Kremmen

I recently booked to fly into HKG on another airline and then fly DL to the USA. I expected the transfer process to be a couple of steps taking maybe 15 mins. Here's the reality:

1) Land early, walk from plane to E2 transfer counter, which is where airport signage says DL is located. No visible DL desk.
2) Go to security. Get turned away because they won't accept my boarding pass printed from online check-in.
3) Go back to the E2 transfer counters.
4) Ask the ferry agent. He points me to a nearby counter, on which there is a small (A4-sized?) sign, printed in a size you can't see from more than about 2 feet away, saying Delta.
5) The sign gives 2 phone numbers to phone, but no obvious phone is present. As there's nobody there, lean over the counter and grab the phone that's vaguely nearby.
6) There's nothing to indicate if we need to dial any particular number(s) to get an outside line. I assume so, because nothing useful happens when I dial the numbers.
7) Go back to the ferry guy. He says to dial "9" to get an outside line.
8) Dial the first listed number. It rings out.
9) Try again. It rings out again.
10) Try the second listed number. Eventually, someone answers and spends a great deal of time obtaining my details. There is no apparent reason for this, as they then tell me to go to a particular counter at E1.
11) Go to specified counter at E1. It's another generic one. There's no signage to indicate Delta. There's an agent there who obtains my details, again for no reason, as she can't help either. She says someone will come soon who can.
12) Another passenger in my situation turns up, so chat about our flights and destinations and how stupid Delta is being.
13) Agent who can deal with DL pax arrives, prints my boarding passes (identical to the ones I printed during online check-in), and then makes me wait while she does likewise for the other pax. (Which takes ages. It's a staff ticket.)
14) Get escorted through security and to the gate.
15) Get pulled aside for "special" security, because we are transfer passengers. This entails another agent asking the "have you packed your own bag", etc, questions!

The total duration of steps 1 to 14 was 81 mins!

tentseller

DL only has two flights in the morning out of HKG 0800h to NRT and 1030 to DTW. Their counters are only staffed from 0530 to after DTW flight is taken care of.

avidflyer

HKG is a very small outpost fro DL. They only run 2 flights a day. Transferring too an airline that has that little presence at a particular airport can be a trick as you learned. This is not just a DL issue.

stephem

How is this not a DL issue? Sure many airlines operate only 1-2 flights at a particular outpost but they put the staff and processes in place to make it possible for transiting passengers to, well, transit... In the case of HKG, this is true of a large number of airlines. As those of who used CMB for a number of years can attest, an airline that cares about this sort of thing can make it work just fine, regardless of whether they consider the airport an outpost or a hub.

Kremmen

I landed after 0530. The unmarked counter -- in the wrong transfer area -- was not staffed by someone who could handle DL pax until at least 0620.

I would say the incorrect signage to the transfer area, lack of signage in the transfer area, insufficient information about how to phone them, and lack of staff are all specific to DL. Also, very easy to fix. A big, visible Delta logo on the pathetic little sheet on "their" unmarked counter would be a start.

avidflyer

I would agree there but there is a reason DL could not sell the OP a ticket from point A to point B, they cant serve the market the OP is coming from. The other issue is timing. The OP stated it took 80 minutes to get checked in which tells me that the layover was very long. DL (like all airlines) do not staff counters on hours they do not have flights. I am in and out of HKG all the time but always go DL the entire way. If I were to connect mid trip to another carrier I would OLCI and have my BP in hand when I arrived. To me that is the safest bet no matter what.

MKE-MR

As the OP pointed out, he did OLCI and have boarding pass in hand--but it's not accepted at transfer security.

avidflyer

I always just go out (avoid the transfers desk) and come back in through the main terminal. I am in Hong Kong right now actually and can tell you this: DL does a good job here when they are flying (2 flights a day) but I know they cannot afford to staff a counter for the rest of the day so I plan accordingly. I have been coming here exclusively on DL/NW for 6 years and have never had an issue. That said, I have never used a transfer desk here either.

WildUtah

Why couldn't you just go to the regular DL check in desk?

Is this a procedure that you go through to avoid customs and immigration and do a airport-only transit? It sounds like you get dumped into a special area for arriving passengers but outside security without access to regular departing passenger facilities.

fiveninerzero

Yeah I get that your experience sucked and I'm sorry to hear that, but I would've just went out of the airport like another posted stated and checked in again.

I skipped the check-in on my HKG trip last week, as I used the MTR station check-in. I noticed that it was contract. Is this the case at the airport as well?

Kremmen

Seriously? I don't understand why anyone would suggest voluntarily entering a country and then leaving again, going through customs and immigration and security, for no reason. Also, unless you know what Delta's transfer setup is like, you'd not expect it to even be a vaguely worthwhile option.

(fwiw, I'm posting this via free wifi on a DL domestic flight.)

stephem

I'm with you, my guess is that some of these posters might never have enjoyed the convenience of making connections in major Asia airports, where you typically get to stay airside. My reference to CMB above was to highlight that the few airports in Asia that dont have good airside transfer systems in place know that people in this part of the world more or less expect it and the carriers would walk your paper ticket or boarding pass over to airside for you.

exwannabe

Do the smaller footprint carriers fully staff this even in hours when they have no arriving flights?

Call me a bit of a skeptic here, but when I see airlines that have 0 groundside presence outside of a few hours, I suspect they often only man transfers when they have arrivals (hopefully including partners).

To the OP, I agree the signage sucked, but it does not surprise me that DL (even via contract) does not man this 24x7. Also, I would have "argued" with the transfer security guy a bit by smiling politely, showing my OLCI and saying it is my BP. This has worked once for me at emmegration.

To Avid, do you not have the Asian equivalent of Global Entry (I forget the name of the program)? That would make it far easier to enter I presume. It would never occur to me that clearing immigration was a reasonable choice..

Kremmen

Oh, I certainly don't expect 24x7. I arrived shortly before 6am for an 8am departure and the desk wasn't manned (by someone who can process DL) until after 6:20am. Not manning the desk until 1 hour before boarding seems odd to me.

And I did argue with the security girl. She conferred with her colleague and they were not budging. It appeared that the main issue was that they wanted an agent's stamp on it that my passport had been checked! (This part of the stupidity is not DL's fault, but they are no doubt aware of it.)