rankourabu

I think without paperwork - this is actually more likely to work then the 5 hour connection. I've read here its been done.

whimike

I did an immediate turn as well. Had RGN-BKK boarding pass printed in BKK. As soon as I got off the plane I talked to a purple coat TG person on the jetbridge. They simply ushered me through the glass doors at the end of the jetbridge that puts you at the boarding gate for the outbound flight.

yevlesh2

How did that connection work out for you?

I am considering doing the same . Would it be risky to check a bag in such a situation, or would TG simply be able to ticket it through to SIN (and beyond) as with any connecting flight?

hobo13

Since we have a lot of discussion about TWOV and quick-turns, here's our situation which I would like advice on.

Currently ticketed:

BKK-RGN on the TG ~1PM as an award ticket.
RGN-BKK on the TG 7PM as our R1 ticket

We have tourist visas in our passports so boarding in BKK will not be a problem. We would prefer to keep our visas intact for our second trip next month. So we'll remain airside in the lounge for this layover.

The question which we are debating is as follows:

A. Move the BKK-RGN award flight to the 5 PM such that we make a quick turn in RGN onto our RGN-BKK R1 ticket.

B. Attempt to standby onto the earlier RGN-BKK flight, such that we make a quick turn from our BKK-RGN award flight onto the same plane RGN-BKK as a stanby passenger.

Analysis

Option A:
If we fail to convince TG / RGN staff to let us do the quickturn, this is BAD since it is our R1 ticket and might be a nightmare to get rebooked. Since other FTers have done this, perhaps fairly high probability of success, but if it fails, high consequences.

Option B:
This is preferred for us. We have an overnight connection in BKK, and a longer night would be nicer. If we fail to convince them to let us go standby, we just wait in the lounge. No downside risk at all. But getting standby from TG on this atypical ticket might be low. (at least one denial in this thread) So I would say this is a relatively lower probability of success, but with low (or no) consequences.

Based on the downside Risk of A, we would only want to do that if we were absolutely sure that TG staff would usher us through the magic door! And my risk-averse nature says to just go with Option B even if it is a lower chance of success.

(And yes, I've been known to overthink things......)

gary_nj

This morning, I successfully finished my first R1 trip. It was RGN to GIG, purchased on CheapoAir and on JL ticket stock. No problems along the way at all.

The only hiccup (that was resolved very successfully) was a few months ago. I had several segments within the USA on AA (doing some hub hopping). One of the flight numbers changed, and the automated systems just couldn't resolve it. Instead of calling Cheapo, I tried my luck by calling AA directly, and it was great. Best part was that they reissued the ticket, so I actually flew on a 001 stock ticket.

Many thanks to the OP for this one... it was a long couple of days to get here to Rio, but a wonderful MR.

jmk2135

Good news: Moving to Europe for the foreseeable future
Bad news: I will no longer be positioned for my Round 1 (KE) and Round 2s.

Anyone have an experience with refunding these? I recall reading a post or two about it eons ago, but anything recent?

ironmanjt

I refunded two round one tickets, no problem at all.

TerryK

They are fully refundable tickets. It may take some time but you will get your refund.

hobo13

Having refunded about 3 sets of R3's with TL/XP, I must concur. You wait on-hold while they call the airline to verify that it is indeed refundable. Of course, it says REFUNDABLE right on their screen, but for some reason they still need to call. And if they are plated on a carrier (UX) whose US office isn't open except during the week, forget calling on the weekend. I think it was XP in India that told me they couldn't call the UX office in Sri Lanka directly cause their phones will only call US numbers .... (I do believe the guy -- I imagine that it's like one big pseudo-VPN such that the off-shore call centers feel just like they are in the US... but the logic just kills!)

tangoll

I had the same situation on my R1 which started 01 Jan. Thought about doing your option A only, but eventually decided to leave as originally booked, ie TG 301, wait 5 hours in departure lounge, then TG 306. Did not have to use my MY visa as TG staff took me directly to departure lounge.

My suggestion: leave exactly as you have it booked, and just suffer the 5 hour wait. TG staff at RGN will likely take you straight to departure lounge without your having to use your visa. They will take your passport and return later with passport and new boarding pass, but during that time, I could not wait in TG's business lounge, only in an empty (except for some chairs/desks) transit lounge in the main departure hall. Perhaps you could ask TG staff to let you wait in the biz lounge instead. Just my opinion.

hobo13

Thanks for the comments. Did you try to standby on the earlier flight?

tangoll

No, I did not want to do anything that might affect the first segment of my R1 flight. Neither did the TG staff at RGN suggest taking the earlier flight as an option.

hobo13

Yup, it seems that would be the downside of that approach.

onlysuites

I did one two weeks ago and got the refund back in 3-4 days.

rankourabu

I think I will stick with that option. Now to figure out how to get TG to let me on the 1pm flight without paperwork.