Dave Noble

The poster stated

changed a booking to include the CX SIN-BKK-HKG flight, as two separate legs with a 1 hour stop

That reads to me as trying to book 2 sectors SIN-BKK and then BKK-HKG which would not comply with MCT requirements ( on dates which I checked )

KARFA

The poster said the advice from the agent was it is the same aircraft. I don't know how else you book SIN-BKK-HKG on the same aircraft unless it's on CX712 - could you suggest how else it is possible?

Dave Noble

By booking as a single coupon SIN-HKG ; no different to say booking BA15 as LHR-SYD or QF1 as SYD-LHR

In these cases there is 1 ticketed sector and there is no connection that needs to be considered

KARFA

Ok, for information the only same aircraft flight for SIN-BKK-HKG on a daily basis is CX712. There is no other way to do it on the same aircraft on the same day.

Dave Noble

Your point?

There is a difference between booking SIN-HKG CX712as a single sector ( which is what the cathay pacific website offers ) and booking 2 sectors SIN-BKK on CX712 and then connecting to BKK-HKG on CX712

On the CX booking site , it shows

CX712
SIN-BKK-HKG with a single dot at BKK

compare with
CX712 > CX708
SIN-BKK-HKG with 2 dots at BKK

The view details also shows a connection time for the latter

The CX712 flight is ticketed as a single coupon SIN-HKG and NOT as 2 coupons SIN-BKK-HKG

This also means that it only would count as 1 sector when booking an ATW ticket with max 16 sectors and also will earn FF miles based as SIN-HKG and not as SIN-BKK plus BKK-HKG

The is a big difference between SIN-HKG that makes a stop en-route vs booking SIN-BKK and then connecting to BKK-HKG

CX will also only issue 1 boarding pass ( in same way the QF only issues 1 boarding pass for a passenger booked to travel on QF2 from LHR-SYD )

This is a difference between a direct flight and a connection

Just tried using multi-city to make a booking for SIN-BKK and BKK-SIN ; can choose CX712 for SIN-BKK, but the CX site does not offer CX712 as an option for the BKK-HKG sector ( which is not surprising given MCT limitations )

KARFA

I don't believe that is what has been offered/bookable so I don't believe that is what the agent put in to the booking. I think you have taken that part of the OP's post too literally, for any through flight like this you can't book it as two connecting flights. The option wouldn't have been offered to the agent on their system.

Yes, so if the OP books CX712 SIN-BKK-HKG then MCT is not relevant and it is ticketable. The assumption (as the OP has said it is the same aircraft they are arriving on and departing from at BKK) is that the OP is looking at changing to CX712 and that it should therefore be ticketable.

I am glad we resolved that

Dave Noble

If the OP books a SINGLE sector on the direct flight SIN-HKG , then it does not matter where the aeroplane stops en route or what the MCT at any point where the aeroplane may stop
If the poster is trying , as was explicity stated, to book CX712 SIN-BKK and then connect to CX712 BKK-SIN as 2 sectors, then I would expect that to fail to meet the MCT

It is quite possible to book 2 sectors on a through flight where the MCT can be met. I have once in the past booked BA LHR-SIN connecting to the same BA flight number SIN-SYD ; since there was no MCT issue I was able to get it ticketed as 2 sectors

KARFA

BA15 is due in to SIN at 1745 and departs at 1925. MCT at SIN for that type of connection seems to be 50 mins.

Are you saying it's possible to book (on one PNR and one ticket) BA15 to SIN, then same day connect on to BA15 on to SYD and get 160+140 TPs for that?

I could see how you can do it by buying two completely separate tickets with one as LHR-SIN and the other as SIN-SYD, but I can't see how you could do it on one ticket. On EF if you try to do BA LHR-SYD with a connection in SIN the only option offered is to do BA15 to SIN then connect on to the later BA11 to SYD.

Dave Noble

Yes , it can be done on a single ticketed itinerary - or was quite possible when I did it

It was not intentionally planned upfront - I had originally booked with a stopover LHR-SIN/ SIN-SYD , but then chose to remove the stopover so simply changed the SIN-SYD flight to be on the continuation of the LHR-SIN service , so was ticketed LHR-SIN and SIN-SYD

Virazuno

The reservation that has been made for me is not SIN-HKG as a single coupon. There are two totally separate sectors/coupons - SIN-BKK, and then BKK-HKG, both numbered CX712.

If it fails ticketing, it not that big a deal, as I could just get the next CX flight up to HKG. I just wanted the benefit of the AMS-BKK fare, without having to step off the plane!

I shall keep y'all updated...

​​​​​​P.s. For what it's worth, I can actually choose different seats on each of the legs, given its booked as separate sectors. I have (obviously) chosen the same seats on both. But just to illustrate that I definitely have two coupons here, not a SIN-HKG single booking.

P.p.s. when the agent was making the reservations, she specifically said the MCT for same plane connection at BKK was 15 minutes. I can't find anything on EF to this effect, but she was very adamant that it was legal, and hence made the reservation (and priced it up etc).

onobond

The present dicussion can be broken down into two questions:
1. Is CX712 bookable as two segments SIN-BKK-HKG, regardless if needed to get off the plane or not? (recent experiences of staying on board and disembarking, propably related to crew change or not)
2. Even if booked as two segments, will TP credit be 40+40, or just 40?

The answer to 1 seems to be yes, but IME flying on the same flight #, regardless of number of stops, and even aircraft change, the answer to 2 is that it will be counted as one flight, hence 40 TP only. The only scenario where this theoretically would be favourable is if the total flight distance would trigger a higher TP level, i.e. if SIN-HKG was >2000 miles, which unfortunately it isn't.

Same flight # on many segments are more common now with AA, which could be related to merger with US. Personally learned that the hard way flying HNL-DFW-MIA on a 767 and 320 respectively, with two boarding passes, and booked as two segments. As flight #.was the same, that determined the TP credit

Dave Noble

I would reverse the answers

There seems to be enough to suggest to me that the connection time is invalid and the inability to select flights when making a normal booking / checking on EF/checking on Matrix supports this

My experience of points crediting is that they will credit as ticketed. If booked as a through journey A-C then it will credit as per A-C ; booked as A-B plus B-C separately, then it will credit as 2 sectors

Are you sure that it was booked as 2 segments? Since there was a change of aeroplane type en-route , there would have to be 2 boarding passes even if booked as a single sector

onobond

Actually this was a three-segment flight, booked as HNL-DFW-MIA-PTY, but disputing the first two merged for TP credit, Gold Guest Line referred to T&Cs regarding same flight # counting as one flight, regardless if aircraft change.

In an other part of the world, before widening my OW base from AA EXP only, I came to discuss long AA flights with the same flight # with a BAEC GCH. As AA for long was milage based only, he was unimpressed with my recent flights LAX-FLL-SJU-SXM as, although three flights on three different aircraft, it would only credit 210 TP (domestic F on 2 class flights F credit, RIP), due to the same flight #. My EXP account, however, banked 3581 base miles and lots of bonus for cabin and EXP level

Virazuno

As promised:

I phoned and enquired. Turns out the agent who changed my booking simply forgot to hit the button to re-issue the ticket. Few taps and all done, I now have ticket numbers.

So, folks, it is settled. CX712 SIN-HKG can be booked as two separate sectors, SIN-BKK and BKK-HKG.

Icing on the cake will be if I don't have to get off the plane at all at BKK. Taking the AMS-BKK fare to a new level

KARFA