Getting To Domestic Terminal At Bkk

[sharastani]

I land at 1205 at Bkk (Emirates) a Thair Air flight to Phuket leaves at 1405.

I think you can check baggage in through to Phuket from UK. I believe there is a shortcut to domestic terminal if you don't have to pick the bags up and check them back in.

Previous trips I have gone through immigration, picked up bags and walked through the walkway to the terminal....2 hrs might be a bit fine..

Alternatives are get the 1555 Air Asia flight which although cheap probably wont leave till much later or Bangkok Air or Nok Air flights about 1630ish....

Any ideas?

[Prakanong2005]

Hi

Can you go through Immigration in Phuket or is that only for people arriving direct in Phuket?

If you can check your bags right through as long as Emirates are on time i think you will be OK - I usually arrive at 1 in the afternon at the same time as about 5 other flights and have never taken more than 40 minutes all in to get to my taxi.

If this was me and I could not check my bags I would probably go Nok Air if no other Thai flight but I am often over cautious on things like this.

I am the same with connections at Frankfurt - I will arrive from my connecting flight with 3 hours to spare instead of the later flight with 1 hour - the follow on consequences of missing the BKK at FRA are just to much to risk as opposed to sitting around the airport for 2 hours extra

[spacebass]

I land at 1205 at Bkk (Emirates) a Thair Air flight to Phuket leaves at 1405.

I think you can check baggage in through to Phuket from UK.  I believe there is a shortcut to domestic terminal if you don't have to pick the bags up and check them back in.

Previous trips I have gone through immigration, picked up bags and walked through the walkway to the terminal....2 hrs might be a bit fine..

Alternatives are get the 1555 Air Asia flight which although cheap probably wont leave till much later or Bangkok Air or Nok Air flights about 1630ish....

Any ideas?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tha last two Air Asia flights I may have booked on the internet a couple of days ago: went through the process on line then entered credit card details etc, then instead of getting confirmation to print off, I got instruction to phone Air Asia in Malaysia (I am in Thailand) to see if my booking was completed and get confirmation number (necessary to check in) I have no idea whether the number in Malaysia is a premium number, but it wouldn't surprise me.

So right now I have probably been billed for two return trips but I don't whether I have been or whether I have a reservation or not, and I am sure as hel_l not going to phone Malaysia, and it will cost you a lot more to phone Malaysia than me.

An email sent requesting my confirmed bookings by email , has failed to produce them after 36 hours.

On the basis of the above I am giving Air Asia a miss until I am sure their business is able to operate properly.

Edited December 21, 2005 by spacebass

[Krub]

I land at 1205 at Bkk (Emirates) a Thair Air flight to Phuket leaves at 1405.

I think you can check baggage in through to Phuket from UK.  I believe there is a shortcut to domestic terminal if you don't have to pick the bags up and check them back in.

Previous trips I have gone through immigration, picked up bags and walked through the walkway to the terminal....2 hrs might be a bit fine..

Alternatives are get the 1555 Air Asia flight which although cheap probably wont leave till much later or Bangkok Air or Nok Air flights about 1630ish....

Any ideas?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You arrive international and transist in Bangkok to Phuket.

Two hours is enough to do a transit WITHIN the international terminal.

This is possible if :

1. You have both tickets with confirmed seats

2. You produce those tickets upon check-in and your luggage is tagged all the way to Phuket.

When you arrive in Bangkok, do NOT go through immigration, go to the transit desk of Thai Airways in terminal 1 (on the level you arrive), present them your ticket and you will get a boarding pass for our fligh to Phuket. The gate will be a bus gate FROM THE SAME INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL 1.

Upon arrival in Phuket, make sure you go out through the immigration side not the domestic side

Have a good flight

[visarunner]

Hi ,

advise from K. Krub is correct , 2 hours is more than enough n if you have ticket to Phuket you can check yr baggage through n use Immigartion in Phuket .

[ovenman]

There is one other factor involved here. The airline upon which you are arriving (in this case Emirates) needs to be part of a group of twenty or so airlines that allows such an international transfer to a THAI domestic flight. I don't know one way or another whether Emirates is part of this group. Arriving on THAI is fine (obviously). I know that KLM is also okay. Arriving on Northwest or Malaysia for exapmle, is not.

If you arrive in Bangkok and it turns out that Emirates does not allow this direct transfer, go through immigrations in Bangkok, check-in for your domestic flight at the domestic terminal. As your bags are already through-checked to Phuket, you'll need to collect them from the international arrivals area of the airport in Phuket. You won't touch your checked bags in Bangkok.

The procedure is the same for outbound travel from Thailand, i.e. you could check-in at Phuket checking your bags to your final destination, clear immigrations in Phuket, upon arrival in BKK you are shuttled directly to the transit area of the international terminals where you collect your international boarding pass from the transfer desk serving your outbound airline. But once again, this only applies if your airline is part of the group of twenty or so carriers that allows this.

[Krub]

There is one other factor involved here.  The airline upon which you are arriving (in this case Emirates) needs to be part of a group of twenty or so airlines that allows such an international transfer to a THAI domestic flight.  I don't know one way or another whether Emirates is part of this group.  Arriving on THAI is fine (obviously).  I know that KLM is also okay.  Arriving on Northwest or Malaysia for exapmle, is not.

If you arrive in Bangkok and it turns out that Emirates does not allow this direct transfer, go through immigrations in Bangkok, check-in for your domestic flight at the domestic terminal.  As your bags are already through-checked to Phuket, you'll need to collect them from the international arrivals area of the airport in Phuket.  You won't touch your checked bags in Bangkok.

The procedure is the same for outbound travel from Thailand, i.e. you could check-in at Phuket checking your bags to your final destination, clear immigrations in Phuket, upon arrival in BKK you are shuttled directly to the transit area of the international terminals where you collect your international boarding pass from the transfer desk serving your outbound airline.  But once again, this only applies if your airline is part of the group of twenty or so carriers that allows this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Ovenman

What has the arriving carrier got to do with international transfer in BKK ?

If your bags are tagged all the way to Phuket how can Malaysia or Northwest stop you from going to TG counter and get a boarding pass for the Bangkok Phuket flight ?

Edited January 1, 2006 by Krub

[ovenman]

What has the arriving carrier got to do with international transfer in BKK ?

If your bags are tagged all the way to Phuket how can Malaysia or Northwest stop you from going to TG counter and get a boarding pass for the Bangkok Phuket flight ?

The THAI transfer desk agent inside the Don Muang international transit area will want to see your inbound boarding pass. If it is not that of an airline in the approved group, the THAI agent will not issue the domestic boarding pass. The agent will instead direct you towards immigrations and instruct you to check-in at the domestic terminal.

[Krub]

What has the arriving carrier got to do with international transfer in BKK ?

If your bags are tagged all the way to Phuket how can Malaysia or Northwest stop you from going to TG counter and get a boarding pass for the Bangkok Phuket flight ?

The THAI transfer desk agent inside the Don Muang international transit area will want to see your inbound boarding pass. If it is not that of an airline in the approved group, the THAI agent will not issue the domestic boarding pass. The agent will instead direct you towards immigrations and instruct you to check-in at the domestic terminal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What happens to your tagged luggage ?

Luggage from internatinla destination will come out in Phuket on the inside custom area side not the domestic side

Your assumption seems very starnge to me as you would have cleared customs without your luggage in Bangkok....

Do you have a list of those airlines in the 'approved' group ?

[ovenman]

What happens to your tagged luggage ?

Luggage from internatinla destination will come out in Phuket on the inside custom area side not the domestic side

That's correct. Your luggage will arrive in the international baggage claim area at Phuket and that's where you will need to retrieve it.

Your assumption seems very starnge to me as you would have cleared customs without your luggage in Bangkok....

You and your hand luggage will have cleared customs in Bangkok. Your checked bags will clear customs in Phuket.

Do you have a list of those airlines in the 'approved' group ?

No, I don't. I've seen the list any number of times during check-in at Chiang Mai (it's posted above the THAI international check-in counters). Most of the Star Alliance carriers are on the approved list but not all. For example, I know from experience that Singapore Airlines is not.

Edited January 2, 2006 by ovenman

[Krub]

What happens to your tagged luggage ?

Luggage from internatinla destination will come out in Phuket on the inside custom area side not the domestic side

That's correct. Your luggage will arrive in the international baggage claim area at Phuket and that's where you will need to retrieve it.

Your assumption seems very starnge to me as you would have cleared customs without your luggage in Bangkok....

You and your hand luggage will have cleared customs in Bangkok. Your checked bags will clear customs in Phuket.

Do you have a list of those airlines in the 'approved' group ?

No, I don't. I've seen the list any number of times during check-in at Chiang Mai (it's posted above the THAI international check-in counters). Most of the Star Alliance carriers are on the approved list but not all. For example, I know from experience that Singapore Airlines is not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The last time I was in Phuket, there is nio way you can access the international luggage area if you have not cleared immigration in Phuket.

If you have cleared immigration in Bangkok, you will arrive at the domestic area in Phuket where only domestic luggage will be deliverred.

if your assumption is correct regarding the 'approved list' then I believe the luggage should not be accepted right through to Phuket or Chiang Mai and should be cleared in Bangkok.

[ovenman]

The last time I was in Phuket, there is nio way you can access the international luggage area if you have not cleared immigration in Phuket.

If you have cleared immigration in Bangkok, you will arrive at the domestic area in Phuket where only domestic luggage will be deliverred.

Sorry that I didn't clarify that point in my last post. You are correct, you will arrive in Phuket as a domestic passenger and will not go through the immigrations area in Phuket (i.e. past the passport control desks). Exit from the domestic baggage claim area, proceed through the terminal to the international arrivals exit door, explain to the guard that you have bags to claim from abroad and show your baggage claim tickets if necessary. This sounds weird but trust me, it works. I've been doing this for thirteen years.

if your assumption is correct regarding the 'approved list' then I believe the luggage should not be accepted right through to Phuket or Chiang Mai and should be cleared in Bangkok.

The check-in agent for your originating airline abroad will undoubtedly know nothing about on-the-ground procedures in Bangkok. All they'll know for sure is whether they have an interline baggage transfer agreement with your connecting airline. If so, they will tag your luggage acordingly. If you are connecting to one of the low-cost carriers like AirAsia or Nok Air who do not interline bags with any other carriers, you'll only be able to check bags to Bangkok.