Originally Posted by
PiperAtGatesofDawn
Bags will have to be collected in BOM as he will have to do his customs & immigration in BOM. The domestic transfers is clearly marked to the left once you leave the customs hall.
Estimated chance of making the a 55 minute INT-DOM connection in BOM is zero. Baggage drop for BOM-CCU closes 45 minutes before departure, so your friend has about 10 minutes between the plane landing (assuming on time and not circling BOM endlessly), taxing to the gate, getting of the plane, doing the long walk to immigration, clearing immigration, collecting baggage, clearing customs, rechecking baggage and getting new BP, going to the domestic side, going through security, going to the boarding gate & boarding! Phew... took me almost 10 minutes to type that.
AI will try to put him on their own planes and that could mean re-routing through DEL for instance. If your friend firmly insists they should be able to accommodate him on another direct airline (UK or 6E for instance) and not make him wait 14 or 24 hours for the next BOM-CCU AI flight.
Thanks PAGOD - that's great info. I've passed it on, and worked out a couple of later indirect AI flights he could request he's put on. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. He was told 17 people on his flight are connecting to CCU and is hoping they'd hold that flight. I did say that doesn't happen anymore, but tbh, things seem to work a little differently in India.