SQ Award - PEK Interline issue with MCT

[Lintas]

Hi

I was trying to book an SQ Award ticket from PER to YVR using PER-SIN-PEK-YVR, with the PEK-YVR segment being AC.
The agent at SQ was all about to confirm when he said that I would have to collect my bags at PEK and check them in again for the AC flight, and for that scenario, the MCT was 2hr 40 min while the connection time for the flights was only 1hr 20 mins and thus he couldn't confirm the booking.

I found this quote odd, as SQ and AC are both Star Alliance carriers and they operate out of the same terminal. Does anyone know if this is true (i.e. PEK doesn't allow interlining between Star Alliance carriers?). What is a normal MCT?

Thanks.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi

I was trying to book an SQ Award ticket from PER to YVR using PER-SIN-PEK-YVR, with the PEK-YVR segment being AC.
The agent at SQ was all about to confirm when he said that I would have to collect my bags at PEK and check them in again for the AC flight, and for that scenario, the MCT was 2hr 40 min while the connection time for the flights was only 1hr 20 mins and thus he couldn't confirm the booking.

I found this quote odd, as SQ and AC are both Star Alliance carriers and they operate out of the same terminal. Does anyone know if this is true (i.e. PEK doesn't allow interlining between Star Alliance carriers?). What is a normal MCT?

Thanks.

Can't answer the non-interline issue (which I agree seems strange), but if you had to collect bags, then 1hr 20 mins would not be enough given the real chance of delays into PEK. PVG is my regular airport, even on quiet days you have to allow 30 mins from aircraft arrival to collecting bags.

 

[Lintas]

Can't answer the non-interline issue (which I agree seems strange), but if you had to collect bags, then 1hr 20 mins would not be enough given the real chance of delays into PEK. PVG is my regular airport, even on quiet days you have to allow 30 mins from aircraft arrival to collecting bags.

OK, thanks for sharing that. I would have rather transited through HKG, since I've found the taxes are significantly lower, but availabity is scarce on the HKG to YVR leg.

 

[Lintas]

Just an update, I ended up going through PVG on a Y ticket. SQ have confirmed that they interline bags all the way through to YVR, so no problem.

However, on the return journey, I called up AC to confirm the bags would be checked back through to PER from YVR and they said yes, BUT, I would need to pick up the bags at PVG, clear immigration and customs, drop the bags at the check-in counter and go back into the terminal. I don't understand this, the bags are going to be tagged with PER as the final destination and I'll hold BP's all the way to PER (per the AC rep), but she said that's how it works. Can anyone explain? I know this won't happen at SIN.