Experience report based on my trip as described in post
#597 above. Note that I did not check any bags on this trip, which "helped" on the inbound.
The outbound went as expected.
- Had to check-in in-person at DEN to show proof of Indian e-Visa.
- When deplaning at DEL they had a person in the hallway telling people that all passengers had to get checked bags. eVisa printout worked fine, no issues or questions. Had to show BP for flight just completed.
- Next day checked in for Vistara in person and received that BP, no issues.
- Side note: when you enter the KTM immigration hall and can see the lines and desks, you actually need to turn hard left to see a desk on the wall where you need to pay the USD$ cash fee for the eVisa you applied for online.
The inbound was a bit more interesting, although ended up working out as expected.
- Was able to check-in online with Vistara and "received" three electronic boarding passes for KTM-DEL-EWR-DEN (the latter two flights being UA listed/operated). Allowing OLCI was a surprise to me because I knew you had to have a paper boarding pass for various "stampings" in this part of the world. Also this didn't go so smoothly as the OLCI gave me several choices for receiving the boarding pass. I could choose email (which I should have chosen) or add to my apple wallet. Unfortunately the Apple wallet sub-option gave three separate links, and after clicking and adding the first flight, the app went back to the home screen and I couldn't access the others. I decided not to risk messing with it since I had to get paper passes at the airport anyway.
- Side note: I was intending to change my DEL-EWR seat to be next to an expected empty middle seat, but after I did OCLI with Vistara/Amadeus, it locked me out of any changes to my UA flights. Old lesson remembered.
- At the KTM check-in desk, there was confusion because the desk person had no idea what was going on and believed I needed a new Indian eVisa despite that 1) Indian eVisas are double-entry and the visa stamp in my passport was clearly marked "1/2 entries", and 2) I was a I-I transit passenger anyway and didn't need an eVisa. She ignored my explanations and eventually a supervisor came over and mostly ignored my explanations and asked me if I had any checked bags, pushed some buttons and all my boarding passes printed out. I'm not sure which of the reasons got me through but they seem mostly convinced that since I had no checked bags they were ok with it.
- At DEL, I walked past the transfer desks as described by the wiki (since I had my BPs) and on to the I-I security checkpoint. There were two security guys and one other transit passenger, just the four of us in total. They checked my backpack and wanded me, but then the security guy with the ink stamp paused and said I had to go back because my BP didn't have the letters "DT" for Direct Transfer printed (or written?) at the top. I turned on my best confused-foreigner personality and offered up my other boarding passes. He saw that I came from KTM with the proper ink stamps all over it and mumbled "oh, hmm, Kathmandu", saw that I only had a 5 hour layover. He asked if I had any checked bags and then very cautiously decided to finally stamp by BP and let me through. While wiping the virtual sweat off my brow and repacking my bag, his supervisor guard wandered toward me and asked something like "You did talk to the transfer desks back there right?" and I falsely indicated affirmative and he decided to leave me alone. Perhaps they paid me more attention because they were bored.
- When boarding my UA flight at Gate 1, the first person looked at my Vistara BP, and seemed confused that I was an I-I transfer, asked me where I had come from, I answered and received the same "oh, hmm, Kathmandu" and let me by.
- At the BP scanner, I was gently rejected and had step to the side and show my BP and passport to the desk for re-checking. I was asked again if I had any checked bags and they again seemed happy the answer was zero.
- Side story: I used by Vistara paper BP in the TSA-pre line at EWR to see what would happen. It actually scanned but she said I was in the wrong line, so I feigned ignorance and pulled my phone out with the United BP w/TSA-pre that had shown up in my app at some point and got through. The Vistara paper BP did work to board my plane back to DEN.