Flame3601

Hi QR Flyertalkers,

Firstly thanks for all your help recently , QR booked for next year .

I have a question that i would put in the STPC thread , but it is a bit more the just a STPC related question.

I am planing on doing a back 2 back ( B2B) or instant turnaround at KWI from DOH next year. The problem is i will be on a STPC. Desperate to try Al Safwa , and seeing next year will be my only time in Qatar for some years to come , I'm 100% committed to meeting this goal of mine.

The plan is , taking into note i have a STPC for 21 hours , i arrive at 5am from TXL then get all the STPC immigration and checking into the hotel sorted then head back out to the airport for a noon departure time - obviously arriving early enough to enjoy Al Safwa. I then would take the next flight back , most likely the flight that took me to KWI and then fly back to DOH, then go back to the STPC provided hotel and wait for my original connection flight to CPT.


I have a few questions relating to this.

1) Would this be possible considering i am on a visa issued for a STPC (I am a British Citizens if that helps ) , so would multiple entries be okay for immigration and not violate the terms of the STPC.

2) I know KWI is not really a transiting airport , but is this idea actually manageable with a 1 hour 5 minute turnaround time with no bags to check in or collect. Obviously DXB/AUH would be a better choice , but that is not a option with the Gulf crisis in play right now.

3) Does KWI have a transit zone or a channel for connecting paxs , so no need to go through Immigration ? I can apply for a e-visa if i do have to , as due to my nationally a visa is free and not of concern- but would rather skip that process.


Thanks a ton , another one of my wild ideas during the hours way past my bedtime

Dr. HFH

OK, I'm lost. You're in Doha for 21 hours but arrive at 0500 and depart at 1200? I've obviously missed something.

james84

I think what OP meant was he has a ticket (TXL-DOH-CPT) that gives him a 21h layover in Doha, and he is trying to nest in a DOH-KWI-DOH that departs at 12noon.

Flame3601

EXactly ...

Dr. HFH

Thanks, got it now. If you're on QR 78 from TXL, your arrival is actually at 0515. I'd say that with an 0515 arrival and 1200 departure, and you want to experience Al Safwa, I wouldn't leave the airport (although you may have to to check in to the hotel?). Noon departure with time in AS means that you want to be back at the airport before 0900, I assume? And with an 0515 arrival, you'll get to the hotel, say, by 0600 at the earliest?

The closest I see to a noon departure DOH-KWI is QR 1078, 1245-1410. Then the next flight you can get back from KWI is QR 1079, 1540-1705. (I picked February 1, 2018 randomly to check schedules.)

And if you originally arrived at DOH at 0515 with about 21 hours, I'll assume that you're on QR 1369 to CPT, which departs at 0150. With an 0150 departure, you have to be at the airport, say, no later than midnight; I would want to be there a bit earlier than that because I hate feeling rushed. Now back up the time getting to the airport to allow time to shower, go back downstairs from your room and travel from the hotel back to the airport.

So assume that you'll likely get to the hotel by 1800; that leaves you at the most five hours for a nap (assuming that you shower more quickly than I do ). That's all just too tight for me; but it may work for you.

You have things scheduled more tightly than I would. If you actually do this, as I said, my recommendation is to stay at the airport on your first pass through, and use that time to experience Al Safwa in a leisurely manner. If you feel that you need some sleep, go for one of the sleeping rooms at Al Safwa (although, of course, there is no guarantee that you'll get one). On the return from KWI, I don't think that I would bother with the hotel.

Flame3601

Thanks for your insight DR HFH, really appreciated. You are correct with all the flights and timings , however QR1079 departs at 3:15 pm and arrives at 4:45 pm for my date ( 14/07/18) - i know thinking far ahead . I am pretty quick when it comes to getting through airports and the timings all work for me and my stress levels . I am more worried if this quick turnaround is even possible at KWI without having to go through KWI immigration , i have also picked up mobile boarding passes aren't accepted at KWI - so also wondering if they will print one for the inbound segment for me in Doha.

Other then that i am all set , just a shame there isn't a flight that departs in ticketed F and goes around the middle east while Krug is served then comes back to DOH !

Hopefully the Gulf crisis sorts itself out as i would much rather go to DXB/DWC/AUH.

Dr. HFH

Sorry, never been to KWI so I have nothing to add.

By next July, the problems may all have been resolved. It's clear that the boycott is ineffective, -- in fact, in many ways, QR and Qatar could come out of this stronger than before. At this point, the Gang of Five may well be trying to figure out how to get out of this without losing too much face.

JKG

I'm also considering a fast turnaround in KWI, with QR, as part of a MR. This would require, getting back on the same plane i arrived it.

I haven't managed to confirm if i will have to go through immigration on arrival or i can just get out of the plane and get back in (no baggage ofc).

I'm currently looking at a 80minute turnaround time so i doubt that will be enough if i need to immigrate and come back in.

Flame3601, did you manage to get any more info on this?

Flame3601

Hi JKG,

I did look into doing a fast turn around at KWI , however decided to opt for Muscat ( MCT) instead due to a few reasons after looking into quite a bit of depth on quick turnarounds at KWI. KWI seems to have some form of transit zone , but this seems to be a slow process that is under staffed and always busy - not what you wanna hear when time is of the essence. It was that point alone that made me switch to MCT after reading that MCT had a far better streamlined and efficient transit procedure and "experience" , plus the new MCT airport would be a bonus to experience. I also read loads of nightmarish review of KWI airport , and nothing good about the KWI transit experience either, however most of the reviews about MCT transit were relatively good.


Another thing to keep in mind is the gulf crisis , Muscat seems to be friendly with Qatar so no big worry about route cancellations. I would really take a look and consider MCT if time and cost is permitting ...

JKG

Thanx for the info. I've actually flown via MCT recently and i also look fwd to the new airport opening, it looks complete (from the outside :P).
In my case its a very different cost to go via MCT vs KWI for my MR.
I did ask some colleagues that recently flew in to DOH via KWI and they didnt mention the transit zone (but they didnt know what a b2b turnaround is :P or whether i had to go through immigration before getting back on the same plane as they were normal transits). I'll do some more research and if i go through with it, i'll report back .

Flame3601

JKG , you may find the linked thread from the BAEC forum helpful !

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1878035-kwi-transit.html#post29073856

JKG

For future reference and for the benefit of other FT members, i recently completed 2 B2B trips at KWI and both went quite smoothly.
I was flying QR and the time between landing and takeoff was approx 80 mins. I had no checked baggage but i still needed to go through the transit desk (which does get a bit chaotic if you are unlucky) to get the BP (and the invite to the lounge due to status).
Assign anywhere from 5 to 30 mins for the transit desk.

ProTip: On the way to KWI get a seat as further as possible and aim for a fast exit to get to the transit desk ASAP. Sometimes it gets quite crowded from your fellow passengers.
ProTip2: On the transit desk, there is no clear indication which airline is served where. 95%, QR is on the one on the far left. Its not always visible as they dont always wear a QR uniform and you might end up waiting for 15mins to find out you were at the wrong queue and get send to the back of another one.

Silver Falcon

I have done quite a few turnarounds in MCT, both at the old airport and the new airport.
If you have your onward boarding pass in hand there is an electronic gate (to scan your BP) followed by security (to scan your hand bags), making the transit very efficient - at most 10-15 mins.
I do always try to sit in the front to ensure I am off first.
If you don't have a onward boarding pass - the transit desks seem to be well staffed - so it should not be too long process.

JKG

Haven't tried it at MCT, i just might as i want to have a look at the new airport as i heard good things.
What airline did you use? Does QR issue the onward boarding pass in advance there?
Because in KWI they just give you a confirmation and you HAVE to go through the transit desk.

Tokyoite

lol