Wife Flying To Uk

[simba6829]

Hi All

Can any body answer this question,

My wife has been issued with a tourist visa for the uk, can she have a stop over flight ie in Doha, Abhu Dahbi or similar, or would she also need a transit visa for those countries.

Sure this has been asked before but cant find any info.

Cheers

[Guemlum]

Hi Simba, my GF is flying into Heathrow from Thailand next Friday 8th June and will be flying with Etihad. She will be stopping in Abu Dhabi and then connecting with another flight to Heathrow.

If it is just a case of connecting with another flight in either Doha using Qatar Airlines or Abu Dhabi using Etihad Airways then a transit visa isnt neccessary. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong but I dont think such a thing exists?. I understood that the whole idea of being in transit was that you were in the equivelent of "no mans land" , and that unless you were to stay for a period of time in that country, a visa was not required.

If she is in transit for 8hrs or more and will be put up in a hotel by the airline, then some kind of visa may be neccessary.

I had a stopover myself in Abu Dhabi recently and had to stay in a hotel. I was issued a stamp in my passport which entitled me to stay for a period of 30 days. I'm not sure if the same applies to Thai nationals, but I shouldnt see any reason why not.

I can only reply using my own personal experiences. I hope this helps.

Guemlum

[The Dan Sai Kid]

why not save the hassle and get a direct flight? EVA do direct pretty cheaply.

[simba6829]

Thanks for that,

She may well get a direct flight with eva or thai to heathrow, just that my best mate is travelling back to uk with quatar in a couple of weeks and as she has never flown long haul before thought the company wold be good, and gatwick is closer to my home.

good luck guemlum.

[doctormann]

Consider China Air to Amsterdam and then onward by KLM to just about anywhere in UK. Definitely no transit visa required but they may want to see her UK visa as she deplanes in AMS. My TGF has done this trip with no hassles.

DM

[erikr_]

Consider China Air to Amsterdam and then onward by KLM to just about anywhere in UK. Definitely no transit visa required but they may want to see her UK visa as she deplanes in AMS. My TGF has done this trip with no hassles.

DM

first trip long haul and then through amsterdam? wouldn't do that as Schiphol is a massive place.

Etihad flights do no longer go to Gatwick so Qatar or emirates is your only indirect possibility. However I would indeed advise Thai or EVA (if it needs to be cheap). Does she have her own creditcard? then she can go for one of the special offers on Thai for as low as 10000 baht

[Guemlum]

The other thing I should have mentioned was budget. If you have a budget that you want to stick to and its got to be cheap then I would definately consider either Etihad or Qatar.

Various discussions on who is best and cheapest to fly with are always popping up on this forum.

I fly from the UK to Thailand on average 4 times per year and Etihad and Qatar have never been beaten on price. On average I pay about £400-£450 max for a return flight which does include a short (1hr 45 mins) stopover. When enquiring about flights with Eva or even Thai Airways, the price always comes up around the £600-£700 region (for a direct). Eva always advertise their prices on their website without the taxes, which looks great but then when you confirm and go to the next page it is added, bumping up the price. For the sake of saving a few hundred pounds, I dont mind the short stop-over in the middle east. The money saved is well spent in Thailand.

The recent flight I purchased for my gf to visit the uk cost me £430 and no other airline could beat this price at the time.

IMO, I also find the service, entertainment, food etc, with Etihad and Qatar, far better than that with Thai Airways or Eva.

One more thing, If your wife is nervous about flying or connecting with another flight, then Etihad can arrange a "meet and greet" service, FREE OF CHARGE. I have arranged this for my gf and she will be met at Suvarnabhumi airport and taken to her departure gate and then will be met in Abu Dhabi and taken to her conecting flight to the UK. She will also be met at Heathrow and taken to passport control. This service will also be used on her return flight to Thailand. If available, you can request a meet and greet using a Thai national.

Good luck Simba

Guemlum

[simba6829]

Cheers Guys,

Looks like she will be travelling with Quatar for about 32.000b this way she travels with my mate and i will try to arrange for her to have assistance on her return leg, she did find out about a price with eva but at 46.000b far to much can spend the money on far better things.

I have also used Thai, Eva, and Ethiad in the past and found Ethiad to be good but as you say they no longer fly to Gatwick. I myself will be using Quatar in september as heard good reports about them.

Thanks for the advice,

Simba

[scotty123456789]

Hi mate,

Use www.airlinenetwork.co.uk

I use them, you will get a direct flight with thaiairways for around £450

Check it out mate.

Good luck

Scotty..