India - Layover just 1.5 hours in Mumbai ... Is is enough?

Hi,

I am visiting Ahmedabad > Mumbai > Singapore via Kingfisher

The layover to catch the flight to Singapore is just 1.5 hours

I have a read many forum posts but all have divergent views about the transfer times from Domestic to International airport .

Do you advise me taking this flight ? Os shall I book something else


Please guide

Frankly I wouldn't do this. I flew BLR-BOM-HKG on Kingfisher in Janaury and the transfer from the Domestic to International airport was a complete mess. It took me a 1.5 hours just to get from the Santa Cruz airport into the terminal at Sahar. And, mind you, I was flying first class, so I could use priority lines etc.

The transfer situation in Bombay is a real problem. When I went back in May, I scheduled a 8 hour layover so as to avoid the earlier situation (and so I could see some friends too, of course).

Of course, your experience might be better, but with an international connection, I wouldn't take the chance. I wouldn't take that short a connection here in the US; I certainly wouldn't in Bombay.

Best of luck.

Frankly I wouldn't do this.
+1
Depending on the time of the day, it could easily take over an hour to go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal (of course I've also done it in under 20 minutes, but that's probably the exception, not the norm). And keep in mind that you need to check in at least an hour before the departure of an international flight.

I guess it may be ok to book your flight if that ticket is much cheaper than the alternative and you don't mind waiting for up to 24 hours in Mumbai if you miss your scheduled flight to Singapore.

+1
And keep in mind that you need to check in at least an hour before the departure of an international flight.
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Since both are Kingfisher Flights , will it be a through transfer or will I have to transfer separately ?

Your baggage would be checked through, so that's a positive. And they should issue you your BOM-SIN boarding pass in Ahmedabad, but I'm not sure about that. The problem is that you have to get from one terminal to the other. In my case, the transfer bus literally dumped us outside Sahar along with all the other people trying to get into the airport. It can take forever if you're unlucky as in my case.

1.5 hours is too less....personally i would not risk it....

Your baggage would be checked through, so that's a positive. And they should issue you your BOM-SIN boarding pass in Ahmedabad, but I'm not sure about that. The problem is that you have to get from one terminal to the other. In my case, the transfer bus literally dumped us outside Sahar along with all the other people trying to get into the airport. It can take forever if you're unlucky as in my case.

irfan23, I think you're mistaken about this. Even though both are Kingfisher flights, the first will land in the domestic terminal and the second will leave from the international terminal. So you will have to collect your luggage at the domestic terminal and take it with you to the international terminal. I had a similar experience on 9W last year on my way from DXB to HYD and HYD to LHR, both times via BOM.

However, since both are IT flights, you will most likely get both boarding passes in Ahmedabad.

hyderago: You are correct. I was mistaken, and the confusion stemmed from the fact that I didn't have any checked-in baggage and so just assumed that other people's baggage must have been checked through.

kriru: Even more reason that 1.5 hrs is simply inadequate for this transfer.

I would leave more than 1.5 hours. It takes a really long time in Mumbai.

I would leave more than 1.5 hours. It takes a really long time in Mumbai.

While I agree that one should generally leave more than 1.5 hours, it does NOT take a really long time. I've always been able to do the transfer successfully in order to catch a flight that departed 2 hours after the first flight landed.