Only have a 50 Minute Layover in Hong Kong between flights. Is that sufficient time?
 

I am traveling from HKT - HKG - LAX on an award ticket. I was routed with my flight from HKT - HKG on Dragonair with a 50 minute layover until I get on my Cathay Pacific flight from HKG - LAX. Is this sufficient time between flights in Hong Kong? This is also late in the evening and is the last flight from HKG - LAX that day. What happens if I miss my connection?


Depart: Phuket, Thailand (HKT) at 6:15pm
Arrive: Hong Kong (HKG) at 10:50pm

Depart: Hong Kong (HKG) at 11:40pm
Arrive: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) at 9:55pm


Thanks.

David

if your incoming is on time you will be okay. in many cases KA/CX will have ground staff waiting for you to help you in the process. Even your luggage is very likely to make the connection.

And if you do miss... next days flight.

50 minutes is a little rush, but it should be enough. I would talk to the FA on your KA flight and see if they can move you to one of the unoccupied seats in the front of the cabin. That way you will be among the first to get off and will have a higher chance to catch your LAX flight.

+1 for asking FA (though they may actually ask you to move instead of you asking, seen it before)

What I seen was the transiting passenger are moved to J-seat some time before landing seatbelt sign, and then they just rush to the transit security with accompany staff

You'll be fine provided you don't arrive too late. 30 minutes late is probably the cutoff line (20 mins before your LAX departure)...if that's the case you better find out from ladies standing outside your Phuket arrival in HKIA where your LAX gate is asap (it very likely is gates 1-4, which are located on the far southeast side of the concourse right next to immigration, using transfer area E2 will be the fastest). Mind you if you're running you should still be able to make your flight regardless of what gate your KA flight docks at, even with just 20 minutes to spare. It will be close....but that can be done. Even if you screw up and go to another transfer area (they basically just facilitate pax with onward boarding passes to get from the arrivals level to the departures level one floor up), you still can get to your gate rather quickly.

That said, if you're not delayed or have a delay of just up to 20 minutes, you will comfortably make your CX LAX connection. Some people on this forum may deride my definition of "comfortably," but being frank there isn't really any gate you can't reach in HKIA from another one within 12 minutes, despite what HKIA's conservative literature says. If you're running, I bet you can do any gate to any other gate in 10. Gate on that LAX flight will probably close 10 minutes prior to departure time, assuming it's on time.

HKIA is arguably the best airport in the world, is extremely well-signed, has plenty of moving walkways, etc. etc. The ONLY thing that could hold you up is sometimes the transfer security screening takes time (far longer than the extremely efficient immigration-level security screening), sometimes 10 minutes or more if the line is long. If you arrive late, that could be the difference for you. Just tell someone there your situation and I'm sure you can get to the front of the security line. If you can't find someone to ask, you can always just jump in the crew line. E2 is hands down always the longest line (E1 is closeby, and for some reason is often much less crowded than E2)

I once had a tight transit on HKG-YVR-SEA on AC due to a delay in the first flight. Once I let the FA know, they moved us towards the front before descending and let us get off as soon as the door was opened. That was critical as we got ahead of other people for the US immigration and custom.

I just had that again with QX on SEA-YVR transiting to JL on YVR-NRT-HKG. They moved all the pax that had a tight transit to the front and also asked other passengers to let them get off first.

Once you make the FA aware of the situation, they normally will do anything they can to help, especially for KA and CX. The CX ground crew standing outside your KA arrival gate can always intercom the LAX gate about your status (and can hold your flight if necessary), take you through expedited security checkpoint, etc. Their ground support is really one of the best.

I am flying on an business class award ticket. I am confirmed in business on CX. Since I am flying on a KA Airbus 321 there are only 4 business class seats. They could not confirm business on the KA flights, so I am in economy right now.

321 has 24 J seats. 320 has the fewest J seats, but there are still 8. As long as the transit is between KA/CX, they will make every effort to get you to your next flight. 50 min is enough. Let the FAs know so that they can make arrangements if needed.

Sorry. Correct to that. The aircraft is a A320 and there are 8 business class seats.

If there are vacant seats available and time is tight, the FAs may escort you to sit in front just prior to landing.

(OT) The 320/321 Y seats are terrible. It is way too tight - no legroom.:(

I just landed at HKG a few hours ago and thought of your post, so I set my stopwatch to check if my 12 minute estimate was any good. I coincidentally docked at one of the absolute farthest gates today - gate 49. Gates 48-50, and 69-71, due to their location are about as far from gates 1-4 as humanely possible in HKIA (where your LAX flight likely will take off from). This is probably also the longest absolute-distance walk/train ride in HKIA, as it goes from one tip of the airport to the other.

I was seated in row 41 on a CX A330 - presumably it will take longer for my plane today to deplane than yours - and from the time the seatbelt sign turned off until the time I had made it to transit area E2 (right before immigration, and this is also right underneath gates 1-4), it took me just under 17 minutes. I also just missed one of the underground train things, so that would've cut two minutes off if my timing had been more fortuitous. And I was walking slowly, because the handle on my suitcase is broken. So long story short, provided you don't face a painful delay, you'll be fine....just go to the front of the security line in transit if you're delayed and the line is long and explain your situation.

I don't fly long haul as many as other FTers, but here are the gates my CX's NA flights departed from in 2009 and 2010. Granted they are all afternoon flights so there may be a difference with your red-eye.

July, 2009: San Francisco: Gate 60
December, 2009: San Francisco: Gate 64
July, 2010: Los Angeles: Gate 21

So make sure you check your gate number as they can be everywhere.

David, I'm going to take the minority position, and say that it's very tight. I connect at HKG regularly, like other posters here. I think that you have two potential problem areas, connection security and bags.

Connection security can have long lines just to get inside the screening area. Tell one of the CX agents greeting the flight that you have a tight connection, and they will often take you to security and jump you to the front of the line. Actually, they already know abut your connection (and you may not be the only one) and they may have someone with a sign for LAX pax meeting the flight. Otherwise, tell the agent checking boarding passes at the security area entrance and you may get the same treatment.

When you get to the LAX gate, check with the desk. Tell them about your tight connection, show them your bag claim check, and ask them to call to check that your bags make the flight. As another poster pointed out, they are, indeed, remarkably efficient at HKG, and will usually try to expedite your bags on request, especially as you are an online (effectively) connecting premium pax.

Finally, while US flights often leave from gates 1-4, it's far from a sure thing, and I've departed for the US from gates in the 60s as often as not. Do check as you deplane before rushing anywhere.

David,

I take 50 minutes connection everytime I travel from JFK-HKG-TPE/PVG/PEK, and I can tell you so far I have never been disappointed. In fact, this is one of the reason I'm sticking with CX. Like Dr. HFH said they already know who is on a "tight" connection and usually will have an agent with your name on it (with others) and after all have arrived the agent will escort you through the connections security line (i.e. cut all the way to the front.) Then, the agent will walk you to the gate of your departure (or point the way if it is too far and he/she doesn't feel like walking there.)

Luggage-wise again I have never had an issue. However, if you want to have an ease of mind do ask the gate agent if your luggage has been transferred aboard. They can find that out easily.

CX dares to sale you the 50 minutes connection because they know they can deliver. Now, of course this is barring a freak of nature (like severe thunderstorm, etc.) or technical problems, then yes, you're screwed.

Agreed it's not a sure thing....but have you had other gates lately? I'm 4/4 out of gates 1-4 in the last 4 months on US-bound flights (2x JFK, LAX and SFO), where they've been doing that specialized security bit within the concourse itself (instead of doing it on the jetbridge). More curiosity than anything, I was wondering if CX is really making a concerted effort to put the US-bound flights in that area or if my experience has just been a coincidence