Priority Bags
 

Hi All,
Just wanted to get some opinions. Its not often i check bags in. Even with 2 of us travelling, usually we take 2 carry ons. Recently however I have taken bulkier things or liquids so needed to check in.
I am amazed at the amout of priority baggage on the conveyor belts. Dont you think its about time, they somehow re-look at how this works. I think all MPC gets priority tags. is that right? Yesterday I literally waited for like 100 bags before mine came out (I am GO so have the Biz Class tags).

Sorry just wanted to express a bit of frustration since priority bags dont feel priority to me or special!

MPC Green does not get priority tags, only SL and above. I agree that there are many people with priority tags, but alas that's the name of the game - CX has arguably the most loyal frequent flier base in the world, and many people in HK fly frequently. SL is a low threshold for bag tags, but then again it makes the program appealing to people who maybe travel only 30-40k a year. HKIA is great about usually getting the priority bags (and particularly F bags) out first, and fast, so I'm never too bugged about it.

Yes and yes. I never have to wait more than 10 minutes to get my bags.

The OP might be the exception.

Yes there are a lot of priority bags but they all come out very quickly in HKG and there's never a long wait.

Priority baggage tags for 30K miles is pretty normal I think by OW carrier standards.

If you think that's too generous, good thing you're not a TG FF, their Silvers get it too along with 10kg extra baggage allowance and they need only 15K miles to qualify (and the qualification lasts 2 years)!

+1

Except for my last trip to JFK where I had to wait for over 40 minutes for my second bag...

When I was crazy enough to travel via CDG, my F priority bags on CX have been delivered LAST of the lot at least 3 or 4 times.....
Elsewhere CX works pretty well for luggage delivery.

priority bags
 

yes yes. Sorry my first post but finally something (the only thing really) that really annoys me about Cathay. I've been lurking here a good while and thank everyone for the great info and insights.
I switched from Thai *gold last June and overall have been really happy with Cathay...except for priority baggage.
Even as *gold travelling both TG and SQ Y I never had a problem getting my check in bags fast but my experience with Cathay has been lousy particularly as 90% has been in J. Many times my bag has come out half way or worse down the order. I am hoping its going to get consistently better now as a gold travelling in J - silver before in J. In fact the only time in more than 60 sectors in the last year that my bag actually came out in the first 10 was when I checked in Dragonair not Cathay. Many many times I have seen non-priority bags come out before mine.
Thai had huge issues in other areas but they could always get the priority baggage handling right for me. I'm amazed at how slapdash it seems for me with Cathay.
Apart from that I love Cathay :D

Gold vs Silver makes no difference to baggage handling. There are only three tiers:

First Class - which means First Class or OW Emerald (incl Diamond)
Business Class - which means Business Class or OW Sapphire (incl CX Gold) or CX Silver
The rest

In general there are lots of priority bags on each flight. Imagine all the 50 people or so in business class and those with status sitting in economy, and there could well be over 100 priority bags per flight. Just came back from Bangkok to Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year holidays. Given how HK residents love to shop in Thailand, you can imagine how many pieces of checked bags there are per passenger, and I think it took close to 15 minutes before all the priority bags were cleared. I think CX is one of the few airlines which gives the equivalent of Silver members this privilege.

I can't really compare the difference between J and F priority luggage, HKG seems to be always good with that, under 15 mins. I think the only time I ever had problem with luggage was the JFK-YVR-HKG where all the inbound JFK bags came out last including any priority ones within that batch.

I have just recently sent a complaint letter regarding this issue via cathaypacific.com. The interesting point of the reply was luggage handling priority does not apply when transiting. i.e. TPE-HKG-LAX. Funny enough, to me, the issue usually occurs during direct flights. Anyway, my luggage usually come out one of the first few luggage (with First priority) but just those few times that my bags came even latter than non-tagged bags..... just my 2 cents

I think with the luggage, with only so many ground staff and so many flights by Cathay, and based on other factors like the time luggage is sent, etc. The F/J is not perfect, but it is great enough.

Like I said, 99% of my time my luggage comes out within the first 10 minutes. In my 6+ years of being CX elite I have had my luggage delayed to one of the last only ONCE, and yes it has the J-tag on. Somebody must made a brain-fart.

It is always better to check-in as late as possible if anyone wants the bags coming out first.

CX probably puts priority tags on OW member baggages as well (i.e. OW Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald members).

I guess a more valid statement would be to check-in the bag as late as possible :D

I often check-in online as soon as the facility is available but drop bags right before the flight is closed at the airport. I have not encountered bags coming out last (in fact always among the first or second batch) when tagged with priority label. Finger crossed.

A strange situation occured last week when I did SIN-HKG-TPE-HKG on the same day (yes an ex-TPE D class, which is still massively cheaper than ex-HKG or ex-PVG business). Haved to explain to the check-in agent at Changi to tag my luggage based on the route I took with final destination in HKG. After working on the computer for a while with the supervisor, they asked me to go ahead and will pass to me the luggage tag at the gate. However no luggage tag was waiting for me at the gate, and upon enquired, was asked to board and someone will bring me the tag. Finally gotten it right before the door was closed, and surprised to find it a hand-written one. When I reached HK eventually, I found the luggage tag to be entirely hand written. Glad they did not lose my luggage though ^