Found this old thread. I'll be flying MLE-CMB on EK and then CMB-SIN-SFO on SQ. Does SQ have a transfer desk where I'll be able to get my boarding pass, or will I need to get a transit visa at the airport, enter, check-in, etc.? (Or, is there any chance I could get my SQ boarding pass at the SQ desk at MLE?)

Is it one ticket? If so yes you should be able to get your Boarding card in MLE. Sri Lankan Airlines handle all ground handling at CMB and you can get your boarding card at their Transfer desk which is always open. Even if you do not have one ticket sometimes, depending on the staff they do thru check your bags all the way. In case they are unable to print a boarding card, you still do not have to enter CMB if your bags are thru checked.

I have one ticket on EK for MLE-CMB and one ticket on SQ for CMB-SIN-SFO. It sounds like you're saying that I can check in to my SQ flight at the transfer desk?

Given you have separate tickets, I imagine that your bags (if you have any) will not be through checked, so you will need to enter Sri Lanka, claim them, and then check in again at Departures. This is a pretty straight forward process and there is not much walking involved.

The transfer desk is run by SriLankan Airlines and could possibly issue boarding passes for you, if you do not have any checked baggage.

However, I really don't know if SQ is one of the airlines that SriLankan will do this for, perhaps someone else can comment? If unsure, go to the transfer desk and ask. If they won't issue a boarding pass, then you would have to enter Sri Lanka and re-check in.

Thanks. I won't have bags so really just worried about my boarding pass!

I have done this twice but not recently. Just went to the transfer desk and they were able to send someone to get my bags and retag them to the new flight + gave me the new boarding passes. Most recent one was Sri Lankan to Oman Air.

Unless things have changed recently you should be able to get the boarding passes.

Then it is not an issue. The UL Transfer Counter handles all the airlines. But depending on the time of your flight they may not be able to issue an immediate boarding pass but you no need to go through Immigration.

thank you!

I'm sorry, but I don't believe that's correct.

A few years ago I was transferring from a SQ flight from SIN to an Air India flight to DEL (see post 1).

It was made quite clear to me that the UL transfer desk did not issue boarding passes for AI, and I had to enter Sri Lanka and re check in with Air India. Luckily I did not have checked bags. And I know that there are other airlines that UL won't handle, including all LCC's.

So you may well be able to get your SQ boarding pass at the transfer desk, but it would be worth checking beforehand.

Thanks Grace B . I don't actually mind enter Sri Lanka - I will have a very long layover so plenty of time to deal with this. I just haven't been able to figure out what the requirements are - the Sri Lanka websites are scant on info and it seems during COVID there is temporarily no online application for a transit visa. Does anyone have recent experience with entering Sri Lanka for transit purposes? Are there COVID testing requirements, documentation, or pre-registration requirements?

That cannot be right. UL is the only authorized GH agents in CMB. That is why they handle all the airlines. The Low cost are also handled by UL. They are the sole GH agents in BIA(CMB). Now if you have baggage they probably may not thru check it in and need to collect your bags and re check in but UL is the one who still would handle your baggage and also service the check in counters. You may have to wait airside until the respective foreign airlines open their counters and system to get your boarding pass from the transfer counter.

Well, from personal experience, UL will not issue BP's for ALL airlines at their transfer desk.

They may otherwise have a monopoly on ground handling, but they choose which airlines they will handle at their transfer desk.

Don't believe me, go try it...

Again I am not sure if this still applies but they could not issue my ticket but they were kind enough to send someone to the check-in desk and get the boarding passes for me. Took 15-20 mins.

Well that was very helpful of them, but they certainly wouldn't do that for me with Air India.

I have used the CMB transfer desk on several occasions (usually on business class tix), and have found the service to be very variable, depending on such things as the agents' disposition, the queue lengths (there were separate lines for J and Y) and the airline/destination.. Sometimes, when it was busy, Y class pax have "invaded" the J class line, causing annoyance and confusion all round.

So, based on my experience, it could be pot luck as to how the transfer desk handles your request.

Were you able to do this connection on separate tickets? Looking at doing this same connection in a few months.