Kacee

Will UA buy you a paid ticket on CA if they've delivered you on time but there are no award seats open? Maybe. Wouldn't count on it. Life (and airline travel) is full of uncertainties.

JDS747

They'll accommodate you one way or another but it will be when there is availability. Maybe that's the CA flight that night or maybe it's a TG flight two days later. No one really knows the answer as to when since there are so many factors involved.

Most of the time when you misconnect a long haul flight you get to spend at least one night at the connection point.

moondog

The OP's inbound flight would probably have to be so late that it misconnected with the CA flight in addition to the TG flight in order for the overnight to be forced. I've never seen either of these flights go out 100% full outside of Chinese holiday periods.

LaserSailor

No.

SunLover

PEK is the most delayed major airport in the world. IMO avoid connecting there at all costs. As always YMMV.


SunLover

rankourabu

I was hoping moondog would chime in. This is the most knoledgeable poster here about anything China. Go with that advice!

acregal

I had a CA-UA connection there in December. My CA flight from ICN was delayed, and by the time I got to a transfer desk (CA couldn't issue my BP in ICN), the agent called UA at the gate, who then refused to issue the BP (it was after the flight was under gate control). The CA agent at the counter gave me a UA phone number, some paper for immigration saying I had been rebooked on the next day's flight to SFO (I was traveling to ORD) and told me to call them to get rebooked. When I pointed out I didn't have any money, so I couldn't use the phone, she gave me a phone card. This was on Christmas, so merry Christmas from UA.

I found the UA baggage office and went there (as I had checked bags) - the staff there were actually helpful and tried the counter, but nobody was there. They then told me to go to a CA counter and see if they could help. I went there and they, after initially insisting my CA flight wasn't late (I never even brought it up and tried to get them to help me), called someone from UA over and they had rebooked me on an AC flight that night.

Definitely not going to transit in PEK again.

rankourabu

Sounds like this could be a connection in any delay-prone US airport, where carriers pass the buck to each other.

If there is a delay - you need to know alternatives and demand to be put on flights you want - if you leave it up to the airline agents, they will go with line of least resistance - this is not a PEK issue.

bmwe92fan

While I don't disagree with you - PEK is typically the worst or next to worst airport for on time departures in the world - and has been for many years for a variety of issues, including the military, it's treatment of foreign carriers, and too much traffic.

So IMO it is MUCH more likely to happen here. I NEVER connect in PEK if I can avoid it. PEK delays are so common to Chinese / HK residents it's not if it will be delayed, it's how much... Last report I saw showed only 18% of flights depart PEK on time - makes EWR look world class LOL...

moondog

Many thanks to you -- and also Kacee -- for your kind words. I'm sincerely flattered.

I have to say that I agree with the posters who have said PEK is a terrible place to connect, though I'm predicting that SHA and/or PVG will steal the "most delayed airport in the world" crown from it when the next rankings come out. Check out this thread in the CX forum if you're interested in reading FTer accounts about the madness: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...ht-delays.html

That having been said, as I suggested upthread, long haul-->regional connections are usually doable. Insofar as the reverse (regional-->long haul) is concerned, if it's essential that you make a specific flight on the way out, I suggest a 2.5 hour layover (or overnight if you have time to spare). If you don't mind rolling the dice, and your flights are on a single ticket, then you can try for 1.5 hours.

rankourabu

Have a read (this is only based on one month - June - but the statistics are real from Flightstats)
http://www.realclearworld.com/lists/...ayed_airports/

so OP dont worry, there is only 18% chance your TG flight will be departing on time anyway :P

JDS747

This is good advice and essentially what I follow when booking long haul connections.

SunLover

You can also add smog/fog weather delays to that list.


SunLover

bmwe92fan

Yep. I was in Beijing a few months ago and literally every time I went outside my throat hurt and my eyes were watering down my face. Even the locals wouldn't go out! Here is a picture from the ride from the airport into town:



This was a "sunny" day in Beijing - no clouds - only smog! It's hard to tell from the picture, but the sky was actually slightly yellow - and the acidic feel in the air was amazing...

EmailKid

Used TWOV a couple of times a couple of years ago, and had nice day each time.

Flying out the next day, there was smog everywhere by the time I got to the airport, and ruined my chance to take a picture of Dreamliner that was touring Asia

And next day's flight was cancelled due to low visibility