Do you think I'll be allowed back into the terminal before the TG counter has opened? Or is the "checkin terminal" something all together different?
thanks!

You can wait in the arrivals area where you pick up your baggage or you can wait right after customs. Either way boring.

Personally, I'd hire a car/driver and go for an early morning tour of Delhi and get some breakfast at one of the nicer hotels around the city before heading back to the airport.

Four or so hours before scheduled departure? Almost certainly. More than 5 hours? In the past that has not been a given for one and all.

The "checkin terminal" is on top of the arrivals area. Mainly just different floors of the same terminal complex.

Given what you've said above (including your mention of Kingfisher as the connecting intra-India segment):

1. There is a transfer waiting area and free transfer bus available just after you claim your bags at DEL and clear Customs. After passing the customs exit where you hand a small customs chit that declares your total count of luggage, the transit lounge bus waiting area is on your left side -- it's just before the area where the hotel drivers are waiting with placards with guest names on them, so if you have gone that far, you've gone too far and should back up a bit.

2. You have to clear arrival passport control at DEL. The security check of luggage and person for departure from DEL to Amritsar is done just once.

3. No immigration formalities in Amritsar are involved unless talking about some kind of extra registration required for a limited set of foreign nationalities or otherwise staying for more than a few months time -- and even that is not done at the airport ordinarily.

4. Kingfisher ordinarily has been allowing me two free checked bags within India as long as I show them my same day or previous night boarding pass. Even if hit with excess baggage charges, they are pretty reasonable compared to what is charged within the US/Canada or for international travel.

Thanks very much, you saved my day. I feel much more confortable now. Thanks Again

since guwonder already answered all your questions, i will recommend you go to the radisson for breakfast....its a 5-7 minute drive from the international airport....they have a very nice spread & it used to be $25....don't know if they have increased it....but it would be a great place to kill 3-4 hours....

Similar problem- domestic to international transfer
 

Hi there,

I am too having a bit of a problem with trying to organise my flights in Delhi. I am flying in from Jabalpur on the 15th with Kingfisher, arriving at Delhi 11:10 am. My International Flight with Air India to London leaves Delhi at 14:45.

Am I leaving things to late to get between the two? I know that the desk will close 90 minutes before takeoff (1315), so I thought it might be ok if I got a taxi from domestic to international?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am a new person to India!

welcome to ft....

i would suggest taking an earlier flight to delhi....there is a lot of fog these days & all flights & trains are getting delayed due to this....the fog is expected to be around for another couple of weeks atleast....my train today was delayed by over 9 hours & my brother's flight was delayed by 7 hours....

i doubt there is an earlier flight to delhi from jabalpur so i would suggest you get in a day earlier & spend the night in delhi...

Is heavy fog causing problems in DEL in mid March? I'm planning a 3rd trip to India and looking for alternatives to BOM while transferring to PNQ. DEL could work for me arriving on BA and then connecting to Indigo or Jet.

mid march should be ok fog-wise .. and early april you'd get the beginning of summer, making delhi a very unpleasant city to visit

The fog indeed is causing alot of problems. I am sch to fly out tomm at 640am, the same flight today left at 1pm. If that happens to me tomm, Ill be stuck at MAA for many hours to another day.

Now that I know fog shouldn't be a problem... How is the transfer frm international to domestic? I remember a year ago landing in DEL near the international terminal and taxiing forever to domestic! Is it really that far? Also, why are the domestic arrivals at the new terminal but departures from that dump terminal? I'll likely arrive on BA or Jet and then transfer to either Indigo or Jet. Is this txfr a PITA? Should I just stick to BOM and drive to Pune.

Yes you do have to taxi forever, sorry. And then - most likely, be driven in an airport bus circles around the airport to the domestic terminal, from where you can catch the inter terminal bus. Or step out and get a prepaid cab (available in the arrivals area), brave heavy traffic all the way to the international terminal. Your choice. Personally I'd take the inter terminal coach.

If you don't want to arrive in the dead of night - there's a daytime arrival into India - lufthansa MUC-DEL. That might work better for you, connections wise.

Thanks for the tip. The BA flight I'm looking at arrives at 450a which works well for a roughly 8am departure. I'm startng frm the states so I'm trying to prevent a million transfers.