Singapore - Transit Hotel in SIN

The Transit Hotel's website says: "Please do not Clear Immigration and Customs as Ambassador Transit Hotels are situated on level 3 within the Transit Mall. Note: Luggage claim is after Immigration." If I don't clear Immigration, how do I get the luggage? Thank you for clarifying.

The Transit Hotel's website says: "Please do not Clear Immigration and Customs as Ambassador Transit Hotels are situated on level 3 within the Transit Mall. Note: Luggage claim is after Immigration." If I don't clear Immigration, how do I get the luggage? Thank you for clarifying.

You can retrieve your luggage after you clear immigration once you check out of the transit hotel. Your luggage will be waiting for you at your airline's lost and found counter.

The Transit Hotel's website says: "Please do not Clear Immigration and Customs as Ambassador Transit Hotels are situated on level 3 within the Transit Mall. Note: Luggage claim is after Immigration." If I don't clear Immigration, how do I get the luggage? Thank you for clarifying.

The whole point of staying at the Transit Hotels within the airport secured area is that you are transitting through and your bags are checked onwards via Singapore - which means you don't need to collect your bags. You will be restricted from moving out of the terminal.

If you want to collect your bags and all that, you will need to stay outside of the secured area. The only airport hotel at Changi Airport is the Crowne Plaza - whose rates are more than what the transit hotel charges.

Alternately you may try some of the hotels near the airport - but they are not 'airport' hotels per se.

You can use the Transit Hotel in SIN even if SIN is your final destination. For example, UA flights arrive around midnight. I then stay at the Transit Hotel until 7am, then go through Immigration and Customs, and then go into town in the morning. As LarryU points out, you retrieve your luggage after you clear Immigration. :)

If you're making an overnight connection, you can't clear immigration and re-enter without a boarding pass for your next flight. If you got one at your point of origin, you're OK: get your bags and come back in. If you didn't, you can't get one at SIN check-in counters until the day of your flight. If it's after midnight, you're still OK since it's now your flight date - if your airline's check-in counter is open. Failing the above, you have a few choices:

1. Carry enough stuff with you for overnight and check your bags through to your final destination. Best if your connection allows that.

2. Carry enough stuff with you for overnight, pick up your bags at the airline's baggage office the next morning, get your boarding pass, and re-enter.

3. Get an airport staff member to escort you to your bags and back in. They will let you retrieve medications and other absolute essentials. They will most likely not let you get PJs and clean underwear, even if you're already there for the meds, though this may depend on the person who escorts you.

4. As posted, stay elsewhere. Less convenient, and (unless you book a really long block at the TH) more costly.

Can't help you with your initial question, since I've never check luggage through SIN

If you are going to stay at the Transit Hotel, make sure that you book the room well in advance. They tend to fill up pretty quick.

Also Terminal 1 is undergoing construction. They are doing it in the middle of the night so all you can hear is the jack hammer going until 3am... This was the case two weeks ago and I would assume that it will still be going on for some time. Bring some ear plugs or reserve a room in one of the other two terminals.

Just to confirm then:

For myself I arrive at Singapore at 1430 and have a connecting flight via Emirates at 0030.

If I arrive at Singapore at 1430, I can clear immigration and customs, pickup my bags.
Can I get a boarding pass for my next flight immediately (and therefore check-in for my next flight) and then re-enter(?) such that I can go into Transit Hotel for the remaining 6 hrs??

If I arrive at Singapore at 1430, I can clear immigration and customs, pickup my bags.
Can I get a boarding pass for my next flight immediately (and therefore check-in for my next flight) and then re-enter(?) such that I can go into Transit Hotel for the remaining 6 hrs??

You're in luck: the Emirates early check-in counter opens at 14:45 per the Changi site (http://www.changiairport.com/passenger-guide/departure/check-in/early-check-in), so this should be possible.

The other option would be to hit the hotel first, then do the immigration-bags-checkin rumba (they'll hold the bags for you), but obviously it'd be preferably to get the hassle out of the way first.

This thread seems to address the concerns I have when planning my trip next month. Because I'll arrive in SIN near midnight at T1 and depart next morning 8am from T2 on a different airline (NH), the transit hotel (C/I: midnight, C/O: 6am) seems to be a very good option compared to Crown Plaza (SGD200+) in T3. If NH allows me to check-in for the flight next morning, that'll be ideal as I can pick up my checked bags from the first leg, give them to NH, and go to the gate area with my new boarding pass - no hurry in the morning. However, I don't know if it's feasible. Therefore, I'd have to trust that my bags can be found and retrieved in T1 next morning after I check out the transit hotel.

A few questions:
1. If the transit hotel in T2 is better than T1 due to the construction, how much time will it take to travel between T1 and T2?
2. How much time does it take usually to retrieve the unclaimed bags? This will help me plan the check out time at the transit hotel.

Thanks a lot.

This thread seems to address the concerns I have when planning my trip next month. Because I'll arrive in SIN near midnight at T1 and depart next morning 8am from T2 on a different airline (NH), the transit hotel (C/I: midnight, C/O: 6am) seems to be a very good option compared to Crown Plaza (SGD200+) in T3. If NH allows me to check-in for the flight next morning, that'll be ideal as I can pick up my checked bags from the first leg, give them to NH, and go to the gate area with my new boarding pass - no hurry in the morning. However, I don't know if it's feasible. Therefore, I'd have to trust that my bags can be found and retrieved in T1 next morning after I check out the transit hotel.

A few questions:
1. If the transit hotel in T2 is better than T1 due to the construction, how much time will it take to travel between T1 and T2?
2. How much time does it take usually to retrieve the unclaimed bags? This will help me plan the check out time at the transit hotel.

Thanks a lot.

1. Really, it shouldn't take more than 15 to 20 minutes to get from a point in a particular terminal to anywhere else in the other two terminals. There's a skytrain that runs both ground and air side that is very efficient that way.
2) I'm going to leave this one to another poster to reply re the mechanics of this (I don't know, I live here so I don't run into this situation), although I note that this issue has been addressed in other threads. However let me ask you this: which airline are you traveling on to get to SIN? The question is whether or not that airline has an interlining agreement with NH. If it does, then you're all set. (BTW if you call that airline they should know the answer to your question.)

1. Really, it shouldn't take more than 15 to 20 minutes to get from a point in a particular terminal to anywhere else in the other two terminals. There's a skytrain that runs both ground and air side that is very efficient that way.
2) I'm going to leave this one to another poster to reply re the mechanics of this (I don't know, I live here so I don't run into this situation), although I note that this issue has been addressed in other threads. However let me ask you this: which airline are you traveling on to get to SIN? The question is whether or not that airline has an interlining agreement with NH. If it does, then you're all set. (BTW if you call that airline they should know the answer to your question.)

1. The travel time among terminals seem to be reasonable. Logically, I should stay in the transit hotel at T1. So I'd hope the construction will be completed by the time I travel.
2. My first leg on TG from BKK to SIN is on a different booking ref. Therefore, I don't know if they can check my bags to my final destination. If TG can do that in BKK, that'll make my transit in SIN much easier.

1. The travel time among terminals seem to be reasonable. Logically, I should stay in the transit hotel at T1. So I'd hope the construction will be completed by the time I travel.
2. My first leg on TG from BKK to SIN is on a different booking ref. Therefore, I don't know if they can check my bags to my final destination. If TG can do that in BKK, that'll make my transit in SIN much easier.

Since they are star alliance partners, TG will most likely be able to check your bags through. Make sure you have the details of both tickets when you check in at BKK.. There should be no need for you to clear immigration to retrieve / recheck bags.

1. The travel time among terminals seem to be reasonable. Logically, I should stay in the transit hotel at T1. So I'd hope the construction will be completed by the time I travel.
2. My first leg on TG from BKK to SIN is on a different booking ref. Therefore, I don't know if they can check my bags to my final destination. If TG can do that in BKK, that'll make my transit in SIN much easier.

I agree with snod08, this should be possible (I've done similar with UA/CA, also NZ/TG). When checking in at BKK, tell the check in agent what you would like to have done and show the NH ticket with ex SIN departure. There should be no issue on this but I suggest you call TG and confirm that it's workable. If not then we need to revisit your original question.

Okay for my situation,

I arrive at Changi T3 at 2pm and have a flight from T1 at 1am.

SO what you are telling me is that the easiest thing to do is:
1) Clear Customs and Immigrations upon arrival at Changi,
2) Collect bags
3) CheckIn bags for next flight (Emirates would have opened by the time I pick up bags)
4) Collect boarding passes
5) Go to Transit Hotel at T1

Some additional questions -
1) My next flight is from T1 so I would have to check in from T1 right?

Please let me know if above scenario is possible.

Thank-you for your help

Okay for my situation,

I arrive at Changi T3 at 2pm and have a flight from T1 at 1am.

SO what you are telling me is that the easiest thing to do is:
1) Clear Customs and Immigrations upon arrival at Changi,
2) Collect bags
3) CheckIn bags for next flight (Emirates would have opened by the time I pick up bags)
4) Collect boarding passes
5) Go to Transit Hotel at T1

The above scenario is possible but is not the only one. The key piece of information that you have left out is, which airline is bringing you to Singapore? If that airline has an interlining arrangement with EK, then you should be able to get your luggage tagged all the way to your final destination. In that instance you would not have to clear immigration and customs but would stay airside instead. So your scenarios:

1a) no interlining: follow the process you describe above.
1b) with interlining: stay on airside - take internal skytrain from T3 to T1. Look for transfer desk (basically check in counters) and have EK issue you the boarding passes.
2) either way, go to transit hotel.

Some additional questions -
1) My next flight is from T1 so I would have to check in from T1 right?


Yes.

Even if there is no interlining and your bag wasn't checked through, and/or you don't have your onward boarding pass, you can still go to the transit desks air side, check-in for your next flight, have them manually retrieve your bags and re-tagg for your next flight, all behind the scene. You don't have to go through customs or immigration if you don't want to. I tried it and it worked flawlessly, whether it's a midnight or day time arrival and the next flight was 12+ hours away.

Only if your connecting flight is on a budget airline that you will have to go through customs/immigration.

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

Even if there is no interlining and your bag wasn't checked through, and/or you don't have your onward boarding pass, you can still go to the transit desks air side, check-in for your next flight, have them manually retrieve your bags and re-tagg for your next flight, all behind the scene. You don't have to go through customs or immigration if you don't want to. I tried it and it worked flawlessly, whether it's a midnight or day time arrival and the next flight was 12+ hours away. ......................

My bold.
Does subject transit desks on air side handle ALL airlines check-in?
I come in SIN by QF (arr T1, I think) late evening; I depart on CZ at 8:00am next morning (also T1, I think). Plan to stay at Transit Hotel for a few hours. Would the "retrieve bag" scenario work in my case? ( I assume there is NO interline relationship between QF & CZ).

Thanks.

CZ is not mentioned one way or another on the above official link, but I would imagine they can handle the check-in and re-tag since CZ is a full service airline.

CZ is not mentioned one way or another on the above official link, but I would imagine they can handle the check-in and re-tag since CZ is a full service airline.

Thanks beep88.

I know that CZ uses T1. According to the chart (from the web link), there is no mention of CZ, but there is an entry that said: "All other Terminal 1 Airlines Transfer Lounge C or D, Terminal 1".
So can I assume that the transfer "desk" is located Lounge C or D ?

My bold.
Does subject transit desks on air side handle ALL airlines check-in?
I come in SIN by QF (arr T1, I think) late evening; I depart on CZ at 8:00am next morning (also T1, I think). Plan to stay at Transit Hotel for a few hours. Would the "retrieve bag" scenario work in my case? ( I assume there is NO interline relationship between QF & CZ).

Thanks.

I did this 2 years ago from PEN and it worked, but a coworker tried to do this 3-4 years ago and it didn't YMMV. FYI NWA/Delta MSP-NRT-SIN then SIN-PEN and back.

Hi there,
Im planning to meet someone else on another incoming flight into Singapore. Both mine and his is via Singapore Airlines (probably diff Terminals though) and then we have a connecting flight from Emirates at 1am from T1

Would really like to get out from the airport and see Singapore as we would have a 10hr wait.

So does this work out:
1) Clear Immigration, get baggage, clear customs
2) Meet friend
3) Check-In bags for next flight (by then Emirates wld have opened there Counter for checkin I believe)
4) Grab a cab into Singapore
5) Come back and refresh at Transit Hotel for a couple of hrs
6) Fly out from T1

Hi there,
Im planning to meet someone else on another incoming flight into Singapore. Both mine and his is via Singapore Airlines (probably diff Terminals though) and then we have a connecting flight from Emirates at 1am from T1

Would really like to get out from the airport and see Singapore as we would have a 10hr wait.

So does this work out:
1) Clear Immigration, get baggage, clear customs
2) Meet friend
3) Check-In bags for next flight (by then Emirates wld have opened there Counter for checkin I believe)
4) Grab a cab into Singapore
5) Come back and refresh at Transit Hotel for a couple of hrs
6) Fly out from T1

Should be doable. Ten hours is a lot of time for a transit and SIN is very efficient.

Some additional info:
1) SQ flies out of both T2 and T3, however they don't finalize which terminal a particular flight will be assigned to until fairly late, like two days before? Anyway, not an issue, it's easy to get around the three terminals.
2) It seems to me that a lot hinges on when the EK check in counter is open. You may want to check this out before leaving.
3) Please keep in mind the Transit Hotels are airside, so be sure to take into account time needed to go through Passport Control. Also, if you have any lounge memberships/privileges, this might be an option instead of going to the Transit Hotel.

Hi there,
Im planning to meet someone else on another incoming flight into Singapore. Both mine and his is via Singapore Airlines (probably diff Terminals though) and then we have a connecting flight from Emirates at 1am from T1

Would really like to get out from the airport and see Singapore as we would have a 10hr wait.

So does this work out:
1) Clear Immigration, get baggage, clear customs
2) Meet friend
3) Check-In bags for next flight (by then Emirates wld have opened there Counter for checkin I believe)
4) Grab a cab into Singapore
5) Come back and refresh at Transit Hotel for a couple of hrs
6) Fly out from T1

The weak point is 3). Iam not sure if you are able to check in that early. Alternative would be the left luggage counter (if i recall it correctly it was somewhere in the basement of T2).

Immigration/Baggage collection/Customs can easily be done within 1 hour. So depending on the arrival time of your friend you may still have up to 9 hours to kill.

I read somewhere here that Emirates CheckIn counter at Changi Airport opens 12hrs before flight time.

Can someone confirm this?

Many Thanks

I've stayed at the transit hotel a few times ... so I want to try staying outside the airport (but nearby) and was thinking of the Crowne Plaza.

Thoughts?

I am arriving from BKK on TG at 19:40 and Leaving on UA in the morning. Can I get my boarding pass at the transfer desk when I arrive. If I can, is it ok to go out to town and get back in before midnight and stay at the transit hotel?.

I already have a reservation from 23:00 at the transit hotel. If I can not go out, I plan to spend time inside the airport until 23:00, but prefer to go out.

I am arriving from BKK on TG at 19:40 and Leaving on UA in the morning. Can I get my boarding pass at the transfer desk when I arrive. If I can, is it ok to go out to town and get back in before midnight and stay at the transit hotel?.

I already have a reservation from 23:00 at the transit hotel. If I can not go out, I plan to spend time inside the airport until 23:00, but prefer to go out.

UA does not open their transfer desk until 4-4:30am. Until that time you can not get a boarding pass. If you go outside through immigration you will NOT be able to get back in until the UA ticket counters open about the same time. This is unlike SQ and others that will give you a BP anytime and that is your ticket back in to the secure area.

If you stay airside at the transit hotel they will suggest a wake up call and check out time that will allow you to hit the UA transfer desk at the appropriate time.

UA does not open their transfer desk until 4-4:30am. Until that time you can not get a boarding pass. If you go outside through immigration you will NOT be able to get back in until the UA ticket counters open about the same time. This is unlike SQ and others that will give you a BP anytime and that is your ticket back in to the secure area.

If you stay airside at the transit hotel they will suggest a wake up call and check out time that will allow you to hit the UA transfer desk at the appropriate time.

Ted is right. I had a similar itinerary as yours - flying in on TG from BKK in the evening and leaving the next morning on NH. I went to the transfer counter to get my boarding pass so I wouldn't need to rush in the morning. Although there's another NH flight departing in 30 minutes, the agent told me she couldn't check me in for the morning flight and suggested I come back in the morning. I went to transit hotel at 11:30 pm and was offered a wake up call. There were a few people on the line in the morning but the wait time wasn't long. Because I had my baggage check through, I only needed to provide the luggage tag while checking in at the transfer counter. I think the operation of UA is the same as of NH.

Specifically is it possible to retrieve your luggage retrieve my luggage at 4h30 a.m.?

Specifically is it possible to retrieve your luggage retrieve my luggage at 4h30 a.m.?

Luggage not picked up after certain time post arrival will be taken to an area in front of the lost luggage counter. You just look for your bag, take it with you on your way out past customs.

Cool. Thx, tentseller.