Question About Hong Kong Flight Transfers

[hawker9000]

This question doesn't involve Thailand travel specifically, but I'm hoping perhaps somebody who travels to the Philippines on some basis might know the answer.

If I fly via Cathay Pacific from LAX to HKG, and then want to connect with a Cebu Pacific flight from HKG to Clark, will it be possible to stay on the secure side at HKG and accomplish the transfer with my bags already checked through to Clark? Or, because Cebu Pacific is one of those "discount airlines", will I have to go thru Immigration in HKG, fetch my bags, check-in with Cebu Pacific, and then go back through HKG Immigration again to the departure gate?

[wpcoe]

For a more Thailand-relevant parallel question: I have noticed some cheap fares on UA HKG-SFO-LAX, and wondered if I buy a ticket on Hong Kong Airlines BKK-HKG, can I check bags in BKK through to LAX or some other way manage to not have to clear HKG CIQ with checked bags?

[siam2007]

as CX and CEB have absolutely nothing in common and no code share agreements, you WILL have to go through immigration and check in your baggage again. It is easily possible that you will even need to change the terminal, so the absolute minimum for such a transfer would be 2.5-3 hrs in order not to risk missing your connecting flight. CEB is VERY strict when it comes to check-in deadlines

[hawker9000]

Thanks! That's what I needed to know. I think the suspension of Dragon Air direct flights between HKG and CRK is just a temporary one next month - maybe a week or two.

[theoldgit]

I have managed to get my bags transferred airside a couple of times in HKG, when they weren't checked through, Thai and Virgin.

It entailed going to the airline transfer desks, persuading them, and they then got members of staff to retrieve our luggage and load them onto the next flight.

Might have been just as quick to clear immigration, but we were able to do it.

[Ricardo]

FWIW I made a 65-minute connection from Cathay Pacific (from Vancouver) to Dragonair (to Chiang Mai) in January, and was relieved to see my bags made it too, being loaded as I walked up the steps onto the plane.

But Dragonair is of course a Cathay subsidiary.

The transit-security area was crammed, must have been at least 200 people in the queue, but wasn't a problem as they were extremely efficient !

Edited October 19, 2015 by Ricardo

[hawker9000]

Yes, I've used Dragonair more than once and been able to stay airside. Bags have been checked through to Clark to begin with, and never had a problem. (All transfers have to pass through a security check, but that can be done without going through Immigration.) However, Dragonair isn't flying that route to Clark during my travel window for some reason, and Cebu Pacific seemed to be just about the only direct flight available. Hence my question.