Delhi IGI [DEL] connection/departure experience reports
 

I wanted to report on my recent DOM->INTL, 9W-LH transfer at the new Delhi airport (T3). I arrived at 23:00 for a 03:05 departure, as I booked my tickets before I knew that 9W was moving to the new terminal. This was fortunate, as the connection required about as much time as it would have in the old setup with the bus!

There is a channel for INTL->DOM transfers, where you enter immigration from the baggage clam for domestic. However, this only works if you already have your boarding pass for your International flight, and have checked your luggage through.

So, I had to go outside, all the way down to the far end of the terminal to find a lift signed as going to departures. The lift drops you in the visitors lounge. From there, you must exit the airport again, and get in one of the lines to enter the building. (These lines continue to move amazingly slowly.)

The real delay came during immigration/security. The immigration officers were moving slower than I've ever seen, but this didn't make much of a difference as once you got out of immigration you go straight into the security line. Immigration and security took about 1.5 hours. The entire transfer took 2.5.

So, I would not suggest a DOM->INTL transfer at Delhi!

Thanks for the report. I disagree with your last comment though. I suggest that passengers be prepared for the DOM > INTL transfer at DEL and have their bags checked through to the connecting flight. This will allow the passenger to avail themselves of the short cut access to immigration and the departures hall.

+1..
When u were just transitting in Delhi, why didnt u get your bages through checked ?? 9W and LH are partners and 9W could have easily given you boarding passes for the intl flight..
If you had done through checkin and had the Bp, it would have been quite smooth IMO..

Since they were separate tickets I didn't even ask if the bags could be checked through.. (I asked once on a 9W-CO transfer and they told me that they couldn't check the bags through on separate tickets.)

Interlining bags is a "courtesy". SO, they do not need to offer it, especially on separate tickets.

THat being said, I think 9W have been very good at interlining on separate tickets. I have never had an issue with them.

next time, try again! Dont worry. The worst they can say is "NO".

if its one through ticket with a single pnr then they will probably do it....

Even if its not I find 9W have never said no to me and I more or less always travel on separate tickets on a monthly basis.

They normally can't let you pick your seat and give you what the computer has given.

same experience for me..

On a separate note, whenever I am travelling from ccu and connecting in delhi / bom, I am given different tickets ( since am on diff airlines) and different pnr's.. a basic question here.. how does the airline know that I am on an intl connection ( am sure they know since they have asked me before i tell them) ??

If it is not in the same pnr, they dont know. You have to mention it and request the baggage transfer, which Jet Airways does it even on separate tickets. But Kingfisher once refused my interline transfer to Air France to BOM.

Delhi T3 transfers
 

I am on 9w from MXP-BOM, with a transfer at Delhi. Outgoing I have a 4 hours layover at Delhi. I am expecting that it would not take more than an hour or so to get through immigration (or am I being too optimistic :D ?). So what is there to do at T3 during a transfer? I have half a mind of upgrading to premier with the fares at the moment. Is there a lounge I could access at Delhi?

However, the other thread makes me a bit nervous about my return, which has less than 2 hrs at Delhi. Is 2.5 hrs for transfer an average experience at T3, or just one off?

Finally, how badly messed up are the schedules at delhi (due to the fog!) around the last week of december? Would you expect a 9:55AM arrival to be hit by fog?

Sorry for the bunched up questions..

I was able to transfer within 40 mins travelling MAA->DEL->ORD. The key is to get your boarding pass at BOM and when you land in T3 look for the immigration dudes on the ground floor (Look for International Transfer board). This should speed up your transfer quite a bit.
T3 has quite a few distractions to keep you occupied for a couple of hours.

you will take less than an hour to transfer & can easily kill 4 hours at the airport....lots of things to do....there are a number of lounges that you can enter with either a priority pass membership, amex platinum card or by paying around inr 350....

the morning & evening flights will be affected by fog....the delay could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours....

+1..
u should be fine other than the fog thing..and tht is nothing anyone can control ..

Unless you run into the mess I ran into today!

There was just one sluggish guy checking passports (so, with very few people connecting, a LONG line formed there), then the security check was ABSOLUTE MADNESS.

I almost lost my flight with a 2h10m connection, and I caught it because along with a group of other distressed passenger we pushed through (sorry for everyone in line with us ... :( )

When does the fog start getting bad? (At least I don't see anything in the news yet). Also, i am hoping that jet will take care of me if there are delays due to fog.