Kind of feel odd posting this question given that I used to post responses to others. But I guess thats what FT is for.

I looked all posts for this year in this thread to reconfirm my understanding of intl to dom transfer situation in BOM but had some questions

Upon arrival in BOM, after customns, turn left (IN NO CASE GET OUT OF SECURED AREA otherwise CISF wont let you back into building) into domestic transfer desks. Turn in your bags and proceed to transfer bus.

It is 9w to 9w transfer on single PNR with 7 hours gap between INT arrival at midnight and 7 am departurm from domestic

questions:
what is better (safety and facilities point of view) place to kill time for sole FEMALE economy class pax (hang around transfer area in INTL terminal or DOM airport? anything open at that time? any lounge accepting priority club pass in DOM terminal open overnight?

You are no longer isolated in the T2 international section for the transfer bus. Instead, you end up waiting for the bus in the semi-public area in arrivals. Then you take the bus on the public side, beside the taxi stand.

The domestic terminal has nothing to offer. You sit in a waiting hall waiting for your gate to open. No lounge, no nothing, just some coffee stalls selling something to eat. You sit upright in a basic seat and wait. Often the occasional mosquito comes along and takes a bite.

Also note that you can't enter the secure area on the domestic side until a few hours before your flight. If you arrive 6 hours prior you'll need to wait at the check-in counters. There are some coffee stalls, but it's not a pleasant experience. If your connecting 9W flight leaves from the A gates (A1-A8 I think) which are upstairs in domestic and use the jetbridge, it's a slightly better terminal to wait in than if you're on the bus gates.

Thank you very much for clarifying that there is no lounge or any facility in DOM terminal (1B). In new terminal 2 (INTL), the semi-public area in arrival, is there anything to kill few hours? is there a way to go to semi-public area of departures? is there anything there to kill few hours and eat something?

where does shuttle drop you in DOM? in semi-public area of DOM or post security?

Shuttle drops you pre-security at the main entrance, you need to get your ticket checked again to enter the check-in area. Both Intl and Domestic have some coffee shops etc, though at Intl not sure how many of those are inside the terminal building and how many are outside the arrivals exit.

Latest thoughts on BA to Indigo transfer time at Mumbai?
 

Hello folks,

I'm new here so please forgive me if this has been covered but it seems that there may have been some changes recently at Mumbai.

Three of us arriving MUMBAI 11.45am BA from LONDON. Electronic visas (unless someone tells me otherwise). Separate domestic booking on INDIGO from MUMBAI to RAIPUR at 14.55pm, same day. We might have hand-baggage only, or might need to check in a bag or two (unpredictable family!)

I'd be hugely grateful to know:
a. Do we these days still need to change terminals from International to Domestic?
b. Is immigration fairly quick? Does it matter if we get e-visas or the traditional paper sort? (We don't leave until mid-December so we could do either)
c. Is there anything we should know that would make our lives easier?

Many, many apologies if this has been covered.

Best wishes, Jon, in London UK

Hi Jon,

1. You do need to change terminals for Indigo, however you can check in your bags at the international terminal right after customs on the left. Make sure you read the signs for the transfer, I've not taken the domestic transfer shuttle for a bit and someone mentioned it had changed to depart from a slightly different location at international, but be sure where it departs BEFORE exiting the international terminal as you can't go back in.
2. I've only had paper visas but immigration is always pretty quick both in BOM and in other Indian airports. Customs can be a bit of a hold-up as they scan your bags again
3. The shuttle is free, loading luggage onto it is free, too. If anyone tells you to pay politely decline. Don't exit the terminal unless you're absolutely sure the shuttle leaves from outside. Keep printouts of your tickets as you need them to enter the terminals/shuttle (or have your e-ticket open on your phone though some checkpoints don't accept this, but I've not seen them reject it). Know the address where you're staying in India before you land as you need to fill it in on the landing card. IF you do exit the terminal and not take the airport shuttle don't take a cab, rather take an Uber. International to Domestic will run you <Rs150 on Uber.

EDIT: Taking an Uber is also not much slower than the shuttle. Not faster either though, so try get the shuttle as a first option.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply - much appreciated! That's really helpful information. I guess if we're in a hurry, we could also book and pay for a taxi from inside the terminal building so we wouldn't have to wait for the shuttle? Thanks, Jon

Hi Jon, that wouldn't be much quicker really, the shuttles leave when they're full which is usually pretty quick. What I meant with the outside option is it's not as bad as people make it seem or as it used to be, but the shuttle is definitely still the preferred option. I don't see the taxi/Uber being quicker in any case, but not much slower. It's a 10 minute drive outside.

Ah, I see, thanks. Looking at some of the older posts it looked as if the shuttle was rather slow and left only every half-hour. I'm glad I asked about this as things have obviously improved. Thanks again for taking the trouble to respond. I can help with UK destinations if ever you need it! Jon

I am bit confused about new AI operations out of AI. I am arriving on a international flight on UI and connecting to AMD on AI331 which is leaving from T2 only.

Now, there is 4 hour layover. Am I going to be on International side only? If so, would I be able to access lounge? I am Star Alliance Gold.

If I would be on Domestic side, is there any lounge there?

Thanks.

AI 331 is an international flight flying BKK-BOM-AMD, so it will depart from the international side of the terminal 2 and you will clear customs and immigration in AMD and stay airside in BOM. Yes, there is a GVK lounge available for *G, AI will pay for that.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Recent Update

First of all, thanks to all of you who tried to respond with the best data they had, Over the years, the process has changed many times and hence best to get recent datapoint.

Data from friend's trip last week:
1) bags are collected by the respective airline after customs (make left). It helps to have both domestic and international flights on the same PNR for much better baggage allowance
2) This area at new BOM INTL terminal is far superior to old one
3) You are NOT allowed to take elevator to the departure area (even the semi-secured check-in area) by CISF
4) Even in the middle of night, shuttle departs every 10 minutes and they get filled pretty quickly
5) You DO NOT have to carry your check-in luggage on these shuttles - only carry-on
(Note that this contrasts process from several years ago)
6) There is an entrance to Niranta Hotel (airport transit hotel) near Shuttle waiting area
7) You can check-in your bags at these counters at INTL terminal only if your domestic connection is within next 12 hours.
8) Domestic terminal has not improved much in many years (which should be expected as it is slated to be downgraded to LCC use only with next few months)
9) You are still better off going to domestic terminal sooner rather than hanging around at INTL terminal because there are lot more shops open even in middle of night (THIS IS NEW INFORMATION CONTRADICTING posts here in this thread). Electronioc shop, gift shop, luggage shop, etc. are open. More than one coffee shop open. ( BTW, they do sell lot of food items, not just tea/coffee.
10) Lots of people waiting for their connection at domestic airport even at 2am or 4 am. So you are not lonely at all. (Mosquitoes are omnipresent between Oct-Feb and disappear during summer months.
11) There are charging stations but just like any airport in the world, supply-demand factor is out of whack. Carry battery pack but make sure to never to put them in checked luggage.
12) No one asked for any tips at any point (immigration, bags collection, customs, transfer shuttle) Pretty professional straightforward process.
13) Both terminals are air-conditioned but westerners may find it weak

Funny note: On this particular case, pax were bused to connecting plane which was parked within 200 ft of 9w flight that arrived from BRU!!!

Hopefully, 9w will soon follow AI to move domestic flights to INTL terminal and then we can retire this thread.

Lounge at Terminal 1B for 9W
 

To add to desi's excellent post, there is a 24hr lounge at Terminal 1B for Premier class passengers. It is located upstairs on the mezzanine floor after passing security.

I spent a few hours there in relative comfort in the middle of the night before my 5.30am flight.

There was a large open front chiller filled with 1 ltr cartons of fruit juice, but the chiller wasn't switched on. However there was a small ice-making machine.

Also a tea/coffee machine and biscuits. Biryani was also served.