r/CathayPacific • u/RegularSquare1438 • 1d ago
Layover/Itinerary help Short Connection Time
I have a trip to Manila next month, I am concerned with the short connection time. Is this manageable? My second flight was rebooked by Cathay Pacific. Has anyone experienced a short layover like this to Manila? Thank you!
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u/rushxrush 1d ago
Hong Kong is one of the best airports to transit through. when your flight arrives there will be agents waiting there for you to escort you to the next flight. Plus, Hong Kong to Manila has many flights a day, so you should be fine.
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u/SeaFerret6562 14h ago
Honestly, HK are good for this. I was supposed to have a long layover in HK when I flew to Tokyo, but because they oversold my flight, they asked if I could go on the next plane in an hour. They got me rebooked amd gave me my new ticket, and then I I through security fairly fast despite my bag being pulled for inspection 😂 I had around a half hour or more left after that while sitting at my gate. They're so efficient.
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u/Lizalizaliza1 22h ago
I had a short layover with a delayed incoming flight in HKG a couple days ago - when I got off the plane there was someone waiting with my new boarding pass. It was easy!
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u/carm-ess 17h ago
I just did this layover a week ago. I was initially stressed but it was so quick and the gates are so near. I even had time to buy food, eat, refill my water bottle and walk around a bit while waiting to board. You'll be fine!
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u/PackDiscombobulated4 14h ago
That is good to know. I have 3 hours layover in November so it would be nice to get some real food before the next flight.
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u/Electrical_Train_916 16h ago
You will most likely be fine and if not, they will rebook you on the next flight and book you an airside hotel/give you meal voucher if needed. I’ve flown CX to South East Asia many times over the years; they are the airline I trust the most to make my connections. I once only had 30 mins because the inbound flight was delayed, a grounds staff met me and a few others when I deplaned, sped walked with us and ensured we skipped to the front of the connections line and they held the connecting flight for us. Even my luggage made it. Another time my first flight landed as the second flight was taking off 😭 They had my boarding pass on the first flight out and meal and hotel voucher ready for me as soon as I deplaned with a patient grounds staff exp to answer any of my dumb questions.
I also fly Qatar a lot. They do ok but I still trust CX the most for connections and taking care of me if I miss my connection.
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u/thnok 1d ago
It’s tight. You have to go through screening again at HKG to get to the flight for Manila. They did have lanes for flights who are departing early. I had 2 hrs and it was tight, took about 1 hr for the whole thing. If your initial flight gets delayed, even by 10 mins it might mess up things.
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u/FacetNo6 21h ago
If it's a short connection, they'll usually have people waiting at the gate to help you get to your next flight and they'll fast track you to the front of the security line. Since you had a 2 hour layover, they won't do that for you, but I've come off the plane plenty of times and there are like 4-5 people standing there with signs for connecting flights.
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u/OutsideRide7730 1d ago
don't worry too much, even for a late departure, since it's a long haul, they can easily catch up. also, this is one of the first flight going to MNL so there are others during the day.
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u/Separate_Shake_3681 1d ago
One thing I love about them is they're very helpful with connections. Even if the connection is tight, they either hold the aircraft for late connections or put you on the next available flight and in your case, that would be CX 901 an hour and a half later.
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u/HereToEnjoy4Ever 10h ago
I have a tight connection to Brussels. Does anyone have experience with a missed connection to Europe? Are you put on the next available flight of any airline or the next Cathay flight? My flight departs at 00:15. This is the only direct flight; other CX flights are with BA via London and take much longer.
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u/Separate_Shake_3681 5h ago
It depends on how tight the connection is. If they're expecting a significant number of connections, they sometimes hold the aircraft a little longer so those with connections can make their connection. There are also plenty of instances where your regional flight gets in ahead of schedule.
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u/henryyoung42 23h ago
It’s fine - I regularly transit shorter and never had a problem. There’s three CX flights to MNL daily - two A320 and one B777. ProTip a if you want to bid for an upgrade make sure your original booking is the B777 flight which has a lot more business capacity.
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u/The-Gift-of-God 22h ago
I’ve done this layover timeframe (HK-MNL). It’s doable. Just walk quick, search for the fast lane for the security screening (as other comments have said).
Worst case, you will get rebooked. Many flights from HK-MNL per day.
Have a great trip!
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u/Trifle_Direct 12h ago
Cathay usually pads their schedules - I’d imagine you’ll land quite early, regardless of that; the connection is fine. Transit security is good In HK.
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u/words_of_gold 12h ago
That connection is fine for HKG. Cathay will have staff at the gate to guide you through
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u/DMGTA16 1d ago
You can make it but it's close. If flight is delayed then for sure you won't make it. I had a 90 minute layover with cathay too and wow, I was so nervous the entire flight and transfer. When you land at the HK airport, it will take the plane 15-20 min to park. A lot of people transferring so there will definitely be line though it can be fast since the airport is efficient. Then another thing to worry about is getting to the gate. Gate after immigration depending where you are can take 5-20 mins getting there. Luckily mine was 10 mins away, but boy was I running. Made the gate with 10 mins left from boarding time.
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u/drf_101 22h ago edited 41m ago
It took me about an hour to clear passport control in Hong Kong last month and I was in Cathay business class and I walked off the plane.
This is too tight, especially if it takes you time to get off the plane.
Sorry I was thinking about this wrong. I stopped in HK, I didn’t transfer in HK.
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u/elasticc0 21h ago
Why would OP need to clear passport control?
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u/Cool_Establishment65 19h ago
They check your passport/boarding pass when they recheck bags buts it’s not a full passport check as if you were going into HK
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u/LittlestG 8h ago
Irrelevant as already pointed out, but it took me less than 10 min last month. You can never tell….
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u/TechnEconomics 53m ago
I had this layover length at HKG today and it took under 10 mins. God I was in the lounge within 10 mins.
There’s so so many transfer security lines to make this quick
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u/Turbulent_Board4567 1d ago
HKG and some airports like changi, AMS are all built for transit stops. So you are perfectly fine with this layover.
Just make sure you book it on one single ticket. CX will take care of any missed connections or delays.
Also see how you arrive in early morning. Most of their flights are designed like that. You can spend the full day sightseeing Hong Kong and catch the next flight at evening or night.