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UA, USA to China OJ from $303 ai

Old Jul 5, 2017, 8:33 am
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Last edit by: wolfpacktrojan
Transportation options from HGH to Hangzhou city center or PVG. Please add your name and your itinerary if you are interested in meeting other fellow FTers.
1) Taxi to Hangzhou city center, about 100 RMB ($15) for the entire party, not per person, walking from international terminal to domestic terminal (i.e., right turn after you get outside of the international terminal building), you will see taxi queue.
2) Shuttle bus, 20 RMB ($3), to Wulinmen CAAC Ticket Office or East Railway Station Line (two most popular options). The waiting hall for the shuttle bus is at Gate 10 (you can purchase ticket at Gate 14, too) Arrival Hall, on the first floor of the terminal building. Further details, see https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cit...ation.htm#hang
3) Shuttle from Hangzhou city center to PVG, 110 RMB, 3.5 hours: a) Wulinmen Ticket Office Central Hangzhou to PVG: (5:30, 6:10, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00)
b) Hangzhou Dragon Sports Center to PVG, 110 RMB, (7:00, 8:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 16:00
). Further details, see https://traveladept.com/bus-pudong-hangzhou/
4) Train from Hangzhou East station to Shanghai Hongqiao; less than 100 RMB (~1 hr); then you can take Subway Line #2 to PVG, ~10 RMB and 2 hrs; or shuttle bus (Airport Line #1), about 1 hr, 30 RMB ($4.5), every 15 - 25 minutes. The Hangzhou East ticketing windows are located on 1st Floor, EAST Area of the station. Please allow 20-30 minutes for walking to 2nd floor departure, and security check. The frequency of Hangzhou-Hongqiao trains is as good as that of subways in many US cities.
5) Getting cash at HGH The international terminal at HGH (where you arrive) only has an exchange vendor with hefty fees that is open limited hours. However, the adjacent domestic terminal has a bank ATM. To get to the entrance of the domestic terminal, exit the international terminal and keep walking right, past the taxi stand. Then enter and take the escalator to the second floor. The bank ATM will be on your left, next to the escalator.
6 Getting TWOV without issues The advice is to print out your itinerary, hotel reservation, etc., to speed up the procedure at the entry point in China. At SFO, the check-in agents were clueless, so be prepared to get there very early and fight for your boarding passes. Please read the last few pages on this thread for first-hand experiences. Good luck. There is a thread on FT for further details. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...hread-231.html

ATM To get to the entrance of the domestic terminal, exit the international terminal and keep walking right, past the taxi stand. Then enter and take the escalator to the second floor. The bank ATM will be on your left, next to the escalator.

Travel information for Beijing and airport:
Beijing will have 2 hubs starting Sept 30,2019. PEK (Beijing Capital International Airport) is original main hub and will continue for Star Alliance flights and Cathay Pacific (including subsidiary Cathay Dragon Air). PKX (Beijing Daxing International Airport, will debut Sept 30, 2019)
planned for airlines of the SkyTeam alliance and One World Alliance (AA, BA, etc. except Cathay Pacific) will be relocated to the new airport. Most flyers taking advantage of this China OJ deal will continue fly through PEK. Some people who use positioning flights through Beijing using non-Star Alliance airlines need to make sure you are flying into PEK, or else need 2hr ground transportation from PKX to PEK.
PEK allows TWOV within 24hr to stay inside security zone airside. This is more convenient for immediate turn than Shanghai-PVG, which force all passengers to exit immigration and customs, then re-check in from land side, even if you have immediate turn within 24hr.

Who are going? When for outbound and inbound? Routing from major hubs:
July 2017

August 2017
Quinlanty: Aug 3, ORD-HKG-HGH; Aug 7, PVG-LAX-SFO-IAH-ORD-YYZ (see post #284 for a brief report on TWOV procedure at HGH).

September 2017
Kmxu: 1 Sept, IAD-HNL-GUM-, 3 Sept, GUM-PVG; 4 Sept, PVG-SFO-ORD
Quinlanty; Sep 1, IAD-HNL-GUM; Sept 3, GUM-PVG, Sep 4, PVG-SFO-ORD-YYZ
pushmyredbutton: Sept 1; SFO-HNL-GUM-HKG Sept 3rd: HKG-HGH, Sept 4th: PVG-SFO
X31: 8 Sept BTV-EWR-SFO-HKG-HGH; 11 Sept PVG-NRT; 12 Sept HND-SFO-IAH-EWR; 13 Sept EWR-YUL
Kmxu + 3: 9 Sept, IAD-SFO-HKG-HGH; 12 Sept, PVG-SFO-IAD
techdarko: 12 Sept, SFO-HKG; 14 Sept, HKG-HGH; 16 Sept, PVG-SFO
Quinlanty: Sep 14; SFO-HKG-HGH; Sep 18, PVG-SFO-YVR
bencanfly: Sep 14, SFO-HKG-HGH; Sep 18, PVG-SFO-IAD
tde211: Sept 17, SFO-HKG-HGH; Oct 18 - PVG-SFO-YVR
Fishleafer: Sep 20, SFO-HKG-HGH; Sep 26, PVG-SFO-YVR
X31: 21 Sept BTV-EWR-HNL-GUM-HKG; 23 Sept HKG-HGH; 25 Sept PVG-SFO-IAH-EWR; 26 Sept EWR-YUL
985X: Sept 22, LAX-SFO-HKG; Sept 23, HKG-HGH; Sept 25, PVG-LAX; Sept 26, LAX-YVR
flyingstudent: Sept 23: SFO-HGH
netoreisinger: 30 Sept, BOS-EWR-HKG-HGH; 4 Oct, PVG-SFO-ORD-YUL

October 2017
gba: Oct 22, SFO-HKG-HGH; Oct 29: PVG-NRT-SEA-YVR
beyounged: Oct 24, SAN-SFO-HKG, Oct 26, HKG-HGH, Nov 8, PVG-HND-YVR
as219: Oct 26, LGA-ORD-HKG (+1); Oct 30: HKG-SFO-EWR-YUL (+1)
X31: 26 Oct BTV-ORD-HKG; 28 Oct HKG-HGH; 30 Oct PVG-SFO; 31 Oct SFO-ORD-YUL
riphamilton +1: Oct 27, BOS-EWR-HNL-GUM-HKG (+1); Oct 30: HKG-GUM-NRT; Oct 31: NRT-ORD-YUL

November 2017
Quinlanty: Nov 3, BOS-EWR-HKG-HGH; Nov 6, HGH-SFO-IAH-ORD-YYZ
pushmyredbutton: Nov 19: BDL-ORD-HKG-HGH, Nov 27 HGH HKG-SFO-(YVR)
Davistev: Nov26, LAX-NRT-PVG

December 2017
Kmxu: Dec 1, IAH-HNL-GUM-HKG; Dec 3, HKG-HGH, Dec 4, PVG-SFO-IAD
X31: Dec 1, YUL-IAD-IAH; Dec 2, IAH-LAX-PVG; Dec 4, HGH-HKG-GUM-HNL; Dec 4, HNL-EWR-BTV.

January 2018
Kewldude21: Jan 14 IAH-EWR-HKG Jan 16 HKG-HGH Jan 22 PVG-SFO-IAH
mpiotrow: Jan 21, ORD-SFO-KIX; Jan 23, KIX-HGH; Jan 24, HGH-HKG-GUM-HNL-DEN-YYZ

February 2018

March 2018
Davistev: Mar03, PVG-SFO-YVR
flyer777lr: Mar 20, DEN-HNL-GUM; Mar 23, GUM-KIX (NH)-HGH; Mar 26, HGH-HKG-GUM-HNL; Mar 27, HNL-EWR-YYZ
Kewldude21: Mar 22 IAH-EWR-HKG Mar 24 HKG-HGH Mar 28 HGH-PEK-SFO-IAH
flyme2: Mar 28, BTV-ORD-HKG; Mar 29: HKG-HGH; Apr 17: HKG-EWR-YUL
JetSetDave: Mar 29, EUG-SFO-HKG-HGH; April 3, PVG-SFO-EUG
Coeur 05: March 31, bos-sfo-hkg-pvg; April 5, PVG-lax-ord-yow

April 2018
ttyl: Apr 01 BTV-IAD-EWR-HKG; Apr 02 HKG-HGH; Apr 04 PVG-SFO-IAD-LGA-YUL
Toronto1970: April 6, EWR-ORD-HKG-HGH; April 13, CTU-SFO-EWR-YYZ
Exiled in Express: April 18, ORD-HKG-HGH; April 30, WUH-NRT-SEA-YVR
X31: Apr. 28 : BTV-EWR-HKG-HGH; May 1st : PVG-KIX; May 15th : ITM-HND-YVR-YYJ

May 2018
Kewldude21: May 3 IAH-SFO-HKG May 13 PEK-SFO-IAH

October 2018
KMXU, Oct. 18, IAD-SFO-HKG-HGH, Oct. 25, PVG-SFO-IAD

November 2018
KMXU, Nov. 14, ORD-HKG-XIY, Nov. 19, PEK-ORD

September 2019
xinliz Sept 4 SFO-NRT-PVG Sept 25 PEK-EWR-YOW
Flying Machine Sept 9 LAX-SFO-HKG Sept 10 HKG-HGH Sept 16 PVG-SFO-IAD

October 2019
kmxu: Oct 26, IAH-HNL-GUM-HKG, Oct. 27, HKG-XIY, Oct 30, CTU-SFO-IAH
wolfpacktrojan: Oct. 26, EWR-SFO-PVG, Oct. 28, PVG-NRT-SFO-YVR

November 2019
kmxuand his colleague: Nov 9, IAD-PEK, Nov 12, PEK-NRT-HNL-SFO-YYZ
kmxu's colleague: Nov 13, YYZ-IAD-NRT-PEK, Nov. 16, PEK-ORD
kmxu: Nov. 20, IAD-NRT-PEK, Nov. 22, PEK-EWR-YYZ
kmxu: Nov. 23, YYZ-IAD-NRT-PEK, Nov. 26, PEK-ORD
aquanine Nov 28: LAX-SFO-KIX, Nov 30: KIX-PEK, Dec 2: PEK-SFO-YVR

December 2019
kmxu: Nov. 30, IAD-NRT-PEK, Dec. 2, PEK-ORD-YYZ
kmxu: Dec. 3, YYZ-IAD-NRT-PEK, Dec. 6, PEK-ORD
jskang Dec 5, EWR-PVG, Dec 8, PEK-NRT-IAD-YOW

January 2020


February 2020


March 2020

April 2020
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UA, USA to China OJ from $303 ai

Old Jul 29, 2017, 1:21 pm
  #211  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
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Found one BOS-EWR-HKG-HGH-SFO-IAD-YYZ for $267 with a 9/3 departure and another that week for $301.. Used Google flights.. So there still there..
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 2:15 pm
  #212  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
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for my reroute, i think i'll spend an extra day in HKG (arriving HKG from GUM the night of 10/28, departing HKG the afternoon of 10/30). i'll fly NH to HND, spend the night and next day in tokyo, and then NRT-ORD-YUL on UA.

i considered doing something similar via ICN (to go on a tour of the JSA) instead of tokyo, but the friend i'm traveling with preferred tokyo.

i'll wait a couple of days before i call in, as i look forward to hearing other reroute ideas!
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 4:39 pm
  #213  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: YUL
Posts: 37
Originally Posted by Kmxu
(...) Note that HGH-HKG(CX)-USA will not work if you do not have Chinese visa. (...)
Pardon the newbe question but why a Chinese visa would be needed?
Wouldn't the 144 hrs TWOV work since HKG is considered a different country?
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 5:11 pm
  #214  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Originally Posted by FamTaYul
Pardon the newbe question but why a Chinese visa would be needed?
Wouldn't the 144 hrs TWOV work since HKG is considered a different country?
You need to go from country A to China to Country C (with HK & Macau being counted as different countries for TWOV purposes). So arriving Hong Kong to China and then going back to Hong Kong wouldn't meet (no third country) It doesn't matter what your final itinerary is, but the country right before entering PRC and country immediately after departing PRC
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 5:11 pm
  #215  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Originally Posted by FamTaYul
Pardon the newbe question but why a Chinese visa would be needed?
Wouldn't the 144 hrs TWOV work since HKG is considered a different country?
TWOV requires a routing of C1-china-C2. HKG-HGH-HKG is C1-china-C1.

love the username, btw!
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 11:37 pm
  #216  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 149
So I had my HGH-SFO segment dropped too. What are the odds they would agree to change my itinerary from HKG-HGH-SFO to HKG-TPE-SFO? Is it worth even asking?
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 1:18 am
  #217  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: YUL
Posts: 37
Originally Posted by FLA77
So I had my HGH-SFO segment dropped too. What are the odds they would agree to change my itinerary from HKG-HGH-SFO to HKG-TPE-SFO? Is it worth even asking?
If you ask, I don't know what the result will be. But I DO know what the result will be if you DON'T ask...

"Ask for the Moon, they might not want it anyway."
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 6:17 am
  #218  
 
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Originally Posted by FLA77
So I had my HGH-SFO segment dropped too. What are the odds they would agree to change my itinerary from HKG-HGH-SFO to HKG-TPE-SFO? Is it worth even asking?
i would say essentially 100%, especially since a *A carrier (eva) flies the route nonstop.
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 8:02 am
  #219  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 149
Originally Posted by FamTaYul
If you ask, I don't know what the result will be. But I DO know what the result will be if you DON'T ask...

"Ask for the Moon, they might not want it anyway."
Rock solid logic! Thanks. I always tell people the same thing, so thanks for the reminder..

Originally Posted by riphamilton
i would say essentially 100%, especially since a *A carrier (eva) flies the route nonstop.
Good. That will be my first ask. Though I would want to be on UA metal for the TPE-SFO segment, and I believe they have dailies. At least I know they have it on my targeted day. Thanks.
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 8:04 am
  #220  
 
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I had an issue with UA last year when they dropped SGN-HKG.. I worked with them and they offered their "joint venture" partner ANA. I said thanks and will need to call back as I want to adjust my itinerary. In the end, it worked out very well for me.. I looked at all the possibilities (called back) and they let me change my routing to one that I had liked.. I have found that UA is quite helpful when they have a "change of service".. and in my instance when they "eliminated a route" they were even more helpful.. Just wait for your best routing and then strike. Its important to know the flights and dates that you want to substitute (as this makes the agents job so much easier).. Creative routings will apply.. Best of luck and Safe Travels

Last edited by Flying Machine; Jul 30, 2017 at 9:01 am
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 8:45 am
  #221  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Originally Posted by riphamilton
i would say essentially 100%, especially since a *A carrier (eva) flies the route nonstop.

Question: The itinerary was not to HKG but to HGH, with a transit to HKG on way to HGH. Will UA allow the original itinerary to terminate in HKG and forego the HKG-HGH segment?
I called the 1K line asking about how to return from HGH to USA/Canada and was told yesterday that only return departure fro PVG was covered by the protection based on discontinuance of HGH flight.I had wanted to fly with KA back to HKG and from there return via GUM and HNL to mainland.
I was further told that since the discontinuance of HGH flights was just announced tge day before my call that I should wait about a week to see whatever return options were being formulated. I'll wsit and see whatever FTers post about their experiences before I try 1K again.
Last year. I had 3 itineraries including HKG-SGN segments; UA finally agreed, without too much problems to reroute from HKG to SGN flying with OZ ( Asiana) via ICN (Seoul)

Last edited by cagcag; Jul 30, 2017 at 1:42 pm
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 10:29 am
  #222  
 
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Originally Posted by cagcag
Question: The itinerary was not to HKG but to HGH, with a transit to HKG on way to HGH. Will UA allow the original itinerary to terminate in HKG and forego the JKG-HGH segment?
I called the 1K line asking about how to return from HGH to USA/Canada and was told yesterday that only return departure fro PVG was covered by the protection based on discontinuance of HGH flight.I had wanted to fly with KA back to HKG and from there return via GUM and HNL to mainland.
I was further told that since the discontinuance of HGH flights was just announced tge day before my call that I should wait about a week to see whatever return options were being formulated. I'll wsit and see whatever FTers post about their experiences before I try 1K again.
Last year. I had 3 itineraries including HKG-SGN segments; UA finally agreed, without too much problems to reroute from HKG to SGN flying with OZ ( Asiana) via ICN (Seoul)
this is the same response that i got. in an odd call, i had the agent rebook my return as HKG-HND/NRT-ORD-YUL. no problem. he then went to get the ticket reissued, and then came back with what was clearly a form response: UA will no longer be serving HGH, and the only free rebooking permitted is to return to the states via PVG, after we fly our existing HKG-HGH legs.

i'll obviously HUCA, but the similarities between our calls do concern me.
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 11:09 am
  #223  
 
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Originally Posted by FLA77
Rock solid logic! Thanks. I always tell people the same thing, so thanks for the reminder..
Sometimes time is more valuable
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 11:45 am
  #224  
 
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Originally Posted by riphamilton
this is the same response that i got. in an odd call, i had the agent rebook my return as HKG-HND/NRT-ORD-YUL. no problem. he then went to get the ticket reissued, and then came back with what was clearly a form response: UA will no longer be serving HGH, and the only free rebooking permitted is to return to the states via PVG, after we fly our existing HKG-HGH legs.

i'll obviously HUCA, but the similarities between our calls do concern me.
I just called the 1K line and got what I considered to be a great agent. She had to chat with the 'schedule change department' but also came back with a pretty canned response along the lines of:
"When United pulls out of a market, we determine which options are available for rerouting, and since HGH is no longer a city we serve, we're only offering rebooking options out of PVG, which is 188 miles from HGH... or I can offer you a full refund so you can rebook on another carrier out of HGH."
Further, when I tried to get creative and do PVG-GUM-HNL-SFO, all on UA, she was unable to price it as a valid routing, leaving me with only PVG-SFO direct. I was surprised they wouldn't book HGH-ICN/TPE/NRT/PEK-SFO, and I'm not sure if it has to do with the low fare on the ticket, but it's discouraging if this is the future for planned schedule changes.
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Old Jul 30, 2017, 12:56 pm
  #225  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
I just called the 1K line and got what I considered to be a great agent. She had to chat with the 'schedule change department' but also came back with a pretty canned response along the lines of:
"When United pulls out of a market, we determine which options are available for rerouting, and since HGH is no longer a city we serve, we're only offering rebooking options out of PVG, which is 188 miles from HGH... or I can offer you a full refund so you can rebook on another carrier out of HGH."
Further, when I tried to get creative and do PVG-GUM-HNL-SFO, all on UA, she was unable to price it as a valid routing, leaving me with only PVG-SFO direct. I was surprised they wouldn't book HGH-ICN/TPE/NRT/PEK-SFO, and I'm not sure if it has to do with the low fare on the ticket, but it's discouraging if this is the future for planned schedule changes.
Does everyone understand that this is a OJ self-dump and calling the airline to move things around should be avoided at all costs?

If one looks at HKG, PVG or PEK RT, it's $560 at the lowest (for me), but somehow when you include a KA or CX segment in the middle, then OJ it to Canada, it's $282.. Yes, it's a trick. Yes, it's published. Book it while it lasts and avoid calling UA and showing a human your itinerary.
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