LHR-SIN-CHC
Mar 23, 2015, 1:51 pm
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
LHR-SIN-CHC
So, booked my tickets for our first ever flight on SQ in Y for a Christmas visit to NZ. We are SQ321 then SQ297 which only gives us an hour connection. I am sure I am not going to be the only person in the world that is doing, or has done, this so wondered what people's experience of it was. I assume that there is a transit lounge area, or do I have to clear passport control (all British passport holders, plus 2 dual NZ passport holders) ? Any other hints/tips that might be useful for this flight ? Thanks.
Mar 23, 2015, 5:23 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,961
You don't need to clear immigration when transiting in SIN. Changi airport has a shared arrivals/departures hallway/loungeway so you'd exit your arriving gate and just walk to your departing gate for boarding.
Mar 23, 2015, 7:43 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: QF LTG, SQ EGTP, Bonvoy LTG
Posts: 4,847
If your flight from LHR is on time, this wouldn't be considered a tight connection at Changi. It effectively gives you about 45 mins to make it from your inbound flight to the gate where the CHC flight is departing from, as gates close 10 mins before departure. Which should be plenty of time.
The other thing is that unlike most airports, security is at the gate, rather than at a central point. This means that when you get off your first flight you are already in departures area of the airport, and you don't have to queue with lots of other passengers who may have much later flights. You may face a queue at the departure gate, but in most cases* this will be for your flight anyway, so no need to worry about that too much.
*only exception is for areas with multiple gates. If you are running late for some reason (such as the LHR flight arriving late), and you are leaving from one of these multiple gates and faced with a long queue, avoid the queue and approach security and point out you are on the flight leaving in 15 mins, not 90 mins. Usually they will let you then jump the queue. In other words ... don't worry!
The other thing is that unlike most airports, security is at the gate, rather than at a central point. This means that when you get off your first flight you are already in departures area of the airport, and you don't have to queue with lots of other passengers who may have much later flights. You may face a queue at the departure gate, but in most cases* this will be for your flight anyway, so no need to worry about that too much.
*only exception is for areas with multiple gates. If you are running late for some reason (such as the LHR flight arriving late), and you are leaving from one of these multiple gates and faced with a long queue, avoid the queue and approach security and point out you are on the flight leaving in 15 mins, not 90 mins. Usually they will let you then jump the queue. In other words ... don't worry!
Mar 24, 2015, 7:32 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: SQ [TPP 20]
Posts: 124
As others point out 1 hour for transit in Singapore is pretty routine. However, you do run a risk of departure delay out of LHR upsetting the connection. If there are a number of pax on SQ321 also wishing to connect to SQ297 [possible at that time of year] they may hold the connecting flight.
Mar 25, 2015, 4:20 am
#5
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,422
As others point out 1 hour for transit in Singapore is pretty routine. However, you do run a risk of departure delay out of LHR upsetting the connection. If there are a number of pax on SQ321 also wishing to connect to SQ297 [possible at that time of year] they may hold the connecting flight.