My folks are flying into HKG on Delta arriving at 7:15pm and want to connect to a Emirates flight going to BKK at 10:10pm.

The kicker is the two segments are on two separate tickets so they'll have to collect their luggage and check-in again.

I see that the Delta flight is usually on time but occasionally has been late up to forty minutes. I THINK they'll be fine barring a major delay but can anyone reassure me that this SHOULD be enough time for them to get on the second flight?

Three hours at Hong Kong is plenty of time, even allowing for minor flight delays, immigration lines and baggage delays. Of course no one can be 100% positive that they will meet the collection, but even if the Delta flight is 60mins late, that still gives them at least 60mins to go through immigration and collect their baggage. I would be 99% confident (but don't blame me if some major delay happens!) ^

They are in big trouble if flying Y on EK as EK specifies 3 hours check-in required for Y pax, per their condition ofhttp://www.emirates.com/conditions/Contract&PassengerNotices.pdf carriage

Of course it is an absurd policy and rarely enforced, but they would not be eligible for IDB if the flight is overbooked and would need to buy a new ticket if they arrive after 7:10pm at the EK check-in counter!!!! The joys of flying some airlines. I have seen EK strictly enforce the check-in requirement when it suits them, so this isn't a theoretical concern. Try switching to another airline if at all possible to avoid problems. If they are flying F or J then the check-in cutoff is 1 hour before departure (even that is pretty unreasonable at HKG, I have never checked in that early when flying CX F, 30 min is generally fine).

Assuming that Delta has interline baggage arrangement with Emirate, I'd ask Delta at check in to see if it could through-check your bags to BKK even if it is on two separate tickets. Some airlines will do it (and some will not) and I am not sure about the policy of Delta.

Thanks for pointing this out. When I saw this I part laughed, part cried.

Looking at the terms and condition, it gives me a glimmer of hope that they do say passengers SHOULD check in within three hours. I hope you're right that it's rarely enforced and that it's put in there to avoid as many stragglers as possible.

Folks are already travelling. We'll going to have to cross our fingers.

There is no immigration or to claim baggage even on two different tickets. Bags should be able the check thru just show the EK PNR at check in with the first flight on DL. The only thing is OP need to get the EK boarding pass at HKG, and that can be done without exiting immigration.

I have done UA connect with EK on two separate tickets with checked bags. If UA can interline with EK, so does DL.

EK is not part of Sky Team which DL belongs.

Any experienced traveller will know that interline through-checking of baggage depends on whether the two airlines have interline baggage arrangements. In this case, the arrangements between UA and EK have no effect between DL and EK and vice versa.

Update....

Things worked out. I ended up checking them in online and as long as they were able to drop their bags off with an hour to spare, they'd be in the clear.

Incidentally though, when we went to drop their bags off about 70 minutes prior to their EK flight, agents were processing a check-in line that was still about 40 people deep without any sense of urgency.