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Beirut Airport (BEY) Transit

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Old Jun 29, 2017, 5:00 pm
  #1  
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Beirut Airport (BEY) Transit

I have a 6-hour transit in BEY coming up in about a month's time. I was originally ticketed via CAI on QR, but with all the fuss at the moment, I've been rerouted to BEY. I've never been to BEY (or Lebanon) before, so I'm really not sure what to expect.

I'm arriving in QR F and transferring to A3 Y, with a 6-hour layover. Hopefully I can get a boarding pass for the A3 flight and go to a nice lounge for a while, but I'm not sure of what the process will be.

Do I have to clear customs/immigration, and wait until manual check-in opens or is there a less hassly way through?
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 2:12 am
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Why not spend the night in Beirut? There is a lot to see and do around town and it will certainly rid you of the hassle of having to spend time at the airport (nothing much there to do)... Just thinking out loud
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 3:33 pm
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Originally Posted by BEYFlyer
Why not spend the night in Beirut? There is a lot to see and do around town and it will certainly rid you of the hassle of having to spend time at the airport (nothing much there to do)... Just thinking out loud
Thanks for that. Unfortunately I have commitments in Athens, so can't do overnight. Maybe next time.
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Old Jul 7, 2017, 7:45 pm
  #4  
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I visited BEY last year and being *G had access to a lounge(can't remember which one) and I wouldn't want to spend 6 hours there. Also, do you have any visa stamps in your passport that would prevent entry into Lebanon in the event you have to clear immigration to obtain a BP for your A3 flight?
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Old Jul 7, 2017, 9:16 pm
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Originally Posted by TomMM
Also, do you have any visa stamps in your passport that would prevent entry into Lebanon in the event you have to clear immigration to obtain a BP for your A3 flight?
I don't think I have any visas/stamps in my passport that would preclude entry to Lebanon. I've never been to Israel and I'm not sure what other countries would cause a problem.
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 1:00 am
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Just to close the loop.

I never did get to go to BEY, thanks to Qatar Airways. My flight into DOH was 2 hours late, so I missed my connection to BEY. So I requested QR to put me on to a flight to ATH my ultimate destination (bypassing BEY) and this is what happened.

Next time, maybe.
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 1:02 am
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You're lucky. On separate tickets they could have just left you hanging.
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 1:34 am
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
You're lucky. On separate tickets they could have just left you hanging.
Yes, I thought they were very kind and helpful. I was quite prepared to buy a new ticket if necessary.
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Old Dec 3, 2018, 5:57 pm
  #9  
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I have a new query regarding a transit at BEY. My son (25+) and I are planning to transit BEY next March (FCO-BEY-IST). Perhaps it seems a strange routing, but it's to connect with a MileagePlus award on TK ex BEY (departs 04:05)

The options we're looking at for FCO-BEY are Pegasus (via SAW) giving a 4 hour transit time. and Aegean (via ATH) with a 2.25 hour transit time in BEY.

We will only have carry-ons and plan to use the transit desk if it's available (although we would also be happy to enter the Lebanon if necessary to get the TK boarding passes).

I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether either (or both) options would be realistic.
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Old Dec 4, 2018, 3:06 am
  #10  
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As before, you are on separate tickets, so if anything goes wrong, TK has no option to do anything for you. Frankly, both those options look extremely unpleasant to me, I'd get in the previous afternoon and stay at a hotel.
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Old Dec 4, 2018, 10:49 pm
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Thanks for that, but I am still leaning towards doing this, but with a 6-hour connect time (an earlier PGS flight from SAW) and entry into Lebanon. Unfortunately the flight timings (4 am departure) are such that I don't think we would get much rest prior to the flight at a hotel, which I expect we would have to leave prior to midnight to be on the safe side.

If worst comes to worst and we miss the TK flight for some reason, all is not lost, as the UA booking can be cancelled for a small charge and a new booking made (not necessarily the most convenient, though).
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Old Dec 7, 2018, 11:42 pm
  #12  
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
As before, you are on separate tickets, so if anything goes wrong, TK has no option to do anything for you. Frankly, both those options look extremely unpleasant to me, I'd get in the previous afternoon and stay at a hotel.
OK, so in the end I took your advice that a 4-6 hour transit in BEY on separate tickets would be very risky, and have now booked flights via Hurghada (HRG), with a 2-night stopover.

Much more pleasant, too, I expect. So thanks for getting the old brain cells working a little better.
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Old Dec 8, 2018, 4:24 am
  #13  
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Good move, except now you have to endure both the town of Hurghada and the ‘airport’.
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Old Apr 19, 2019, 2:25 pm
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I've read some reports that come June 1 of this year there will be more security and immigration lanes open at BEY to alleviate congestion. However, some reports have indicated this is a 'new airport' (as read on Xinhua, for whatever that's worth). Obviously, I realize that no new airport was built, however, was there some addition refurbishment done to the structure?
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Old Apr 20, 2019, 1:04 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
Good move, except now you have to endure both the town of Hurghada and the ‘airport’.
Just to close the loop (sorry it's a little off BEY topic), we have now completed our trip through Hurghada, and found the airport and town to be quite OK. In fact the airport seems very new and spacious, although apparently lacking in a lounge we could use. Immigration and security were quite quick and the car service (Hurghada Drivers) to the hotel was excellent. I'd be quite happy to transfer through HRG again.

So how does that compare with BEY?
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