doubt CX will allow you to skip a segment and use it later. I know you will fly JFK-CDG first, but eticket will be marked as used when you receive your real BP. Not sure about OLCI BP.
Don't forget CX JFK check in is handled by BA. You may need to ask for a CX supervisor to do anything other than routine check in.
Note: this will not be an issue if you have paper ticket as CX cannot tell if you have checked in for AF flight or not. You may want to convert to paper if that's what you plan on doing.
Man, this whole situation just gets a bit more complicated--but it's all good, especially as I'm sipping on champagne across the world . In any case, I wonder whether it's costly to get a paper ticket issued, and more importantly whether the paper tickets will DEFINITELY allow me to trade the paper ticket for a BP at the CX counter at JFK. I definitely don't want to spend money on something that won't work.
I do wonder, however, where I go from here:
1) I'm sure there are many people who are in the same boat as me: Expedia.com or Speedy-generated pre-made itineraries with the 11:35 PM AF departure (JFK-CDG) connecting to either AF or CX--both with tight connections. What are your plans at this point? Is standing-by for an earlier departure on an AF flight even possible? Or, is there a fee associated witht his move/decision to stand-by, if it's even possible? Egad, the connection they provided--though technically legal--seems somewhat unrealistic.
2) Do I exchange my eticket for a paper ticket? If so, is this a wise move?
3) If I misconnect at CDG, what happens then? According to AF, it seems that I'm supposed to have my TA (which, in this case is non-existent--that is, unless you count Expedia.com) deal with it. I purchased travel insurance when I booked the ticket on Expedia.com. I read over the fine print, but I still wonder whether it will cover any misconnects--still in the same cabin of service (or on another airline altogether). How do I then get to DPS?
4) TerryK, you make an interesting point: I do wonder whether CX counter at JFK will allow me to get my BPs for CDG-HKG-DPS without first having traveled (i.e., used) the first segment on my itinerary (JFK-CDG). Anyone have experience with this? Again, I don't want to raise too much attention to the ticket/fare/situation by going to a CX ticketing office at JFK, for instance, and dealing with it. If the CX counters are staffed by BA agents, I suspect that they'll give me a runaround--perhaps just due to unfamiliarity with the CX system--about how they can't print off the BP because I haven't traveled on the first leg. If this is the case, what options do I have left? Should I call CX and explain my situation to them regarding my fear of misconnecting? Will they be able to put something in my PNR or arrange someone to meet me at the gate? I'm not the King of England--just a school teacher--so I suspect the latter option will sound ridiculous .
5) You all are awesome. Thanks for the feedback and help thus far.
My return is DPS-HKG-CDG-LAX-JFK, but the late afternoon CDG-LAX is no longer operating on the day I travel. I called orbitz to get on the 10:20 am (DL8510/AF62) flight CDG-LAX and was put on it no problem. I was hoping they wouldn't try to put me on a CDG-JFK nonstop, but that was never mentioned.
This is good news because the CDG layover went from about 12 hours to 6 hours! It was actually the flight I wanted but couldn't get when booking.
I'm probably about the last one traveling on this one. We leave 2/26 and return 3/7.
I know you will fly JFK-CDG first, but eticket will be marked as used when you receive your real BP. Not sure about OLCI BP.
Slight correction - when you check in and receive a BP (whether online or in person) the ETR will reflect CKIN status. The ETR only converts to USED when they run the manifest which means you'll have trouble convincing anyone you flew a segment with just the boarding pass.
Slight correction - when you check in and receive a BP (whether online or in person) the ETR will reflect CKIN status. The ETR only converts to USED when they run the manifest which means you'll have trouble convincing anyone you flew a segment with just the boarding pass.
At the risk of sounding ignorant or obtuse, what do those abbreviations, namely ETR, mean ? I'm sort of lost also with the last part about manifest and convincing someone about flying a segment.
At the risk of sounding ignorant or obtuse, what do those abbreviations, namely ETR, mean ? I'm sort of lost also with the last part about manifest and convincing someone about flying a segment.
Axey is referring to the status of each flight coupon for an eticket record (ETR).
Yes, Axey is correct. The abbreviations vary by computer systems, but each flight coupon can have status of OPEN, CKIN, USED, SUSP, REFD etc. Your flight coupons must be used in sequence. Hence, you mostly likely will not be able to check in for CDG-HKG until JFK-CDG in CKIN.
Anyway, I just checked with CX JFK for you. Ready? Take a deep breath, 1, 2, 3, exhale. CX JFK said no.
BA employees have no clue. I found a CX employee who claimed to have been there for 10 years. She said she has never heard of anyone doing that. I asked her to call her manager for help. Unfortunately, the answer is no. CX JFK cannot issue it.
Axey is referring to the status of each flight coupon for an eticket record (ETR).
Yes, Axey is correct. The abbreviations vary by computer systems, but each flight coupon can have status of OPEN, CKIN, USED, SUSP, REFD etc. Your flight coupons must be used in sequence. Hence, you mostly likely will not be able to check in for CDG-HKG until JFK-CDG in CKIN.
Anyway, I just checked with CX JFK for you. Ready? Take a deep breath, 1, 2, 3, exhale. CX JFK said no.
BA employees have no clue. I found a CX employee who claimed to have been there for 10 years. She said she has never heard of anyone doing that. I asked her to call her manager for help. Unfortunately, the answer is no. CX JFK cannot issue it.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Oh man...you had me at "Ready" with the WINK! It's ok. So, it seems, then, that I have no other choice than to get to CDG (and pray that I arrive on time, if not earlier) and then get to 2A. This, of course, brings me back to square one:
1) How do I get from 2E to 2A if I don't have a onward BP that would allow me to take the ADP (not the Air France bus)? Will the alternative--which I'm not even sure what it is--allow me enough time to transfer?
2) It seems then that until I check in for my AF flight, I can't check in for my CX flight. Here, the key phrase is "check in"--not necessarily flown or used. If this is the case, can I check in with AF, get my BP, and then swing by the CX counter? Or, does your inquiry (TerryK) today at JFK essentially mean that I can't do anything about a CX BP until I get to CDG?
3) As Megatoplover asks, is it likely that I can get on an earlier AF flight to CDG with space permitting AND without a charge?
Whew...that's sort of it for now. You all have been ridiculously helpful, especially YOU, TerryK! So, thanks!
Take a deep breath. Interline xfers happen every day at CDG and I bet the vast majority of passengers make their flights with no issue.
I don't have experience AF->CX at CDG myself, but what I'd plan on doing is following the transfer signs on arrival. At worst you'll have to exit and check in landside. Unless you're more than an hour late you'll almost certainly make it. If you don't, you will be reaccomodated. This also happens all the time. The agents will help you get rebooked onto the next available flight.
Take another deep breath. You'll be fine.
__________________ This post is within the FT TOS!
I don't have experience AF->CX at CDG myself, but what I'd plan on doing is following the transfer signs on arrival. At worst you'll have to exit and check in landside. Unless you're more than an hour late you'll almost certainly make it. If you don't, you will be reaccomodated. This also happens all the time. The agents will help you get rebooked onto the next available flight.
That's what I plan on doing -- when arriving at CDG 2E, I will go landside and take the CDGVAL to Terminal 1 and check in for my SQ flight. The CDGVAL should take only 8 minutes. That seems to be a more reliable option than staying airside.
That's what I plan on doing -- when arriving at CDG 2E, I will go landside and take the CDGVAL to Terminal 1 and check in for my SQ flight. The CDGVAL should take only 8 minutes. That seems to be a more reliable option than staying airside.
Hey rockyp, do you plan on checking any bags, and if so, how's the luggage handling situation at CDG? I assume you'd have to clear customs/immigration and then claim bags before proceeding to the next check-in counter for SQ. Is your connection time pretty tight too?
It seems that sticking on airside seems the safest bet, though admittedly, I'm not familiar with the CDG layout and the logistics, so I'll leave it to you more seasoned/experienced people who have transited at CDG. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it ...I'm genuinely indecisive--one of those worry-worts .
Thanks a lot. If any of you all have additional feedback or info, please pass it on...
.
Follow-up Questions...
. In any case, I wonder whether it's costly to get a paper ticket issued, and more importantly whether the paper tickets will DEFINITELY allow me to trade the paper ticket for a BP at the CX counter at JFK. I definitely don't want to spend money on something that won't work. 
.
