Chicago Arrival - Poor Experience
 

I just made it to the Admirals Club for my connection from Hong Kong today. Two issues.

1. Baggage took 45 minutes to arrive after landing. My bags were tagged First Class. They announced two carousels - one for passengers terminating in Chicago and another for those connecting. Terminating passengers received their luggage first. The bags for connecting passengers did not even start to dribble out until after 30 minutes.

2. To add to the injury. I went to the First, EXP, Platinum security line and was told I need a new boarding pass. The boarding passes issued by CX in HKG apparently do not scan. Back to the counter and then back in line for security.

The combination of these events led to a very degraded experience at the end of a fine CX flight.

1) Ground handling is not handled by CX staff....contracted out.
2) BP doesn't scan? The TSA doesn't scan the BP....they are supposed to just check name, dep. and date. Not sure what you are refering to.

Your best move would be to send an email to customer service to inform them, that is the only way change will happen.

Actually, the TSA does scan all BP now. For example, I am enrolled in TSA PreCheck, and them scanning the BP and looking at the screen is the only way they can tell whether I have been selected for PreCheck screening that day.

Never had a problem with this, myself. AA hardware (at the gate on boarding) has always scanned and accepted my BPs issued at HKG. No problem at TSA, either. IIRC, the scan code is a global standard and is the same at all airports. Is it possible that your HKG-issued BP was for an open AA segment, or for an AA segment which was changed after your HKG BP was issued?

When using the First, Executive Platinum, etc. access to security they scan your boarding pass. It is also the point at which you are directed to TSA PreCheck. The segment was not opened or changed.

All Cathay issued boarding passes would not scan. All passengers were directed back to the counter to obtain a new boarding pass. Universal standard or not, the CX issued boarding passes did not work. Simple choice, get a new boarding pass or don't fly.

I know ground handling is contracted. The issue remains that it is an element of CX service which impacts customer service. Long delays and failure to deliver premium passenger bags in a timely manner is not good for business.

I agree it is not good for CX' business if their clients are not satisfied but it seems the issues were all US-security related and would have also happened if you had arrived on SQ instead of CX.

Being delayed at an American airport because American security protocols are a mess does not really fall within the realm of thing an Asian airline can control.

Is it even possible to issue BP on an open segment?

No... not true.

As a matter of fact, I've been through multiple TSA stations just in the past week that are not equipped with BP scanners.

The issue with the BP was NOT the TSA station. At least in Chicago, there is a specific security line for First, Execution Platinum, and Platinum - and maybe a few others. To proceed through that line they scan your BP. An element of the scan is to determine whether you qualify for TSA PreCheck. If so, you are directed to the left where Pre Check passengers do not have the formality of shoe removal, laptops out, etc. If you do not qualify, then to the right.

This is a different procedure than when I went through ORD six months ago when there was no issue with the BP printed by CX.