Virginia Emery

I need help... Currently I'm booked on 2 seperate tix:

WE CNX-BKK arrive 08:30
SQ BKK-SIN-DPS depart 12:15 (Reward)

Due to a SQ schedule change my SQ connection @ SIN is no longer legal, and I can't get on the later SQ SIN-DPS flight on reward. Instead they can offer me the SQ flight departing BKK at 09:40, giving me 70 minutes to connect in BKK

I understand from other threads that I'm actually able to check in "Internationally" @ CNX with Thai Smile, so what is the MCT in this case ?

Thanks in advance ?

BinSabai

why don't you go on the earlier flight with TG leaving around 0700?
70 minutes are usually enough if arriving flight is not late, as you only have to pass security., but I am not sure whether Thai Smile will be able to issue your boarding pass to SIN; so you would have to spend some time at the transfer counter...

Virginia Emery

TG cancelled the 7AM flight for my date (TG123) hence why I'm on the slightly later WE flight

Can I OLCI the SQ flight ?

dsquared37

TG is not part of any alliance and you won't be able to check in for onward flights through them.

If SQ's schedule change has caused the problem I'd push for them to open space on the later flight. This does depend upon who's program you used the miles from however.

If you cannot get any traction with SQ (or issuing carrier) then I'd suggest flying to BKK the night before. Your current 70min connection time is doable if all goes well. One wrench in the cog and you'll be sweating the connection.

Virginia Emery

Thanks - I think you meant WE is not part of any alliance...

Ticket is through Aeroplan - they've gone and asked SQ to open up space on the later SIN-DPS flight, but I'm not hopeful SQ will comply as I always get this feeling Air Canada is the poor cousin in the Star Alliance

BinSabai

SQ treats all other *A carriers as poor cousins! They do not care and they can afford it!

dsquared37

We(weeeeeee)'s name is Thai Smile. But as there's nothing smiley about it they are, in my lexicon, TG.

eponymous_coward

So, I'm potentially in trouble on my 75 minute CNX-BKK-ZRH TG/LX connection?

It's not WE, if that means anything. All on one ticket. Business class. The LX flight is pretty much the last *A flight to Europe out of BKK (except for BR/TG flights leaving a few minutes later for LHR, which would likely leave me stranded in LHR overnight, in the unlikely event I caught them... my final destination is TXL) until the evening TG/etc. bank.

I'd rather not hang around the TG J lounge for 12 hours... might not have much choice, though.

BinSabai

your post is a bit confusing
"LX flight pretty much the last *A flight to Europe out of BKK" do you mean LX4301 at 0105? that is actually a TG flight (codeshare); if the TG flight from CNX is late, ground staff will expect you at the gate and hurry with you to the departure gate
75 minutes is plenty, as you only have to pass transit security (and this one is not busy so late at night)
"12 hours in the J lounge"? there is actually every 2-3 hours a TG flight from CNX to BKK!

eponymous_coward

No, I mean the actual LX flight to ZRH, LX 181. I really did mean "LX" when I typed "LX".

(I'll actually be on the last LX A340 flight out of BKK, LX switches to a 77W for BKK service the next day.)

If you look at BKK traffic departure patterns to Europe you'll find there's two banks of Europe flights out of BKK; ones that depart in the late morning/early afternoon as daytime flights and will arrive early evening Europe time, and a redeye bank that leaves around 11 pm-1 am and that will arrive early morning Europe time. This is a fairly logical arrangement since you wouldn't want flights departing BKK at 4 am, and European airports often have curfews that don't allow for, say 3 am arrivals.

LX 181 is one of the last flights in that late morning/early afternoon bank out of BKK, as I mentioned. Other flights in that bank like TG 922 (FRA) will have already left, and the last ones leave just a few minutes later, such that I think it's highly unlikely I could get switched to them should my CNX-BKK flight be delayed.

If I miss the midday bank of flights to Europe due to a delayed connection on my TG flight from CNX, the next set of flights to Europe from BKK will be around 12 hours later; TG 920 to FRA and so on. This is where the 12 hour wait in the TG J lounge at BKK comes in.

Does that help resolve the confusion I caused?

But this will be midday...

BinSabai

ok, now it is clear! your wording "the last *A flight to Europe out of BKK" caused the confusion...
I think still that with 75 minutes you are fine, even flight delay up to 30 minutes. Immigration you will do in CNX/check in at international terminal. I have not seen long queues at the transit security from domestic to international in BKK. LX often departs from early D gates, which is very close to this security check...
You could of course switch to the earlier TG flight, TG123, which leaves CNX at 0705 and arrives at 0815, gives you 2 hrs 25 minutes.

eponymous_coward

It's an AV award ticket. My experience with AV customer service is getting them to do ANYTHING is a multi-hour ordeal.

(A ticket change is also $150 USD. Cheaper to just cancel/rebook for $50.)

I'l probably just chance the 12 hour wait as the worst case scenario given your advice.

dsquared37

This is a very different situation from that which I had made the comment. You have one ticket and TG will send bags through.

eponymous_coward

Yeah, I'll probably be carryon only anyways (I won't be getting duty-free booze until Europe).

Virginia Emery

Bringing (hopefully) closure to my issue:

- Even thought I've asked Air Canada Aeroplan not to put me on the 9:40 flight out of BKK, they (or more precisely SQ after 2 weeks of pondering) did it anyway, so now I have a legal (3.5 hours) connection time @ SIN

- I checked with Bangkok Airways, while they have an earlier CNX-BKK flight arriving 85 minutes prior to the SQ flight, they would not interline baggage to SQ unless they are on the same ticket

- Because my originally booked TG123 was cancelled, TG was nice enough to re-schedule me to depart the evening before, so now I'm looking for a nice and cheap BKK hotel for the 13 hour transit. This is the second time I've asked them to update my booking via email without issues, a pleasure to communicate with them over e-mail