Middle East - Transit at Doha airport, different airlines, OLCI

Hi all,

Quick question to anyone who knows Doha airport well, the answer to which will determine the order I visit a couple of countries next week as part of my quest to visit every country in the world:

If I arrive in to Doha airport on an airline that is NOT Qatar (likely Bahrain Air or Gulf Air) and wish to depart two hours or so later on Qatar, will I be able to make an airside transit? I will have OLCI and hand luggage only for all flights. The reason for asking is that I know about the various bus-related transfer routes when flying Qatar-Qatar, but don't know whether a flight arriving from Bahrain that is not QR will allow me any possibility to transfer, since technically they shouldn't connect to anything there, Doha not being a hub for them. Or does the set-up of the airport mean that when the bus dumps you at arrivals there is still a route available for airside transfer? Or will the bus stop at the transit terminal anyway?

Thanks in advance.

Kingston_toon

Let's enlist the help of the readers of the Destinations->Middle East forum and I'll move this thread there. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Hi all,

Quick question to anyone who knows Doha airport well, the answer to which will determine the order I visit a couple of countries next week as part of my quest to visit every country in the world:

If I arrive in to Doha airport on an airline that is NOT Qatar (likely Bahrain Air or Gulf Air) and wish to depart two hours or so later on Qatar, will I be able to make an airside transit? I will have OLCI and hand luggage only for all flights. The reason for asking is that I know about the various bus-related transfer routes when flying Qatar-Qatar, but don't know whether a flight arriving from Bahrain that is not QR will allow me any possibility to transfer, since technically they shouldn't connect to anything there, Doha not being a hub for them. Or does the set-up of the airport mean that when the bus dumps you at arrivals there is still a route available for airside transfer? Or will the bus stop at the transit terminal anyway?

Thanks in advance.

Kingston_toon

Yes, you will be able to transfer airside. The bus from the any aircraft besides QR will take you directly to the arrivals hall. When you get off the bus, just tell the agent (or don't tell him) that you need to transfer to transfers/departures and wait for a bus that is going there. You might have to wait a few minutes, but two hours should be enough time for the whole process.

By the way, though it doesn't apply to you, there is a transit desk after you go through transit security in the departures terminal. (I am not sure if every airline is available easily, so definitely a good idea to do OLCI beforehand if one were not departing on QR.)

Yes, you will be able to transfer airside. The bus from the any aircraft besides QR will take you directly to the arrivals hall. When you get off the bus, just tell the agent (or don't tell him) that you need to transfer to transfers/departures and wait for a bus that is going there. You might have to wait a few minutes, but two hours should be enough time for the whole process.

By the way, though it doesn't apply to you, there is a transit desk after you go through transit security in the departures terminal. (I am not sure if every airline is available easily, so definitely a good idea to do OLCI beforehand if one were not departing on QR.)

Excellent advice, thank you very much. Think I'll go with Bahrain Air then just for the randomness factor, although they seem to have decent on-time performance.