cnc2002

I am posting this on this website because I believe Delta flyers are more likely to be able to answer my first question better than would those using other airlines FT sites.

I) will be transiting through SIN on my way home from Indonesia. I will be flying from Bandung (BDO) to SIN on a nonstop on Silk Air (SQ subsidiary) flight and departing several hours later on KE to ICN, KE to the ATL, and onward on DL to YUL. Silk Air tells me that I cannot check my bags all the way through to the US when I check in at BDO because SQ//Silk Air and Delta are not partners. The Singapore airport website says that if you have not checked your bags through you should go to your airline's transfer desk in the secure area and have them check your bags through. I'm not sure how this would work since my bags will be handled as iff I'm staying in Singapore and end up on the baggage carousel. It would be nice to avoid immigration just to pick up and recheck my luggage. I'm hoping someone here has experience with this.
I know that Garuda is a partner of Delta's (so they would probably check it all the way through) but using Garuda isn't possible without a long layover in another Indonesia city (SUB), and it's much more expensive than nonstop from BDO to SIN on Silk Air.

2) In Atlanta I'll be in transit from one foreign country to another. Will I have to go through immigration and customs or can I stay on the secure side and avoid that?

Weekend Away

I haven't been to SIN so I can't speak to transit there, but Delta doesn't have a through check policy with Garuda, so it wouldn't matter. But I think that would actually depend on GA or KE having an agreement not Delta since those are the operating carriers.

In Atlanta, you'll have to clear customs, immigration, and security. There's no I-I transit area. As far as I know there's no U.S. airport with a transit area like other countries.

Slow learner

Looking at the SIN airport website, the exact process seems to depend on whether you need to collect boarding passes at the airport. Look here:

Your guide to a smooth flight transfer in Changi Airport

flyerCO

If your bags are only tagged to SIN you'll need to goto the KE transfer desk. Give them your bag tags and they will collect them from Silk and tag them for KE. Note KE departs from T4 at SIN. This terminal is not directly connected to T1-T3. There is a bus between them allowing you to stay in transit. However it would be quicker and safer for bags if you simply cleared immigration, picked up bags, and checked in landside with KE at T4.

As for ATL, some airports in US allow bags to transfer between international flights (ITI), skipping customs. However this requires the inbound and outbound international flights both be operated by same carrier. As you're flying KE, not DL into ATL, youre not eligible even if ATL has this process. Regardless you will be required to clear immigration. There is no way in US to transfer ITI without clearing immigration. Thus if you need a visa to enter, you'll need one to transit.

Often1

There is no transit in the US. But, KE should still tag your bags at SIN to YUL. You will be processed through CBP at ATL, including claiming your bags and then drop them with DL (you won't have to wait because they will already be tagged to YUL). Then, back through a checkpoint and off to your gate.

As noted above, you must be properly documented for entry to the US.

ops55

Sure they do

flyerCO

I think what was being said is that by policy DL doesn't through check across tickets to GA. Not an issue of there being no interline agreement.

MSPeconomist

However, the OP would need to check bags through from GA to KE. They do interline and are alliance partners, but the OP would presumably have a separate ticket in this hypothetical.

Nevertheless, I agree with the suggestion that it would be simpler for OP to enter Singapore (which tends to be very efficient), claim the bag, and take it to the KE check in desk.

The big question is how much time OP has allowed between tickets at SIN.

cnc2002

[QUOTE=flyerCO;31643289]If your bags are only tagged to SIN you'll need to goto the KE transfer desk. Give them your bag tags and they will collect them from Silk and tag them for KE. Note KE departs from T4 at SIN. This terminal is not directly connected to T1-T3. There is a bus between them allowing you to stay in transit. However it would be quicker and safer for bags if you simply cleared immigration, picked up bags, and checked in landside with KE at T4.


Would KE have transfer desks in T1-T3? It sounds as if going through immigration is the way to go--pick up the luggage, go to T4, and put it in luggage storage. I'll have between 8 and 13 hours in Singapore depending on which flight I take from JOG to SIN.

ops55

Reading over Delta's Through-Check Baggage Policy for separate tickets, I stand corrected. Garuda is not on that list.

MSPeconomist

OP isn't trying to check a bag from DL to GA. It's the other direction, where the bag would be going from GA first to KE and then (in ATL after immigration and customs, where it's easy to have the bag retagged by DL at the service counter after exiting customs, although you must resist the screaming airport contract employees who try to prevent you from approaching the DL agents there). What would really matter is whether GA will check the bag through to KE.

Often1

It is irrelevant, OP is not checking bags with DL until he drops them post-CBP at ATL. His ticket transfer is GA to KE and thus depends on whether GA chooses to check bags across separate tickets to KE.