Checked Baggage Long cnnx in HKG
 

I have two flights coming up through HKG with very long connecting times
6am arrival on Cathay to 6 pm departure on Dragon Air
6am arrival on Dragon air to 11pm departure on Cathay

I would welcome observations based on past experience about whether it would be an acceptable risk to check the bags through (they will be priority tagged with F or J class tags), or better to check them point to point and pick them up and store them myself between flights.

HKG has a fully automated baggage handling system including a robot holding tank for long connection bags (storing several thousand bags before they go to overflow and manual handling); normally all F tagged bags will be there, making it perfectly safe and reliable (unlike most airports). I've often had such long connections (admittedly CX to CX, not KA) with no problems in the past.

Does it matter if it's an overnight connection? On Wednesday I have a 10 p.m. arrival and 9:30 a.m. departure the next morning, CX to CX, both flights in F. Think it's OK and safe to check my bag through?

No problem.. as long as its a legal connection of anything less than 24 hours, HKG airport has no problem of 'storing' your bag till your next flight.

Just make sure when you check in for your 'connecting' flight to show them your baggage tags and the agent will double check that they have your bags.

I have had a similiar situation:
10pm arrival (CX 902) & 9:35am departure the following morning (CX830) both in Y - bags were checked all the way through. I spent the night in TST.

TST? I'm looking for alternatives for that night.

TST= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsim_Sha_Tsui

I had a similar issue ex-SFO once. The agent in SFO wouldn't check the bag thru to my final destination, as I had a long over night connection in HKG. I mentioned this to the ISM, who then got on the computer mid-flight to have someone meet me on arrival in HKG and then proceeded to take me to baggage claim and collect my bag and re-check it for the next mornings flight.

In the end, it seems like there shouldn't have been any issues with having a bag be checked thru to the final destination with the overnight stop in HKG.

100% no problem with CX to CX or CX to ANOther.

Problems only occur when using the so called onerworld (Finnair) seamless system and if you have different e-ticket numbers for the different connecting flights.