We are flying into Hong Kong via Air Canada then on to Bangkok with another carrier. Air Canada will not check our bags all the way thru - we arrive in HK at 7:00pm and our connecting flight leaves at 10:15pm is 3 hours (assuming we are on time) enough to clear customs ( I am assuming we have to) and then get checked into our new flight? Are we better to do carry-on - then we don't have to wait for bags at the carousel. Thanks for the help Marg

That's enough time. But basically all airlines do interline baggage at HKG. The AC agent you talk to most likely either don't know what he/she's talking about, or is just afraid to make a mistake.

When you check in to your flight, just advise the agent you have a connecting flight. They should be able to tag your bags to your destination. That way, you just need to go to the transfer desk at HKG and no need to go through immigration and baggage claim.

www.hongkongairport.com/eng/aguide/transit.html

Thankyou SO MUCH for the info - you just took all the stress away from that part of the trip. I did check out the HK airport site and it made the whole process look easy. thankyou again Marg

I agree that the person you spoke to did not know what they were talking about. It is very possible that Air Canada will not be able to give you a boarding pass for your onward flight, but it is very, very unlikely that they will not be able to check your baggage through to Bangkok. Virtually all airlines have baggage sharing agreements in which they agree to transfer baggage between one another. The Air Canada agent may have been confusing this with a lack of a code sharing agreement which would have allowed Air Canada to give you a boarding pass for your Hong Kong – Bangkok flight. That may not be possible.

As you are continuing on to Bangkok, you will be "in transit" in Hong Kong and will not have to go through Immigration or Customs. This is a very common way to travel and hundreds of thousands of people do it every day. I do this about 5 times a month myself when traveling from Hong Kong to other places in Asia. If Air Canada won't check your bags through, you will have to go through the hassle of getting your bags and clearing Immigrating and Customs in Hong Kong, and then going upstairs to check-in and starting over. While you certainly will have more than enough time, this is completely unnecessary.

When you check-in, just show all your tickets to the ticket agent, they should be able to check your bags through to Bangkok. Hopefully, the ticket agent will know a lot more than the person you spoke to at Air Canada, but if not ask to speak with a manage, and explain that you are only "in transit" while in Hong Kong and will need your bags checked through to Bangkok.

If you can't get a boarding pass from Air-Canada for your Hong Kong-Bangkok flight, then when you land in Hong Kong, you will need to go to the "transit/transfer desk" for your airline, show them your e-ticket or paper ticket and you will get a boarding pass for your next flight. Follow signs to find the "transit/transfer desk". Also look at http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/aguide/transit.html for info.

You will spend your layover time within the confines of the airport where there are shops and restaurants, you will not need or have to go through Immigration or Customs

If for some very bizarre reason you cannot check your bags through to Bangkok from Canada, a 3.5 hour layover is more than enough time to go through the hassle of getting your bags, clearing Immigration and Customs, and going upstairs to check-in to start the process over again.