dholsinger

I'm sure I'll quickly be disciplined if this belongs in the wrong forum or has been posted before...

That said, I've scoured forums and don't have a complete answer.

Here's the deal ...

I have an award ticket, booked via the old CO system, SGN-ICN-PVG-SFO.

SGN-ICN and ICN-PVG are on OZ (Asiana) in C.
PVG-SFO is on UA in F.

All the same PNR. (And probably a red herring, but possibly worth mentioning - this PNR changed because of the 3/3 system cutover.)

Connection time in PVG is 1:40 (100 minutes). Just double-checked with a United agent who says that this *is* a legal connection given the flight numbers, even interline. Apparently some flights at PVG require a longer minimum connection.

However, info found here and elsewhere about PVG would seem to indicate that this may not be realistic.

My questions are as follows:

(1) Per folks' latest experience, is a 100 minute I-I connection at PVG feasible or not? *A airlines are all in same terminal. And just a few days ago I saw a posting that per new airport policy, passengers no longer have to clear immigration twice on I-I connections;

(2) Will OZ even try to check my bags through to SFO?

(3) Even if OZ checks them through, will PVG respect that? Sounds like this may be a crapshoot given older postings but maybe things have improved in their baggage system?

(4) If I miss my connection in PVG to my UA flight, is UA going to give a damn that I had an award ticket in F? And given that it's a flight to SFO I would guess that the chances of getting an F seat even if they did rebook me would be close to zero...?

I'm sweating this quite a bit - leaving on my outbound journey to SGN in just a few days. I know that in theory, everything is legal, and neither airline has the right to stick me at PVG if I miss the connection. I'm just more interested in the praticality of the thing.

andryas

I was just there (PVG) this Monday (3/26), connecting from SQ to TK. I still had to clear immigration, collect my baggage, and recheck-in at TK counter even though I already had the TK boarding passes (printed by SQ) and through luggage tag.

dholsinger

Thanks - somehow I figured the good news was probably too good to be true. How long did it take you?

dholsinger

I just wanted to get this down for posterity; hopefully someone searching on this topic in the future will find my anecdotal information useful.

They're not kidding about the 2 hour minimum connection - had I been in coach, I may well have not been able to check in for my connecting UA flight in time.

I made my connection, but the process took over an hour, and I was in F, going to F (so first off the plane, and priority line when getting my boarding pass). I also had no checked luggage.

PVG must have been designed by Franz Kafka. Chinese customs/immigration at PEK was very straightforward; PVG was probably the weirdest international transfer I've ever done.

While there is an international transfer desk that you'll see as you arrive from your international flight, in my case, it wasn't staffed, and the doors to the transfer area were locked. That was at 11am on a weekday, so I'm guessing it's generally not staffed.

This means that despite reports to the contrary, you still have to double-clear immigration - once for arrival and once for departure.

Make sure you fill out both halves of the China immigration form they give you on the plane - they will take both. (Actually, make sure you get one. Going through PEK, Air China told me I wouldn't need one, and I didn't ... there.) Where it asked for address in China, I just wrote "transit" and that seemed to be OK. (I'm a US citizen, no transit visa required.)

Step one, arrival: present passport to immigration official. The officer takes a cursory look, asks to see the boarding pass for my connecting flight, stamps passport, and calls his supervisor over. I only had a printed itinerary with a ticket number on it, not an actual boarding pass (separate issue about interline transfer, to be continued...)

Supervisor comes over to desk, takes my passport, and directs me to a waiting area in front of a large glass watchtower-like thing in the middle of the immigration area. There's another US citizen in the holding pen with me; she takes both of our itineraries and apparently scans them, then walks away for 2-3 minutes - no idea what she's doing. Probably worth noting that neither of us had boarding passes since we were making interline connections. Eventually the immigration official came back and threw both passports onto the counter. I had to assume that meant we were free to go.

Free to go ... where, exactly. Once you leave the immigration area, there's no signage except "transfer to domestic terminal". Nothing at all about international transfers. For international transfers, you need to stay in the same terminal, but this isn't indicated *anywhere*. Since I had no connecting boarding pass, I had to go to United anyway, so I headed upstairs, assuming the check-in desks will be there; they are.

I get my boarding pass from United (thankfully no line), and then head over to clear immigration and security again. LOOOOONG line this time. No issue at the immigration desk; just present the boarding pass, he checks for the China arrival stamp, and stamps again and sends me on my way. Security is just plain weird - lots of little segregated areas where you're screened more or less alone.

Back to the interline transfer: I checked in at Asiana in SGN, and the agent wouldn't (couldn't?) print a boarding pass for my UA flight. (My itinerary was SGN-ICN-PVG-SFO.) While I've found that UA often doesn't take paper passes printed by another carrier, it still would have been nice to have *something* to show immigration. The OZ agent also said he couldn't check my bags to SFO, only to PVG, so my guess is that the baggage transfer issue at PVG is still not resolved.

During my layover at ICN, I stopped at the Star Alliance transfer desk (staffed by Asiana) and asked whether they could print me a boarding pass for my UA flight. The agent seemed willing to do so until she checked my itinerary. What UA said was a legal connection at PVG (1 hr 40 mins) was below the stated PVG minimum connection time, so she wouldn't print one.

Even better: the OZ agent actually held on to my ICN-PVG boarding pass and wouldn't give it back - she tried to force me to sign a waiver stating that I was connecting in less than MCT. I stated repeatedly, firmly but politely, that UA told me that my specific connection, my two flight numbers, was legal. At that point her English conveniently broke down and all she would do was repeat "minimum connection 2 hours". While she was shoving the waiver in my face (I'm not kidding, literally shoving it in my face), I reached over the counter, snatched my boarding pass back off her desk and walked away. I then spent probably 20 minutes on the phone with UA -- after figuring out how to dial internationally in Korea -- and while they couldn't check me in, they reassured me again that my connection was legal and that I would have no issue connecting at PVG.

So, while OZ's in-flight service is deservedly praised, I have to give their GAs a big thumbs-down. Star Alliance cooperation my a$$...

All in all, it leads me to say: never connect in PVG...especially not interline.

infomark

This is more a warning note for anyone doing the following. I flew HKG>PVG>EWR (reason $1,200 cheaper) . Leg one was Dragonaire leg 2 was UA all Biz Class and on the same reservation. I checked my bags at HKG and were told they would be checked through to Newark and to get my boarding pass at the transfer desk in PVG. I arrived at PVG but the transfer desk was closed! I was told I had to exit through immigration and recheck in in at the UA counter. Fine except I did not have any Chinese imigration documentation. Just a mobile boarding pass and baggage stubs! Got to the immigration official (about 45 mins) and after another 10 mins of pleading I was allowed into China to recheck in at the UA desk. At the UA Business Class desk, I was asked where my luggage was! "checked through to Newark" I replied. "Oh no its not it was offloaded here and is still in Baggage claim" I was sent back to the baggage area, where I had to talk my way back into the secure area, that was fun find my bags which were stacked agaist the wall and then hi-tail it back to the UA check in desk! i made it through immigration again and made the flight with about 5 mins to spare!
1/ Dragonaire was unaware of procedure in PVG
2/ TA was given bad information, he checked when he booked the ticket and was told bags would check through
3/ I felt the checkin desk could have been a bit more helpful in helping me get back to the Baggage area behind Chinese customs.
Hopefully if anyone else is doing this route this will help them.

chinatraderjmr

This is really the fault of Dragon Air and your TA
Your only sure to have your bags interlined IF staying on same ALLIANCE. PVG really is not so bad to transfer at, especially since we no longer need visas for even short stays. Had you been better informed by your TA you could would have known DragonAir won't check bags thru to UA and could have saved allot of time

andryas

True, even with all *A itinerary, see here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ction-pvg.html

The SQ check-in desk in CGK did not know either. I was fortunate the TK rep (MU lady) badged me in to get my luggage in lost and Found.

LIH Prem

nah. interline agreement.

-David

sandiegofun

I am glad I read this. I was tempted to connect thru PVG for a lower fare also, but this sounds like a terrible idea. Thanks for the heads up.

rob_flies_ua

It's not a terrible idea as long as you know what you're getting to and are properly prepared. There are many ways that an international transit can go wrong if you don't do your homework beforehand. For US passport holders transitting PVG without a visa, reading http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...hout-visa.html is simply a must.

Boghopper

The sad thing here is there are many airports/airlines where they will go get your luggage for you in these circumstances (even a transfer at NBO with ET, which is not exactly the best customer service combination). Not in China, though, nosirree.

infomark

Agreed, now I know what to expect, I would do it again.

moondog

You can NEVER be certain that your bags will be through checked at PVG, though MU-MU is increasingly close to perfect in this regard.

sfo3388

I booked a biz class award ticket from SIN to SFO with a plane change at PVG. (Biz class award on SIN-HKG-SFO and SIN-NRT-SFO are very hard to find.) I have read many FT posts about transit without visa so I think the visa part is covered. By reading this thread, I get some ideas of how is going to happen. Still I have a few questions:

1. My SQ flight arrives at 6:30am. UA flight leaves same day 12:10pm. Can I get UA boarding pass from SQ counter at SIN?

2. If I read the postings correctly, I will have to claim my luggage at PVG custom and check-in again at UA counter?

3. If I can not get UA boarding pass at SIN, how early UA counter is open at PVG, by assuming I can walk out of arrival area and go back to departure floor?

4. Which lounge can UA biz class passengers use?

Meanwhile, I will keep monitoring other connecting options at ICN, NRT, KIX or HKG.

Thanks!

moondog

This is not a trip I would take, but I'm guessing that you will be able to get both BPs and through checked bags in SIN. The reason I don't like it is that because following up a redeye with a transpac, after waiting in a dreadful lounge for 6 hours, is bound to be an unpleasant experience. On the other hand, if you can score one of the daytime flights to PVG on the previous day (even in Y), you will be much happier.