Boleslav

Our international flight lands at BKK airport late at night, then in the morning we have an early flight with Thai Air (we are not arriving to BKK onThai Air).
We plan to have our luggage checked all the way through to Krabi, our final destination.

In the past when we flew to Bkk and then took first flight in the morning to Chiang Mai, we just stayed few hours at the transit and cleared the immigration in Chiang Mai.
Can we stay in BKK transit and clear the immigration in Krabi?
thank you

olisch

yes: On Ground Services - Flight Transfer International to Domestic

Boleslav

thank you for the post, however from this web site it is not a clear yes on going through the immigration in Krabi.

If the final destination is Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Phuket, Hat Yai or Samui, passengers have to proceed to Domestic Transfer Check-in Counters - East at concourse D, level 2 before proceed to immigration and security formality. Customs formality will be done at your destination airport.

jiejie

Thailand changed its connection flight/immigration procedure a few years ago. What you posted from the web site is correct as to current procedure. You will stay airside to do this, but you will pass immigration for connections for these 6 airports in BKK. It is a different checkpoint than the regular immigration areas for entering at BKK. It's pretty well signed once you get there. You will NOT go through immigration at Krabi.

I believe if you already are checked in all the way through to Krabi (i.e. your journey is on one ticket all the way) and have your BP, you probably don't need to go by the Domestic Transfer airline check-in counters. Do stop by if you are on separate ticket and/or don't yet have BP for the onward flight. If your luggage is checked all way to Krabi (check to see if your first airline has an interline agreement with TG), you don't deal with it until Krabi. Pick it up there and you WILL clear Customs there. Yes, it is a split location system Immigration vs Customs, for these 6 airports only.

Your main issue is timing of when to pass through the transfer immigration checkpoint: right after you arrive, or spend some additional time in the better-equipped international airside then go through immigration closer to your onward flight time.

dsquared37

You are spot on as usual, with the one exception your last sentence. As an international arrivee pax are on level 2 where there are a few duty free shops and nothing else.

If you want food/drink etc you'll need to head upstairs to the international departure area (floor 3). While you won't be able to access lounges without a departing int BP you will at least be able to sit and eat.

NB: At the foot of the escalator to the 3rd floor do not, under any circumstances, allow the minder to see a transfer domestic BP (orange stripe on top) or mention anything about a domestic airport. Keep it simple and say 'transfer desk' and keep moving.

jiejie

Yes, sorry I didn't mention these "fine points" of this BKK maneuver. OP, make careful note thereof. My main thrust was that once you pass over to the domestic side, the refreshment choices (especially late) are very slim--in fact I'm not even sure what's still open on the intl side? The lounges on both domestic and intl sides won't be open in the wee hours. What about Louis Tavern lounge?

dsquared37

There's a few places open on the 4th floor late night IIRC. When I've been on the domestic side at 6AM for early flights the food court is just opening and the shops around the A/B confluence are still closed.

I'm not even sure the dedicated Int-dom immigration is open late night.

Worst case scenario pax can clear through normal immigration channels and head to the first floor street side, door 7, for Magic Point Food Court. I believe they are open 24/7.

Boleslav

Thank you for the recommendation about the international departure area, I seem to recall there was some elevator trick to get there, will look into it.

dsquared37

It is not an elevator but rather an escalator. And there's no trick. Keep your BPs in your pocket and say 'transfer desk'.

It's very simple.

TerryK

If you get into international departure area, how do you get to domestic A/B gates?

dsquared37

Just to the west of the transfer security area, and adjacent to a relatively new information desk, is a 3 ft wide 'hallway' (passageway?) which leads to the same escalators you took on the way up. You can take the escalator down to the international arrival level, Floor 2, and then to immigration.