Mumbai CSIA [BOM] connection/departure experience reports
 

http://www.csia.in/images2/terminal1.jpg

The official airport website

Transfer between the two terminals is neither easy, nor hard but there are some things you need to be aware of. I will start with the facts worth knowing.

1. Transfer time is at least 2 hours but more likely 3 either way. Don't risk anything less.
2. The ‘terminals’ are in fact two airports 4,8 km apart.
3. The Domestic Airport has two terminals 1A and 1B.
4. 1A is the terminal used by IT
5. 1B is the terminal used by almost everybody else
6. There is a free shuttle bus between Domestic and International that runs every 30 minutes
7. You are allowed on the shuttle bus based on time between transfers. If you have a lot of time and the bus is full you will have to wait for the next one.
8. They have transfer desks at the bus waiting area where you can check your bags in. They are not always manned however.
9. The bus driver will always ask you for ‘a contribution’. There is no need to pay him but a couple of Rupees will make his life a little easier.
10. You cannot take trolleys on board of the bus. They will go in the loading area. There have been reports of stuff being stolen on the short ride although I have never had any problem. If you are worried, make sure you lock the bag. Small backpacks etc you can take with you.
11. Going from Domestic to International, the bus drops you off landside at International near Gate A (JET) and does not go any further, even if it is another 500 meters to gate D (CX and others)
12. You will need your passport and boarding card (or itinerary or e-ticket) for every checkpoint and of those there are a lot.
13. The Domestic Terminal is quite new and not that bad.
14. The Domestic Terminal 1A has a Clipper Lounge that is free for IT First customers or status holders with King but access can be bought for only 300 rupee (5 Euro). This lounge is land side so before check in or customs. This means you can use it even if you are way too early to check in for your flight.
15. Airlines do not allow you to check in at the airport earlier than 4 hours before departure.
16. Security will give you a very hard time if you want to enter either terminal longer than 4 hours before departure.
17. You don’t need to remove your shoes for security here. However, everyone is scanned manually. That takes a while.
18. If you have a long transfer it might be tempting to choose a hotel. That maybe a good idea for transfers over 8 hours but for shorter transfers you need to consider the time it takes to get to your hotel, to check in, to check out, to get back to the airport, check in for your flight etc. The better hotels are freakishly expensive (over EUR 150 per night) and that maybe a bit much for 4 hours of sleep.

INTERNATIONAL TO DOMESTIC

After collecting your luggage you have two options; turn left or turn right. Turning left will take you landside and you will need to get a taxi to the Domestic Terminal. This can take a while (serious traffic problems) and is not free. The bus is. For the bus you need to turn right. It is all very clearly marked. This will get you to the bus waiting area.

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL359.../383101525.jpg

There are a lot of people here to attend to your needs. They also check your travel documents and transfer times. I found them very friendly and helpful.

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If it is busy and you have a long transfer time they will let you wait for a later bus that will get you to the Domestic terminal. I found that telling them you are meeting friends there may help you to get on the first bus out. Lying about taking an earlier flight will only work if there actually is one, since they seem to know all the schedules by heart. Bribing them surprisingly does not (always) work. They kindly refuse the money although I have heard other stories.

The bus is a very old coach that is perfectly comfortable for the short ride. Depending on traffic (both from other airport vehicles and planes) the ride can take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. They stop at 1B first and 1A second. If you are at the second stop keep an eye on your luggage from the window.

DOMESTIC 1A TERMINAL

Once you get to the terminal you can simply walk in. There was no guard on duty to check your papers. If you are too early for check-in go to the Clipper Lounge. It is just before the security check on the left hand side. It is a perfectly comfortable lounge. Free for IT First or Rp 300 for everyone else.

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http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL359.../383102372.jpg

They will also help you to check in for your flight, if you don’t have bags to check. I found the service excellent.

The terminal itself is not large and easy to navigate. Keep an eye on your gate though, since they can keep changing it up to the last minute. There are hardly any shops but plenty of eateries.

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL359.../383101501.jpg

DOMESTIC 1B TERMINAL

I have no information but maybe someone else can add this.

DOMESTIC TO INTERNATIONAL

The bus waiting area here is to the right of the baggage belts (if you face them).

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL359.../383435205.jpg

You will have to report to the staff with your itinerary. Here they are very strict about transfer times and are under orders to keep passengers at Domestic until 4 hours before departure. My strategy here is always to lie that I am changing to an earlier flight but that I need to be at the International Terminal to do so. Make sure you know of an earlier flight.

Before you get on the bus there is another check by the army. They are very annoying in their persistence to keep you at the Domestic terminal as long as possible.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of flights leave BOM early in the morning. So even if you arrive early in the evening at domestic they will insist that you need to wait since your flight is not until tomorrow. The only way to win this argument is to get very insistent that you either have a business meeting at the international airport or that you are changing your flight. Confusing them with a lot of information also works and try to throw in a meeting with a government official.

The bus leaves every half hour or so (times are indicated) and the story here is much the same as for International to Domestic. The bus drops you off landside, same as the pax simply getting to the airport from town.

INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL

Getting into the terminal can be a long process. You need to get passed the army guard to get into the building. Despite there being 4 gates, they all lead to the same hall so if your ‘gate’ has a very long line it can be wise to check out the others.

Check in is much the same as in most airports although in India everything always seems to take longer.

After check in you have to clear customs which goes surprisingly quickly but after customs there is the security/baggage check which is unsurprisingly slow. The whole process take from 45 minutes on a good day to 90 minutes on a bad day.

Once in the terminal there is very little shopping to do but a lot of good eating options including Burger King and PizzaHut and a couple of small Spa’s. The lounges include a Clipper Lounge (not sure if you can buy access here too), BA Galleries and Emirates. Have not seen others.

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http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL359.../383435183.jpg

HOW ABOUT ENTERING THE TERMINAL IF YOUR DEPARTURE TIME IS OVER 4 HOURS AWAY?

If you can avoid it, do so! If not, here are the tactics.

To enter the International Terminal you are once again stopped by an army representative. He will start physically pushing you outside shouting "too early, flight not until tomorrow, wait outside!". Don't be intimidated. You will have to go through the same drill as described for catching the bus at the domestic terminal. Bluff, be confident, tell them you need to speak to the airline representative to change your flight and generally confuse the poor man with too much information.

However, if you manage to get into the building itself you are not yet safe. You need to collect a boarding pass. Most airlines will simply not check you in early, especially not if you have bags. If you are lucky you have checked in online or you can use a kiosk. This will not help if you need to check your bags of course. Since I never travel with hold luggage I have no strategies for you other than to never travel with hold luggage :)

So if you managed to get a boarding pass and sorted your baggage problem you can try to pass customs. These are the people who are actually there to stop you getting into the terminal but since it is always very busy they seldom do. If they do give you a hard time it always helps to indicate that you have a business meeting in the Clipper Lounge set up. Look like you are going to make a fuss, they hate that. :)

Hope this little guide to one of the most annoying airports in the world helped. I know a lot of people are intimidated by it. Feel free to offer suggestions on how to improve it.

very nice report....would be quite helpful to people transfering in mumbai for the first time....

Actually turning left after customs will take you to 9W/IT check in and turning right after security will take you landside.

Are you sure? I clearly remember a sign pointing left reading 'exit' and a sign pointing right reading 'transfer to domestic' or something equivalent. The 9W/IT check in (for domestic) is at the same location as the bus waiting area. You can see the check in desks in the first picture.

If more people agree that I am wrong I will change it. It was very early in the morning... :)

I meant turning right after customs is exit from the airport. There is a security guard immediately at the entrance door that is left after customs who checks for copies of connecting flt itineraries etc.

I was recently at the Mumbai Domestic terminal (Jet Airways, so maybe 1B) and there was a very long line to get on the transfer bus. I instead got pre-paid taxi (easy, no risk of getting scammed) and went to the ITC Maratha hotel for a couple of drinks (Rs 140) and then got a car to the International Terminal (Rs 150). However, I could have just got the taxi all of the way to the International Terminal without the pitstop. My impression is that this is a lot faster than the free bus... And not very expensive. Just an alternative.

i agree....i always take the taxi myself....

Yes, after customs, turning right leads to the exit, and turning left to the transfer desks.

Well, the taxi alternative is useful to have, but takes a lot of time if used during the daytime. As for the risk of getting (or not) scammed, it can happen even at the pre-paid system - read here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india...vengeance.html.

But you're right, it can take time, given that over 40-50% of all incoming international traffic at BOM is transfer...

This is wrong. There is only one airport.

The terminals happen to be on different sides of the airport, as in, e.g. LHR or SYD, but that does not mean there are two airports. No one would build two airports only 4.8km apart.

To be fair to Henkybaby, the entire population of Mumbai considers them as separate airports which just happen to be sharing a runway.

The sign posts all over the city are: International Airport and Domestic Airport

Just to confuse people even more, some people still use the terms Sahar airport and Santa Cruz Airport.

For all intents and purposes it might just as well be (or remain) two airports. The do indeed share the runway but this is of little relevance to the average traveler.

With regards to the transfer desks... They are located (as can be seen on the picture) where the waiting area for the bus is. Or are there more transfer areas to the left? I feel silly for not taking a better picture after customs but I figured there was simply no way I could get it wrong. Left --> exit Right --> Transfer...

Whatever it may be, it is clearly marked.

they may technically be one but everyone considers them as 2 different airports....its the same way in delhi...

Actually that too is changing. Arrival announcements are referring to the airport as Indira Gandhi International Airport or Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport whether you arrive at domestic or international terminals.

Even the airports websites lists only one airport respectively with four terminals in Mumbai and 3 terminals in Delhi (2 Dom and 1 Intl).

http://www.csia.in/default.asp

http://www.newdelhiairport.in/default.asp

i agree....but people will still treat them as 2 different airports....specially when it can take up to an hour (mostly due to traffic) to transfer between the two....

Great report with so much detail. Just what I was looking for.

I have asked EK Limo to pick me up from Domestic (arriving on IT at 3:30 pm from JAI) and connecting on EK to DXB at 7:00 pm. Will use online check in for EK, and am on IT J and EK F.

Looking forward to the BOM experience:confused:

I have seen drivers waiting at the gate upon arrival at the Domestic terminal. So quite possibly you can ask EK to pick you up at the arrival gate and usher you through everything. No doubt this service will make your experience smooth as silk. First class check in is also never really busy so no worries if you have to be checked in at the airport. VIP treatment they do well in India.

Just how many "government officials" do you get waiting to meet you at airports?

And what do you really want to spend that much time in any airport terminal for, even Singapore Changi rather than Bombay? Get out into the city and have a couple of drinks and a late dinner at one of several hotels in and around the airport.

And consider that the security guard is like .. "yeah, let him through if he really wants to go through".

The reason they limit entry into the terminal to 4 hours before flight departure is that there's limited space and a LOT of flights departing from like 11 pm to 5 AM.

Here's another hint - nobody I know of does business meetings at the airport. Way too noisy and crowded, far too few private places to meet up and talk. And plenty of hotels nearby.

I think there is a bit of confusion here on the "turn right" and "turn left" instructions. Both schools of thought are indeed correct. It just happens to depend on where your baggage claim happens to be. Both times I've arrived at BOM, after baggage claim and customs, there were clear signs to turn RIGHT to exit and turn LEFT to domestic connections. From there you get funneled past the over priced car hires and into the throngs of people awaiting arriving passengers. Hasn't anyone ever noticed the weary eyed travelers walking towards you as you exit into the meeting and greeting area? Those are the people that turned LEFT for exit and didn't turn RIGHT for domestic connections.

Henkybaby is just amazing
 

Int. - Int. transit
 

Hi! I am new and just wanne say this forum looks like a great source for info.

Great guide. I would like to ask for info about international - international transit through Mumbai. I was refered here from another forum and would really appreciate some guidance.

I am going to transit in BOM early July from Qatar to AirAsia (anyone done a transit to AirAsia?). I am looking for a transit on a TWVO, without Visa. Since I am not going to have any check baggage and already hold my boardingpass from a web-checkin I wonder if it is possible to get through security check on the airside, directly into departures.

Would be grateful for any sort of hint.

Through check-in question
 

First of all, I must say, a very informative post. Will help anybody transferring at Mumbai for the first time.

I had one question though. I have a IT flight from BLR to Mumbai and connecting to a Delta flight to Atlanta. Both tickets are in same PNR. Wouldn't IT through check-in my baggage all the way to Atlanta? or do I need to collect my baggage at domestic terminal and carry them with me on the bus to International terminal?

Appreciate your help on my question

+1 .. I would never want to go to any airport (incl SIN, DXB) for more time than needed.. even DF shopping can easily be done within 1 hr for me and I guess most seasoned folks..
Whenever i hv time, even on transit in MUC, FRA I just take the train to the city and go around even for 3-4 hrs..since its much better than whiling away time in the airports..unless we r in the First class lounges ( which I am never :( )...

I just did the BLR-> BOM->EWR Transfer from Kingfisher to Contiental over the weekend. I requested my baggage to be through checked in.. At Mumbai, I picked it up from the carousel and handed it over to the Kingfisher transfer desk (I was free to go out of the airport with just my hand baggage).. Kingfisher transferred the baggage to Continental. At the Continental Check in counter, they asked for the Checked baggage receipt to verify the "numbers". I did not see the baggage until I reached Newark..

Thanks 'NewTrainTraveller'. How much time did you have in BOM for transfer? I have 3 hours. I read a couple of old posts on FT where some people point out that it is risky to leave it to IT/9W to transfer baggage from dom to int if the time is less and they prefer carrying it themselves.

If all goes to plan and the pax traffic isn't too high, all you need is 1.5 hours to do a complete transfer - from deplaning off the incoming to boarding the outgoing. In any event, three hours should be more than sufficient. Depending on interlining arrangements, baggage transfer is usually painless.

IT/9W interlining dom-intl is fine. If the time is too short they will tell you to take it with you.

Hello, i have read all the messages posted re mumbai airport transfer guide (dom to int'l) and have to agree that it is very infomative..thanks guys.

I will be travelling to mumbai from goa (by Jet) and transfer to singapore (kingfisher) soon, just wondering whether anyone can give a later account of the free shuttle bus service from domestic to int'l airport.

I have never been to the mumbai domestic airport before, and I do not want to exit the airport by mistake and miss the bus. I have only around 3 1/2 hours for transfer.

Any new input with pictures will be truly appreciated.

There is a sign clearly marked "transit passengers" - you cant miss it.

If you do exit the airport - just avoid the touts (some even very official looking, with bellboy uniforms, or full sleeved white shirts wearing badges and clipboards), and walk out of the exit. Cross the road lane - and another lane is clearly marked taxis. There's a long line of white taxis marked "Easy Cab" - these are aircon sedans, with meters.

Many thanks.


Many thanks.

the bus is supposed to run every 20 minutes but i would suggest you just take a cab....

Hello, I've only read how long it would take from international to domestic and vice versa.
But how long do you need between domestic flights? I'm now looking at booking a trip from Udaipur to Bengaluru, via Mumbai. I'd arrive at 16:20 (AirIndia) and leave at 18:10 (JetAirways). Is that enough time? I don't have the same PNR so I'd have to recheck my luggage. It's my first time transfering and flying in India so not sure how it all goes.
Thanks for any advice.

welcome to ft rssrss....an hour & 50 minutes is more than enough time....you shouldn't have a problem....

So my parents just did a LHR-BOM-GOI-BOM-LHR run and have a right royal nightmare on the return GOI-BOM-LHR segment.

As per the OT, the self important official at the door to the International "terminal" would not let them in more than 3hours before their flight. This was even though they were on 9W for the entire trip.

I have now found myself having to make a trip to the subcontinent and just booked LHR-BOM-UDR-BOM-LHR, but this time my internationals are with BA in J and internals with JetKonnect in Y.

I must say I am somewhat worried as my schedule is tight but within the MCT of 2Hrs but it would be nice to spend a little time in the Galleries at BOM on the return sector.

Oh yes and FYI - arrive in to LHR-BOM 00:45 and return out at 02:45 BOM-LHR - so the "you're not flying until tomorrow" line will probably be used on me!

Any advice please?

Wirelessly posted (Samsung Galaxy S: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.6; en-us; SGH-T959V Build/GINGERBREAD) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

It's not the calendar date but the number of hourd before your imternational departure that determines whethee uou can enter the terminal.

I will be transiting Intl->Dom, arriving early morning and leaving 11 hours later. I want to go downtown and check in my baggage or at least leave my baggage at the airport before I go. Is there any better option than arguing my way to the domestic terminal and using the "left luggage" service? Can you check in luggage for domestic flight at Intl terminal? And another question: how long to domestic terminal from the Gate of India by taxi? Thanks!

help!!
 

Hi everyone!!! i really need your help!

I will be traveling from Dubai to Mumbai next week. My final destination is Surat, which means i have to go from the international to the domestic terminal... the problem is, that i would only have 70 minutes between both flights. Which means, only 25 minutes to get my lugagge and be at the domestic terminal (1b) 45 minutes before to check my lugagge again...

Is this crazy? do you think this could be possible or should i give up and go to Surat by train??

Thank you very much!

Welcome to Flyertalk, ireldt. Unfortunately, what you propose is pretty much impossible to do. I would try a later flight (at least 2.5-3 hours between flights), or train.

Hello, I am connecting to BLR through BOM. I will arrive into Mumbai Intl (CSIT) at 5 AM. I have following options for domestic connection. It will be on a separate ticket.

a). Take SpiceJet flight at 7.35 am
b). Take Jet or AI at 9.15 am

Will I make it to BLR if I chose option 1? Are there check-in desks for SpiceJet at CSIT?

Thanks

On separate tickets, it's a gamble to do a). If all of your flights and transfers are on time, you will make it, but any delays and you likely will not.

Another thing to consider is if you will have any checked luggage. If you do, that will require more time to do the transfer. If you only have hand luggage, you can probably make the connection just fine.

SG does not have check-in facilities at CSIA.