Hello,

As part of my upcoming LONE5, I'd hoped to book DPS-x/HKG-x/HEL-GOT. Unfortunately CX784 arrives HKG at 2045, and AY92 leaves at 2125-- ten minutes less than the official minimum connecting time. Whether or not I'd be able to physically make the AY flight is a bit beside the point, as QF refuses to reserve these two flights on the same day.

My question, then, is whether or not the 24h40 that I'll spend in Hong Kong will count as a stopover, and thus oblige me to pay the HKG tax? As the AY flight is the first available flight, do I have a case that this should really be considered a transit?

Thanks for the advice.

checkerboard

No case and no ambiguity. It is a stopover and no way around it except by adding a HKG-TPE-HKG loop, to cut your transit time below 24 hours, which seems a bit extreme and not cost effective.

thanks much.... I didn't think there was much hope to avoid this tax when I ticket.

taxes aside, though, in the name of expedience: if I try to check in at DPS all the way through to GOT, will CX allow the connection? or is 40 minutes really too short for me (and my bags) to get from one flight to another?

My understanding is that the HKG tax is paid if you don't fly out on the same calendar day. So the 24+ hour question is moot.

No airline will accept luggage for an illegal connection and most have software to check for that (the reason is that the last airline is responsible for your luggage, not the one that does the check-in, and the next airline will refuse to accept it if below the minimum connecting time, leaving the first airline in the lurch -- so they check diligently that you have a legal connection before accepting baggage). You can often get boarding passes issued for an illegal connection as long as you only have carry-on and no checked bags (also much faster for you to carry the bags than for the airline to do the transfer!). When cutting MCT close you simply cannot have checked bags. As for viability of making it, I have made 5 min from arrival to departure at HKG but that was with assistance and I was first off/last on (helps to be in F). Probably 15 minutes is the minimum possible, unless you are unlucky in gates and get the furthest ones in which case 20 minutes (all this provided you walk briskly). HKG is a very efficient airport.

Maybe there's a way...

Here's the itinerary I'm now scheduled on:

Tuesday MEL HKG
Wednesday x/HKG DPS
Friday DPS HKG
Saturday HKG HEL
Sunday x/HEL GOT

What I'd like to do is show up in DPS on Saturday, and check in straight throught to GOT.

If, when I check in for MEL-x/HKG-DPS, I only check my bags through to HKG, is there any chance that CX will be able to load my bags directly onto Saturday's HEL flight, so that I can avoid checking bags in DPS after all? I know its probably just wishful thinking, but in my experience, CX have always been remarkably helpful...