tight layover

[hawj]

Hi there.

On july 30th i'll be flying from Amsterdam via Abu Dhabi to BKK. I'll be arriving in BKK at 19:50 but my final destination is Koh Samui. The last flight to samui leaves at 21:00 and i'm wondering if i will have enough time to get my luggage and check in again.

I doubt it, so i'm wondering if anyone has experience with forwarding luggage all the way from AMS- Samui on 2 seperate bookings? To BKK i'm flying Etihad, from BKK Bangkok air. They have a codeshare agreement but i'm not sure if it works like that?

I chose to book 2 seperate tickets as the difference between BKK or Samui as the final destination is a staggering €400.

Hope to get a reply!

[Kered]

I checked the Bangkok Airways transfer time recently and on their Website they have a list of Airlines with whom they have transfer facilities and the transfer time which i recall is not less than 1 Hr 15 Mn. However you have to check your baggage through to final destination and this is no problem even if you have separate tickets. However from the information given you might be just short of time but I suggest that you check with Bangkok Airways.

[lomatopo]

You may be able to interline your bags through to USM when you check in at AMS. At lot depends on the local agents, their systems and familiarity with the process. You will have to ask, and show a printed itinerary for the PG flight (BKK-USM), and the agent can link the two records and interline the bags. In this case you would clear mid-field Immigration upon arrival in BKK proceeding to Concourse A for the USM flight, and claim bags and clear Customs in USM. Assuming your flight arrives on time then you might be able to make the connection.

However, if you cannot check your bags through to USM at check-in at AMS I suspect you will find it challenging to make the 1:10 connection at BKK, having to clear Immigration, wait for bags, proceed up to level 4 to check in with PG. I am pretty sure the MCT is for I-D at SBIA is 75 minutes. TG did (does?) have a 55 min. MCT for TG-TG flights/connections to USM but I'm not even sure if they fly BKK-USM currently?

As you are on separate tickets you may have to pay a change fee, and/or buy up to a higher but available fare bucket, if you were to miss the flight and want to fly the next day, assuming there is space available. If on a single ticket then you might be afforded some protection the next day, assuming they actually issue the ticket with that MCT.

Ultimately it might be simplest, and less expensive, to stay overnight at a hotel near BKK and fly to USM the next morning?

[Dukgae]

have checked baggage through to Samui from Amsterdam with no problem, on separate tickets (Eva and BKK Air). However, it's a long walk from international gate to transfer desk/domestic gate, 1 hour 10 mins would be too tight for comfort in my opinion.

[breadbin]

Don't think he can. Doesn't he need to be in the flight for his bags to fly?

It's a huge security risk,

Certainly in UK his bags will be offloaded if he is not there, or if he doesn't check in they may not even be loaded,

[lomatopo]

Don't think he can. Doesn't he need to be in the flight for his bags to fly?

Assuming that baggage can be interlined and is accepted at the destination, it may or may not make the connecting flight. If the pax. are not on the flight any bags which might have been loaded would probably be off-loaded, although PPBM is usually just a requirement on international flights. Not sure how this is relevant to the topic however?

[1kate1]

Are you not supposed to clear customs on destination arrival as going on to Bangkok Air would be classed as a domestic flight....just curious

[lomatopo]

Are you not supposed to clear customs on destination arrival as going on to Bangkok Air would be classed as a domestic flight....just curious

People tend to use the terms "Immigration" and "Customs" interchangeably, when they are in fact two separate and distinct activities.

If bags are interlined through to USM, people would clear mid-field Immigration at SBIA/BKK, then re-clear security, then get their domestic boarding card at one of the transfer check-in counters*, then proceed to concourse A for a domestic flight. At USM, bags would be claimed and one would clear Customs there. This procedure can be used for USM, HKT, CNX, HDY, CEI and KBV.

http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/passenger_guide_transfer_inter2domestic_noBD_en.php

* I forgot to include this step, which will only add to the transit time needed, and make it even more challenging to make this connection.

[1kate1]

Where do you clear customs on Koh Samui if your luggage arrives on a domestic flight? I know the difference between Customs and Immigration.