Cw novice

Mods - Firstly feel free to move if not appropriate for.this board.

I wonder if anyone has any knowledge of connecting on separate bookings at OSL

Due to some flight changes my arrival into OSL is now 19.55 (BA760) instead of 23.55. My ultimate destination is BGO and originally I was going to stay the night in OSL and train the next day.

Would it be feasible with an on time 7.55 arrival and checked luggage to buy a separate ticket on the 9.35 OSL-BGO flight with SAS and make the connection, checking in luggage. I am aware this may get delayed etc. It's only £100 for a refundable J ticket.

As a backup I might book the night train which is only £40 with a lie.flat J type seat. Don't worry on the way back I will be taking the train in day time to enjoy the full scenery and some time in Oslo then.

Booking Train and Plane is still cheaper than a night in OSL and plane/train the next day.

jamesie_version1

Nowhere near guaranteed, but I’d give this a go for 100.

orbitmic

I wouldn't. Passport control at OSL is very hit and miss, sometimes very fast, sometimes very slow. Same goes for luggage delivery, usually fine, but not always. If your first flight is, say, 30 minutes late, you'd almost certainly miss the second booking given checked luggage so that would be well below my risk tolerance.

Cw novice

That makes sense, will just get the night train booked when the tickets become available. In the above scenario would probably miss the cutoff for cancelling the ticket as well.

CHCflyer

I had a huge barny with the staff manning the connecting immigration process. A MAN and DUB flight arrived together and both were loaded with British Passport holders. The Ethiopian flight had arrived just prior so the 'other' line was huge and the e-gates were empty.
The man supervising the immigration area said UK passport holders cannot use the e-gates and that this was a gift from Boris to you British. He then permitted a British passport holder to use the e-gate as she was married to a Norwegian. I piped up that the e-gates can be used by UK passport holders which he denied as she went through the gates. It took an hour to clear the queue. To add to the spitefullness they then started asking people to show their return flight bookings and hotel reservations and that they had enough to pay for their stay in Norway (which was galling as I was connecting to Stockholm).

I get the Bexit thing but as Norway is not a member of the EU it reeked of meanness.

KARFA

Norway is a member of Schengen, and you need a stamp now if you are a UK passport holder, so generally e-gates on entry is not used when arriving in to the EU/Schengen (there are a few exceptions where they have arranged things in such a way to stamp after you have been through the e gates).

Norway as an EFTA member does enjoy free movement with EU countries, so effectively entering Norway is treated like entering the EU.

orbitmic

basically, he was right and you were mistaken sadly. As KARFA rightly says, Norway is a member of the Schengen area (as are Switzerland and Iceland) and thus, in effect, their not being part of the EU is entirely irrelevant for immigration/emigration purposes.

Having said that, your experience perfectly illustrates what I meant about passport control at osl being often fine but occasionally excruciatingly slow.

CHCflyer

My point I was trying to make was that the Oslo e-gates can and do handle British passports but the Norwegians choose to be very selective about how British you need to be to use them.

Freddorick

Maybe she was a resident or had a residence permit? That would presumably exempt her from the stamp? Otherwise, I agree that it seems odd.

Regarding OP's connection: I think for domestic flights bag drop closes 30 min prior to departure, risky but it could work. If you had a major schedule change, you could also cancel your BA ticket and book a new LON-OSL-BGO ticket on SAS which would allow you to check luggage through to BGO.

KARFA

Yes because she is married to a Norwegian. Similarly if a UK passport holder enter the EU as a spouse of an EU citizen you are dealt with differently compared to a UK passport holder who is not.

Do you not get that a UK passport holder no longer has automatic right of entry in the EU/EFTA countries and that your entry and exit now needs recording on your passport? I don't like queuing either btw, but quite frankly we are where we are, and until EITAS comes in that is the way it is. I don't think acting in the way you did towards the Norwegian immigration officer really helps anyone.

Freddorick

Not sure if just marriage is enough? I would assume you need a residence permit in a Schengen state of sorts (which she likely had). Her stay will have to be recorded in some way if she is just visiting under a visa waiver scheme. Unless of course she has the right to reside/stay in Norway/Schengen for an unlimited amount of time.

KARFA

Indeed. clearly her status was different to a bog standard Uk passport holder.

Tbh I am just surprised any Uk passport holding frequent traveler to the EU/EFTA isn’t aware that you generally can’t use e gates on arrival for the reason noted above. No amount of remonstration with an immigration office is going to change that.

CHCflyer

I spoke to them as they were queued in front of me - he was actually a resident of UK with a Norwegian passport. He went to the e-gates and she was reluctant. I encouraged her to use the gates.
My irritation was to be told that this was Boris' gift to the British.
I reside in NZ and rarely visit UK. This was a visit to see family for the first time in three years.

Cw novice

Just for clarification the BA ticket isn't flexible so am not changing that. Plus am starting from EDI and would prefer not to give up 2-3 hours in the CX lounge for a long lunch. Finally SAS would be a 2 stopper as well via ARN and OSL so a bit of faf.

Loganair direct would be double the price of BA and would mean no bag allowance which I need for the trip plus need to be in Oslo at the end.

Will mull it over and decide if I still book plane and train or just train.

etiene

If such facts irritate you I would suggest you avoid starting any fights in which they might be pointed out.