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Delayed flight -- what time should we show up at airport?

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Seattlite

Newbie

Joined: Feb 03, 2008
Posts: 8

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 08:45 AM
Post subject: Delayed flight -- what time should we show up at airport?

We are scheduled to fly out of Pudong to Hong Kong this afternoon. When I checked the airline website this morning, it had our flight listed as leaving at 6:50pm instead of the original 3:30pm. When I called the airline to confirm this departure change, they told me we still need to show up 1 - 2 hours before our original scheduled departure time. So -- do I really need to drag my family to the airport at 2pm this afternoon -- knowing that we won't be leaving for another 5 hours? We live in Puxi so it would be a haul to go back and forth. We are flying China Eastern.. Any suggestions would be appreaciated.

andyfff

Rocker

Joined: July 03, 2005
Posts: 718

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 09:06 AM

Unfortunately, I think this is going to be a painful day for travel no matter how you slice it. I know somebody who was supposed to fly out of Pudong last night, she left this morning at 8:30 (after spending all night in the airport and on the plane.) I think you are just going to have to bite the bullet and go 1-2 hours ahead of time, and plan on camping out for a while. I know this sucks, I feel for you. But if you are determined to get on the plane today that is probably the best way to do it. Good luck!

Swiss-James

Post Roaster

Joined: Jan 05, 2007
Posts: 4322

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 10:14 AM

I think if you don't show up and check into a flight, they assume you aren't going to turn up and sell the ticket to someone else- or at any rate cancel your ticket.

If you're flying a multi-legged trip, say PVG -> LAX -> home, then a return flight- then not showing up for that first check-on will cancel your tickets on all of the other legs.

Sorry, but you still need to show up on time.

If I was you I'd check in, dump the bags, then take the maglev and have a look round the Science Museum or something.

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chingiskhan

Low Seater

Joined: Apr 24, 2007
Posts: 3349
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 10:32 AM

Yes you need to check in on time. If you don't your seat can go to a standby passenger if the flight is overbooked because you become a no show. I was on standby last week and they told me to hang around until 30 minutes before the DUE take off time. I got a boarding pass at 5pm, flight scheduled for 5.30pm take off. It was delayed till after 7pm but I got on which means someone didn't show up.

me_myself_&_i

Reacher

Joined: Oct 15, 2007
Posts: 244

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 11:47 AM

happened to me last year (october 2007) i was coming from jinan, in shandong province to shanghai, for the weekend. the weather was so bad (fog could not see my nose) my taxi arrived at airport, just 10mns before the plane was suposed to take off, but because of the bad weather it never took off.

anyway, i arrived at the counter, and they told me.

"sorry too late checkup close 30mns before departure time"
i told them the plane is still there, and will not go for hours, because of the fog.

"too late sorry30mns"
so i had to get a new ticket for later aftenoon, when lucky, i left jinan around 3pm the same day.
they got me good, i did not had to pay for the new ticket, witch eventually i was suposed to, since i missed the check up time. for the old one.

so i would say, be there on time to check in, even if the plane is delayed, or cancelled.

be on the safe side.

good luck.