Originally Posted by
KARFA
I think you have misunderstood the tables. Offline and online means transferring from the same (online) or different airlines (offline). Both are when on the same ticket/booking though. Offline is not a MCT for completely separate tickets/bookings.
As has been noted many times before on the board, MCT is completely irrelevant when connecting between separate bookings and you needed to leave enough time to do any security/immigration/bag claim/check in as needed as well as some padding to allow for the usual possible delays. This is because in most situations if you miss your onward flight the airline has no responsibility to help you.
No, I did not misunderstood the table. The terminology used by ET is not 100% accurate. What you said 'transferring from different airline [on a through fare]' is
'INTERLINE'. I am trying to tell you booking two separate ticket is a transfer, which would be considered as part of offline transit.
IATA definition of Interline Transfer is:
Transfer from the service of one carrier to the service of another carrier.
Also you are right about Online Transfer, IATA definition is:
Transfer from the service of one carrier to another service of the same carrier.
However, I can not trace the definition of offline transfers. My speculation is that IATA only consider a transfer as 'online' or 'interline'. But then again, in IATA airport planning manual regarding airport passenger and service, it used the term of 'online' and 'offline' transfer passengers.
The only definition (unoffcial) provided on offline transfer is from Skyscanner, so it may not be a good source. But it states
Offline connection –
a journey where the passenger travels on multiple planes using multiple airlines
Notice how this definition does not state offline transfer needs to be on the same ticket. And that is how I remembered from my IATA training many years ago. I remember that transit/transfer would have people holding the same ticket, or different ticket; transit/transfer from one airline to other airline or within the same airline. For a transfer, or transit, passenger
DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE A THROUGH TICKET!! At least IATA does not put the 'same ticket' restriction on definition of a transfer/transit. Thus MCT is not restricted to through ticket. Of course, some airports would add restriction because they do not have a connection station that is capable to retrieve luggage and retag for you, like those you can see in Hong Kong and Singapore. but from a IATA point of view, MCT applies to all transfer and transit including self connections.
And we can have a look at how airport counts passengers in terms of O&D or transit. For example, when you fly from Hong Kong, and took the ferry from Macau or Pearl Delta area, you bought two separate tickets, but you are a 'transfer passenger' via Sky Pier. And you will be refunded the departure tax. You are effectively an offline transfer passenger, but not interline passenger, yet in most cases, your suitcases is automatically transferred to your Hong Kong departure aircraft.
Again, I am not touching the idea whether the passengers should be protected in case of delay or misconnect. That is up to individual airline. I am here just to say that self connect is not outlawed, and some airports actually helps self connecting passengers (e.g. Milan, Singapore and Hong Kong, and now even Gatwick). If anyone has the IATA or ICAO definition of 'offline transfer' please kindly let me know. My training on this was long time ago and I did not keep up. So please forgive me if I had given some wrong info. Memory is not in full capacity nowadays.