I left you hanging and owe you an update. No, I did not decide to chance it and instead cancelled my trip from Hong Kong to London due to my transit dilemma. But that has left me with another dilemma on my hands.
When even Danny Lee of the South China Morning Post warmed me not to attempt the trip, I knew it would have been foolishness (at best) and persona non grata status or prison time (at worse).
You have ZERO chance of boarding the flight to HKG @LiveandLetsFly. You’re not eligible to travel https://t.co/LvCiuXBgbP
— 李嘉洪: fully vaxxed 💉💉🧪🦠 (@JournoDannyAero) September 28, 2021
So I cancelled the trip. Apprehensively, I might add.
British Airways had cancelled the flight on me several times, but this time it was me making the voluntary change. Would they allow me to rebook at no fee or want to charge me more miles?
The British Airways Executive Club call centers have been slammed lately – such that for hours I could not even join the queue but only encountered a busy signal. I finally called the Hong Kong office and only had to wait a few minutes. A very professional agent made the change and my trip is now rescheduled for January…too soon? We’ll see.
But there’s a problem. Because of my displacement, I had been booked in revenue first…full fare F to be precise. I was banking on this trip to re-qualify for my American Airlines Executive Platinum status (I’m only at about $5K in earned spend for the year, but AA is currently running a promo where you if you earn $2K EQD this quarter, you re-qualify with no minimum flying necessary).
I’m rebooked in “Z” class (award first class), meaning I will earn no miles. That’s a bummer. So now I have to figure out what to do about my AA status. At this point, I’m thinking it is a lost cause.
Original post below:
While the West re-opens, it’s going to take longer in Asia…and now my Hong Kong transit is up in the air.
Hong Kong Transit Dilemma: Separate Tickets
Almost a year ago, I booked a booked a British Airways first class flight from Hong Kong to London during a half-off Avios promotion. The route was scheduled with a refurbished 777-300 and it has been many years since I have flown first class on British Airways. Three times, my flights was cancelled. I pushed it back to next month. But now it looks like the flight is sticking (and has the old first class).
Hong Kong is allowing international transit again, but there is a catch…everything must be on a single ticket. I have not been able to find the actual regulation which specifies this, but this is what airlines websites make clear.
That’s obviously a problem for me, since I am on a one-way ticket form HKG-LHR. I had planned to connect in Hong Kong with a separate ticket, spend a few hours, potentially not even be allowed in a lounge, but then board my BA flight to London.
That’s all up in the air.
So while Asia travel has been off-limits for most people for quite some time, I wanted to ask my readers:
- Is Hong Kong very strict in enforcing its “single ticket” rule for transit passengers?
- Am I missing anything? Perhaps I can add a segment from Tokyo or Taipei unto the existing itinerary, but even if that was possible, it would likely re-price the ticket at present-day rates, which would mean a heck of a lot more miles or $.
- If I booked a different connecting itinerary through Hong Kong, would I be allowed to “switch” to the British Airways flight?
CONCLUSION
Unless I can find a way to extend this trip again, I don’t think the Hong Kong trip is going to work next month. Unless Hong Kong relaxes its transit rules, it appears I will not be permitted to board my flight.
image: Cathay Pacific
I don’t think it’s a matter of whether “Hong Kong” is strict. It depends on the airline or individual check in agent for your flight into Hong Kong, right? And whether that agent demands to see a visa for Hong Kong or proof of residency in Hong Kong in order for you to be allowed on the flight.
I’m sure some of the HKG based readers have better insight. But I looked at this exact thing for MNL as I could get an award seat into HKG but not through to MNL…so would need to purchase a separate. Everything I read was pretty clear that you can’t do this and will not be allowed to board. I can’t recall the site – but in browsing around I found someone who wrote about connecting in HKG and it’s pretty strict. At the time, you underwent a health screening and were assigned a special sticker you had to wear and were required to go immediately to your connecting gate only. Japan also had single ticket restrictions but there you could at least use the lounges. I had read that in SIN they even go so far as to escort you to the next gate or a special holding area. Until the Asian Covid Wall comes down it seems really not worth it unless travel is critical. With Thailand starting to open though it might be that it starts falling everywhere and opens up a bit.
I flew via HKG (on a single CX ticket in May). You will not be allowed to board at your point of origin if you don’t have a single PNR connecting ticket. This is very strictly enforced. All transit pax API has to be sent to HK immigration prior to boarding pass issuance and they need to be manually cleared by HK immigration.
You cannot “switch” flight once you get to HK as all airside check in counters are closed. HKG airside employees are subject to quarantine and testing, and landside employees are not allowed to enter airside. You will not be able to check in for your BA flight because you cannot access the check in hall.
You should cancel your ticket. HK has a absolutely zero tolerance policy towards any covid protocol breaches and you will very unlikely be successful at doing what you are suggesting.
Following. I am in the same boat for HKG to PHL trip in Feb 2022I might still have some flexibility to rebook the points but with my wife and daughter (2 x biz and 1 x first class all on points) it’ll be messy.
Hopefully the situation will be a bit looser by then, but who knows…cool that you scored a FC award!
You’re nuts if you try to bend the rules in Hong Kong. I know you get a thrill from pushing the envelope, but unless you are willing to gamble a self-funded quarantine for 14 days, or worse, I wouldn’t try it.
Remember, prisoners from Hong Kong are usually shipped to “mainland” China to be locked up where they’re subjected to the anal covid test.
Da hell u smokin’
Is Hong Kong strict? Of course it is. Hong Kong is now an authoritarian state.
Chances are high that Hong Kong is less authoritarian than where you live.
Not local to HKG but I doubt very much that the airline will let you board your flight in any case, but even if they did I wouldn’t risk transitting in a place even where transit is allowed, like HKG, SIN, or NRT if you wouldn’t be allowed out of the airport if you misconnect or your flight get’s cancelled. It’s not difficult to imagine a long delay of 24 hours or longer, and it would really be bad to be stuck inside the terminal. At least in SIN there is some hope of an airside hotel, but I don’t think they have this in HKG. I’m planning on a trip to BKK if they open on Nov. 1 as scheduled – which has already been delayed twice – but I’m going to fly the other way around through the middle east to get there through a place I can enter in case of a schedule snafu.
No dilemma at all. If you love your wife and kids, do not ever enter the PRC, Macau and Hong Kong included. Don’t even use their airlines. They have the power to lock you up for anything.
Oh, yes. According to the latest “PK Tang logic”, if you did something which may lead to something which may lead to something which may lead to something which may lead to somebody hating or wanting to subvert the HKSAR or PRC government, you can become a wanted person in as many as 50 countries around the world. And they’ll dig and dig for information to eventually find out what you were thinking I’m sure most any blog owners in the Western World fit the criteria.
Book a separate ticket with points that would qualify on a single PNR for later that day– cancel once you went thru doc check and security.
That was my thought, but I don’t want to end up in a Chinese prison.
Folk, relax. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I just want to ensure I clearly understand the law.
Echo other comments. HKG more than almost anywhere else in Asia, the COVID rules mean what they say. Chance you are even given the opportunity to go a transfer area is low. Decent chance you are refused boarding for positioning flight if you cannot state where you intend to stay upon arrival. If this SIN or BKK, there are workarounds to the rules for covid. Not in HKG.
As a Taipei native, you also are unable to transit through Tokyo or Taipei at the moment either. I would NOT recommend coming to Asia at all as you will be subject to lots of quarantine measures and they will not hesitate to detain and deport you at your own expense. Asia does not mess around during a pandemic. Cancel your ticket.
I believe you are incorrect about Tokyo, though definitely correct about Taipei.
You can transit through Tokyo on a single ticket with no problem. (No transfers though between HND and NRT.) You can even use the lounges.
You can transit in NRT with separate tickets. In July, I flew on separate United and ANA tickets thru NRT. Technically, you don’t need a PCR test to transit in NRT. But the ANA agents in NRT were adamant in checking my PCR result (which I did have, just in case).
Interested to know how you did it. Checked bags? I was told under that no circumstances was this allowed in August.
I had 4 one-way tickets (total is a round trip). At both check-in, I showed the ANA / United agents my other one way ticket and asked them to check my bags to the destination. Perhaps they could do it because they are all star alliance. Since your experience in August was negative, it could be up to the individual check-in agents if they want to help you.
No problem transiting at NRT at the end of August with separate tickets and checked bags. Flew a VS issued NH F from ORD to NRT connecting to NH J from NRT to CGK. Lounge was open and available although NRT Terminal 1 was so dead otherwise.
My NH J to CGK was issued by Avianca LifeMiles. I did contact NH in advance and gave them both reservations number to let them know I was flying THRU NRT instead of TO NRT and everything went smoothly like normal times.
You found first class award space out of Hong Kong on BA?!? I’m massively impressed. Last year I literally checked almost a year’s worth of availability and came up empty. I figured that it was because BA didn’t want to release first class awards from a country that prevented them from gouging customers with insane fuel surcharges.
As to your current issue, what about seeing if you can add another fight onto the same PNR and have it issued separately? Maybe HND-HKG or something similar.
You’ll have to give up, I’m sorry to say
I won’t have much sympathy for the next innocent westerners to be held indefinitely as political prisoners after entering or transiting China. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are very lucky to be at home with their families.
I wouldn’t step into HKG even without a pandemic, for reasons some others already mentioned. It’s a shame since before late 2019 HK was one of my most favorite cities outside the US.
Thanks for writing this article. After reading your question, I started researching my own proposed December trip transiting Singapore to Sri Lanka. The regulations and restrictions are complex but clear – I won’t be able to travel, even with one thru-ticket, under the present rules. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought until I read the responses here.
Take care also for eventually transit timing in Nrt since airport is shut at night and not allowed enter japan, i changed my Jal first class due a night transit not allowed.
Matthew, the above comments are very relevant. Here is FYI the official notice specifying the rule that one must have a connecting ticket, with boarding pass printed from the point of origin, and baggage tagged through to the destination: https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/important-notice/index.page?noticeid=1523424631510-3
Basically no transfer-desk services in HK.
Lucas, thank you. This is the information I was looking for earlier.
Hey Matthew, I’m an expat from LA working and living in Hong Kong. Your situation: Forget it, you won’t be allowed to enter HK with your BA ticket…. HK and most other Asian cities are very strict regarding Covid travel restrictions. Just within the last 10 days, a mini outbreak of about 10 new Covid cases had caused a citywide alarm. Of course, 10 new Covid cases is really NOTHING compare to USA and most other parts of the world. But Hong Kong is very strict, that’s why there is very little new Covid cases in HK. And things won’t change in a month’s time. It is estimated that HK won’t open up the border until after Christmas, may be even not until March next year, when the vaccination rate has increased to above 80% and very little local new Covid cases happen continuously for about 3 weeks.
Hong Kong is still very free as long as Trump is not the president of USA and try to mess up the Hong Kong situation….
And you were doing so well …
This ain’t no dilemma.
Don’t be ridiculous.
Camel the trip.
2 itineraries means no transit.
It’s the same in SIN.
That appears to be the growing consensus.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
When you booked your original avios redemption ticket, how were you able to get them to ticket it with “F” fare class code?
If someone checks in online and has a mobile boarding pass what is the difference if they have one ticket or two. When is this even checked? When you go through immigration they would just want your forward boarding pass for the next flight. I think this is only a problem if you check a bag.
That’s what I thought initially – but apparently the tickets have to be linked in the system according to numerous comments.
@matthew what about going to Thailand or Singapore? They’re both opening back up but the only thing is you may not be able to fly Oneworld. I saw Ryan at MtM is flying around Africa so that’s an option also.
I had a similar dilemma for my BDay RTW this past July. In October 2020, I booked Two award tickets in First on Cathay JFK HKG LHR. THE CX phone agent was optimistic after he noted the two flights together in the records. Of course the HKG portion of the trip did not occur First it was clear that I could not enjoy 3 days in London and I was able to reschedule my return home so I was just transiting LH.R. Then the HKG LHR leg got downgraded to no First Class, but I though it’s a nighttime flight so okay, still hoping to enjoy the Wing lounge. Then JFK got downgraded, so I canceled the first two legs and found a ‘cheap’(sic) AA First JFK LHR and enjoyed two nights at @TWA Hotel. Then AA fight got downgraded (rolled eyes emoji)
I did have a nice time at the Concorde Terrace and lovely B789 fight home
I have this trip reticketed for next May but coming home thru FRA on hopefully LH B747-8i 🙂
Matthew – in regards to your EP status, check your promotions. I am also EP and am unsure if I will fly enough to qualify (all my trips keep being Star Alliance – I have more than doubled my requalification for 1K), but my account had an offer to keep my EP status through Jan 2023 just by spending $15,000 on my AAdvantage credit card by November 15.
Yikes Mathew, You didn’t have to talk like that. The reporter was genuinely trying to help. Am talking about your reply on twitter.
I know, I should have toned it down. But I was asking for evidence that was not being provided.
Meh.
Your so called “dilemma “ is self inflicted.
Travel rules for every county are clearly stated @ government & airline websites.
If you have ANY doubts then DON’T travel
Everything has changed since 2020 ; we (that means you) should too.
From a local, No No and No… you can’t transit in Hong Kong with separate tickets. There is no way that they are going to relax the rules anytime soon. Don’t use logic to think about their rules. Even Singapore, which is opening up now, does not allow transits in separate tickets. Asia is pretty tough for now and I will just focus on the transatlantic markets for any “mileage runs”! Plus Hong Kong government has this policy that an airline will ban from operating a particular route for two weeks if more than three passengers tested positive an arrival. Air Canada is the latest victim when it is now banned from bring passengers from Vancouver to Hong Kong for the next fourteen days. Most airlines will operate the inbound flight empty (it is mostly cargo these days anyway) but if if you are caught in one of these situations, you are screwed. Singapore Airlines is no longer carrying transit passengers into Hong Kong, and Qatar is stop selling tickets from India to Hong Kong, as it has been banned so many times now.
Not to mention the hassle on getting a Covid test that will satisfied Hong Kong government. Honestly, I will just refrain from planning any mileage runs in and out of Hong Kong. I will even go further than Asia is really off limit for all these mileage run flights in the near term.
My only advice is to avoid Asia especially Hong Kong till Covid-19 is over. Even as a local, we are confused on the various quarantine rules. Don’t even use logic or medical knowledge to guess their next moves.
Does anyone know what is the REAL cause of concern re: transiting under separate tickets from the point of view if the governments who outlaw it? I just couldn’t wrap my head around that idea because once you allows airside shops and other concessionaires (including lounges) to open and freely serve transiting passengers, how much added risks are you taking my opening up the transfer desks? It just doesn’t make any sense for any of the so called Asia’s aviation hubs (SIN/HKG) to continue to insist transiting paxes to travel on a single itinerary/ticket only. The only reason I can think of is protectionism. Both governments don’t want foreign airlines to ruin the monopoly of the local flag carriers?
Hello,
What are the chances of HKG relaxing transit rules next year. I booked a ticket on CX via HKG. Both routes are on the same carrier (CX) and the time in HKG is 5 hours. However, I cannot transit as the reference numbers are not the same. I do have time as it is not till May next year
Thanks
Hopefully by next May things will have loosened. I’m trying my trip again in February, still on separate tickets.
Ok, all the best with that.
Same situation but for June. Latest news says May is best case for this so I’m not holding much luck. Unfortunately with miles devaluation it would cost 3-4 times as much to book now as it did 6 months ago!
I just did this with difficulty but success.
JFK->HKG->MNL
2 tickets, CX and 5J
The first leg was an award in business and also had backup flight 12 hours later.
Arrival in HKG, had to have multiple people help, contact multiple others, took screenshots of all docs. The Cathay rep got in contact with a Cebu rep to confirm all, then someone took my docs, walked out to the checkin desk to get my boarding pass and brought it back so I could transfer as going through immigration is NOT allowed. Total time was just a little over 2 hours and may have only been possible as I was business class on CX and no checked luggage. The onward CX won’t be refunded as expected, but the redemption miles are the same.
I would not recommend this as it seems unlikely to often be successful, tickets should be booked on one itinerary, or have a backup flight in case.