missing747

Hi,

I'm sure everyone here knows the answer, but if one were to hypothetically violate CX's flight carriage rules, if I fly TPE to AMS via HKG and on the return, I do not get on the plane to TPE, will I be able to get my checked bags?

In this hypothetical situation, would there be things that one should say to ensure that ground personnel do not get upset with the passenger? Or is it simply a case of "if you don't fly the bags don't either"?

Appreciate any input. I did try to search google and this forum but did not find an explanation in regards to *international* flights as to what happens if a pax does not board but his/her bags are routed through to the final destination.

the transit time on this itinerary in HKG is 2 hrs, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

erik123

Your bags will be checked through to TPE. Short checking is typically not allowed unless you have a very long layover. If you fly with hand luggage you can just get off in HKG.

Edit: CX seems to make exceptions so ask the moderator to move it to the CX board.

SK AAR

Yes, even if you check bags AMS-HKG-TPE you will be able to get your bags at HKG; CX can't fly your bags to TPE unless you are on the flight. It may take a while for staff to locate your bags at HKG and before they are delivered to you on the belts (1-2 hours are not unheard of) so it is way better if you can persuade the check-in agent at AMS only to check bags to HKG.

In the event that your bags are checked to TPE you explain upon arrival HKG that you have changed your mind, you don't feel well or you don't feel like flying to TPE today etc as excuse for getting your bags delivered at HKG despite being tagged to TPE. Obviously, you need to let the CX staff at HKG know that you are not travelling to TPE today so they can off-load you from the TPE flight.

irishguy28

If you request to do so prior to travel, your ticket price will be recalculated as an open jaw TPE-AMS-HKG ticket and you will be charged the difference in fare (if any) together with a change fee and relevant taxes, as per §3.3.4 (a) of their Conditions of Carriage.
If you request to do so once travel has commenced, your ticket price will be recalculated and you will be charged the difference in fare (if any) together with a change fee and relevant taxes, as per §3.3.5 of their Conditions of Carriage.

Given the inconvenience and the possible delay to the flight by either declaring in HKG that you are not travelling further, or worse simply not showing up to board, causing them to have to offload your luggage as a security risk, you must be prepared to be penalised for not completing your travel as ticketed. If you simply "no-show" for your final HKG-TPE flight, you will eventually get your bag - but it could take some time. It's not going to be delivered to the regular carousel that all other pax on your flight from AMS collect their luggage that was labelled for delivery in HKG. They may withhold your luggage until you pay the recalculated ticket price (as per above), with potentially other fees added on top. I have no experience in this scenario with CX, but KLM specifically charges a penalty fee of €275 to have a bag returned under these circumstances. They would have charged you if you had done this the "correct" way, in advance. Therefore, do not think that if you do it the "incorrect" way that you avoid having to pay.

So the answer is that yes, you can interrupt your journey in this manner, but it will be neither straightforward, quick, or cheap, and will inconvenience yourself and other passengers.

It would be highly advisable to change the ticket in advance.

Or simply not check a bag.

SK AAR

Sorry, but I think you provide quite negative views of missing or no-showing for a connecting flight and getting a bag delivered even if tagged to final destination. I have never heard of any airline refusing to deliver the bag until fare has been recalculated or applying any fees for delivering the bag(s) extraordinarily - and I seriously doubt that this reflects the policy or practice of CX at HKG. There are far too many legitimate situations where pax no-show for flights or need to have their bags (extraordinarily) delivered at a transfer point for airlines to penalise it as you describe.

To be on the safe side the OP should post the question in the CX forum where presumably some readers have missed or no-showed for flights from HKG and requested their checked bags to be delivered.

Anyway, I agree with your advice to try to travel HBO and def. let CX know at HKG that you will not be traveling to TPE.

irishguy28

Well, like I said above, it's in KLM's conditions of carriage, §10.2.1 (h).

I looked in CX's conditions and there is no explicit equivalent; however, it kind of defeats the purpose for any airline to have provisions to recalculate ticket costs for voluntary changes to the itinerary, if they then just allow those who brazen it out and make their change in the most disruptive way (on the day of travel, with no warning, and with baggage mislabelled and already in the system) to do so for free - or at least those who can't simply disappear because the airline still has to locate their luggage and fish it out of the transfer system.

If there's a valid reason (force majeure), then that's fine; not even KLM would charge you under those circumstances. However, deciding well in advance that you want to drop the last leg is not a "legitimate reason" from the point of view of the airlines.

On this we definitely agree. A passenger is pretty much free to do as they wish if there's no checked luggage involved, or if they book the ticket in a way that the checked luggage can be or has to be delivered to them at the point where they wish to abandon the journey - i.e. by building in an overnight stop, or by booking onward a ticket that requires a change to a different airport in the same city or to a different mode of transport such as train (obviously doesn't apply to CX) and whereby the passenger would naturally have to collect their luggage anyway.

But once there's luggage in the system that's been tagged to continue travelling beyond where you actually want to travel, you no longer have control. You have to talk to someone, somewhere, because otherwise you are not going to be able to simply collect your luggage yourself, and you're going to have to deal with at least one member of staff, if not several, to be able to get your luggage back.