Connecting flights/ luggage question

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Bluesince1979

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Ive googled this best i can but the answeres appear pretty non specific so asking you seasoned flyers …

My son goes to aus on the 28th dec.
Flights are;
Swiss air : manc-switzwrland
Swiss air: switzerland - hong kong
Cathay : HK - sydney

His question that hes in a mild panic over is;

Does he just drop his luggage at manchester and collect in sydney or at any point of the connecting flights does he have to collect luggage and re check in. Particularly on the HK-syd flight where he is changing airlines?

And at any point does he have to go through immigration/passport control or does he stay air side throughout ?

Hes travelling alone which is a huge deal for him (and me as a parent) and hes in a dither over it. I want to re-assure him.
If hes in a dither/ill be in a dither :))
 
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The changing airlines thing is the worry for me before I answer.

Did he do one booking to get him to Hong Kong and then a totally separate booking for HK to Sydney.
If he did he will have to collect his luggage at HK.

Also, I think that requires him leaving passport control at HK , basically leaving the airport terminal and returning through a new check in. It might even be a different terminal.
 
Blue Mist said:
The changing airlines thing is the worry for me before I answer.

Did he do one booking to get him to Hong Kong and then a totally separate booking for HK to Sydney.
If he did he will have to collect his luggage at HK.

Also, I think that requires him leaving passport control at HK , basically leaving the airport terminal and returning through a new check in. It might even be a different terminal.
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Im 99% sure he just booked manchester to sydney and the connecting flights were done for him
 
Blue Mist said:
The changing airlines thing is the worry for me before I answer.

Did he do one booking to get him to Hong Kong and then a totally separate booking for HK to Sydney.
If he did he will have to collect his luggage at HK.

Also, I think that requires him leaving passport control at HK , basically leaving the airport terminal and returning through a new check in. It might even be a different terminal.
Click to expand...
This is correct.

We've a lad in work and this conversation always comes up, He has a bird in the Phillipines and is always travelling over and back.

The changing of airlines is the issue, If he booked with the same airline he would be fine, Because the last flight is with a different company he'll have to do as @Blue Mist has said in his post.

On top of that, Because it's another Airline he's flying with on his last flight, If its a case of Swiss Air being delayed, The Cathay flight won't wait around. If it's all the same airline with connecting flights they wait.
 
Bluesince1979 said:
Im 99% sure he just booked manchester to sydney and the connecting flights were done for him
Click to expand...
Just a follow on.
'Done for him' by who?
If it's a travel agent ring them and ask.

Oh and before anyone else suggests it, I'd go to the main Swiss Air office and...........

Brick all their windows and torch the place.
 
How did he book it. If it was Skyscanner and then some subsequent travel agent then they will tell you exactly what to do in the emails.

Aside from that, what a random way to get to Sydney, making an already humongous trip even worse!
 
From the Cathay website:

Codeshare covers

  • Swiss flights between Zurich and Berlin, Brussels, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Venice, Florence, Geneva, Hong Kong
  • Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Zurich.
As long as there is one locator (5 or 6 alphanumeric code) for the whole trip, it would appear that Cathay and Swiss do have a codeshare agreement on the route to Oz. I can't be 100% but I would think that also applies to baggage. Without giving any thing away that is personal information, can you supply us with the flight numbers he's on?
 
This is what Gemini AI had to say on the subject..

Here's how it typically works:
  1. Check-in at Manchester: When you check in your baggage at Manchester Airport for your Swiss Air flight, inform the check-in agent that your final destination is Sydney.
  2. Through Check-in: The agent will check your baggage through to Sydney, meaning you won't need to collect it in Switzerland or Hong Kong.
  3. Baggage Claim in Sydney: You will only need to claim your baggage at the baggage claim area in Sydney Airport.
However, it's always a good idea to double-check with Swiss Air or Cathay Pacific to confirm their specific baggage policies and procedures for your particular itinerary.
 
unexpected item said:
This is what Gemini AI had to say on the subject..

Here's how it typically works:
  1. Check-in at Manchester: When you check in your baggage at Manchester Airport for your Swiss Air flight, inform the check-in agent that your final destination is Sydney.
  2. Through Check-in: The agent will check your baggage through to Sydney, meaning you won't need to collect it in Switzerland or Hong Kong.
  3. Baggage Claim in Sydney: You will only need to claim your baggage at the baggage claim area in Sydney Airport.
However, it's always a good idea to double-check with Swiss Air or Cathay Pacific to confirm their specific baggage policies and procedures for your particular itinerary.
Click to expand...
AI is great assuming the right information is input. As it stands, we have no idea if it is booked on one locator or 2. The above applies if all on one only.
 
A few of us went to Vegas in 2007 to see Hatton v Mayweather. We booked with Expedia (wouldn't anymore as they sponsor the Dippers), it was Manchester -
Heathrow then Heathrow - Vegas direct. It was December and our flight was delayed from Manchester, we got to Heathrow with an hour to spare but the gate for the connecting flight was closed. We could see our plane on the runway and to make it worse it didn't take off for around 90 minutes.

It was carnage at the desk as there must have been 70/80 people who all missed the flight. Expedia were obliged to get us there on alternative flights, we ended up going Heathrow - San Francisco, 6 hour wait, then Vegas. However those who had booked their own flights had two choices, return home or pay for new fights.

I hope the OP's son has gone through an Agent or direct with Swiss Air, booking separate legs on your own to save a few quid is fraught with danger especially this time of year where there's more delays caused by inclement weather.

As an aside, coming home, our flight to Chicago (then Manchester) was cancelled after we'd checked in, the airline lost my suitcase, ended up in Vegas another night, flew to Philly, 6/7 hour wait, then a shit cramped seat on American Airlines, got home on Thursday morning instead of Tuesday, Mrs H still doesn't believe me.
 
hammocity said:
A few of us went to Vegas in 2007 to see Hatton v Mayweather. We booked with Expedia (wouldn't anymore as they sponsor the Dippers), it was Manchester -
Heathrow then Heathrow - Vegas direct. It was December and our flight was delayed from Manchester, we got to Heathrow with an hour to spare but the gate for the connecting flight was closed. We could see our plane on the runway and to make it worse it didn't take off for around 90 minutes.

It was carnage at the desk as there must have been 70/80 people who all missed the flight. Expedia were obliged to get us there on alternative flights, we ended up going Heathrow - San Francisco, 6 hour wait, then Vegas. However those who had booked their own flights had two choices, return home or pay for new fights.

I hope the OP's son has gone through an Agent or direct with Swiss Air, booking separate legs on your own to save a few quid is fraught with danger especially this time of year where there's more delays caused by inclement weather.

As an aside, coming home, our flight to Chicago (then Manchester) was cancelled after we'd checked in, the airline lost my suitcase, ended up in Vegas another night, flew to Philly, 6/7 hour wait, then a shit cramped seat on American Airlines, got home on Thursday morning instead of Tuesday, Mrs H still doesn't believe me.
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Hes coming round weekend with all the info. Hes booked via an agent so presume hes covered for delays

Ill know all the info i need by sunday and the mrs will get on to confirming everything
 
Bluesince1979 said:
Hes coming round weekend with all the info. Hes booked via an agent so presume hes covered for delays

Ill know all the info i need by sunday and the mrs will get on to confirming everything
Click to expand...
He'll be fine if he's booked with an Agent. I wouldn't worry about him also, my mates daughter went backpacking at 18 through Asia then spent a few months in Oz on a working visa, she met loads of people who became friends on her journey, she loved it, brought a different perspective on the world.
 
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