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Tight Connection in HKG - Denied Boarding Because Bags Misconnect

Tight Connection in HKG - Denied Boarding Because Bags Misconnect

Old Aug 1, 2019, 9:35 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by PTahCha
Hence why they tell you to be at the airport 2-3 hours early to complete check-in procedures for international flights.
Precisely. The onus is on the traveler to understand the procedures at their airport and to know how likely it is to be able to get from check-in to the gate in 30 minutes.

At AUS, I'd have no problem checking in for an international flight at T-60 and making it to the gate by T-30. At MNL, not so much.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 11:31 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
You're subject to offloading at T-30. Anyone who travels frequently should know this. That said, with empty J seats, sounds like the GAs were unnecessarily overaggressive.

I will add that with CX at HKG I've gotten used to showing up at the gate around 15 minutes prior to departure. They would never offload a J pax in this situation. It's a completely different attitude from UA.
The difference between the UA and CX staff at HKG in this instance is stark; UA didn't put her in a seat they had available and with plenty of time to board; CX upgraded her to J even though they didn't need to.


Originally Posted by PTahCha
But she gets to fly Cathay in J *and* earning UA miles on ORC, I say it's a win-win.
Hah - yes, for us FTers, it'd definitely be a win. I am having to walk her through all the bonus benefits (ORC) she's getting because of the re-route. She's also stuck in DL economy transcon to her final destination, since she her upgrade on her domestic flight had not yet cleared, so not perfect, but c'est la vie.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 12:29 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by OhioExile
The difference between the UA and CX staff at HKG in this instance is stark; UA didn't put her in a seat they had available and with plenty of time to board; CX upgraded her to J even though they didn't need to.
There's no "plenty of time" when she's already missed the published cutoff.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 12:35 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by mduell
There's no "plenty of time" when she's already missed the published cutoff.
There was no reason to offload her before the door closed. They didn't need the seat. It's just pettiness.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 12:57 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by chavala
Im confused. Unless they have already finished the boarding process, how would anyone know who is at the gate at T30 if youre checked in.
They wouldn't. I'm going to make the assumption that the passenger being discussed by the OP arrived at the gate after boarding was closed. Otherwise, they would have just boarded along with the other passengers, and the only way it would have come up would have been if the GA had offloaded them prior to that point, such that the BP reader rejected them even though it allowed everyone else in line to continue boarding. If that had been the case, I think it very probable that this would have been mentioned in the OP. Since it wasn't, and also since the flight went out with empty J seats meaning there wasn't the last person on the upgrade waitlist or NRSA to clear, I assume that boarding was closed when they got there and they had to speak to the GA directly.

What if you wanted to board last?

Not a problem, as long as by "last" you mean immediately after the second-to-last person. They're not going to close the boarding process while people are still boarding, regardless of the time. But, if everyone in the gate area has boarded, and you're not there, and it's less than T-30 for an int'l flight, then you risk being offloaded. The fact that most of the time, boarding doesn't finish until T-20 won't help you if on a particular flight it finishes at T-35, they wait until T-30, and you're not there yet. They may or may not offload you at that point, but it's the risk you take if you're not there at that point.

Also, regarding the checked-bag reason given by the GA, isn't it possible that this is red herring? Perhaps the GA knew that the real reason was that they closed the flight at T-29 as they are entitled to do, and that in their experience, passengers arriving soon after that time are more likely to accept a security-related-sounding explanation regarding checked bags rather than "T-30 is the rule and you're late," which inevitably in a situation such as this leads to further argument and discussion since "it's not my fault I'm late." That is, perhaps there is no rule regarding checked bags not making it, at HKG or anywhere else, even in this particular GA's mind.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:11 pm
  #21  
 
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OK, looking at my BP for today SFO-HKG....
Flight at 1:20pm, Boarding begins 12:30pm, Boarding ends 1:05pm.
So as long as someone is there by “boarding ends”, how can they deny them?

OMG I’m sitting around reading FT and just realized I’m boarding in a few minutes. This could have been me!
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:17 pm
  #22  
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Originally Posted by chavala
So as long as someone is there by boarding ends, how can they deny them?
Because when the boarding pass conflicts with the contract of carriage, the latter wins. They need to fix their boarding passes.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:20 pm
  #23  
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Maybe the CoC wins, but the passenger would be entitled to something and this would be a valid DOT complaint.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:24 pm
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Maybe the CoC wins, but the passenger would be entitled to something and this would be a valid DOT complaint.
meh, DOT will just refer the matter to the airline. The airline will fall back on the CoC, but will probably throw some miles around to make the passenger go away. If enough people complain about this issue (unlikely), then maybe someone at the DOT will give United a firm talking-to.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:40 pm
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by ani90
This 30 minute deadline is also not reflected on the boarding pass of several international flights I have taken so have in many occasions strolled to the gate at T-20 to avoid the crowd and standing in line to board (assuming I choose not to board early). Indeed I was on a UA flight yesterday from an international origin and the boarding ends time is 15 min before departure. Also I don't get how check in time is up to T-60 if gate closed T-30. Many international airports if you get to check in desk at T-63, it would be impossible to complete check-in, get through security and immigration and then be at the gate by T-30.

Certainly the rule exists but is likely there just to protect the airline in situations like this, where they advertently or inadvertently deny a passenger boarding, as opposed to being an operational rule. Very likely some other reason (other than being under 30 mins) exists for the denied boarding. They probably just didn't think she could make the connection and just closed the flight early.
While I have heard about this "30 minute" rule I have also numerous times strolled to the gate at T-20 to avoid the boarding scrum. If I have a F/Biz seat I often board last, been doing this for years. I have even gone as far as tell the GA I won't be boarding to last and not to worry, then head back to the lounge. Hey, but as PTahCha said it was a win win, she flew J with Cathay and got her UA miles, I guess all be it delayed.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:48 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Steve M
They wouldn't. I'm going to make the assumption that the passenger being discussed by the OP arrived at the gate after boarding was closed. Otherwise, they would have just boarded along with the other passengers, and the only way it would have come up would have been if the GA had offloaded them prior to that point, such that the BP reader rejected them even though it allowed everyone else in line to continue boarding. If that had been the case, I think it very probable that this would have been mentioned in the OP. Since it wasn't, and also since the flight went out with empty J seats meaning there wasn't the last person on the upgrade waitlist or NRSA to clear, I assume that boarding was closed when they got there and they had to speak to the GA directly.

Not a problem, as long as by "last" you mean immediately after the second-to-last person. They're not going to close the boarding process while people are still boarding, regardless of the time. But, if everyone in the gate area has boarded, and you're not there, and it's less than T-30 for an int'l flight, then you risk being offloaded. The fact that most of the time, boarding doesn't finish until T-20 won't help you if on a particular flight it finishes at T-35, they wait until T-30, and you're not there yet. They may or may not offload you at that point, but it's the risk you take if you're not there at that point.

Also, regarding the checked-bag reason given by the GA, isn't it possible that this is red herring? Perhaps the GA knew that the real reason was that they closed the flight at T-29 as they are entitled to do, and that in their experience, passengers arriving soon after that time are more likely to accept a security-related-sounding explanation regarding checked bags rather than "T-30 is the rule and you're late," which inevitably in a situation such as this leads to further argument and discussion since "it's not my fault I'm late." That is, perhaps there is no rule regarding checked bags not making it, at HKG or anywhere else, even in this particular GA's mind.
Ok - so my friend has landed at LAX and is entertained about being the subject of this thread. She also has a new piece of information: When she arrived, the gate was open and they scanned her boarding pass to let her board. They told her her ticket was "flagged", they checked the flag, and then reported out the original baggage point that they couldn't board her because of her baggage wasn't making it.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 1:49 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by chavala
OK, looking at my BP for today SFO-HKG....
Flight at 1:20pm, Boarding begins 12:30pm, Boarding ends 1:05pm.
So as long as someone is there by boarding ends, how can they deny them?

OMG Im sitting around reading FT and just realized Im boarding in a few minutes. This could have been me!
I wonder how many pax have been denied boarding because they got so caught up in reading FT that they lost track of time and missed the cut off?
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 2:06 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by OhioExile
Ok - so my friend has landed at LAX and is entertained about being the subject of this thread. She also has a new piece of information: When she arrived, the gate was open and they scanned her boarding pass to let her board. They told her her ticket was "flagged", they checked the flag, and then reported out the original baggage point that they couldn't board her because of her baggage wasn't making it.
Can you clarify what you mean by "and then reported out the original baggage point that they couldn't board her because of her baggage wasn't making it"? Her bags were still stuck at her point of origin?

This new information seems to dispel some of the conjecture from earlier in this thread regarding "flight closed" and "the 'no baggage' excuse was a pretext."
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 2:09 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by OhioExile
Ok - so my friend has landed at LAX and is entertained about being the subject of this thread. She also has a new piece of information: When she arrived, the gate was open and they scanned her boarding pass to let her board. They told her her ticket was "flagged", they checked the flag, and then reported out the original baggage point that they couldn't board her because of her baggage wasn't making it.
This is super bizarro
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 2:10 pm
  #30  
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Does HKG have some airport specific rule about a passenger and their bags?
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