Hi all. We are a couple in our 40s flying
SFO-HGK feb 20th cathay pacific
HGK-SIN feb 21 th, arriving SIN at 1145 pm the same day..cathay pacific
SIN -PER Feb 22 845 am..quantas

1. Can I check my bags at SFO airport all the way to Perth?
2. Can i stay at the SIN ambassador hotel for 6 hours before my quantas flight? what if my bags cant be checked to Perth. What is my best bet?
3. Where should we stay when we arrive in Perth or Freemantle. Any recommendations on 5 star hotels? How far is Perth from Fremantle?

Changi Airport in Singapore is a great airport with fantastic facilities. But I'm not too sure why you are flying the route you've nominated. Can you not go SFO-HKG-PER all with Cathay Pacific?

I'm not sure what might have to happen in HKG but in Singapore you would definitely have to clear customs and re check in for your Qantas flight.

Changi Airport in Singapore has amazing facilities and they do have a transit hotel - go to their website for all the information.

Others here may be able to help you further.

http://www.changiairport.com/in-transit

If your flights are on the one itinerary (i.e., not separate tickets for the CX and QF flights), you should be able to check the bags all the way through. Assuming you can do that, the transit hotel at Changi is airside so there is no need to clear customs and immigration. Even if the QF flight is on a separate ticket, you should be able to get CX in SFO to check bags all the way through - it may just take a bit more 'persuasion'.

If you can't check the bags through (and hopefully that won't happen), so that you have to clear customs and immigration to get them, there's a Crown Plaza hotel connected to the land side of the airport. Given your late arrival, you probably wouldn't be able to re-check the bags immediately.

Perth to Fremantle is about 20kms or so. The nicest way to do it is to take a ferry down the Swan river but that's probably not what you're looking for!

As to hotels in Perth, you could try the Pan Pacific.

p.s. there's no "u" in Qantas.

1) Yes. Cathay Pacific and Qantas are airline partners. Just show your entire itinerary when you check in at SFO and advise you want your bags checked all the way through to Perth, then make sure your luggage receipts reflect this. I do it all the time.

2) Yes. The Transit hotel sells hotel rooms in a minimum of a six hour block, but you can add hours for an additional fee. BOOK in advance, they do fill up. You cannot leave the airport unless you have your onward boarding pass for Perth, as you cannot get back airside without checking in again and the landside check in desks generally don't open until a few hours prior to the flight.

The Transit Hotel is airside. Changi will transfer your luggage for you, but you may need to collect your boarding pass onwards to Perth at a transit desk in Changi a few hours before your flight. The transfer desk opens at 5 am. They will ask if you have checked baggage and ask to see your baggage receipts, which they will then put into their computer to have the bags transferred. It's much easier than it sounds. Changi is the most efficient airport on earth.

You'll need to pack your carry on bag with everything you need for your night in the Transit Hotel as you won't have access to your checked bags. I also do this all the time.

3) Fremantle is about 30 minutes from the Perth CBD. It's easily accessed via train. Do you want 5 star hotels in Perth or Freo?

stormbird - SFO-HKG-PER is a pretty common routing...the Qantas bit might be code share with Cathay.

Thanks Mel I just don't understand why there is no direct flight HKG to PER?

There may be Stormbird, I'm not familiar with Qantas routing.

Stormbird we are flying on award F tickets on cathay all the way down to SIN for 2 reasons:

1. We didnt have enough miles to go F all the way to Perth so we figured we would travel all the way to SIN (as far south as our miles allowed us)... and then buy a one way SIN-PERTH in quantas in economy. Plus CX has an excellent F product.

2. Our cruise starts in Perth and ends in Sing....and then we fly back home

3. The ticket to PERTH is cheaper from Sin than it is from HONG KONG. PLUS we would have 6 hours of rest in SIn before our shorter flight from SIN to PERTH the next morning.

One question, I wonder if my luggage is tagged F class in SFO , Quantas would treat it as such from Sin to per....even though I am flying economy. I would hate not to have my luggage in Perth one day before my cruise departs.

As far as hotels go, has anybody stayed at the Intercontinental?

Thanks for the heads up on the flights beazablah - I was just curious about your itinerary - can't help with the Intercontinental though.

Your luggage will be tagged Priority in SFO and will be treated as such regardless of flight class on your last leg. The luggage handlers won't know you're in coach on the last leg!

I routinely fly Biz Class from SFO-NRT-SIN on UA and then connect to an economy flight to PER on SIA. It's tagged priority and is usually off the belt pretty quick in PER, although luggage service in PER isn't particularly quick in general.

Just make sure you do do the computer luggage transfer at the transit desk at Changi and you'll be in good shape.

Just make sure you do do the computer luggage transfer at the transit desk at Changi and you'll be in good shape.


I am sorry guys but I still dont understand. So I check my bags at SFo airport all the way through to Perth assuming I get the Quantas boarding pass in San Francisco? Then I should go to the transit hotel, take a nap for 6 hours, and then go to the transfer desk at the airport and make sure my luggage is going to Perth? I am sorry guys. I am so confused.

<So I check my bags at SFo airport all the way through to Perth assuming I get the Quantas boarding pass in San Francisco??>

You do this REGARDLESS of whether they give you your Perth boarding pass. The important thing here is that your luggage is indeed checked all the way to Perth, which you can verify by looking at the luggage tags.

<Then I should go to the transit hotel, take a nap for 6 hours, and then go to the transfer desk at the airport and make sure my luggage is going to Perth?>

If you have been given your boarding pass to Perth in SFO, from here all you need do is go to your gate. The gate agent will probably fiddle in her computer, verify that your luggage has been transferred and give you a new boarding pass (airlines like to issue their own for some reason).

If you've not been given your boarding pass in SFO, you'll need to go to a transit desk prior to your flight to get one. At this point, you show your luggage receipts and they will fiddle in their computer to make sure your luggage gets on your Perth flight and issue you a boarding pass.

If you're at all worried about the luggage transfer, just go to a Transfer Desk in Changi before your flight to Perth and make sure it's all been done in the computer. Takes five minutes and will set your mind at ease.

We're talking about Changi here. Piece of cake.

thank you so very much....Understood!