Hi - I have 45 minutes to connect incoming from luang prabang on Lao airlines to meet an air Asia flight to krabi (no checked bags). Hints, tips, suggestions?

I don't think it is going to happen, you are coming in on a International flight and will have to clear Immigration, and then get to your domestic gate in 45 minutes? Just from what i know of BKK I would say your chances of making that connection is about 1 in 10 at best, but I could be wrong.

shannonabroad,

while many of our fellow Budget Travelers have experience with BKK (myself included) I feel that the experts in the Thailand forum have even more experience, so I am moving the thread there.

And I will agree with geeprice that if it's int'l it ain't going to happen.

EmailKid
Budget Travel moderator

If it's 45 minutes between arrival time and departure time it's nearly impossible, because the check-in counters usually close 45 minutes prior to time of departure.

Anyway you can try your luck, book a fast track service, hope for the best and run ... at least 999 of 1.000 times you'll fail to get your connecting flight

You will not make your flight. Period.

Check in cut off for Air Asia, even domestic, is 45 minutes. As mentioned above you'll need to get to immigration (likely via bus), get stamped into the Kingdom, (get bags?) head upstairs to check in, go back through domestic security, go back downstairs, get to your gate.

There are a handful of fights down to KBV, don't waste your money on this one which you will not make.

I second this. There is absolutely no way you will be able to check in. Air asia are very strict about this. In all my Air asia trips, the only time i managed to get around this was when a friendly first office saw my dive shop t-shirt at which I worked (and which he used) and came to talk to me, and radio'd ahead to KUL to ask his ground team to make things happen as the flight was running late and i wouldnt have time to check in for the next flight to Borneo. EVEN with his help, and 1h from landing to takeoff, the checking crew were having none of it. I had to find the guy in the airport and have him make things happen!

I too think this is too short a time frame.... but

What is this bunk about Air Asia and missing the checkin. You can online checkin. I think it's 48 hours before the flight. Technically, you could already be checked in, computer printout in hand, land, and make it to the gate.

Truth be told, in your situation, you don't have enough time.

And if you're checking a bag?

My famous words, the ones dreaded at the boarding gate... I say with a big smile "GATE CHECK!" 555

Go through the stress of changing flights now, rather than stressing over the (missed) connection at BKK when things go pear shaped.

Hi folks,
Thank you for the replies - I made the connection from incoming Luang Prabang to outbound Krabi in 21 minutes from wheels down to butt in the Air Asia seat. Even having done it, I can't believe it worked, I think this was my one amazing day of travel karma for 2011. I will say, if anyone else is trying to make it by the skin of their teeth, I did NOT check bags and I checked in on my phone, which helped the Air Asia people get me through security and check in very fast.
Not something I would ever try again, but just wanted to post the update. Thanks again!

Most of us, Sean excluded, wouldn't have tried this. Glad it worked for you.

Glad the op made it.

You can now check in online for an Airasia flight anytime after receiving confirmation, even if it is months away. It was 5 days until recently, and it was just changed. I tried checking in for a flight in Nov and it works.

For domestic Thailand flights you don't need to go to a document check counter first. I take my passport and boarding pass to the departures security check and and proceed through to the gate. I remember at one time there were document check counters at the departures lounge security at CNX and they are gone now. All I need is the boarding pass and passport. I don't know when this changed or if this is the way it is supposed to be but I have done it several times this month. The only interaction with an AirAsia employee is at the gate where they tear the sheet in 2 and keep half.

I haven't done an international departure on AirAsia this year yet, but in the past I had to go to the counter for a document check first. Does anyone know if this is still true?

OP, did you use the CQ or is it CIQ, to transfer between inter and domestic? I was wondering if I had my documents checked in CNX for my flight from BKK could I use the CQ in BKK to go to inter departures, anyone know if I can? I can't remember if their are immigration desks at CQ.