Can I connect between 2 int'l flights in DEL without going landside?
Oct 18, 2009, 12:06 am
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This afternoon, I'm flying CX from BKK-DEL. I'll be connecting to a BA flight DEL-LHR. I can do the flight without checking a bag, but I don't have my BA boarding pass and doubt that CX can print it for me--the two flights are on different tickets. Will I have to go through immigration at DEL, or is there a way to do this airside? Never tried this maneuver before at DEL although I've done it at LHR a few times.
This afternoon, I'm flying CX from BKK-DEL. I'll be connecting to a BA flight DEL-LHR. I can do the flight without checking a bag, but I don't have my BA boarding pass and doubt that CX can print it for me--the two flights are on different tickets. Will I have to go through immigration at DEL, or is there a way to do this airside? Never tried this maneuver before at DEL although I've done it at LHR a few times.
Oct 18, 2009, 12:33 pm
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The way it's often been done before is by having the first airline send a notice to the second airline to have a rep prepare things for you in advance (which could involve the airline sending a rep with a sign to wait for you on arrival in DEL) and/or get things finalized while the passenger is at the shared airside transfer/connection desk. That, however, is about how it used to be before last year and I have not had any need to have this done since then so it might have changed.
Were I to have the time between transit, didn't have heavy luggage and have a long-duration visa applicable for this purpose too, then I have often just cleared immigration/customs and done a landside check-in instead.
By the way, online check-in for my BA departures from DEL normally work without a hitch and that way I have my boarding passes in hand long before arriving at the airport in DEL.
Were I to have the time between transit, didn't have heavy luggage and have a long-duration visa applicable for this purpose too, then I have often just cleared immigration/customs and done a landside check-in instead.
By the way, online check-in for my BA departures from DEL normally work without a hitch and that way I have my boarding passes in hand long before arriving at the airport in DEL.
Oct 18, 2009, 2:03 pm
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In the event I just decided to check my bag and go through Indian immigration (I have a multiple entry visa for India so no problem there). Neither BA nor CX could print my BA boarding passes at BKK--I did check in on my mobile, but had no way to print the BPs. So I had to go through the BA counter anyway (unfortunately, I had to wait several hours for it to open, since my CX flight arrived around 8 PM). Been parked in the lounge since. Thank God we are boarding soon, because I'm about to die of boredom.
In the event I just decided to check my bag and go through Indian immigration (I have a multiple entry visa for India so no problem there). Neither BA nor CX could print my BA boarding passes at BKK--I did check in on my mobile, but had no way to print the BPs. So I had to go through the BA counter anyway (unfortunately, I had to wait several hours for it to open, since my CX flight arrived around 8 PM). Been parked in the lounge since. Thank God we are boarding soon, because I'm about to die of boredom.
Oct 19, 2009, 12:25 am
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In the event I just decided to check my bag and go through Indian immigration (I have a multiple entry visa for India so no problem there). Neither BA nor CX could print my BA boarding passes at BKK--I did check in on my mobile, but had no way to print the BPs. So I had to go through the BA counter anyway (unfortunately, I had to wait several hours for it to open, since my CX flight arrived around 8 PM). Been parked in the lounge since. Thank God we are boarding soon, because I'm about to die of boredom.
In the event I just decided to check my bag and go through Indian immigration (I have a multiple entry visa for India so no problem there). Neither BA nor CX could print my BA boarding passes at BKK--I did check in on my mobile, but had no way to print the BPs. So I had to go through the BA counter anyway (unfortunately, I had to wait several hours for it to open, since my CX flight arrived around 8 PM). Been parked in the lounge since. Thank God we are boarding soon, because I'm about to die of boredom.
While I wouldn't generally suggest the following, if I have more than 3 hours landside in such cases, I take a cab and head to the likes of the Radisson to get a meal or do something else since there really is not anything to do landside at the airport itself beside get bored after a short while and because I know when 1.5-2 hours is more than plenty for me to go from landside to the gate even without extra assistance.
Oct 19, 2009, 2:23 am
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The guard did let me into the check-in area, a good 5.5 hours before my flight. He and I had a conversation about how early it was and how I'd be stuck in there once I went in, but he seemed more worried about how bored I'd get than confrontational about my early arrival. He was actually quite pleasant about the whole thing.
I didn't have any INR on me and didn't feel like getting any, so catching a cab to a hotel just seemed like more trouble than it was worth. It certainly was a dull evening, but it would have been just as dull at the Radisson. I didn't need to eat and had lots of reading material plus internet access on the Treo...so just sucked it up and waited. Now doing the same, albeit vastly more comfortably, at the T5 Flounge.
The guard did let me into the check-in area, a good 5.5 hours before my flight. He and I had a conversation about how early it was and how I'd be stuck in there once I went in, but he seemed more worried about how bored I'd get than confrontational about my early arrival. He was actually quite pleasant about the whole thing.
I didn't have any INR on me and didn't feel like getting any, so catching a cab to a hotel just seemed like more trouble than it was worth. It certainly was a dull evening, but it would have been just as dull at the Radisson. I didn't need to eat and had lots of reading material plus internet access on the Treo...so just sucked it up and waited. Now doing the same, albeit vastly more comfortably, at the T5 Flounge.
Oct 19, 2009, 4:46 am
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The way it's often been done before is by having the first airline send a notice to the second airline to have a rep prepare things for you in advance (which could involve the airline sending a rep with a sign to wait for you on arrival in DEL) and/or get things finalized while the passenger is at the shared airside transfer/connection desk. That, however, is about how it used to be before last year and I have not had any need to have this done since then so it might have changed.
Oct 19, 2009, 6:06 am
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Its still this way, I believe. I flew AY into DEL a couple of months ago, arriving at 5am with a connecting flight on CX to HKG later that evening on the same ticket. Since I needed to be in Delhi during the day, I had only checked my luggage till DEL. Still, AY had a rep meet me as we disembarked to ask if I wanted to stay in transit (for 18 hours? no thanks!) and if so, he would pick up my bag and tag it on to HKG without me needing to go airside.
Thanks for the update. 18-hour transit airside at DEL sounds awful and I'd certainly do the same as you. [Fortunately, as you probably already know, DEL now has free internet access as long as you are able to receive the login info SMS on a mobile phone at the airport.]
Since it was that way a couple of months ago, then I take that to mean it's still this way as there has been no build-out or government adjustments there in the past few months that would have disabled the service functioning related to what is required to pull that off. The key seems to be to get ground personnel working for one or both of the airlines to be aware or made aware of the transit in advance if at all possible since they often do have to run around the airport a bit to get things done.
Last edited by GUWonder; Oct 19, 2009 at 6:21 am