mottai

Hi

My mother is travelling from SFO to Chennai on a United Award Ticket. Her itineray is as follows

SFO - NRT (United)
NRT - SIN (United)
7 hour stop-over in SIN
SIN - MAA (Air India)

I have learnt that United will not be giving the boarding pass for the SIN - MAA at check-in time at SFO. As per the Air India website, it is mentioned that there is a Transfer Area E where one can get the boarding pass for the next flight. http://www.airindia.in/singapore.htm

However when I called Air India, the agent mentioned that one has to go to the check-in counter outside immigration.

Has anyone obtained the boarding pass in the transfer area E in Singapore...? Will that be open all the times..?

Thanks
...mottai


Thanks
Mottai

vishalgupta22

Have you called United to confirm that?

If it's on a single PNR, United should be able to thru check the bags to MAA.

If United won't do that, they may note even let her get on the flight without a SG Visa.

Off topic: If she is transiting through sg with a 7 hour stopover, she may also be eligible for free tour of Singapore (this tour doesn't need a visa). I hope they have not stopped the free city tour.

Keyser

where did you learn this????last year i booked my brother on a nyc-del award ticket which had nyc-lhr on ua & lhr-del on ai....he got both boarding passes in nyc....

mottai

@vishalgupta22 and @keyser,

Thanks for your responses.

@vishalgupta22
United has agreed that they will check her bags all the way to chennai(MAA). Your logic around visa makes sense here. She reaches SIN at 1:00 midnight and gets on the AI flight at 9:00 am in the morning. She will not have time to do the free bus tour. I have booked her a room in the transit hotel.

@keyser
I am not sure if this is because of the 8 hour stop-over at SIN. i will check with United again. Did your brother have a long or short stop-over time in LHR.

The issue is that my mother is worried that she may not find the Transfer Area E in Terminal 2 in the SIN airport to get her boarding pass. We have asked for wheel chair assistance and I am not sure how she can avail this from the transit hotel.

Air India allows Web-Check-in and I am not sure if they would allow Web-Check-In to get boarding passes here for an international flight.

Thanks for your responses....

oliver2002

There is a transfer desk airside, just ask around when you land. The transfer desk can contact AI to get your BP if they don't have access to AIs systems.

Keyser

don't remember exactly but it was a long layover....i think around 10 hours....

ft4lyf

In this itinerary, the passenger will depart SIN_MAA on day-3.
Day 1 - start from USA
DAy 2 - land in NRT
Day 3 - Land in SIN
Day 3 - depart from SIN

It would be magical for United's computers to print a bag tag that spans 3 days. You will need an amazing check-in agent at the first departure point.

I have achieved a similar trip only once with the bag tagged all the way. Other times, UA simply told me to get out at SIN and re-check my bag with AI.

This is a risky itinerary if the passenger does not have a Singapore visa.

bosboy73

Help me understand how there is even a remote possibility UA won't allow her to board. The routing is all on one ticket. Citizen of India (assumed), Origin USA, Destination India and Transit Japan+Singapore. Fairly straightforward Timatic search shown below.

1) UA absolutely needs to check the bag through especially since all carriers are *A. That's the whole point of an Alliance! Ask for a supervisor at UA or AI if you hear otherwise from either one.
2) In the very remote event that the bag is not checked through, someone in Changi should be able to transfer the bag for her as long as she goes to the Transit Desk. Wheelchair assistance should help take her where she needs to go and make everything much easier.
3) In the even more minuscule possibility that she needs to exit the transit area and go through immigration, it appears she will not*** need an SG visa for 96 hours, as long as she has a US visa (which obviously she would have) and all conditions are satisfied as noted below -- especially the "one-direction per journey" only restriction.

***Note the caveat regarding single-entry visas to the USA and other countries which allow passenger to qualify for VFTF. If in doubt, contact the Singapore consulate regarding application of VFTF to multiple entry visas when transiting SG and NOT on a direct flight to/from country that issued the visa. In general, the SG consulate is quite helpful and may even provide you written documentation.

In fact, Singapore even SPECIFICALLY allows passengers on two SEPARATE tickets to be able to check-in for the connecting flight in the Int'l transit area as long as there is not a Budget carrier involved.

People, please don't speculate - always check Timatic first.

National India (IN) /Embarkation USA (US)
Transit Japan (JP) /Transit Singapore (SG)
Destination India (IN)
ALSO CHECK DESTINATION INFORMATION BELOW

Singapore (SG)


TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
Visa required, except for Holders of onward tickets in transit

For details, click here.
Visa required, except for Nationals of India who can also

transit, for up to 96 hours without a visa under the Visa Free
Transit Facility (VFTF) on either the outbound or return leg
of the same journey (but not on both). Leaving the transit
area is allowed.
- ***Warning*** Holders of a valid single entry visa (or
multiple entry visa valid for at least one month) issued by

Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand,
Switzerland, USA or United Kingdom to nationals of India

may use the VFTF mentioned above. After using a single

entry visa and the VFTF was not used on the outbound leg of
the journey, the VFTF can only be used on the return leg
with a direct transit through Singapore from the country
that issued the visa to the country of residence (e.g.,
SYD-SIN-PEK).
- Transit passengers holding 2 separate tickets can check in

for the connecting flight in the international transit area,

except when For details, click here
Additional Information:

- Hotel accommodation is available within the transit area of

Singapore Airport (SIN).

Singapore (SG)

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
- Transit passengers holding 2 separate tickets can check in

for the connecting flight in the international transit area,

except when arriving/departing on a budget carrier. Budget

carriers are: Air Asia (AK), Indonesia AirAsia (QZ), Thai
AirAsia (FD), Air India Express (IX), Cebu Pacific Air (5J),
Firefly (FY), Jetstar (JQ), Jetstar Asia (3K), Jetstar
Pacific (BL), Lion Air (JT), Scoot (TZ), Spring Airlines
(9C), Tigerair (TR) and VietJet Air (VJ).

mottai

Thanks a lot for all your responses. My mother finally traveled on Cathay Pacific flight in the following itinerary. She was worried about the transfer in Singapore. Thanks to AA miles, this was possible.

SFO --> HKG
HKG --> MAA

This flight had a two hour stop over at Honk Kong.

Anyways, here is what I heard from the airlines on the previous itinerary :

United: On the phone mentioned that they can check the baggage all the way to MAA. The agent told that they cannot issue a boarding pass for the flight from SIN to MAA

Air India: On the phone did not provide details on where to get the boarding pass. The AI agent mentioned that my mother has re-checkin the baggage.

Thanks for all your responses.

...mottai

ft4lyf

The Cathay route is way more nicer. HKG is an easy transfer...