sabbasolo

We filled it in, no-one asked for it

sabbasolo

Hi, We arrive at T2 in Delhi at 9am, but our AI flight doesn't depart T3 until 15:15.
1) Will they let us in to T3 5 hours before the flight?
2) Will AI accept the bags 5 hours before the international flight?

thanks

PiperAtGatesofDawn

You will be allowed into T3 & to check-in 4 hours before your flight.

onlysuites

Can I check in Electric toothbrush, shavers etc for domestic flights? I remember them asking if I had any battery operated gadgets in my checked bags the last time.

PiperAtGatesofDawn

No you can't.

However that's what I do since I couldn't be bothered to take out my toothbrush and shaver from my kit bag in my check-in luggage, remove and return the blades to the kit bag and then carry the toothbrush and shaver without blades in my carry on. I'm exhausted just talking about it. Nothing has happened so far. However they do threaten to remove any LiON batteries from your check-in if they find it.

Keyser

Has anyone here been able to transit in the UK without a visa, on the basis of holding a US visa?

Little bit of background on my situation. I had a 10 year UK visa that expired recently. I applied for a new visa about 3 months ago but due to the backlog the UK Embassy is currently facing at the moment, my visa has still not come through. I leave for the US in 3 days so there is little to no chance now that I will get my visa in time.

My original plan was to travel DEL-JFK on the 1st of August, JFK-LHR on the 7th of August, stay a couple of days in London, then fly LHR-CDG on the 10th & finally CDG-DEL on the 13th. Now that my UK visa has not come through in time, one option is to change my LHR-CDG flight so that I leave on the same day as I arrive in the UK. However, since I am on separate tickets, I will still require to go through immigration so that I can collect my bags & check them in for my next flight.

I read somewhere that if I have a US visa then entry to the UK is allowed for a 48 hour period & is based on officer discretion at immigration. Not sure if that is accurate or not so am looking for anyone who has experience in a similar situation.

qraec777

@Keyser - Found this on www.gov.uk

Transiting without a visa

You may be eligible to transit without a visa if:

• you arrive and depart by air
• have a confirmed onward flight that leaves on the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive
• have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country)

One of the following must also apply:

• you’re travelling to (or on part of a reasonable journey to) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country
• you’re travelling from (or on part of a reasonable journey from) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country

Keyser

I did see that & if I change my flight to leave the same day then I meet those requirements (provided the immigration officer deems my journey as reasonable). However, I wanted to check if anyone has some first hand experience in this situation.

Keyser

Looking for some guidance from anyone who is familiar with EK's Skywards program.

I had posted a similar question the the Emirates forum however have received no response.

I don't travel with EK much but still end up taking a couple of flights per year. Thanks to their 'My Family' program, I have a little over 100K miles at the moment. A large chunk of this is set to expire at the end of the month so I was looking to use this up.

The only non-work related travel I have in the foreseeable future is a trip to Monaco for a close friend's 50th birthday in October. If I were to fly EK on the way back home then there are currently 2 options available. An Economy Flex Plus ticket for 47,500 miles + €194.85 in taxes or a Business Flex Plus ticket for 88,750 miles + €740.64 in taxes.

The Economy ticket has a 35K miles option to upgrade to Business class so if I were to use this option then I would end up using 47.5K + 35K = 82.5K miles, which would be less than the Business Flex Plus option above. Also, not sure if I would have to pay anything extra in taxes if using the upgrade option since there is a big difference between taxes for the 2 tickets. However, while the fare is eligible for Miles Upgrades at any time, there is currently no upgrade availability right now.

So my questions for anyone familiar with the Skywards program are:

1. If the upgrade becomes available then I would have to pay an extra 35K miles. Would I also have to pay extra in taxes?

2. I can see that no upgrade availability is present currently on the Flex Plus option, no matter what date I check for. Does EK open up upgrade availability after the ticket is purchased & if so then do they do it closer to your travel date or is it random & can happen anytime?

SuperFlyBoy

Can you actually upgrade an award ticket on EK?

In most FF programs, this is not possible - unless you "pay" the difference, in both miles/points and taxes...

Keyser

I believe EK is the only airline that has this benefit.

SuperFlyBoy

That's awesome - and also why I don't redeem miles on EK.

It's almost the same as buying a revenue ticket, if the lower biz classes are available - due to the high taxes!

PiperAtGatesofDawn

AFAIK EK doesn't take it's pound of flesh for upgrades aka carrier surcharges. However you'd have to pay all taxes etc. which is fair. Also EK prices its one way awards significantly more than returns.

What you should also look at (through initiating ticket purchase or EF) is the upgrade award space. And see if that works out better. So you buy a return Y ticket and upgrade it online (as long as upgrades are available). That might work out better than paying almost $1000 in surcharges & taxes!

Keyser

That's what I am trying to figure out. How much would those taxes be?

There is currently no upgrade space but I have been told that EK will open up upgrade space once the ticket is bought. I initially thought about buying a Y ticket & upgrading but that doesn't work for me. The only reason I am looking to fly EK is because the miles are expiring. Upgrading on this sector would set me back 35K miles & I have almost double of that expiring.

SuperFlyBoy

Are you able to find a way to extend those miles? Maybe call in and ask? Write also??