International to Domestic transfer airside

[Argus Tuft]

Had someone arrive on the weekend. He was on a single ticket booking from China via Bangkok to Phuket with Thai Smile

He said he had to clear immigration through the normal arrival channels, then go upstairs and check in again for his domestic flight.

 

My understanding was that there is an internal transfer counter within Suvanabhumi that allows for this.
ie arrive international, follow the sign to the Phuket/Chiang Mai/Samui area, and then do immigration airside.  Following that, head to gate for domestic flight

 

 

Can anyone verify this is still the same procedure?  And where is the transfer area (ie which concourse)

Thanks

 

[Stocky]

7 hours ago, Argus Tuft said:

And where is the transfer area (ie which concourse)

Domestic transfer is east side concourse C - there is then an immigration and security area to access the domestic area of concourse A & B.  But if you've not got your bags checked through to your final destination you'd need to clear immigration and collect your bags in Bangkok then check in. Sounds like this person hadn't checked his bags through to Phuket.

[Argus Tuft]

19 hours ago, Stocky said:

Domestic transfer is east side concourse C - there is then an immigration and security area to access the domestic area of concourse A & B.  But if you've not got your bags checked through to your final destination you'd need to clear immigration and collect your bags in Bangkok then check in. Sounds like this person hadn't checked his bags through to Phuket.

He was on a single ticket itinerary with Thai Smile
He had hand carry only.  He just couldn't figure it out!

[merijn]

As long he has no checked luggage for Bangkok he can use the immigration and security for domestic transfers at A/B gates.

( no checked luggage or checked luggage labeled through to the end destination)

[steelepulse]

I will be doing this and I asked airline rep about this.  Trying to discern what exactly she means.

 

I think she is saying clear immigration at BKK, then look for transfer desk for domestic airline.  If my bags are checked all the way through to HKT I can do this and not have to go to arrivals hall immigration and collect bags there.    Is this correct what I am thinking she said?

 

 

"Immigration need to clear at first port of entry Thailand.

But at Transfer desk at International to Domestic with Immigration counter for passenger connecting  flights PR-PG .

your baggage must check to final destination HKT (PG)"

 

 

 

 

[merijn]

6 hours ago, steelepulse said:

I will be doing this and I asked airline rep about this.  Trying to discern what exactly she means.

 

I think she is saying clear immigration at BKK, then look for transfer desk for domestic airline.  If my bags are checked all the way through to HKT I can do this and not have to go to arrivals hall immigration and collect bags there.    Is this correct what I am thinking she said?

 

 

"Immigration need to clear at first port of entry Thailand.

But at Transfer desk at International to Domestic with Immigration counter for passenger connecting  flights PR-PG .

your baggage must check to final destination HKT (PG)"

 

 

 

 

That is correct.

As long your bags checked trough to the final destination you can do the transfer in Bangkok.

After arrival follow the signs (transfer to Phuket, Chang Mai etc)

Before immigration at the A/B gates you will see the transfer counters where you get the BP for your domestic flight if required.

After this you pass immigration and security and you end up in the domestic terminal.

 

[mtls2005]

I'm not 100% certain, and it does seem odd, but I think one can only use the mid-field, int'l-dom connection (arriving immigration, security, transfer counters) if on a TG to WE connection. A WE-WE connection is not valid for the mid-field connection. Perhaps this is a result of WE being a LCC? Maybe follow up with Thai Smile to get their read on their current policy?

 

From the WE terms and conditions page...

 

3.4 Connecting Flight

                  The Passenger understands that the Company is only a provider of transportation service between airports and shall not be responsible for any connecting flight or itinerary including forwarding baggage to connecting flight whether it is the fight of Thai Smile or the flight of other airline and the Company shall not be liable for any damage arising from missing the connecting flight.

 

There are varied first-hand experiences on travel forums, I found this one on FlyerTalk, which involved a BR (Eva) to WE connection at SBIA/BKK...

 

Unfortunately, the agent refused to check me in at first for my WE flight since I was coming from BR and not TG. She said it is WE policy that the transfer desk only issues boarding passes for those coming in on TG and not any other airline. She repeatedly said I would have to go through immigration, check in at the main counter and then come back airside. After a lot of back and forth, she called a supervisor on the phone and they agreed to make a "one time exception" to print my WE boarding pass airside. 

[merijn]

12 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

I'm not 100% certain, and it does seem odd, but I think one can only use the mid-field, int'l-dom connection (arriving immigration, security, transfer counters) if on a TG to WE connection. A WE-WE connection is not valid for the mid-field connection. Perhaps this is a result of WE being a LCC? Maybe follow up with Thai Smile to get their read on their current policy?

 

From the WE terms and conditions page...

 

3.4 Connecting Flight

                  The Passenger understands that the Company is only a provider of transportation service between airports and shall not be responsible for any connecting flight or itinerary including forwarding baggage to connecting flight whether it is the fight of Thai Smile or the flight of other airline and the Company shall not be liable for any damage arising from missing the connecting flight.

 

There are varied first-hand experiences on travel forums, I found this one on FlyerTalk, which involved a BR (Eva) to WE connection at SBIA/BKK...

 

Unfortunately, the agent refused to check me in at first for my WE flight since I was coming from BR and not TG. She said it is WE policy that the transfer desk only issues boarding passes for those coming in on TG and not any other airline. She repeatedly said I would have to go through immigration, check in at the main counter and then come back airside. After a lot of back and forth, she called a supervisor on the phone and they agreed to make a "one time exception" to print my WE boarding pass airside. 

It all depends if the airlines have a interline agreement to forward the bags.

This has nothing to do if the airline is a LCC or not.

If both airlines have a interline agreement the luggage will be routed to the end destination and a BP can be issued at the transfer desk.

I'm not sure with which airlines WE (ThaiSmile) has interline agreements with.

But normally most of the airlines have interline agreements with most of the other airlines.

 

[mtls2005]

The OP's friend does not appear to have any checked baggage?

 

Assuming an interline agreement, a single through ticket, say nnn-BKK-HKT (or any of the allowable domestic destinations), then bags may be checked through at nnn to HKT, and the mid-field connection allowed.  In such a circumstance, the mid-field connection could be used without checked bags as well.

 

I do not believe it is possible to interline bags through SBIA/BKK on separate tickets any longer (as of 2017). Even PG won't interline to themselves on separate tickets any longer.

 

Again, AFAIK, WE does not have interline agreements with other carriers except TG. (TG and WE use different back-ends: Amadeus and Navitaire with resulting challenges.)

 

Most LCCs do not have interline agreements. 

 

The transfer counters at SBIA/BKK to handle int'l-dom connections to TG, WE and PG, the last time I looked. AFAIK, only TG to WE, on a single ticket, is allowed.

 

AFAI can tell, WE does not support int'l-dom WE-WE connections to valid destinations at SBIA/BKK. But I would drop an email to WE for clarification on their current policy. And/or ask at initial check-in with WE in China, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar. I have my doubts about local, contract agents in many of those locations being able to handle the connection issue, but I could be wrong.

 

 

[NanLaew]

On 5/9/2018 at 6:58 PM, Argus Tuft said:

He was on a single ticket itinerary with Thai Smile
He had hand carry only.  He just couldn't figure it out!

Sounds like a Chinese thing.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

I recently fled from SFO-SIN on United(business class) arriving without checked baggage. I then had a ticket on Scoot from SIN-CNX.

The uninterested dot head Indian lady at the Scoot connecting counter blew me off as a nuisance and said I had to go to SIN immigration and go their ticket counter to get a boarding pass.
It was all Automated but I still had to go through “document check” which involved opening my passport.

They did not check if I had a visa or why I was
Flying to Thailand on a one way ticket, never asked. Big waste of time and a joke.