Originally Posted by
IAN-UK
Of course there is a transfer route for ticketed connections between international flights supported by boarding cards. The desks are to the right, at the end of the long slog from the gate, and just before the entering the main immigration hall.
I used it between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur, but that was pre-covid, when things were more relaxed.
The problem for participants in this MR are two-fold. A transfer involves a flight to a third country, not an immediate return to the trip's origin; and a boarding card is required. Even if the transafer technicality is overlooked, there'll be no legitimate boarding card.
So our intrepid runner will have to swallow visa, hotel and ground transport cost together with a measure of inconvenience.
I flew this itinerary and transited direct to KUL on MH (separate ticket, no checked baggage).
I wouldn't have been bothered about clearing immigration and checking in again landside if I didn't have to pay GBP30 for the privilege of entering the country for thirty minutes. That VOA is so ridiculous, pre COVID you could get a VOA for seven days for around GBP10. Now the 7 day one has been eliminated and you have to buy a longer term one for GBP30. In a country where the average weekly wage is GBP150 seems overkill.
Anyway, I digress. So I had booked a one way CGK-KUL ticket on MH and used the MH app to check in. Was so frustrating to be 'checked in online' but informed 'you need to collect your boarding pass from the airport counter'. Urghhhh. Anyway, I was able to print a 'check in confirmation' from malaysiaairlines.com which had a big header 'this is not a boarding pass' on top. However, it did LOOK like a boarding pass so I chanced using it as one at the transit gate before immigration and it worked. Once airside I just went to the boarding gate and they printed my boarding pass there.
I'm not sure if being unable to collect your boarding pass online/in the app is a Malaysia Airlines thing or a Jakarta Airport thing. Saying that, I had no issue using my in-app boarding pass to depart Jakarta on Sri Lankan on the outbound (I was not in transit, I landed the day previous and overnighted in Jakarta on the return).