johjoh123

I am flying from lhr to cai on jan 11th. I have an overnight in amman and am wondering if I will be offered the transit hotel by royal jordanian on an aa issued award ticket? I am a oneworld emerald if that matters at all.

Rami Tamimi

As long as both flights are on RJ,you get the hotel. Award tickets are no exception.

sethweinstein

Thanks for this information. I'm probably flying an AA award from BEY-AMM-DXB, both RJ legs. BEY-AMM is 07:40-09:30. For AMM-DXB I have a choice of 20:30-00:30 or 08:00-12:00.

I was in favor of the evening flight (to avoid two early mornings) but the prospect of a free hotel near the airport is intriguing. However, I'd definitely still want to get into town, even if I have to buy a full visa.

Is it possible to arrange for the free transit hotel at the transit desk but then still buy a tourist visa to be allowed to exit the hotel?

Seth

Rami Tamimi

Yes, but it is very important to get the visa before you get to the hotel. You have to go to the RJ transit desk (follow signs for International Transit) and inform them that you want to get a free hotel, but you wish to purchase a visa. They will give you the voucher and take you to the immigration desks where you will have to buy the visa.

If you don't purchase it, the security guard manning the hotel entrance will not let you out.

sethweinstein

That's great -- thanks very much for the quick answer! One other question: Can I walk between the airport and the airport hotel? It looks to be no more than 1.3 km. I know there's a shuttle, but if I go into town I would take the airport bus back at night and then just walk to the hotel if possible. I also trust my own timing more than a shuttle, and I'll have only a carry-on bag. Would anybody try to stop me from walking?

Seth

Rami Tamimi

I would not recommend it.

It may be barely alright to walk from the airport to the hotel, but on the return, there is a security check point which has to be passed by every vehicle...so if you walk, they would probably be very interested in your "method of transportation"...

Add to that the fact that there is no proper pavement (+you 've got 2 roundabouts to cross) and that the traffic flow speed is pretty high here+ it's actually more like 2.5 km I would really really not recommend it. I sometimes walk to the long term parking lot (technically you should take a shuttle to go there) when doing same day turnarounds and despite the fact that it's just 1km, it's pretty unpleasant as you have to keep walking on the active road, walk on the grass e.t.c.

When coming from the city centre, you can ask the driver to stop at the hotel... on the way out - it's just easier to get the shuttle... or Uber (you would probably just be charged the minimum fare of 1.5JD (2.11$).... Uber between the airport and anywhere in town costs 15JD/21.1$

sethweinstein

Thank you -- that's very helpful. Good to know that the driver would let me off at the hotel returning from the city.

I guess the only trip of concern is after I check in to the hotel and want to get to the city. Does the shuttle back to the airport run continually for whoever wants it, or do I have to be officially completing my transit? I would ideally take the shuttle back to the airport and then the airport bus to the city.

If they won't let me back on the shuttle, then I can take a taxi or Uber as you suggest.

Seth

prof

We are on a BA award ticket from BEY to LHR via AMM (BEY-AMM on RJ, AMM-LHR on BA, single ticket). We have about 9 hours or so between flights. I assume RJ won't cover the airport hotel since we are on a BA ticket. Do we need a transit visa, or is a visa not necessary to stay at the airport hotel? Also, does the hotel have a desk or booth in the arrivals hall? And finally does anyone know if we can check bags through to LHR?

BA6501

The issue is not that you are on a BA ticket, it's that your AMM-LHR is operated by BA. So indeed no free hotel - nor free transit visa, which you do need.

The hotel has a desk in the flight connections area, not sure whether you can use it without getting it for free though.

Yes you can check your bags through, but if you are travelling with any electronics you will need to check them in at BEY (as you cannot have them in your carryons for AMM-LHR on BA).

Rami Tamimi

RJ can be a bit retarded when it comes to thru checking, but otherwise, I have nothing to add to the amazing advice given by BA6501.

prof

Many thanks BA6501 and Rami. Yes, planning (not very happily) to include electronics in the checked bags at BEY. I have a feeling BA will get out from this ridiculous laptop ban shortly after our trip! (Though I had to check my laptop from BEY to LHR in May and I survived).

prof

Just to follow up based on my experience: RJ did in fact check my bags through in BEY to LHR via AMM. They even issued boarding passes for the connecting flight the next morning on BA, which was good because ba.com and the app didn't let me check in online (I assume because of the mixed airline ticket) and I knew the LHR flight was very busy.

The Amman airport hotel desk, for anyone repeating this journey, is accessed airside at the interntaional transit area. The guy at the desk gave us vouchers to waive the requirement for the visa and then his colleague escorted us through immigration and to the bus.

The next morning we were also escorted off the bus through security and immigration to the airside area. The whole thing went quite smoothly. The hotel itself was fine for a night; had we had more than 7 hours I would have preferred to stay in downtown Amman, but even as it was we didn't really get enough sleep.

The ridiculous UK laptop ban meant a very thorough search for electronics at the gate, but we had checked in our laptop and iPads at BEY. One of our bags (the one with my laptop, naturally) didn't make it on the BA flight, but it did arrive on the same flight the next morning, intact.

The upside is that we received opups from Y to J.

Rami Tamimi

BA does not have OLCI from AMM...it kind of does in a sense that you can in, select your seat and get a BN number, but you can't actually print the BP. It's the same with TK,A3 and a few others when flying from AMM.

sethweinstein

A follow-up from last month -- they denied me the hotel. I presented myself at the transit desk and the agent said, "Not from Beirut." I guess the flights were too short (Beirut-Amman, then Amman-Dubai) to qualify for the hotel. I also booked a longer-than-necessary connection, although all on one award ticket, so maybe they figured I could have easily avoided needing the hotel.

Took this as a sign that I should spend some extra time in town, so I booked a cheap hotel near the bus stop at the 7th circle.

Then AMM-DXB was delayed an hour. But they upgraded me to business, so I can't complain.

Seth

Rami Tamimi

This is strange, there is no requirement to be on a long-haul flight to qualify for a hotel.

Oh and congrats on the op up, out of hundreds of flights with RJ, I only got upgraded twice as their Platinum.