Help for choosing connecting flight
Jul 21, 2019, 2:33 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 123
Help for choosing connecting flight
Need some suggestion from experienced flyers.
Booked a reward ticket to PVG with SK997 departing at 18:40 next year which need reposition myself from LHR to CPH. I have two choices now, one is reward ticket with BA or cash ticket with SAS. Both flights are leaving around 10am, no problem for connection if first leg is on time.
My questions are:
If book with SAS, will they let me check my bag through PVG from LHR even on separate tickets?
Will book SAS give me better cover than BA if I miss my second flight due to delay? This is the first time reposition and there is always risk.
Thanks for any helpful suggestion.
Booked a reward ticket to PVG with SK997 departing at 18:40 next year which need reposition myself from LHR to CPH. I have two choices now, one is reward ticket with BA or cash ticket with SAS. Both flights are leaving around 10am, no problem for connection if first leg is on time.
My questions are:
If book with SAS, will they let me check my bag through PVG from LHR even on separate tickets?
Will book SAS give me better cover than BA if I miss my second flight due to delay? This is the first time reposition and there is always risk.
Thanks for any helpful suggestion.
Jul 21, 2019, 6:08 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: VNO
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond
Posts: 111
If you are booked on two separate tickets you don't have any protection in case of delays. There might though be some understanding from SK side in case you hold high status with SAS and you miss your connection due to a delayed or canceled flight. In such case I would proactively consult their customer service once a delay is announced.
To check through the luggage SK-SK should be no problem despite LHR is an outstation and there is no obligation for SK to provide this service. Again, status or a plus ticket will help here.
To check through the luggage SK-SK should be no problem despite LHR is an outstation and there is no obligation for SK to provide this service. Again, status or a plus ticket will help here.
Jul 22, 2019, 12:18 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: CPH, BRU
Programs: LH SEN* (*G), EBG (*G)
Posts: 793
This part makes me worried, make sure to have plenty of time to cope with issues.
I would absolutely also go with SAS, buy plus (maybe 250 DKK more than if you need to buy SAS go + luggage) and check luggage through.
I would absolutely also go with SAS, buy plus (maybe 250 DKK more than if you need to buy SAS go + luggage) and check luggage through.
Jul 22, 2019, 2:15 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
You can call the TA who you used for the CPH-PVG booking and have them add the LHR-CPH leg. If you used the SK website for the booking you can call the SK servicedesk. Adding the leg to the current ticket should be free of charge as the price is EU-Asia which included all connection flights.
Jul 22, 2019, 5:23 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
Have you call SK and gotten this verified? Additional £250 in taxes for LHR-CPH sounds wrong. Last year I had a first class *A award flight to Australia with a 1 week stop over in Japan. In total 8 legs, where the first were CPH-LHR. Total taxes were around £500
Jul 22, 2019, 5:56 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 123
Yes, just rechecked the difference was around £200 and it's mainly the APD departing from UK.
Jul 22, 2019, 6:10 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: FRA, JFK
Programs: BAEC GGL, A3*S, Bonvoy Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 1,006
I would take the early SAS flight.
Checking your luggage through to PVG shouldn't be a problem (SAS even checked it through for a friend of mine on EWR-OSL-WAW where the second leg was in LOT and both flights on separate tickets).
6 hours in CPH is plenty.
In June I flew FRA-CPH-EWR and was supposed to have 1h 40m but due to a massive delay I was left with less than 20m.
I still made it (was the last to board) and the second flight wasn't even delayed.
Checking your luggage through to PVG shouldn't be a problem (SAS even checked it through for a friend of mine on EWR-OSL-WAW where the second leg was in LOT and both flights on separate tickets).
6 hours in CPH is plenty.
In June I flew FRA-CPH-EWR and was supposed to have 1h 40m but due to a massive delay I was left with less than 20m.
I still made it (was the last to board) and the second flight wasn't even delayed.
Jul 22, 2019, 6:33 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
Jul 22, 2019, 6:51 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 123
LHR-PVG cost 60000 + £210
CPH-PVG cost 60000 + £15
That's why I choose to buy revenue ticket between LHR-CPH
Jul 22, 2019, 4:05 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,153
If you break the ticket in two, and potentially take LHR to CPH in Y, you can get around a lot of the distance based UK envy tax. There is a quite high fee for flying long haul out of the UK in premium classes. But I guess the UK coffers has to be filled in some way.
Jul 22, 2019, 11:58 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,643
UK applies ADP for all flights leaving the uk whether award or revenue. It doesn’t matter whether the flight is direct or one stop as it is based on bands. C and F is higher than Y and applies either long haul or short.
As OP has realised you get around this by booking two tickets, however given the need to book a flight to CPH, the total difference may not be that great and the savings may be outweighed by other issues (misconnect etc).
As OP has realised you get around this by booking two tickets, however given the need to book a flight to CPH, the total difference may not be that great and the savings may be outweighed by other issues (misconnect etc).
Jul 23, 2019, 12:06 am
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
To me there is absolutely no question about what I would do, book the flight from LHR-PVG. That way you have one ticket and a connection with protection. Originating from CPH and buying a revenue ticket LHR-CPH is false economy. In this scenario you don't have a connection, you have two separate flights. If the positioning flight is very late or cancelled, your long haul trip vanishes and you have no claim against SK to get you anywhere. You simply didn't show up for your flight and your ticket auto-cancelled. In a single ticket scenario your luggage is also checked at LHR to PVG.
Jul 23, 2019, 12:29 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Silver, SAS Diamond and LTG, Marriott Titanium and LT Plat, Radisson Premium
Posts: 130
To me there is absolutely no question about what I would do, book the flight from LHR-PVG. That way you have one ticket and a connection with protection. Originating from CPH and buying a revenue ticket LHR-CPH is false economy. In this scenario you don't have a connection, you have two separate flights. If the positioning flight is very late or cancelled, your long haul trip vanishes and you have no claim against SK to get you anywhere. You simply didn't show up for your flight and your ticket auto-cancelled. In a single ticket scenario your luggage is also checked at LHR to PVG.