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Anyone have experience connecting UA to Cayman Airway (KX) in GCM?

Anyone have experience connecting UA to Cayman Airway (KX) in GCM?

Old Mar 23, 2019, 5:13 pm
  #1  
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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Anyone have experience connecting UA to Cayman Airway (KX) in GCM?

I'm traveling to Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) tomorrow for a fairly last-minute business trip with UA through IAH to GCM and then connecting to Cayman Airways (KX) from GCM to KIN.

eCheck-In on UA.com is giving me a "This is not a boarding pass" Agent Reference GG ACI TCI for the KX flight -- which also seems to disable mobile boarding passes for the preceding UA-operated segments in the app.

Planning on getting to my originating airport extra early and have plenty of time in GCM (~3 hours) so I'm not overly worried, but curious if anyone know what to expect -- specifically the odds of my bag being through-checked (which I'm hoping are high) and the chances staying airside/not having to clear Cayman customs (which I'm assuming are low)
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 5:15 pm
  #2  
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They have a baggage interline agreement, so they should check your bags through.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 5:41 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
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I've done it when diving Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, though always on separate tickets. Almost positive you'll have to enter the Caymans, drag your bag around to the check in desks, and go through security (which can be a long, slow line). Three hours should be plenty, I did it in 2.5 hours last time and had plenty of time to grab lunch between flights across the street from the airport.

Caveat: They were actively doing construction on the terminal when I was last there, December 2017. It's possible something has changed between then and now.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 6:29 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by zspitzer
I've done it when diving Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, though always on separate tickets. Almost positive you'll have to enter the Caymans, drag your bag around to the check in desks, and go through security (which can be a long, slow line). Three hours should be plenty, I did it in 2.5 hours last time and had plenty of time to grab lunch between flights across the street from the airport.

Caveat: They were actively doing construction on the terminal when I was last there, December 2017. It's possible something has changed between then and now.
Sweet and good to know. Mine is a single ticket (well... single PNR and ticket issued by UA... if the copy of the Itin Cayman Airways sent me after I asked for a seat assignment is true there are 3 wildly different 016 ticket #s associated with the res...but it also shows that the ticket was issued at "SASKYLAKH, E URAL RUSSIA" I'm not sure I'm completely trusting their IT. I'm *hoping* with the Interline Bag agreement @mduell mentioned I may get out of dragging my bag around -- but good to know there's something near the airport. Even if I don't "have" to enter the Caymans with 3 hours if there's something near the airport it might be worth it to grab a non-airport late lunch.
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Old Mar 24, 2019, 1:58 pm
  #5  
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Ok... So... Posting this while on attempt #2 for IAH-GCM
- Bag was checked all the way the through to KIN
- Due to maintenance we had an aircraft swap so most likely will misconnect and spend the night in GCM. UA club a d UA gate agent have confirmed that hotel will be on UA, but can't actually issue anything till I get to GCM
- If this flight gets off the ground as scheduled I now have 30 minutes to make the original flight.

Anyone know who ground handles UA in GCM and their level of skill?
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Old Mar 25, 2019, 6:16 am
  #6  
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That was an adventure.

After a mechanical delay and aircraft swap (on an already delayed flight due to an upline aircraft swap) arrived in GCM with 12 minutes before departure of Cayman's KX606. I thought there wasn't a chance in heck, especially since I didn't have a boarding pass for the connecting flight. In IAH, I had the United Club back me up on KX620 this (the following) morning, which was a bit of an ordeal to get in the record but turned out not to be needed.

A wonderful agent intercepted me and ran me through customs while saying not to worry, they were holding the flight for me (some of the most beautiful words in the English language ), ran me through immigration, waited for my bag at baggage claim, ran me through customs, and brought me to the Cayman ticket counter to drop my bag and get a boarding pass since UA couldn't issue for KX.

Despite my bag being checked all the way through (tagged CLE-IAH-GCM-KIN) they said "we don't have it on our system" so insisted on collecting $20 to check and re-tag the bag. Obviously, at this point -- at D+1 on the flight they're holding, I wasn't going to argue and paid. Cayman suggested I take it up with United.

Same agent that had been my personal escort ran me through security (essentially no line), and to the gate where I was the last passenger to board, and made it to Kingston on the same day as intended.
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